Poll: What to do with my '99 986: Upgrade, Modify, or get a 911?

[RaisedOnPorsches]

Thanks for the replies so far. Test drives are certainly a must.

As a little bit more info, my move reduced my 50 mile roundtrip commute down to 7 miles. I expect to put less than 5k annually on my car now (whatever car that ends up being). I'm not crazy about going the two car route, but it is a possibility.

[Nine8Six]

Originally Posted by RaisedOnPorsches

Test drives are certainly a must.

ehhh NOPE! Don't do that. I get to drive a lot of supercars incl the Pcars. And every single time I get to do so, I simply want to buy the car. ALL

I'd stay right where you are atm and keep looking at it from a spending perspective. Much smarter and mature

[fatmike]

964 values have shot up recently. They have closed the gap to the 993, which makes the 993 the better choice (in my opinion).

You will spend $5-$8K on a buying a "new" to you old Porsche to bring it to standard. Factor that in. You'll spend money in places on the 993 that you take for granted with your Boxster (headlights, suspension, etc.).

The Boxster S is by far the best value of all of them (expect maybe a 1999 - 2004 era 911).

Best advise - stay put and save some cash and maybe invest it (it's OK, your allowed).



ALSO - I am not trolling, but my 5 year old is looking over my shoulder and wants the troll: :troll:


/

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by fatmike

964 values have shot up recently. They have closed the gap to the 993, which makes the 993 the better choice (in my opinion).

You will spend $5-$8K on a buying a "new" to you old Porsche to bring it to standard. Factor that in. You'll spend money in places on the 993 that you take for granted with your Boxster (headlights, suspension, etc.).

The Boxster S is by far the best value of all of them (expect maybe a 1999 - 2004 era 911).

Best advise - stay put and save some cash and maybe invest it (it's OK, your allowed).



ALSO - I am not trolling, but my 5 year old is looking over my shoulder and wants the troll: :troll:


/

This. Unless you stumble into a heckuva deal with updates already performed (Fatmike was close; $3k for suspension if you DIY, toss in $2k for misc items) a 964 or 993 won't be "a bargain". 964's are still less money but there's a reason 993's cost more, they're cooler . It's your money / car, buy the one you like best.

Air Cooled Cars; Upside is obviously residual value, most likely to continue appreciating while water cooled P-Cars will continue to drop like rocks in comparison.

My 2 takes;

-Don't unnecessarily sink more money into a depreciating car.
-Don't take out a loan for a toy.

Easy to state the above, I wish I would of followed that advice myself years back and invested more instead.

[coreseller]

Just remembered this, it may be interesting to the OP'er:

[RaisedOnPorsches]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think I'm going to follow several individuals' advice to stay with the Boxster, minimize spending on mods, and avoid test driving any particularly tempting Porsches. I definitely don't want to sink money into a depreciating car with unnecessary mods. I also don't really want to take on some extra loan payments right now either. I'll focus on saving up for the right Porsche that may come my way in the future.

That said, I did just get an Agency Power short-shifter and shifter linkage for cheap on Craigslist so I'll see how transformational that mod is to my driving experience. I also have a set of 18" Carrera Lightweights with Boxster specs that need refinishing. I might finally get around to swapping those on in place of my 17" twists.

Thanks again folks. Keep on Boxstering.

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by RaisedOnPorsches

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I think I'm going to follow several individuals' advice to stay with the Boxster, minimize spending on mods, and avoid test driving any particularly tempting Porsches. I definitely don't want to sink money into a depreciating car with unnecessary mods. I also don't really want to take on some extra loan payments right now either. I'll focus on saving up for the right Porsche that may come my way in the future.

That said, I did just get an Agency Power short-shifter and shifter linkage for cheap on Craigslist so I'll see how transformational that mod is to my driving experience. I also have a set of 18" Carrera Lightweights with Boxster specs that need refinishing. I might finally get around to swapping those on in place of my 17" twists.

Thanks again folks. Keep on Boxstering.

I think you have made a wise choice. That said, it does not mean you cannot pursue some cool DIY projects that do not cost much. A heckuva way to learn more about your Boxster not to mention ad skills to your future car resume:

101 Projects for Your Porsche Boxster (Motorbooks Workshop): Wayne R. Dempsey: 9780760335543: Amazon.com: Books

[evomind]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

ehhh NOPE! Don't do that. I get to drive a lot of supercars incl the Pcars. And every single time I get to do so, I simply want to buy the car. ALL

I'd stay right where you are atm and keep looking at it from a spending perspective. Much smarter and mature

Ha, that's why I never test drive cars I cant afford!

[Porsche9]

I had a 964 for years before I had to sell it to fit my family needs. With the family grown I am now back in a Pcar again and I am very happy about that. The 964 and in my case a 2002 Boxster S are completely different experiences. Where I completely enjoy the S I loved driving the 964 (people would comment on the car all the time). I to this day regret selling it and it is the only car I every regret selling. The air cooled engine, the iconic shape, interior build quality just don't compare. When I sold it after 5 yeas I got more then I had paid for it and today it would cost another $10k. If you can afford the upfront cost of the 993 then go for it. It will be a investment that you can enjoy every day. The Boxster at least for know will continue to depreciate and have similar running costs. The Boxster may one day go up in value but I think it will be at least another 15 years and it will never be a air cooled 911.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Porsche9

I had a 964 for years before I had to sell it to fit my family needs. With the family grown I am now back in a Pcar again and I am very happy about that. The 964 and in my case a 2002 Boxster S are completely different experiences. Where I completely enjoy the S I loved driving the 964 (people would comment on the car all the time). I to this day regret selling it and it is the only car I every regret selling. The air cooled engine, the iconic shape, interior build quality just don't compare. When I sold it after 5 yeas I got more then I had paid for it and today it would cost another $10k. If you can afford the upfront cost of the 993 then go for it. It will be a investment that you can enjoy every day. The Boxster at least for know will continue to depreciate and have similar running costs. The Boxster may one day go up in value but I think it will be at least another 15 years and it will never be a air cooled 911.

I highly doubt that 996/997/991 or any Boxster/Cayman will ever go up in value.
The production numbers are nearly 10x 's as the air-cooled 911's and 964/993.
Remember the 993 that nearly bankrupted Porsche out of existence. In its last production year they only sold ~2500 car in all of North America. The first 1997 Boxster sold like 20+K units. Ironic that a poor sales record is now paying huge divdends for the 993.

But put it this way, if they were making 20K 964 or 993's a year for 7 years per series, you could get a 964 or 993 today for $8K. When I first bought the Boxster I was initially considering an air-cooled 911 (but probably have settled on a 964 once I spoke with my mechanic) and those cars were going for peanuts in a boom/credit bubble economy.

But at some point recently everyone woke up and realized how few air-cooled there are to fight over. That's never going to be an issue with water-cooled Porsches because there will always be unlimited supply of lightly used 997/991/997/991/Panas. But at the same time I would not overpay for a 911 or 964/993 like many are now. Those cars are usually enthusiast owned and finding a good example will be easy. And when you look at what money could buy in the 90's most of those cars have not recouped their sticker prices, and certainly not in 2013 dollars. If you shop smart and find one needing a little bit of work (nothing major) and unfortunately only drive them on sunny days (without running up the odo), you're unlikely to lose money. In other words for a work horse Porsche you better look at something else. But for a Sunday driver, a 911/964/993 beats the pants of buying a modern PDK type Porsche that's bleeding money. But some people just really hate a new leak on their garage floor every month.