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In my opinion - and color combos are obviously subjective - the Speed Yellow / Black looks best. The Stone Grey looked pretty good, with the matching top. But the Speed Yellow / Sand / Black looked pretty bad. Like an unintended mismatch. Sure enough, it sat forever at the dealership and was finally sold below invoice.
Another combination that was pretty interesting was GT silver and Cocoa interior / top. But GT silver was a significant cost increase.
I ended up getting a 911S Cab and chickening out on Speed Yellow altogether. Seal Grey and black is a more conservatively appropraite color combo for the 911. But I still like Speed Yellow for a Boxster.
For example, if the sticker on the pre owned porsche is 40k, what would be a good deal? 36k? 37k?
Thanks!
For example, there were two 2005 911S coupes with almost identical equipment and mileage that were being offered for prices that were nearly $10k apart by two different dealers in our area ($81.9k vs. $72.5k) The higher priced dealer is notorious for starting high and (sometimes) negotiating down, the lower priced dealer is a straight shooting, no BS dealer with a good reputation. Getting a 10% discount at the first wouldn't be as good as paying sticker at the second.
Figure out what the right price is through KBB and/or other sources and make your offer based upon that, not necessarily what the asking sticker is.
Over the past two days I've fulfilled a lifetime dream of driving on the Autobahn. What an experience!
At first I found myself quite nervous, my palms even sweaty driving at anything above 175 kph, but after a while I found myself frustrated if I couldn't go at least 200 kph. On the way back to Amsterdam from Frankfurt yesterday it was daytime and the sun was shining - about 52 degrees. I put the top down and had a great four hour drive (traffic in a few spots). I got my 2000 Boxster up to at least 221 kph (about 135 mph) and that was with the top down! I think she would have gone a bit faster but I kept running into traffic. What was interesting was that there were several cars going at least 200 that really didn't seem like they would be able to...especially around some of the corners. Makes me think I was no where near pushing the limits of my car.
Those who have not done this might think that's insane, but people are so respectful on the Autobahn, I actually felt very safe the whole time.
While the Boxster was great, it really makes me want to drive a 911 some day, especially if I could find a way to get it to the Autobahn (I'll be moving back to America in a few years and can't imagine I could ever afford a 911 here). I'd love to hit the 250 kph mark. Maybe I'll rent one?
Anyone else have experiences on the Autobahn they want to share, especially great drives? My was relatively lame (I had to do it for work).
Best to all
Sorry, but I've got to keep my costs down as a senior citizen nowadays ... so the newer cars don't qualify ... and the tiny interior of the Nissan Z just isn't big enough for me (I used to have a 300z and as well as an old 911T). I just enjoy learning to drive the race courses and admire those talented guys who whiz past me with even slower cars!
Bapcha
Stop by the website for more information.
http://www.brbs.org
Be sure to check out the 'Pedro Cam' for a first hand experience of what the BRBS is all about..
Ron Kucynski
Planner / Website Designer
BRBS.org
ron@brbs.org
Screeching Noise From The Engine During Warm-up at about 2,000 rpm
I certainly know the enjoyment of owning a Porsche, having just turned 14,500 miles on our 2005 911S Cab. But if I were comparing a 3-4 year old base Boxster to a Honda S2000, the Honda stacks up pretty well. If you still want a Boxster, try to at least go for a 2005 or later model, as the interior refinements and engine upgrades were significant. Not sure if you'll be able to hold to that $25k budget, though.
Last December on impulse I bought a '99 black Boxster with gray leather, 57,000 miles, for $16,500. I check the paper (San Diego Union) every day just for fun, and this low price attracted me. It was advertised for $17,500. It has expensive options including both seats power with memory for the driver's, cruise control, alarm system, premium audio/CD that is definitely apparent - (with the radio, the names of the artist and the song scroll across the dial), aluminum-faced gauges, sports seats, wind deflector, and side airbags (although am not sure whether the last is an option). The remote opens the rear compartment hatch as well as the doors.
It passed pre-purchase inspection well. The tech commented that the water pump seals are not leaking, which he said is common on Boxsters of this vintage.
It is such a fun car to drive. I’ve only put the top up twice. With the wind deflector and the windows up, there is virtually no wind in the cockpit. Last winter when it was freezing in the local mountains, my wife and I went there on a Porsche Club tour, and the heater kept us comfortable with the top down. I read a good comment in a car mag, that Porsche salesmen must have golden tongues to explain why the fixed top Boxster (the Cayman) costs more than the convertible version (the real Boxster)!!!
I think black is a good color, giving the car a somewhat different look, although that could be because I had lowering springs installed.
I autocrossed a '67 912 from 1998-2005, ended by not paying the prohibitive cost to rebuild a blown engine, so I have some basis for comparison. Also, in 2000 I owned a '95 993 for about six months, but sold it because four cars and a 2-car garage wasn't close to practical. (There isn't enough left foot room in the 993.) I’m just mentioning these things to point out that I have a little background to judge what an enjoyable car the Boxster is.
I live near great mountain roads, and the fun is going through the curves; horsepower is not such a big deal! I also have two motorcycles I ride in the mountains, and the same thing is true; the fun is the curves. I hardly ever wind any of these engines up to the max rpm where the max h.p. resides.
Even a first gen Boxster like mine has pretty much the current Porsche (including 911) engine and suspension technology. As you wind it up, there is a fabulous sound from the engine - not from the exhaust. With 2,822 pounds and 201 h.p. it accelerates just fine.
Storage abounds as everyone knows, with the front and rear compartments, but there is also a compartment behind the seats with sliding accordion doors, a lockable center armrest compartment, in the doors under lifting armrests, also hooks on the seatbacks.
I did spend a bit for the new rear window, Eibach lowering springs, Bilsteins, over-size front tires (225-45/17 Yokohama Advan Neovas ((although Kumho MXs would have been ok for a lot less money)), brake rotors and pads, a "competition zero tolerance" 4-wheel alignment, and a thorough service by Mirage International, a racing suspension shop.
I just read Edmund’s main Ferrari forum. Almost all Ferraris are garage queens. It seems that driving them 5,000 miles per year is excessive. One Ferrari owner wrote he planned to buy a Cayman for a driver.
236
584
I've googled and googled and found the descriptions of all but these.
Thanks,
Andy
With My Last Oil Change They Found Yellow/Green Plastic Shavings In The Filter. Their Suggestion Was It Might Be A Timing Chain Guide. They Said I Should Take It To The Dealer And Get It Checked. Wondered If Anyone Had Same Problem.
http://www.kindel.com/Porsche/options.asp
Liquid
Any thoughts on a 1998 that according to Carfax was landed in California in 1997, moved to North Carolina for 2 years and now is sitting in Ohio. It has ~31000 miles and really most of what I want. I still need to get it through pre-inspection. My understanding 30000 mile mark is a dangerous one. 5 speed manual, hard top, Zenith Blue, black cloth/Blue hard top, grey interior. Its dealer inspected by a know Porsche dealer in Cleveland. They are asking $18000, but its been on the lot for a while.
I'm thnking if I could get them to 16000 ish it may be a good buy. One of my concerns is that its been siting there as others have been sold. Maybe its waiting for me or possibly something I don't know.
Thanks for any input.
Tom
Good luck. It's a marvelous car.
This is a 10 year old car that only has 31,000 miles. By comparison, my 911S Cab turns 2 years old next week, with 16,800 miles on the odometer. The risk is great that this Boxster has sat for long periods of time, and that is not good for seals, gaskets, engine oil, etc. etc. A car that has a good service history and evidence of being driven regularly, even with considerably more miles, would be preferred by me. My 1995 Nissan Maxima has cost me more in service over the past 2 years from sitting than in the previous 11 in which it ran up 155k miles with hardly a single repair.
The price, $16,000 is more than half what you would pay for a brand new Honda S2000. When I tested the 2002 Honda S2000 against the 2002 Boxster, there was no comparison. Both have superb handling, but the Honda was exceptionally tight and vastly quicker. The 2002 Boxster S was a better comparion. The 1998 Boxster would be even further down the performance scale, having the weakest engine in the Boxster evolution. Clearly, you are not buying high performance here - which is fine, as long as you are aware of that. And as long as you are prepared to pay extra on the maintenance side. My 2002 S2000 cost me less than $400 in routine service (4 Mobil 1 oil changes and a 12k service) in the 2.5 years and 20k miles I had it, although it was ready for new tires.
I love my 911 and appreciate all Porsches. But when it comes to a "fun" car, I am wary of buying a "vintage" car that could turn into a money pit and, more importantly, undermine my whole objective of having "fun". At the time I bought my S2000 six years ago, a friend who collects cars, tempted me with an older Acura NSX at about the same price. Had I bought it and driven it sparingly, it would still be worth as much or more than I would have paid for it. But that's just not me, at least not now.
Good luck whatever you decide.
I am not a high mileage driver, so even my 1986 Audi is a weekend car. ;-) My wife's 96 Audi is the daily driver but it has less than 9000 miles between inspections. I am a big advocate of maintenance. These cars are serviced by a Porsche garage and go in about ever 2500-3000 miles.
I understand that car and human bodies respond the same to regular exercise. So I want my new Weekend car to be a lot of fun. My fun will not come off the line but in the curves. Plenty of curves in Western PA.
I am out looking and driving on the weekend for the right car. I will try out the S2000 to see how I like it. I love the feel of slapping the bottom mounted pedal to the floor and the 4000-5500 rpm power band on the Caymen and Boxster make me flat out giddy. The way these to feel through the turns are flat out effortless and exhilarating
Thanks for your input!
Thanks!
-John
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsindelar
My wife & I went to the dealer and drove the car. Had it out for over an hour. We were both disappointed;. Do not really know why. Might well have been us as we were 7 years older than we were when we leased the'00 Boxster.
Dealer had an '04 911 cabriolet on the lot that had just arrived. We drove it and bingo, that was the car. Spent about $20k more than the Boxster but so far I have been very satisfied with the car. It still has about 17 monrths of factory warranty so I am protected against catastrophic disasters. Might well get rid of it just prior to the warranty expiring. Dealer prices of brakes at 1K per axle, $1400 for tires, $1700 for a clutch do concern me.
But for me, at my age (north of 60), the 911 cab was the way to go.
YMMV.
I'm currently looking to lease a new porsche boxster and have had several conversations with the dealer's internet sales manager. They don't have the color I want in stock, but he has located one in the color I want which he says he can order for me. He is now asking for a deposit to secure the vehicle for 48 hours, which means he would need a firm commitment with a signed buyers order and a deposit (which I calculated to be almost 5% of the sales price). I asked whether the deposit is refundable or not and his reply was that if the vehicle is damaged or something is wrong, then it would be refunded back to me. Is this a binding agreement and would I loose the deposit if I decide not to go through with the deal? In other words, we have yet to negotiate the price, etc, so I don't know if this is really going to be a good deal for me or not. All I know is that I like the configuration of the car. Also, what is the typical or reasonable deposit in a case like this one? Can someone give me some insight on all this?
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It seems that's what they are saying..
Why ask for a deposit though, if when push comes to shove, they're the ones trying to get my business and not the opposite?
They probably don't want to flat-bed a car in from another dealer, without a sure sale.. It's not like swapping cars with the Honda dealer across town.
Is there a standard amount or percentage range for these kinds of deposits or is that strictly to the discretion of the dealer?
If they were just trying to get you invested in buying a car, then $500 would be plenty.. It seems they don't want to go get this car from another dealer, without a certain sale... In that case, a couple of thousand seems reasonable..
I might be wrong, but from your questions, it seems you aren't sure about this.. Maybe the dealer has picked up on that, as well.. and, is asking for the large deposit to ensure you are serious about buying the car. Test drive a car like the one you want, and make sure... If you aren't sure, you shouldn't ask them to acquire the car for you...
And, as noted above... Make sure you know how much you are paying, before committing to anything.
regards,
kyfdx
visiting host
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ZR
For more info on buying, check out mike focke's web site and the articles archived at the Boxter babblers.
I have a 2004 Box in my sites and Mike has helped me a lot. I also have a blog on this site outlining my adventures in the search for the perfect sportscar.
Marygi
-Examine the engine for oil leaks and coolant leaks
-Be aware that the mass airflow sensors fail frequently
-Run through the gears noting whether shifts are smooth and quiet
-Carefully note the condition and proper operation of the convertible top
I would definately recommend the article, it's a great read...
-John
ZR
And if this all depends on how I’ve been driving or maintaining my car, can someone give me some tips?
As for the cylinders - I've never had to replace them. They should last the life of the car (or at least 100K+ miles).
Something does sound fishy about the diagnosis you received, but since I can't see your car, I can't say for sure. If I were in your shoes (no pun intended), I'd look at the brake pads myself and see how much pad material is left. If they look even a little low (say less than 1/4"), take your car to a reputable independent shop for a second opinion.
take a break do it again
if you have a car battery charger, that should do the trick..