Am I over my head if I get a boxster??? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Hello guys, i am new here and also new to porsche. I am currently deployed overseas and my finances are pretty secure not to mention I have saved a pretty penny. About a month before I left I flipped my jeep so i will be vehicleless and I have had a Grand Cherokee for the last 6 years(two of them) love them to death but they don't give me the thrill i want. I have looked, researched, and assumed every alternative in future cars. I really like how the boxster sounds thou, clearly it seems to have the best handling and is almost as fast as my last jeep so that is good cause I was happy with that performance. The looks are amazing and I love the pristige that comes with the porsche. I have seen them sell on ebay for under 20 grand too. Yeah they are 97/98 with roughly 50K miles, but still a boxster. I want a 5 speed and want to also know what I am getting into. What kind of problems are known with higher milage 986's? Do you really have to go to a porsche dealership for everything? The cost of maintenace if needed, is it goign to be affordable? I may mod the car a little, how responsive is the 986? I will probly check with insurence today, but other then that I think i have covered most all other perspective. I pretty much want some reasurence from you porsche owners that this car can be a reality for me. I have not been able to think of much else while i have been here just cause I can't wait to get back home and start searching for one. Also I take great care of my vehicles and don't plan to drive it but on nice days only. The winter I plan on getting a 4x4 since I live in Nebraska and the winters are not friendly. Anhow, just point out if i missed anything, thanks alot for your time. Mike

There's nothing inherently wrong with a car like you describe. In fact I think if you looked at things historically Porsche is building more reliable cars now than ever. Having said that, there is no way that a $20,000 used Boxster is as safe a bet as, say, a used $20,000 Lexus. The reason I say that is that if you do run into problems they can be very expensive. A $400 clutch is a $1,200 clutch in a Boxster (or something like that). You can purchase an extended warranty, and this would probably be a good idea. The way I look at it, though, is that you can basically steal a $50,000 car with a couple of paint chips and wear on the driver's side floor mat for $20K! Resale values are just way, way down. Mod the car to get it to be responsive? And you've been driving an SUV? Hahaha I envy the feeling you'll get on your first test drive!

I have a 1997 which I bought in 1999. The factory warranty on a 1997-1998 is 2 years or 50k miles, whichever comes first. The orignial owner had purchased a 5 year additional extended warranty in 1997 for $2,500, which is one of the reasons I bought it since the factory warranty was over. After I owned it I found out the warranty could not be transfered to a new owner. These cars are a bit more expensive than a jeep. I do all my own work and have only had to take it to the dealer twice in 4 years but it cost bucks. If you have a major problem and there is no warranty you will be unhappy. Keep this in mind. It is a great car. Jeff