How many Porsches did you...
 

look at before you bought your Box?

-I tried a '99 911 first and found it underwhelming.
-Next I tried a 2000 Boxster base but it was in JD yellow - thought wifey would not like that. I was right. No offence JD!
-Next I tried a 2001 Box base in black. A PPI and a few minor problems, test drove it. Private sale. Well and truly hooked!:)G.

Would like to hear from you your experiences.
-Bought the first car you looked at?
-Bought a Box with no PPI!?? Did it turn out okay or not?
-How many Porsches did you check out before you committed to your present one?
-Any other trivia you think we might be interested in? Bought privately or dealer etc?
If you got a CPO Box with extended warranty I am green with envy!
G. Have a good day.:)

Long story short I looked at 8 Boxster's before pulling the trigger.

Only PPI'd one that I was very close to buying but failed the PPI.

I drove 15 or so over a week in Los Angeles. Flew down, drove back. Huge selection just on auto trader. Knew it needed tires and a bearing but no PPI and few service records. Judged by sound and feel vs 15 others I drove. Also, immaculate compared to the others. One a dog had chewed the shifter and steering wheel.

I am a very fortunate guy. Only minor things.

When I was shopping I actually had an Elise in mind. Took a 99 Box for about a 20 minute test drive, never drove or even had a ride in a Porsche before. Got back to the lot, wrote the cheque, no PPI, drove it home and said "Look what I just bought, Honey!". Against all odds it worked out great. I was lucky to get a mechanically sound car. And it cost me less than 1/2 of what I would have spent on the Elise.

It wasn't until I found this forum and started reading that I realized just how lucky I had been.

How could you not consult your wife first before buying?

I bought a 99 Miata without consulting my wife. She just about killed me for not keeping her in the loop. Plus it had no air cond. and no heated seats.

4 years later I consulted her and addressed the problem by buying my 2001 Box base with heated seats and air cond.! Problem solved(for now).
Cheers, G:)

I had a TT quattro. I loved it, but there was just something missing with it. A mates father was spamming me about buying it from me. I keept saying no, but then saw my current boxster for sale and just had to buy it. Sold my tt the same day i bought the 986 :).

Actually I looked for a 968 or 944 cab... drove 3 and I did really not have the wow effect.
Then I forgot the Porsche buying. But the temptation was too hard and I started to look some Boxster... I remembered that one of the 944 guy had a beautiful Boxster and then I tested it, PPI, signature and that was done. I am now looking for a 911 non cab !

We don't need each other's permission to buy things. We each have our own money and spend it as we see fit. Likewise, she didn't need to consult me when she bought her Camry. She wanted it, she had the cash, she bought it. Major purchases like houses and big reno jobs we collaborate on.

I really snicker at these guys that post complaining that their wives won't let them buy something they want. I'm thinking "Like, dude, grow a pair!"

Funniest example I saw of this was that sale ad for the motorcycle (I think most of us have seen this ad) where the last line in the ad was "Apparently do whatever the fk you want didn't mean what I thought it did!"

Several Carreras but only one Boxster. It was the exact color combination I wanted. It had less than 10K miles. It had the 3.2 engine. It was sitting at a dealer 15 minutes away. It was listed on Ebay at the same time so I negotiated a re-list with a buy it now to take advantage of some discounts while scooping up a one year warranty. One of the few times the first thing I looked at checked all the boxes.

None! ...
 

I actually put an order with my local dealer in St. Louis at the 1996 St. Louis Auto Show.
They had a banner of the Boxster Prototype that had been shown at the Detroit auto show a few years before.
They took my deposit but I did't hear back from them till Feb. '97 when they told me that the car would be built.
I then had to wait lone full year, till Feb. '98 when my car was delivered.
And, we've lived happily ever after.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

I started with a 68 912 with the engine in pieces in the back seat and used that car as a commuter for more than 5 years. I sold that car to a group of German buyers who crated it up and sent it to the fatherland. A friend pointed me to a 67 911S with electrical issues and I spent more than 14 years restoring that car before realizing it was too nice to drive and sold it. A friend of my then girlfriend had a 72 914 with a locked up engine. I sat on that car for several years and sold it without touching it. My Boxster is the first Porsche that didn't have to be flat bedded to my home.

Initially, I looked at Boxsters for about three years but mostly in passing. When I finally got serious about buying one, it took a year of looking online everyday. The one I bought was the only one that I went and looked at and drove. It had me at 'hello'.

I've bought three Boxsters since. My current 03S was purchased from a forum member. I bought it without looking at it or driving it. I drove it home from Texas to Florida without an issues and, like the ones before it, its a great car!

I had a string of BMWs before the Boxster. The last one being a Z4. About 6 years ago I had three Boxsters lined up to look at in one day. The first one was at a Porsche dealer in Wichita. They had pages of stuff and maintenance they had done to it. It was in immaculate condition. I wasn't looking for a 'S' but it happened to be one. I test drove it and never looked any further. They also gave me a pretty nice in-house warranty. I used it to the tune of nearly $3k worth of work that had to be done when I developed an oil leak in the first few months of ownership. It's been a great car and I (knock on wood) have had no major issues with it.

Back in 2008 I looked at 4 Boxsters before finding the right one. I didn't need a PPI to know that 2 of them were total POS. Then I found a cherry 2003 S model about 120 miles from here on Craigslist. Got tons of photos, spoke to the owner several times and made him a low offer that he finally took a few days later.
Met him at one of my bank branches about 1/2 between our locations. It was the first time I'd actually seen the car. The car was like new, with 14k miles on it Seal Grey, with Grey interior and the exact options that were on my must have list. Still smelled like a new car, looked perfect and drove perfect, still had the original tires on it (the rears were ready for replacement).
I bought it and then brought it to a dealer about a week later for fluid changes and inspection and the mechanic came out and told me it was the cleanest used Boxster he'd ever seen. He walked me out to the shop so I could see it on the lift. It wasn't even dusty underneath, not a spec of oil or dirt anywhere to be seen. Looked brand new even from underneath it. Everything checked out ok. Whew! I got lucky.

I wanted to get out of my SUV and back in to a car. I was thinking used Audi S4. Dealer had one but they also just got in this Boxster S.
No only 911's are real Porsche but mucho $$$$$
Hmmm, a Boxster S. I emailed pics to my wife ... What do you Think.....
Made an appt. to test drive but chickened out
Next day price dropped a bit. I went up and that was it, done deal
First and only P-car I looked at (Father had a 914 I drove occasionally)
No PPI
I did buy an extended Power train warranty for 3 years
I had read a bit to check for any hints of oil leaks - Dry as could be and still is
I am very happy. It has all the right options for me. The tires and brakes were new. Plastic window was and still is crystal clear
I've put 15k miles on in a 1 1/2 years with only oil, plugs, belt, motor mount, Radiator cap, Gas cap.
The Clutch is good, still right in the middle for engagement
Yes it is starting to need some more repairs like front suspension components but at 67k - expected
It only broke down once(Fuel Pump Relay) - Still was able to limp home, diagnose and fix for $25

I needed a new car and couldn't find one I liked. I was about to buy a cheap Jeep Wrangler temporarily, and saw the Boxster and jokingly checked the price, which was exactly my price range, and it only had 17k miles.

A pre-purchase inspection later, and my dad telling me how much he loved his 944 and kept it for 20+ years, and I was sold. One and done, no regrets, but not how I would do it know that the 986 has made me a car guy!

Pretty much, just one. I found two 97 Boxsters using cars dot com and couldn't get my schedule in sync with with one of them. Both were the same price, same mileage, same condition. So I looked at one and bought it up.

It was my first P-car, so I didn't know what to look for other than what you normally look for when buying a used car. Had I read all the IMS warnings, I probably would have ended up with a Chevy Cobalt.

I got lucky though. 3 years and 24k miles, and I'll I have had to replace was the clutch, alternator, and the tensioner that just fell off last month. The clutch was the only 'major' repair, but I knew when I bought it at 68k miles that the clutch was original.

I have a feeling that this won't be my last P-car and I'll be wiser when I purchase my next one. Mainly because I really don't want to drive a Chevy Cobalt.

Stated looking for a second car and wanted something cool & sporty but not spend too much.

I saw the Fiero & 986 based Carrera GT kits and thought they were right up my alley.
I used the kit resource links to find a 986 Roller and when I saw they were only 4k I got to thinking that a used 986 might be in my ball park. They certainly were which surprised me, I thought they would be totally out of reach.

At that Point I dropped the kit idea and started shopping for 986's and doing research at this forum.

Drove a base 99 from a dealer and it blew me away. Looked over about 5 of them and sat in a 996 and eventually decided on a private sale from Autotrader
because the guy had good records, the car was well maintained, no leaks whatsoever of any kind. My PPI and review of maintenance records plus a 15 minute test drive took 2.5 hours.

I took the 986 buyer checklist and did my own PPI. The only thing I missed with the DIY PPI was that the busted mirror visor hinges and Windshield washer tank leaked profusely when I filled it up as the wiper squirter was not working.

Again searching this forum revealed a common issue that the wiper fluid hose can become disconnected from the tank at the pickup hence the loss of all the wiper fluid.

I simply reattached the tube to the nipple and added a zip tie to keep it secure and there have not been a single issue in 2 years and 17k miles.

The forum has been a fantastic resource and has saved me $$$ so I support the sponsors of this forum by giving them my business when ever possible and contributing back so others can benefit from the knowledge, mistakes and successes.

Ray

What & how many Porsches
 

To set the stage. . .

I'm 78 and not done yet.

Started with a 61 356B coupe in '62. Drove it to work for years, found a '56 Speedster and 54 coupe layng in a field. Bought both, junked the '54, sold the '61 & used proceeds to half-ass restore the Speedster. Traded it at a PCA Parade for a '73 911. Meantime had a '68 912 to drive to work. Retired, found a barn-find '59 356A coupe. Restored it well, sold it two years ago & bought present pristine '04 Boxter S with lots left over. Wish I hadn't This is a different Porsche world with focus on "mods", silly wheels, snow plow front bumpers, spoilers, . . .

It still handles better than any of them, but is not a real visceral Porsche.

Back to an air cooled Porsche when I can.

a beautifully restored 72 Porsche 914, an unrestored 76 Porsche 914 and then the 99 Boxster. :)