Boxter S as a daily driver?

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Porsche is not the most practical car for a daily driver, but you would be surprised how many people here in Calgary I have met at the track who claim to driver their all wheel drive 911 Turbos as daily drivers (yes this includes driving them in the middle of winter). I own a 1997 911 933 Carrera 2 (last of the air cooled engines) and I am a tad paranoid of someone rear ending me on dry roads. I am not so sure I could handle the stress of driving my car on icy winter roads where the risk of being rear ended is exponentially higher. But some people don't have a problem with driving their Porsche as a daily driver. There is one thing to consider, a daily driver must be parked in any place. If I know I am going to need to park somewhere for numerous hours and not be stressed about the car, I will drive my Jeep Wrangler instead of the 911.

Oh there is nothing cheap about Porsche ownership. The parts are expensive and so is the labor if you do not have the skills to do the work yourself. But it is an incredible well engineer machine. I absolutely drive my 911 to my limit and close to the car's limit at my local race track and besides having to replace brakes and tires sooner than you would think, the car has held up incredibly well. It is like a race horse. Leave it in the stables and it is not a happy horse. But bring it out onto the track and it shines. Oh and yes the Boxster is a little more forgiving than the rear engine 911. But the rear engine 911 is a winner when you know how to drive them the way they were engineered to be driven. I was at the track this last Friday and I shit you not I passed three 500+ HP Ferraris with my 285 HP 993 all because I was just faster than they were in the corners.
http://i935.photobucket.com/albums/ad200/993C2/IMG_0286.jpg

PS: the front plate is a fake so I am not worried about showing it on the net.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[DiverMike 5]

+1 on the not driving a boxster in a winter climate and +100 on how much more maintenance cost will be than you anticipate. Much of the maintenance you need done will have to be done at the Porsche Dealer. I would be willing to bet most Boxster owners have never even seen the engine (it is actually quite a process to get to it).

I am middle aged with apparantly a smaller penis than I think I deserve, so I have a Porsche. I don't even insure it from November to April. It sits in the garage under a car cover with a battery charger on it.

If you do drive it in the winter, get a hardtop. It cuts down on noise and keeps the car warmer. Since I never drive my Porsche in inclimate weather, I would be willing to sell mine. They go for about $1500.00 on Ebay. Make me an offer.

For the same reason I jump off a perfectly good diving board.

[catfishhunter 1]

When a Dealer is honest enough to tell you they have something they are having a hard time getting rid of there is a reason. Dealers don't leave used cars on the lot for more then 30-45 days before shipping them off to auction. If they haven't shipped it off to auction they must know they won't get what they need out of it or they have sent it and it has come back un-sold.

Food for thought...

MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT
Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose.

[shah269 0]

Everyone thank you for the advice, I think I will just show up ask a few questions and take it for a spin. But odds are....99-1 I'm not going to buy it even though they are trying to off load her well below KBB.
As for why it's not moving? Well we have had a hell of a rainy summer here in NJ and it's October. The car showed up on the lot in late August. Right smack dab in the middle of our hurricane earth quake season. And though the earth has stopped shaking the sky's have yet to stop leaking this rain thing. Adding problems is that she is a 6 speed and as I stated most people in NJ don't know how to pump their own gas let alone drive a stick.
I guess I could always buy her and keep her in the garage for the winter...but then she will be no better than my bike and right now I don't need another bike. I want a car to help clear my head of some old sentimental attachments that a voodoo priest nor a few dead chickens can fix.
I'll just keep my eyes open for that low milage 6 speed inline 6 from BMW that comes with that nice Certified Pre Owned program.
Again thank you guys! I greatly appreciate it.
Yeah she's pretty and she would be a hell of a ride but she would probably just suck my blood dry.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[weaverd 0]

this is a joke right?????

FWIW get a new ford focus, they are oging for under 15000 and get somewhere around 500 miles to a tank, cheap car, cheap gas and cheap maintenance........

get porsche and you will drown in maintenance costs...and something like a porsche probably need premium gas to boot

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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get porsche and you will drown in maintenance costs

Not necessarily. Without a doubt there is nothing cheap about maintaining a Porsche, the parts are pricey and labor is not cheap. But it is superiorly engineered automobile and really does not have very many abnormal failures. Failures do occur, don't get me wrong. But not as many as some other manufacturers.

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and something like a porsche probably need premium gas to boot

Yes they do like to drink the premium dino juice.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[shah269 0]

You know people say VWs are horrible when it comes to maintenance costs and what not.
Ive had my 1.8T since 02 and thus far no more than breaks and wheels and one flex pipe.

The worst thing that happened was that my ignition coils went at 50k miles. But well....hate to say it but those things should be replaced when you change your plugs and I didn't so it was my fault really.

But other than that no problems.
All you have to do is change the oil every 5k miles / 5 months ($140) and yeah she runs on premium but I get 30mph at 80mph! But the most important thing if you ask me is the 2 minutes I give her to warm up every morning.
And the 2 minutes I give her to warm up before I go home.

Most modern cars are designed to be good. We just abuse them if you ask me.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[Squeak 17]

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The worst thing that happened was that my ignition coils went at 50k miles. But well....hate to say it but those things should be replaced when you change your plugs and I didn't so it was my fault really..

WTF who told you that.
I change my plugs every major service I haver NEVER EVER needed to change my ignition coils EVER. That's with over 300,000km on one vehicle and well over 100,000 on all others

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[shah269 0]

They are only $50 a shot for that car.
And the car does run rather hot with the turbo and all. And heat cycling is a leading killer of ignition coils. And I should have replaced them when I had the timing belt replaced along with the pulgs.
I didn't and one of them died on me.
But also remember when I was at 50k miles it was at 5 years. So they did las a good long while.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[davelepka 4]

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I need to change my life. I can't get out of the condo which is full of memories, the job well 10% unemployment so why not a new car for new memories?

First you were hung up on finding a woman to make you happy, and now you've switched that to a car? It's not about anyone or anything else, it's about you learning to be happy with yourself, and all the rest will follow.

As for the car, stop trying to convince yourself that it makes any kind of sense. You're clearly hung up on the idea of driving a Porche that you're looking for any way to justify it.

Do you really think a two-seater convertable is a good idea for a single-car household. Do you ever see the possibility of needing to carry more than one other person? What carrying anything bigger than golf bag, or how about one other person and anything else for the two of you?

Have you looked in to the price for a set of tires for a Boxter, as compared to a Jetta? What about brakes? Those are 'wear' items, and will need to be replaced eventaully no matter what you do. Have you looked into the Boxter's reccomended maintenance schedule, and the costs for those services?

[wildcard451 0]

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***As for the car, stop trying to convince yourself that it makes any kind of sense. You're clearly hung up on the idea of driving a Porche that you're looking for any way to justify it.

Besides, you'd be the poser in a Boxter

[Remster 24]

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***As for the car, stop trying to convince yourself that it makes any kind of sense. You're clearly hung up on the idea of driving a Porche that you're looking for any way to justify it.

Besides, you'd be the poser in a Boxter

As Clackson calls it, The cockster...

Remster

[shah269 0]

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Do you really think a two-seater convertable is a good idea for a single-car household. Do you ever see the possibility of needing to carry more than one other person? What carrying anything bigger than golf bag, or how about one other person and anything else for the two of you?

Have you looked in to the price for a set of tires for a Boxter, as compared to a Jetta? What about brakes? Those are 'wear' items, and will need to be replaced eventaully no matter what you do. Have you looked into the Boxter's reccomended maintenance schedule, and the costs for those services?

Why I asked here. I can get the cost of things online...which turned out to be not too bad when compared to my Jetta with respect to parts.

For example, 4 all season french tires on a set of 17in rims...$900
4 set of all season tires for the Boxter s about $1200
Only difference is that the VW gets about 45k miles while the Boxter may get 30k miles or so.

As for is it big enough for me? I don't know. It's just me. I don't have any kids, I don't mountain bike but I do ski. I also don't golf.....

As I said I've driven this car before in the summer but wasn't sure how she is in colder weather with respect to keeping ones head warm.

With respect to the why? Well as stated the VW is showing her age and i'm looking at about $3k worth of work over the next year and well it was a car I had bought for my x wife and well....maybe it will help me in clearing my head since it's getting a bit too cold to jump here in NJ

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[regulator 0]

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You know people say VWs are horrible when it comes to maintenance costs and what not.
Ive had my 1.8T since 02 and thus far no more than breaks and wheels and one flex pipe.

The worst thing that happened was that my ignition coils went at 50k miles. But well....hate to say it but those things should be replaced when you change your plugs and I didn't so it was my fault really.

But other than that no problems.
All you have to do is change the oil every 5k miles / 5 months ($140) and yeah she runs on premium but I get 30mph at 80mph! But the most important thing if you ask me is the 2 minutes I give her to warm up every morning.
And the 2 minutes I give her to warm up before I go home.

Most modern cars are designed to be good. We just abuse them if you ask me.

-------------------------------------------------------
Let me get this straight...you pay $140.00 for an oil change? Do they use vaseline before the put it in your butt?

I change my own oil everytime and I use synthetic...costs me around 45 for 5 quarts and around 8.50 for a fram oil filter.

What kind of engineer doesnt change their own oil?

[nigel99 143]

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Beleive it or not the insurance would not be much higher. We are talking about an extra $25 or so per month. I've never had an accident and I live very close to work thus insurance is low for me.

A while ago you said you were too broke to jump. That $25 is a jump a month

Get a few tattoos and skydiving t-shirts and the chicks will dig you just the same as if you drove a Boxter.

Or man up and drive your bike daily - hell if I can ride daily in the UK I am sure you can in the US.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[PiLFy 0]

I was thinking the same thing, but... Let me get this straight. You use FRAM oil filters ?!?! I used to use them years ago. Then, I cut one open out of curiosity. It was nothing but a circle of cheap cardboard glued to the base.

[shah269 0]

There is a reason why my 1.8T does not use any oil nor has any oil leaks I use ELF oil with a VW specific filter for the TT.
I don't have a spot to change my oil and all the other things that go into it.
As such, yeah $140ish when you include the little things.

As for the cash yes you are right earlier this year I was low on cash but thanks to my accountant and a few other things I'm up a bit of cash per month which will allow me to have $600 a month towards a car.

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[nigel99 143]

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There is a reason why my 1.8T does not use any oil nor has any oil leaks I use ELF oil with a VW specific filter for the TT.
I don't have a spot to change my oil and all the other things that go into it.
As such, yeah $140ish when you include the little things.

As for the cash yes you are right earlier this year I was low on cash but thanks to my accountant and a few other things I'm up a bit of cash per month which will allow me to have $600 a month towards a car jumps.

FIFY

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[PiLFy 0]

OK, I'll ask. What does FIFY mean?

[charlie5 0]

A Boxster? Get a real Porsche.

The feather butts bounce off ya like raindrops hitting a battle-star when they come in too fast...kinda funny to watch. - airtwardo

[PiLFy 0]

You've got a garage w/that condo, right Shah? You should see some of the places I've had to change my oil over the years. Synthetic oil is $6-$7 per quart. Good oil filters are around $10. What little things, pray_tell, are worth the extra $90???

[regulator 0]

Thats a good point about Fram filters...never opened one of them up, but I like them because of the obscure location where the oil filter location is on my car...Fram's have that rough bottom to which I can remove and re-insert one without using a oil filter wrench. Used a K&N filter once...was bloody hell trying to get it off.

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Synthetic oil is $6-$7 per quart.

I do not know what viscosity the Boxster should use, but my 911 uses 0W-50 and I pay at least double the price you are quoting for synthetic 0W-50.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[shah269 0]

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Synthetic oil is $6-$7 per quart.

I do not know what viscosity the Boxster should use, but my 911 uses 0W-50 and I pay at least double the price you are quoting for synthetic 0W-50.

Same with the VW.

Well I'll go look but odds are I'm not going to buy unless they offer me a very amazing price....more so than what I was quoted over the phone.

they also indicated they had a 328 Xi Coup in silverand a 128i convertable
It's funny they are charging a solid $2k more for the 1 than the 3.
I'm sorry you want me to pay more for a smaller car? WTF!

Life through good thoughts, good words, and good deeds is necessary to ensure happiness and to keep chaos at bay.

The only thing that falls from the sky is birdshit and fools!

[PiLFy 0]

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Thats a good point about Fram filters...never opened one of them up, but I like them because of the obscure location where the oil filter location is on my car...Fram's have that rough bottom to which I can remove and re-insert one without using a oil filter wrench. Used a K&N filter once...was bloody hell trying to get it off.

I have yet to see I tighter fit for an oil filter than on my current motorcycle. I put an aftermarket exhaust on it. The header is really tight to the engine w/it. I simply bought an oil filter wrench designed to fit that size filter. It male_female slides over the finger grooves on the back of the filter. The attachment was only something like $11, & works like a charm. Maybe you can find one in your size? It sure beats losing an engine due to a crummy filter, IMHO. Cut apart a Fram, & compare it's insides w/a quality filter's. What you see will scare you.