I am 17... Should I consider buying a Boxster? (Yes I have my license)

[Jonathan A]

I love the design that Porsche cars have, the attention to detail is just phenomenal. I was wondering if it was a good idea to buy a Porsche at age 17, perferably a Boxster. What is your opinion on this? And, if your wondering who brought me onto the Porsche world, it was Steve Jobs. I was reading his biography, and it seemed that one of the best innovators loved Porsche, therefore I gave the car a go. I rented one for a few days, and instantly fell in love.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by Jonathan A

I love the design that Porsche cars have, the attention to detail is just phenomenal. I was wondering if it was a good idea to buy a Porsche at age 17, perferably a Boxster. What is your opinion on this? And, if your wondering who brought me onto the Porsche world, it was Steve Jobs. I was reading his biography, and it seemed that one of the best innovators loved Porsche, therefore I gave the car a go. I rented one for a few days, and instantly fell in love.

Jonathan: I'm a car guy, as most here are. Car guys will always advocate to get the car that you love... regardless of what opinion anybody else may have about it.

I'd suggest that with ANY 20 yr old car, be sure you have a modicum of time, money, mechanical ability. How much you need of each of those, depends on how much you have of the others, haha.

Some have suggested that working on the boxster is no more difficult than working on any other car: oud suggest that it's been too long since they worked on other cars. The boxster is a little bit of a pita to work on. Not inordinately so, but the first time you hear a squeaky belt, you'll understand.

Porsche parts are more expensive than those for, say, a Honda or a jeep. A thermostat, for instance: $7 for my '15 jeep, $54 for the boxster.

So far, the only specialty tool I've had to purchase was a $300 durametric "scanner" (it's more than a scanner). But MOST specialty vehicles will require something similar. (I have a shelf full, for bmw, Benz, landrover, jaguar, etc etc)

Knowledge - base. Be aware, that while there are some INCREDIBLY knowledgeable people who frequent and support these forums, who are very, very helpful and generous with what they know, the reality is that there are fewer owners who work on these themselves than most other cars. This means that a Google of symptoms provides fewer results, and quite obviously: fewer solutions. But, this is much MORE true of my wife's jeep renegade.... ain't NOBODY working on those themselves, hahaha.

You can minimize the importance of all of this above, by buying the right car.... But you won't eliminate it.

So... in short?
Buy it.
But be prepared.

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[kk2002s]

Unless you have extra $$$ laying around, Steve Jobs is a bit of a bad example of justifying a Porsche.
They simply are not cheap cars to keep running reliably
Everything that makes them go tends to be more expensive than the more typical car a 17 year old would own.
Also there is no going to Pep Boys to pick up parts. Most every part I have needed I had to order online and wait. So If something goes wrong it may be several days/weeks before you get it back on the road

Most 17 year olds (myself included) their first car is their learning car. So sometimes that learning curve means doing things a couple times. Some of the fixes on my Boxster pushed me to the limit after one time (AOS, Expansion tank).

These are old cars, old cars need upkeep. Boxsters selling price is very attractive.
BUT - Old German Sports cars and their up keep is not cheap. If you can handle the financial part then go for it

[Cunningr]

I will follow the theme already mentioned. These cars are cheap to purchase but even the low mileage cars are still old. Things dry out and deteriorate, tires can be costly, you really have to be ready for the upkeep cost.

Also at age 17 you need to factor in your insurance cost, my 22 year old son is paying $2300 a year full coverage on a Toyota Corolla, so who knows what a Porsche would cost you at age 17.

I refrain from telling you what to do, as you are the only one who knows your finances. It Could come down to do I take my girlfriend to the movies or buy an air filter.

Some realistic advice I would suggest wait, but being a car guy maybe go for it. Just know what you are getting into and if you do buy make sure you have good advice, knowledge, and a Porsche Pre Inspection accomplished to not get a problem.

[rick3000]

If you can afford the parts to maintain it properly, go for it. If the prices will be a problem, owning one will not be much fun. For example, $300 for a water pump plus labor, $80 in parts for an oil change plus labor, etc. You can save a lot of you plan to DIY for most repairs, but I would budget at least $1000/year for maintenance, especially if you are buying one for less than $10k. The costs could vary a lot year to year, or happen all at once, it depends on the car and how much you are driving it. Definitely get a pre-purchase inspection from a good Porsche mechanic, it's worth the money to avoid buying a car that will need a lot of work upfront. As mentioned above, insurance prices could also be a factor.

The most expensive car you can buy is a cheap german car. Good luck with the decision.

[Doug427]

These cars can, and most likely will, bite you in the a$$ eventually with defects in engineering that Porsche wants no part of admitting to. If you don't know about IMS bearings, cracked cylinder heads, coolant tank cracks, AOS failures leading to hydrolock, oil-water intermix, and a host of other issues, then that indicates that you haven't done enough research. The things mentioned are all common issues in the day to day ownership of a Boxster 986.

Learn about each of these issues, and decide if you can live with a car that may at any moment experience one of these potentially catastrophic issues, and if you have the cash on hand and/or the talent to repair the car if and when it happens.

It's a awesome car to drive, but absolutely not Porsche's proudest moment engineering wise.

[Ciao]

JA, basing a decision based on reading a biography is simply immature.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by Ciao

JA, basing a decision based on reading a biography is simply immature.

Well that's just mean...

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[Cunningr]

Truth of the matter is at 17 and just starting off life, get a solid economical car spend your money on college not maintaining a classic. Once established reevalute purchase, heck you might have enough income to buy a new or near new porsche!

Dont get me wrong I love my 986 dearly, but I am 54 no kids now disposable cash available. Sorry to put on my dad hat, but this is truly advice from the heart. I like to see our you succeed in life.

[Ch4114]

A 20 year old Porsche as your only car is probably not a great idea regardless of how old you are. You will want to have something to drive when you wait for parts to arrive, save money for parts, figure out what is wrong with your car so you can order parts etc.




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[10/10ths]

....If you have deep pockets, enjoy working on cars yourself and know how to turn a wrench, have a place where you can jack the car up and keep it in the air for a few weeks, can live without the car for a month at a time, and want to learn how these things work, then go for it.

If you are not financially well off, cannot live without the car for a month at a time, cannot risk being stranded someplace, then don’t buy one.

If you have limited funds and want a fun sports car, buy a Miata.

If you have a bit more money and need a bulletproof car that won’t let you down, buy a Honda S2000.

If you want to have more fun than anything else on planet earth, buy a Motorcycle.

I’d buy a motorcycle and a Honda Civic and ride as much as you can and use the civic as a backup for times when the bike is down or the weather is so miserable you don’t want to ride, or you pick up a friend who refuses to ride.

Motorcycling is THE most fun you can possibly have.

Good luck.

Live every day like it is your last.

Never be too tired for anything.

Look that hottie straight in the eye, and ask her to dance.

Cheers.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by maytag

Well that's just mean...

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how do I give this a "thumbs-up"?

[maytag]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

If you want to have more fun than anything else on planet earth, buy a Motorcycle.

Motorcycling is THE most fun you can possibly have.

Good luck.

Live every day like it is your last.

Never be too tired for anything.

Look that hottie straight in the eye, and ask her to dance.

Cheers.

Jonathan A, you probably won't find much better advice than this, if you're looking for a rich and rewarding life-experience.

Here's what I think you should buy, and it just so happens I'm selling it: (the daisy is a sticker my wife added... it comes-off :-) )

[Blackcloud]

Buy a Miata first. Learn how to drive properly. Get some instruction. On my 17th birthday I wrapped a Mercury wagon around a tree, but that’s just my experience. Get into the Boxster a little later, unless you have been driving carts since a very young age. Raw talent is few and far between. No malice, good luck?

[Jon27]

My last boxster was a lot of fun, unfortunately there was complications at the dealer or something and is now not with me anymore. Anyway I'm 17 and insurance isn't as bad as you might think. I was paying 2-300 a month for full coverage. But yeah probably gonna get another one.

[oldskool73]

"I was paying 2-300 a month for full coverage." ... so $2-3k a year... isn't that like the full price of the car in a few years though? Seems a lot to me!

Unless your parents are rich, I'd get a cheap banger, thrash it till it dies, get another slightly better one etc... save your money for drink and drugs and important stuff you can only do well when you're young... get a porsche when you find your first grey hairs.

[thstone]

Buy whatever you want and can afford.

A solid Boxster costs $10K + $2K per year for maintenance/repairs. Over 5 yrs, that's $20K. If you can afford that, you should be fine.

Through their teenage and college years my two son's have owned various cars; JCW Mini Cooper S, Miata NB, BMW E46, BMW X5, Porsche 944 Turbo, and a BMW E36 M3. There's nothing wrong with driving a car that you like.

[78F350]

17 or 70, I really don't see the difference in what should be considered for buying a Boxster. It may be the right car for you personally, or it may not. Finances, expectations, and which particular car you buy will make all the difference rather than your age. There's a lot of good advice on buying the right car already scattered across this forum. Read it, then ask your questions.

[95020-986]

The answer is "it depends"

My first car was a 914 with a bad clutch.

I learned to fix stuff on that car.
I had a blast in that car.
You can fit one bad decision making guy and four girls in one.

I also walked/took the bus a lot while waiting for parts and funds for parts.

If you can afford to waste a bunch of time and money on a car, get the one you want.
If you can't, get a honda civic or something.

At the time, with my busted up dirty hands and long walks, I regretted my 914 about 75% of time.
In retrospect I'd go back to that car and those days in a minute.

[RidgeRacer]

Originally Posted by Jonathan A

I love the design that Porsche cars have, the attention to detail is just phenomenal. I was wondering if it was a good idea to buy a Porsche at age 17, perferably a Boxster. What is your opinion on this? And, if your wondering who brought me onto the Porsche world, it was Steve Jobs. I was reading his biography, and it seemed that one of the best innovators loved Porsche, therefore I gave the car a go. I rented one for a few days, and instantly fell in love.

When I was a teenager, I wanted a car desperately. My parents bought me one that needed a ton of work, and rather than paying someone else to fix it - they invited me to learn myself. They paid for the parts, I paid with the sweat.

I am an engineer today because of that. It was an amazing learning experience.

These cars are maintenance heavy, but absolutely worth it. You just have to put the time into the car.


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