Hey guys, My names Blake, Im 18 years old! Im looking at getting a new car at the end of the year for college, and i am absolutely in love with Porsches, always have been. Im looking at the 1998-2001 Porsche Boxsters, my dream car. But first i need to know some stuff! First off, i know the maintenance is more expensive than a regular car, but how much? Examples will help alot, the porsche dealer would only tell me "not alot more", but he is just trying to sell me a car. Also what are some things to look for in buying a used porsche? What are the down sides to owning a porsche etc. Any advice you guys can give me will be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!

 

The first thing I'll offer is to say that you should wait on this, particularly if this will be your first year at college. You will be sorting through enough issues as it is and a car would be an unnecessary weight. Which gets me to the second thing...used cars like Porsches, BMWs, Audis, etc. can be expensive for just routine stuff like maintenance, tires, fuel, and insurance. For example, in addition to my '13 Boxster S I also own an '11 (slightly used) Panamera 4S that just cost me a bit over $500 for the 12K maintenance. I haven't priced it yet, but I imagine a set of tires for the Boxster to be about $800 - $1000. Finally, I will add that should you buy a Porsche you will desperately want to be driving it and won't be spending the time you should be studying.

 

I'd hold off awhile and buy yourself a dependable Japanese daily driver. Commuting or living on campus needs a 'commuter car' not a Porsche. Not to say that a Porsche isn't a good daily driver but it just isn't a good 'freshmen' year car. On the other hand it might attract co-eds so maybe it is.

Either way good luck!

 

A 2004-2008 BMW Z4 would have a little more trunk space if you are looking at other cars in the same category/price range. Just keep in mind that even for one of those you are looking at ~$500 for a two new tires each year (if you put the new set on the front and rotate the front to the back, $1200 for new pads and rotors every 30-60k miles at a minimum. That's not including oil changes, brake fluid changes, spark plug changes, valve adjustments, and all of the other stuff that is recommend... And don't forget the premium gas fill ups too...

The plus that I found though is that you will pay less car insurance than a Honda or Toyota or Jeep Wrangler, etc. because your car would be less likely to be stolen and the older people that tend to drive them don't rack up the incident rates on the vehicle.

 

Great way to cut maintenance costs is to do a majority of the projects yourself. If you do go with a Boxster at some point, consider picking-up a copy of our book 101 Projects for your Porsche Boxster which is loaded with technical articles, maintenance tips & upgrade projects. The Boxster is a great car, are you considering other makes or Porsche-only?



Mark/Pelican Parts

 

Besides Pelican.....What a bunch of drag replies. He has a father for that kind of advice (I am guessing). With that being said, I say if you can swing it, go with it. BUT keep in mind that you are getting into a car that is 11-13 years old and will not have any warranty. Bottom line is that parts/repairs for anything Porsche comes at a greater expense than say an older vette or a Mustang etc... There is some truth in what the others reported as far as tire cost/brakes/annual service costs etc...but you can do the routine stuff yourself (or at least have some friends that can do oil changes/brakes) and the stuff you cannot do on your own you do not need to have that work done at a dealership, especially since the car is not under P warranty. There are plenty of German car specialist shops that charge way less than dealerships. As for what to look for...All service/maint. up to date and verifiable. Also have a PPI done before purchase. Tires with a good percentage of tread remaining and brakes over 50%.
Good luck with your decision and enjoy safely!

 

If he faces a major engine issue on an 11 year old Boxster it can be a financial disaster . I've seen this countless amount of times where a person buys a used "dream car" only to wake up with a nightmare . An out of warranty car that he can't afford to fix , plus having car payments , which he cant sell either (because no one will want it) is a real possibility . It ought to be enough risk exposure to seriously consider not buying it .
Whether he is 18 or 50 is irrelovant .

To the original poster - An 11 year old Boxster is not cheap to maintain . It's also not cheap to insure under the age of 25. It has none of the modern technology or most advanced safety features . It was once a great car but by no means is it a classic .
In my opinion it's better to have a reliable car than to have an expensive car to fix in the shop and face having to walk or take the city bus (at 18 one can not even rent a car) .

Good luck .

 

Everything is relative. As a "drag" here is where I'm coming from...I'm thinking college student = little or no disposable income + lots of debt + uncertain job prospects. Also, college has become somewhat of a risk in that someone borrows/pays an amount that's close to what some mortgages are with no guaranty of a career at the other end that affords them any real independence. So, why compound, or even further jeopardize, that kind of risk with something that is much more "want" than "need". Being pragmatic, I'm not going to enter into the supposition that someone in the position of the OP "knows people" who can make repairs to or help him maintain his car. No one should enter into a risk like purchasing a 10+ years-old Porsche only with the thought that "it will be fun to drive". Finally, as someone who used scholarship, student loans, and work-study to get through university (Cornell) and law school (Georgetown), my view is that being a student means a full-time job focusing on top grades and achieving a degree (x2 if someone else pays for it). Sorry, but, like I said, everything is relative.

 

There is a lot of nice used 986's out there in the $8K to $16K range. When purchasing a used Porsche you just might end up putting a bit of money into it. Perhaps as much as $3K to 5$K. You never know what might need attention. The top might be an issue, the AOS might be at the point of needing service. Tires are about $300 each but you can find them for less at Tire Rack. Oil change at the dealer is $250.00 but you might be able to find a German shop that will service it for $100 but if the shop does additional diagnostic to search out a problem you will (might) have to pay for that. I bought a 1999 986 for my wife. I paid $5200 but I redid the seats, had to have the top (mechanically) worked on and a few little items. I now have a fun car for her to drive and me to drive as a fun car, but I also have a bit more money in it then what I can sell it for. I'm cool with this and we enjoy driving it. I took it from Longwood, Florida to West Palm Beach, Florida last Sunday. Cruise control does not work and well.... I got a speeding ticket. They love cruising at 90 and they will go much faster then that... If you buy one will get lots of compliments and your buddies will want to test drive it and see how fast they can drive. It will help you pick up the girls and that is a good thing... I'll attach two pictures. The 2nd one is shows the new seat covers.

 

Where'd you get them?


tino

 

GAHH
http://www.gahh.com/seatcoverskits.php