Questions for Porsche 996 owners in regards to your lifestyle
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I think you're trying too hard to " follow " man...
I've had my share of cars so far and always enjoyed to DRIVE, not to wear watches !
buying a porsche may not be the best choice for you right now ...
Cheers!
I've had my share of cars so far and always enjoyed to DRIVE, not to wear watches !
buying a porsche may not be the best choice for you right now ...
Cheers!
Last edited by peterson911; Mar 7, 2014 at 10:31 AM.
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Probably the most important wardrobe addition for a new, low budget Porsche owner is several sets of garage clothes...
The 996 is actually a pretty easy car to work on, and most maintenance and minor/medium repair items are well documented for the home mechanic and can be completed for 1/4 to 1/2 what an independent shop might charge you.
So buy a nice 996, skip the Rolex and designer shirts, get yourself a decent set of tools and garage jeans/shirts, and enjoy the full Porsche experience.
The 996 is actually a pretty easy car to work on, and most maintenance and minor/medium repair items are well documented for the home mechanic and can be completed for 1/4 to 1/2 what an independent shop might charge you.
So buy a nice 996, skip the Rolex and designer shirts, get yourself a decent set of tools and garage jeans/shirts, and enjoy the full Porsche experience.
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If I'm ever thinking about what I should wear to get in my car, I guess I would choose my shopping clothes because it would be time to get a different car.
Your lifestyle should dictate your car, not the other way around. And when you get to be my age, you won't give a rat's red rip what strangers might think of your car. Anybody who judges you by what you drive, good or bad, is probably an idiot.
Your lifestyle should dictate your car, not the other way around. And when you get to be my age, you won't give a rat's red rip what strangers might think of your car. Anybody who judges you by what you drive, good or bad, is probably an idiot.
Interesting set of qustions.
Look up Magnus Walker / Urban Outlaw. heres a guy that looks like , as he would put it, " a rockstar hobo looking pirate" but he has a ton of awesome porsches. With that said just be yourself and dont think you need to dress a certain type of way because of your car. When not at work, I just wear a tshirt and jeans and maybe a beanie , Ive got a beard and a full sleeve.
As far as Income , if you can effectively afford it than by all means go for it. I'm a 22 year old college student who is full time school and full time work. Im able to easily afford my 02 Targa and not stressed at all. I also daily drive it more so than my truck.
Look up Magnus Walker / Urban Outlaw. heres a guy that looks like , as he would put it, " a rockstar hobo looking pirate" but he has a ton of awesome porsches. With that said just be yourself and dont think you need to dress a certain type of way because of your car. When not at work, I just wear a tshirt and jeans and maybe a beanie , Ive got a beard and a full sleeve.
As far as Income , if you can effectively afford it than by all means go for it. I'm a 22 year old college student who is full time school and full time work. Im able to easily afford my 02 Targa and not stressed at all. I also daily drive it more so than my truck.
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Owning a 996 is fun but can also have a significant downside. I purchased what I thought was a good car < 40k miles. Owned by older individuals and checked out by a certified dealer once a year. Despite the many positives, the car still ended up making a trip to flat6innovations 3 months after purchase. These events are costly in terms of $ and time / convenience. Make sure u can cover all 3 risks to your lifestyle.
Clothes come and go, if u don't like what you are wearing, start buying what u like. Eventually u will change your wardrobe.
Clothes come and go, if u don't like what you are wearing, start buying what u like. Eventually u will change your wardrobe.
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I'm retired. I'm married. I dress as I wish. I don't worry about what others think. I like to work on my own cars. If you think owning a Porsche will put you at a higher status you're buying it for the wrong reason. If you can't afford to pay for repairs this isn't the car for you. If you're looking for a fun car to drive this is the car for you.
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I haven't read all of the replies, but this has to be some of the best advice you will get.
Only thing I may add on to this is if you want a convertible that is sporty, fun, and reliable, possibly look at a Honda S2000. May not be your dream Porsche, but expensive repairs on a $30k salary could quickly turn it into a nightmare.
Best of luck!
Only thing I may add on to this is if you want a convertible that is sporty, fun, and reliable, possibly look at a Honda S2000. May not be your dream Porsche, but expensive repairs on a $30k salary could quickly turn it into a nightmare.
Best of luck!
Really an interesting one.
I drive mine every day, and I do have more random conversations with people, usually from other Porsche owners or former owners. Convos range from the "Nice car!" to "I used to have a '73 Turbo!" I'm a younger guy, and dress pretty well, since I work in an industry that sort of expects that. Usually wear a jacket, that kind of thing. I haven't noticed many dirty looks per se.
BUT do know this beforehand: 911s are the opposite of invisible. (I'm not sure that applies to Boxsters.) I drove a beater for literally 14 years (creature of habit) and I could do just about anything and absolutely no one noticed. It was a nondescript, black import that I never washed.
I drive the same old way in my 911, but people make comments, try to jumpstart you at stoplights, gripe at me for cutting through their parking lot. People notice. That can be okay, and it can suck.
With 30K annually, you're really pushing your luck with buying one of these cars, especially any 911. I mean, that is incredibly unwise. You may have only 25K sunk into the car, but if the tranny fails, you're done. You'll need half your annual salary to fix it. Unless you have a massive emergency fund (nothing personal, but 99% of people making 30K do not), you're really gambling.
If you were my best bud or my kid, I would tell you to buy a reliable import for 7K and drive it until it turns to rust underneath you. The very worst kind of repair on a car like that (Honda, etc.) will run you 2 or 4 grand. And that is worst-case. I love my 911, but frankly they are luxury cars, and you need a bigger income to afford them.
Best of luck!
I drive mine every day, and I do have more random conversations with people, usually from other Porsche owners or former owners. Convos range from the "Nice car!" to "I used to have a '73 Turbo!" I'm a younger guy, and dress pretty well, since I work in an industry that sort of expects that. Usually wear a jacket, that kind of thing. I haven't noticed many dirty looks per se.
BUT do know this beforehand: 911s are the opposite of invisible. (I'm not sure that applies to Boxsters.) I drove a beater for literally 14 years (creature of habit) and I could do just about anything and absolutely no one noticed. It was a nondescript, black import that I never washed.
I drive the same old way in my 911, but people make comments, try to jumpstart you at stoplights, gripe at me for cutting through their parking lot. People notice. That can be okay, and it can suck.
With 30K annually, you're really pushing your luck with buying one of these cars, especially any 911. I mean, that is incredibly unwise. You may have only 25K sunk into the car, but if the tranny fails, you're done. You'll need half your annual salary to fix it. Unless you have a massive emergency fund (nothing personal, but 99% of people making 30K do not), you're really gambling.
If you were my best bud or my kid, I would tell you to buy a reliable import for 7K and drive it until it turns to rust underneath you. The very worst kind of repair on a car like that (Honda, etc.) will run you 2 or 4 grand. And that is worst-case. I love my 911, but frankly they are luxury cars, and you need a bigger income to afford them.
Best of luck!
Well, Well, Well, I've read this entire thread and I have to say that you've been given the best advice. It's now about what you wear, being flashy and all that. It's totally about the driving experience. And the advice about these cars taking you to the bank is spot on. i have never left my indy shop without a minimum of $500.00 being spent. I do my own oil changes and other basic maintenance, but when my AOS, water pump, and other issues popped up be prepared to throw some cash at the problems. These ain't Honda's or Toyota's. My car cost over $100,000 k brand new, so I expect to spend about $1,000 on each repair if not more. So the correlation is if you have a $20,000 car you would look to spend $200.00 etc. With all that said, let me tell you this one of the most enjoyable cars I have ever owned. Good luck with you decision.
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At $30k/yr I'd say you have some other priorities to address first, but that's me.
We've owned our 01 since new. Some years it costs the gas it burns and other years it hurts (this year it needs new tires and I saw a couple of leaks which I'm sure will lead to the IMS and clutch getting done earlier than planned). Overall it's been a reliable car (and ours is no garage queen), but its expensive when something needs to be done and even more so if you can't so it yourself. If I spend less than $5k on it this year I'll be shocked, but it's been maybe that over the last 4-5 years.
A good rule of thumb is the less you spend up front, the more you'll have to put into it. I'd suggest at least a $5k slush fund set aside and add another $2k for every $1k under 20 that you pay for the car.
As far as the "other" expenses, f*** them. If you are getting the car to impress people, go back to my first paragraph. When we bought ours cut off shorts and sandals were pretty common. These days I've developed a bit of a shoe fetish (Fluevog!!), but other than that its jeans and nice-ish t-shirts. I don't try to rub the P-Cars in my friends/co-workers faces, but I'm passionate about them so it's not an uncommon topic of conversation. I think they all know I'm genuine in my attitude though and I've never experienced any animosity.
We've owned our 01 since new. Some years it costs the gas it burns and other years it hurts (this year it needs new tires and I saw a couple of leaks which I'm sure will lead to the IMS and clutch getting done earlier than planned). Overall it's been a reliable car (and ours is no garage queen), but its expensive when something needs to be done and even more so if you can't so it yourself. If I spend less than $5k on it this year I'll be shocked, but it's been maybe that over the last 4-5 years.
A good rule of thumb is the less you spend up front, the more you'll have to put into it. I'd suggest at least a $5k slush fund set aside and add another $2k for every $1k under 20 that you pay for the car.
As far as the "other" expenses, f*** them. If you are getting the car to impress people, go back to my first paragraph. When we bought ours cut off shorts and sandals were pretty common. These days I've developed a bit of a shoe fetish (Fluevog!!), but other than that its jeans and nice-ish t-shirts. I don't try to rub the P-Cars in my friends/co-workers faces, but I'm passionate about them so it's not an uncommon topic of conversation. I think they all know I'm genuine in my attitude though and I've never experienced any animosity.
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If you want one and can get one, go for it, drive it like you stole it, and enjoy every minute of it. I meet a lot of people who see mine and get real excited to tell me about one they used to have. This shows that no matter what the circumstance they lost the car to, most people have no regrets for getting one.
Best of luck to you!
Swaff
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Sorry, I haven't responded promptly. Google doesn't link this topic with my inbox anymore which is weird.
So if I were to go for a Boxster in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 USD, will it be more or less as reliable (or not), as a 911 cab/coupe? Will the Boxster also be less of a nightmare to fix/maintain compared to a Cabriolet or 911 coupe of the same year (e.g. early years, like 98, 99, and 2000)?
If Boxster, on a year to year comparison with a 911, is on average half the cost or more, it will be a no brainer for myself, and I will start looking at a Boxster.
However, if a Boxster is say, only 20% or 25% less expensive to repair or maintain than a 911, than I will still focus on a 911.
So if I were to go for a Boxster in the range of 10,000 to 15,000 USD, will it be more or less as reliable (or not), as a 911 cab/coupe? Will the Boxster also be less of a nightmare to fix/maintain compared to a Cabriolet or 911 coupe of the same year (e.g. early years, like 98, 99, and 2000)?
If Boxster, on a year to year comparison with a 911, is on average half the cost or more, it will be a no brainer for myself, and I will start looking at a Boxster.
However, if a Boxster is say, only 20% or 25% less expensive to repair or maintain than a 911, than I will still focus on a 911.