My story....

Like Pedro said, there are a lot of people that seldomly or never post. I too was a lurker for a few months before I made my first post. But, finally I came out of the Boxster closet.

A community like this benefits from every contribution, whether it's a small one or big one. I've always believed that the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. I know that since I joined (and I'll include the PPB, I've learned a lot about my Boxsters and Porsches in general. It's helped me get more enjoyment out of my cars and also saved me time and money. In addition, I've made a number of good friends from all over North America because of this board.

Here's my challenge.

Let's make this the biggest thread ever on Pedros Board. Tell us why you decided to buy a Porsche and a little bit about the story of your first (or your current) Porsche. It would be terrific if you could include a picture.

I'll start. Here's my story.

After seeing a silver 911 Targa in a dealer showroom in 1969, I made the mistake of to sitting in it. I was hooked. Some day, I hoped that I’d be able to own a silver Porsche 911 Targa. Every time I stopped beside a Porsche at a light, I would lower the driver's side window – just to hear the sound of that flat six, hoping the driver was in a hurry when the light changed.

Then in 1993, the Boxster prototype was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show. It was love/lust at first sight. A Porsche designed as a roadster. Wow! THAT became the new dream.

One thing or another always kept a Porsche as an elusive dream. Then early in 2006 it looked like that dream would actually come true. So now, I finally dared to take a test drive. If I’d done it before, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to resist and end up mortgaging the house to the hilt just to have one.

So, there it was near the end of January, roads actually pretty dry (unusual here in Ontario at that time of year). My wife and I made the treck to the nearest Porsche dealer on a Saturday afternoon – about a 110 km drive. Hard to believe I was actually looking to buy!

As I started looking over a Boxster in the showroom, a salesman came over and asked if he could answer any questions or give me any information about the car. After showing me the features of the car, he asked me if I’d like to take one for a test drive. No arm twisting necessary.  After we got into the car, he fired up that sweet flat six. YES! After showing me some of the features during a short warm up period, he drove the car first (in a “spirited” fashion) and then pulled over to turn the wheel over to me.

It was pretty clear that someone had designed the Boxster for ME. That’s just the way it felt. Just had to adjust the seat. Everything was RIGHT THERE where it should be. The on ramp to the toll road. THAT WAS WOW! Accelerate, shift, check your speed. 180 kph. THAT fast already? It became pretty clear that I’d have to be very careful because this car could easily put my drivers license into jeopardy. Coming off the toll road, the salesman directed me to a few twisty roads to drive the car on. He knew how to sell this car. (Not that I needed selling).

Back at the dealership, he offered us a choice of beverages while we talked. He answered all my questions. We finally left to go home and let all the information and the day’s experience soak in and do some tall thinking.

On Monday, I had an e-mail from the salesman asking if he could answer any more questions for me or if I’d like to take the car out for another test drive.

I got back to the salesman and we started talking price and specific car(s). About three weeks later, we completed and signed a deal on a car that was on its way to the dealership, due to arrive at the end of the month. They also offered to store the car inside until I was ready to pick the car up at the beginning of April (I didn’t want to drive the car home in salt, slush and snow). Nice Valentine’s Day. 

After the car arrived, I made the 220 km round trip down to the dealership each weekend to look MY BOXSTER over. The salesman always was happy to take me to the storage area to show me the car and answer any questions I had. (He probably thought I was crazy, but sure never showed it.) March was a looooooooooong month, with lots of time spend watching Boxster videos
I’m so lucky I have an understanding wife. 

Since I really wanted to share the first drive in my Boxster with my wife, I had asked the salesman if they would be able to pick us up from home. He arranged that too. What service! The driver that came to pick us up sure drove slowly.
After arriving at the dealership and completing the paper work, our salesman thanked us for our business and presented us with a couple of Porsche caps (handy for the trip home), a litre of Mobile 1 Synthetic 0W – 40 and a few other Porsche items …and of course MY keys. Then we went to the pick up area so he could go over the car with me to ensure that everything was they way it was supposed to be. Before we left, he offered us a beverage to take along for the trip home. This is Porsche service! 

It was a cool 10 degrees C with a stiff breeze out of the north. So I asked my wife how she felt about driving it, at least the first while, with the top down. Her response: “Well it IS a convertible!” I love my wife and I love my Boxster. Life is good.

Now a twist of the key with my left hand and it was the start of that Boxster affliction – Permagrin. 

I was looking for a Buick Regal or something similar. My wife spotted an ad in the paper for a used Porsche 924 and we went to look at it. It was sitting in a warehouse. I drove it and everything seemed OK. The price was great. It seemed too good to be true. That night, in bed, my wife asked what I thought about the Porsche. I expressed my doubts and that I thought maybe it was stolen.

My wife turned to me and said "That's the difference between us, I am a Porsche person and you are a Buick Regal person". She then rolled over and went to sleep. The next day I owned my first Porsche a 924. I am now on my seventh Porsche and fourth Boxster.

Jeff Benson:

2016 Boxster, See it here: www.greatvalleyhouse.com/Boxster

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First car: 1952 Hudson Hornet

First roadster: 1962 Austin Healy 3000 III

Still have: Computer free 1974 MGB

Previous Porsches since 1982: 924, 944, 944S, and four Boxsters; 97, 03, 08 & 2012

It was 1999 and we were driving a '96' Vette for our fun car.

We weren't even thinking about getting another car until the rear differential on the Vette started making whining noises and GM said--despite our warranty--that it had to fail before they would pay for the repairs. That's all the wife had to hear--had visions of her driving it stuck on the side of the road--bye bye Vette.BTW, both of us had owned Corvettes over the years.

We started looking for alternatives and there were only 2 choices that seemed to make sense--Boxster or BMW M roadster. There were no M roadsters around so we drove to closest Porsche dealer to see what they had and found a 986 GR/BLK combo that looked perfect.

We knew next to nothing about the Boxster, but had seen them at car shows and liked the lines.The salesman gave us the keys to the Boxster and said go for a long drive--think a Chevy dealer might do that with a Vette?--and away we went for about 30 minutes. Did some of the winding roads south and east of Canton, OH and the car was amazing. We had just done a 3 day driving school in AZ with Bondurant and knew we wanted to go to the track; after 5 minutes it was clear the 986 was the ticket to do that.

Went back to the dealer, made a deal on the Vette and drove the Boxster home 3 days later. It was an easy buying experience and the car ran like a clock right out of the box for the next 6 years--until we traded it on the 987.


Funny, before driving the 986, the Porsche line wasn't on our radar scope. Afterwards, now 15 years later, it's difficult to get her interested in anything but. Couldn't find a pic of out old 986 here's one of the 981 on a perfect summer day (something everyone in NE Ohio can appreciate after yesterday's lake effect snow event).


[s692.photobucket.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2014 09:47AM by MikenOH. (view changes)

Great idea for a thread Guenter!

As a kid I had the usual 911 Turbo poster on the bedroom, unusually alongside of a poster of a BMW 2002tii! I can’t say I was a hardcore Porsche guy from the start but the track bug was definitely there and as a university graduation present almost pulled the trigger on a ’69 911. Sanity prevailed (at least I thought so at the time) and instead I picked up a brand new Mustang 5.0 GT with a factory warranty. Still kicking myself over that one given what has happened to the early 911 market!
I completed the Powell Motorsport 3 day school at Mosport using C4 Corvettes so for a brief period that is what I coveted. But after attending a few Porsche Turbo Cup races at Mosport and watching how quick and competent the 944 Turbos were in the hands of drivers like Scott Goodyear and Richard Spenard, this became my dream car. I competed in Solo 1 (now called Time Attack) for a few years in a 1LE Camaro and then shifted over to karts for a more affordable head-to-head experience, first 4 strokes and then eventually moving on to 125cc shifter karts.

About a decade ago, it became apparent that the old body was getting beaten up a bit too much in the shifter karts (not to mention the costs) so I sold off all the equipment. I enjoy wrenching on cars so I began to look around for a project. The complexity of the 944 Turbo scared me so I targeted normally aspirated cars. I eventually found one that was cosmetically decent but did need a few mechanical issues sorted. I can spin wrenches but I suck at body work! I spent a couple of years fixing and driving the 944, time belts & rollers, seals, motor mounts, convert to manual steering, etc and transformed it into an enjoyable if somewhat underpowered car on a twisty road.

In the spring of ’12 I had the 944 out for its first drive of the year when I spotted a silver 944 Turbo being washed at a house just up the street. I had seen this car a few times before sitting on a trailer, obviously a track car, but had never seen anyone about. I took the opportunity to pull in and and speak with the owner. Kelley was a DE instructor with the PCA and he said that he was just about to list this car for sale. The reason was apparent in his garage. A lime green track prepped 996 he had just purchased. The 944 Turbo had been a track car for almost a decade so the paint showed some well-earned patina but the mechanical state of the car looked solid and well maintained with tons of service records. It had a full roll cage, race seats and harnesses, big 928S4 brakes, Weltmeister strut bar and sways, and a bigger K27-8 turbo fitted. I had been missing driving on the track and the wheels began to turn in my brain. I told Kelley that I was interested and I would get back to him shortly.

I fully expected a hard sell back at home. We were in the midst of a major exterior renovation to our house and money was tight. I floated the idea to Deb, fully expecting to be quickly shutdown. I did throw in that we should also join the PCA since then I could drive on the track with them and they had a lot of great social events, rallies and fun runs. We had been searching for something new to do as a couple and this might be fun. To my great surprise and relief she immediately agreed! The next day I gave Kelley a cheque and the car was mine. While it hadn’t been driven on the street for a few years it didn’t take much to get it certified and back on the road.



While track driving was my focus we also participated in a few fun runs and the PCA UCR Targa Muskoka with that car. Deb would climb in over the roll cage and strap herself in, but given that we were enjoying the non-track events so much it quickly became apparent that we needed to add a more “civilized” Porsche to the stable. Deb was always pointing out the Boxsters at club events and saying that she loved them. The price on 986’s was getting to our comfort level so I began searching around in the late summer of ‘13. Deb wanted a “pretty colour” like yellow so this limited the choices considerably. For me, yellow wasn’t my first choice but I felt this car was for Deb so she should choose. The first couple of 986’s I drove did not give me a good feeling. None of them drove wonderfully and obviously had some mechanical issues. I began to doubt that a Boxster was the car for me as my 944’s both drove much better. At lunch one day I happened to pull out my phone and noticed a burgundy Boxster for sale at a dealership. We had nothing to do that day so we drove over to have a look. Sitting beside the burgundy car was a Seal Grey, black top, black interior car – my preferred colour combo. To my great surprise, Deb was drawn to it immediately. She said that this car looked classy. The previous owner had taken good car of this car. The paint was very good and the brake lamps and side markers had been updated to white, so it gave the appearance of a much newer car. The test drive was a revelation. Now I got it. The car felt tight and coupled. Turn in was amazing as well as the mid corner balance. And you could put the roof down! We had found our car! I ordered some new Xenon headlamps to replace the typically burnt halogens, as well as new center caps and lugs and the car looked good as new.

On our very first PCA fun run with the Boxster we met Guenter and Michelle as well as Mike Ellig and Donna. Deb noticed that Guenter was wearing his BRBS t-shirt and asked about it. Guenter did such a great sales job that the very next day we called the Little Switzerland Inn and had our reservations! The 986 proved itself as being a practical car for a long trip as well as a complete blast to drive on the winding North Carolina roads this year. We already cannot wait for next year. So while I cannot claim that it was “love at first sight” like G-Man, I would say that I’m a Boxster guy now. In fact if I were blessed with a lottery win now, I would not be looking at a new 991 but rather a 981 likely optioned very similarly to the “Curvin8r”!



Chris - '01 Boxster - Seal Grey / Black / Black ; '87 944 Turbo (track beast) ; '86 944 - needs a new home!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2014 10:50AM by Crooster.
(view changes)

As a young kid, I played with my cousin running Dinky toy cars through the Carrera Panamerica or something very similar. Somehow we loved rallying. And then we discovered this strange car that sloped down on the back like it sloped down on the front and was all rounded, and had these strange grilles on the trunk! We called these cars turtles - fort their looks. And we loved them for being so weird and "cool" -- in the 50s - a car without fins! Fast forward to the 70s, and my older sister elopes with this weirdo and soon shows back up with this really fantastic British racing green sports car with an engine in the middle! and a roof that came off and stored in the trunk!. Very cool!!! and only 2 seats. But time took its toll - soon the vinyl was peeling off the interior and the luster was peeling off my sister's marriage, so the 914 was gone! Meanwhile my father gave me his old '63 Falcon Sprint convertible when he bought a 1972 Datusn (remember Datusn?) 240z. I would kill to get that Falcon Sprint back - but while I enjoyed it immensely, I always felt that it just "looked" like a real sports car - the "racing wood steering wheel" was plastic, with a horn rim that looked like drilled stainless but was just cast metal and the other features were pure wannabe. The next year, they put that into something called a Mustang.

Fast forward to a series of better and better cars, eventually to a Jag XJS V12. And still I felt that they were all trying too hard to sell the aura of reality.

Eventually I discovered the joy of "sufficing" -- You can either be a sufficer or optimizer. Optimizers study every purchase, and spend countless hours being sure they are getting the very best. Optimizers have a serious problem: they can only be disappointed! If they work and work and end up with the best, then "hey, yes, this is just what I expected". There is no reward for getting the best. But if you study and work and try and in the end find out that you screwed up and that there is something BETTER! Well, you have screwed up! So where does this lead us?

I decided I needed a new car, and I heard that a friend was a salesman at a local BMW-Audi-Porsche dealer. I stopped by and asked him about this new (987) Boxster. It seemed like my sister's 914, and after a 15 minute test drive, bought it on the spot. No optimizer here! I just bought what I liked. I am happy to have gotten by with the merely sufficient little car that I have. No disappointment or over-study here. I discovered PPBB and had a great time. At 102,000 miles, I am still sufficing, with it just being OK and what I happened to have stumbled in on. But someday I want to find out who coined the term "Permagrin" -- because I have it.

And had 2 bad Alfa experiences. One blown motor and one idiot sliding into me on ice. Compounded with finding competent mechanics. We forget just how bad cars and dealerships were in those days.

It was 1970, I was 27. The 914-4 had just come out and Porsche had a performance reputation (I had seen them at Marlboro, a tight race track no longer there in Md) and the dealer was just 3 blocks from my new office. It was only $3500 or so and the only option available was only something like $350. So it wasn't a hard sell, I probably paid list and don't remember even if I drove it before I bought it, I suppose I did. Bought a 2-part after market rear bumper and roll bar mounted ski rack and I was good to go. I drove the heck out of that 85 HP sled over the next two years. Sold it just before the 2 year warranty ran out for about $2200 to a newly minted doctor who was taking it to Philly. I was tired of the maintenance hassle (mostly windows the dealer never had parts to fix), it was probably at the dealer's 20 times over 2 years!! And it being red, I was always on the verge of losing my license. Got a BMW 2002 sedan and didn't get a ticket again for several years.

Marriage, kids, private colleges (remember when they only cost $20k a year!), grad schools. Mortgage paid (remember when they were less than half the lease on a current Boxster). I had been admiring the 928 and looking in the papers every day (remember when there were classified ads!) and my wife said "why don't you just go buy one". So I went and drove one. Maybe because of my memories of the lighter mid-engined 914 but the 928 just seemed old in design and heavy. So started looking at other cars. Miata, Jag, Honda, 'vette, M3, etc. Drove in them all (or at least sat in them and determined I didn't fit). Nothing rang a chime with me. The M3 I drove 300 yards and turned around.

Saw an ad for a '99 Boxster with maybe 25k miles around 30 miles away. Lady in a grand mansion backed up to a community owned horse farm. 3 rug rats. New Hummer in the 4 car garage, no room for the Boxster any more and she no longer drove it to the club. Drove it a mile with the top up, then back with the top down. Felt right. First one I had driven. She wanted more than the comps from the internet I had brought with me so I talked her down from about $26k to $23k. Left it there to go get my son to give me a ride to pick it up. Went back to get it and her kids had ridden their bikes up against it and scratched the paint on the passenger door. I noticed and her husband, who really wasn't happy with the deal she had agreed to, offered to have it taken to his shop and painted. I settled for cash equal to the paint shop's estimate, drove it home, polished it out and you could never tell. That was May. Come November Thanksgiving Friday and I was up early driving to a window shop to see about the pit on the window. Spotted another Boxster for sale in a used car lot by the side of the road. Looked over and by the time I looked up, traffic had stopped and the brakes had no effect as fog and freeze had glazed the road surface. Summer tires didn't help but it was really my bad. The best body shop in town stopped the estimating process at $26k and the insurance company totaled the car. I got paid their estimate of the worth of the car which was more than a bit more than I had paid for it (and had told them how much to the penny when I insured it) so I went looking for a replacement. Bought the '01S 42k miles with snow covering it in January from a young lady who needed a salesperson's car. My test ride I had to move the snow shovel.

Drove both Boxsters 11 months of the year. 10 miles to work. Great experience, very reliable. And once gotten into shape, cheap to maintain.

So why Porsche? Why would I go back after a bad first experience? When my only Porsche intervening experience was the 912 that was rusting out parked across the parking lot from our first house? I have no idea except it felt right. The 914 was new, unique and I always was a sucker for the new. The Boxster was the closest in feel to the 914 of my youth. Never got a ticket in the Boxsters.

The best decision I ever made was to marry my wife. I was driving the BMW by the time I met her. She later told me she never would have dated me if I had still been driving the red sports car. My Boxsters were AS (silver). She drove 'em a total of 2 blocks. Didn't really like to ride in them. Felt overwhelmed by an 18 wheeler in the next lane. Longest ride she took in one was to Blowing Rock for a BRBS. But she humored me (see the first sentence of this paragraph).

Fast forward ~5 years and I'm 70, using it less. Despite living in semi-rural country full of winding rural roads (a mile to the twisties) and little police presence, I used it less and less. No Porsche mechanics within an hour. It was time. Posted it on Craigslist and it was gone 4 hours later.

Miss it, heck yea. About 10 days a year, those perfect top down days.

I've been a sports car fanatic since I was a little kid (MGs, Triumphs, Jags). When the Boxster was introduced in '97, I never thought I would have one even though I loved it. My soon-to-be husband decided I should make it a reality in 2000 and I purchased my first Boxster. It was an '00 Biarritz White with blue top and interior - absolutely fantastic machine. Long story short, I then had a 2002 triple black manual, a speed yellow S, a whte Cayman S and now a Black base model. I've had other cars inbetween but nothing worth mentioning

Throughout it all, one of the best aspects has been my friendship with all of you.

... or more specific, I fell in love with Porsches at age 8.
I'd been in love before ... with Mercedes ... Mercedes Benz.

Let me start from the beginning.
Even before I was born, my father was racing cars. Specifically: Mercedes Benz.
He was a gentleman racer in the 50s and had several MBs. A 1950 220 Cab, a 1957 Gullwing and a 1959 300 SL Roadster.

Here's a split screen of my Dad on the left in 1959 with his 300SL Roadster (with the hardtop in place) and me on the right in my '98 Boxster in 2011 at the same spot in Sebring, 52 years apart.
In 1959 he was much younger than me in 2011



I would go with him to the track and watch him race and drool over his car du jour.
Generally he would be on the podium and in one particular race in which he and his MB teammate were favored, they got the spanking of their racing careers although they finished in second and third place. They got spanked, because the mighty 3 liter Mercedes were both lapped by a tiny 1.6 liter Porsche.
That was the last day my Dad raced a Mercedes and the second time I fell in love.
From that day on, my Dad was a Porsche guy and so was I.
About a year later we moved to Europe, my Dad stopped racing and I got into Karting. We lived in Europe several years and eventually moved back to the US in '63.
My lust for Porsche stayed strong. My favorite cars were the 718s in all it's variants.
I followed Porsche in car magazines and whenever I saw one drive by my heart would skip a beat.
Throughout the years that I raced karts I had accumulated a great deal of chassis, engines and parts which were all stored in my Dad's business equipment room.
I then got into dirt bikes and off-road racing and did so for almost 10 years. Since I was racing semi-pro, I would get a new bike every other season and I would keep (store) the beat up machine.
When I finished my undergraduate studies I sold all my karting stuff and bought my first Porsche: a 1969 912.
I kept it for almost three years but it was underpowered, so I sold my dirt bikes and the 912 and bought a 1975 Tangerine ORANGE Targa.
I was happy with my car, but then I fell in love for the third time! It was a 1971 914. I just loved the way it handled and drove. Much more so than the 912 and the Targa.
Eventually, the need for speed prompted me to trade it in for a 914/6 which was one of my most adored Porsches... that is until my 1998 986 which is by far my best car ever.
In between the 914/6 and the Boxster I bought and sold a 944 and my most hated Porsche, the 1987 932. That car I kept for a record 27 days!
It was horrible to drive at the track. I'd have to step on the gas as I was still under braking in the deep turns so that the turbo would have time to spool up and hopefully hit power at the apex.
Most often than not, the sudden onslaught of uncontrolled power would just spin the car as it was also very tail- heavy. To make things worse, it was a cabriolet and Porsche hadn't learned how to stiffen the chassis yet, so the whole body would twist and flex like a pretzel.
I sold it to a guy that just wanted to be seen in a white turbo cab with Carrera red interior. To this day I still ask myself why I bought it in the first place.
But to finish this story, in 1993 I saw the Boxster Prototype which was presented at the Detroit Auto Show and knew I had to have it.
In 1995 I saw an article on the Boxster Prototype (I think in Road&Track magazine) and that weekend I took it to my local Porsche Dealer which was conveniently just a mile from my house. They told me that there were no plans to build it, but I insisted that they take a deposit check ($50) and call me whenever Porsche was taking orders for it.
One cold February morning in 1997 I got a call from Plaza Motors, in Creve Coeur, MO, letting me know that if I wanted a Boxster I should come by and place the order.
I got my dream-machine on another cold February day one year later when I took delivery of my Glacier White / Graphite Grey interior/ Black top 986 Boxster.
The rest you probably already know, so I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that we've been together for almost 17 years and have driven over 254,000 miles.
Happy Boxsteing
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 314,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/2014 11:16AM by Pedro (Weston, FL).
(view changes)

The short answer is that I became obsessed with the Boxster prototype. After months of searching the internet for every bit of info available (not much back then), I called my wife and said I was going to test drive the Boxster at lunch. She said to buy it. I don't argue with my wife.

I grew up driving a Karmann Ghia. I remember riding in a friend's 911 SC in the mid 80's. I was surprised at how basic the cockpits of both cars were. But the 911 had a little something extra....



I bought this Supra and owned it for 10 years. I LOVED this car. It fit me like a glove and thought I would drive it until it died.



Then came...







I found PPBB early Sept 97. After a couple of weeks reading thoughts from others, I took a really long lunch one day and ordered my car. Goodbye Supra.



I spent the next many years reading every post on PPBB and Babblers and several others. These forums were a tremendous technical resource, and also allowed me to connect with other passionate people.

Bay Area gathering...Fall '98



TBHL (3 I think)



I enjoy letting friends drive my car...



Who didn't love the 911 GT1...can I drive my Porsche on the track too?



Yes. Yes I can. I actively participated in AutoX and track events for many years...



And I kept seeing these awesome photos from Bob C...





So I started taking my own not-so-awesome photos at the track... (I did eventually improve a little)



My Boxster experienced every common early-model minor issue, and a poor driver...



My Porsche-related activity was tempered by my little racers...



...and allowed me to cross paths with big racers... (refer to Bob's image if you need help recognizing the eyes)



...and the good Karma of letting people enjoy my car came back to me on a wildly awesome day...





Almost 17 years later, she still looks great. I've got endless stories and have met a lot of great people. I may not always have this car, but I will always remember the great times I've had related to it.



Now my eye is on the 918

'98 AS/BLK/BLK
SMILIN
aka Doug
aka Doug_D
aka Doug_D (Cameron Park, CA)

Quote
SMILIN

I grew up driving a Karmann Ghia. I remember riding in a friend's 911 SC in the mid 80's. I was surprised at how basic the cockpits of both cars were. But the 911 had a little something extra....

1.jpg

Really enjoying reading all these different paths to Porsches.

Your KG looks like a '67 or '68.

This was my '68. I had the wheel trim rings off in this pic because I'd been driving it all winter and this picture was taken in Florida. It was always my favourite car until I bought my '06 Boxster.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2014 10:55AM by Guenter in Ontario. (view changes)

That 904--what a great looking car.
It still looks very contemporary by today's standards 50 years later.
For me, that was the first Porsche that got my attention.

one last comment on Bob C's pic, posted by Doug:

Put that body on a base base base Boxster and just take my money. here. have it all.

In 1977, when I was 17 and at a track meet in NY, I saw a guy in a Triumph TR-7, a little wedge-shaped beauty that inspired me. In my 20's, I bought a 1985 Toyota MR2 (Mark 1) for a steal at an auction (during a recession in New England) that reminded me a lot of that TR-7, and was a joy to drive, being a mid-engine, rear wheel drive. Updated this to a 1989 Supercharged MR2 when I was about 30, and they were fantastic cars. When the Mark 3 MR2s came out, I looked at the specs, and thought about it. But then I noticed that the engine placement and styling were very similar to the Boxster. I had just made a mint of money in the stock market (around 2000), and bought a 1998 Boxster off eBay (yes, I know). I got lucky, for it was a wonderful car. I put a beautiful stereo in it, and couldn't bear to sell it last year when I had some knee issues from too much long-distance cycling (it being a standard). So I gave it to my 22 year old niece, who had volunteered to join the Air Force as a jet mechanic. She and I were the only military volunteers in our family. It was a hit with her and her friends, and may inspire them in the future to own these cars.

Over a year later, I missed that car. So a few months ago, I started to keep watch on cars.com for a Boxster that met the criteria of: low miles, Guards Red (just like my old one), and Tiptronic. A 2007 Guards Red, Tiptronic, 1-owner trade-in with only 12K miles popped up only about 10 miles away from my house 2 weeks ago, for a good price. It's mine today. I have two other cars, but this is my performance art piece that I expect to have for some time.

Kurt



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2014 03:53PM by Kurt300. (view changes)

Great to hear you back into a Boxster. Welcome back.

We'd love to see a picture or two (or more of you new ride and permagrin machine.

I grew up playing with model cars in RI. In high school I was into antique cars and the VMCCA which led to sports cars continued into college. A college friend had air cooled Franklins which led me into VW's and eventually Porsches. In the early 50's I saw my first live Porsche. I made frequent visits to the Lars Anderson Car museum where couple of VMCCA members had a dealership that sold Porsches. They grew and became a VW dealer but still sold a few Porsches.

After college and a couple of years in the textile industry, I went to work at the dealership in Belmont, Mass.as a mechanic. I bought my first Porsche while working there, a 1954 1300S cabriolet, SN 60460, that I sold a couple of years later and bought my only new Porsche. A 1961 S90 Roadster. (I drove the beautifully restored, matching numbers, 1300S again last September in Germany thanks to the current owner. Current value $560000) .

While driving this Porsche I met my wife to be. We married and I traded the S90 for a 1957 550A RS Spyder since my wife had a new VW Cabriolet. I had changed jobs and was working for IBM in downtown Boston. The VW Cab became a 1957 VW sunroof. Not enjoying commuting into Boston, I took a job as an application engineer at Split Ball Bearing, (Now Timken Aerosoace) in Lebanon NH in 1963. I retired in 1998 as a Senior Product Engineer.

I raced the Spyder in SCCA for many years, initially towing it with the VW which had acquired a Porsche engine, brakes, instruments and gas tank. Other Porsches along the way, were a 1955 1500N coupe, a 1957 Speedster, another S90 Roadster and a 1967 911S coupe, a 1986 944 Turbo, and a 1970 914-6. We still have the 911S and the 944 Turbo.

I missed racing so when PCA Driver's Ed came along, I became an Instructor. (I'd been Chief Instructor for NER SCCA for a number of years). The 914-6 was my track car but I always wanted a Boxster. At a 2002 DE several instructors were discussing their cars and one said he had a 2000 Boxster S for sale. Silver with red and a extra set of wheels with track tires. How could I go wrong! We still have it. The 914-6 had to go.
My wife said it would be nice to have a 356 again. Now there is a 1963 356 B T6B coupe in the garage, too.

I'd had a small tractor but thought a Porsche tractor would be cool. Ebay had one near Albany with a low minimum bid. So I bid minimum and won it. Too many parts needed, Found another complete P133 In Texas. Bought that and restored it.
On a cold winter night a couple of years ago I was surfing looking at GT 3's. Found a 2004 in Vermont owned by someone I knew years ago. 3600 mlles, never registered. Price was high, but it was a "new car". No "nanny" features and my PST2 would work on it. We had a CD that wasn't yielding much, so the GT 3 looked like a better investment. It's also a blast to drive.

I've owned Porsches for 55+ years, but there are daily driver Audi's and a F250 diesel pick up for towing and plowing snow.

No more acquisitions planned.

Ed B

... you were able to drive your old car again after being restored in Germany!
My Dad was proud that he made money on the sale of his MB 300SL (in 1960) even after having raced it for years.
In 1990, while doing work in Puerto Rico, by chance, I learned that my Dad's old car was there and I was able to track down the owner who originally bought it from Dad.
The car had just returned from a full factory restoration in Stuttgart and the gentleman had it in a plastic bubble in his garage.
The new price was $1,000,000. That night I called Dad and told him that he had made a bad deal 30 years before
Happy Porscheing,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 314,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

In the early to mid 70s, I was in grade school. Like all kids, we'd play kick the can, hockey and stick ball in the street. you know, the kind where you'd have to yell "caaaaar" and pick up your gear and move it to the side walk and back again. I'd always drool over the two seaters that went past, particularly the MGBs and TR6s. Well, one day, a kid across the street had a visitor to his house. The guy drove a green (lime-like color) 914. The poor owner probably had to wash it when he got home because my hand prints were all over that thing. I was hooked, eventhough other kids made fun of it for being a VW due to its engine. Fastforward to the Boxster prototype being unveiled. My love affairwas renewed. In 1998, my wife finally got tired of hearing me going on about it, and told me to just buy one. So I did and ever since, I've had a Porsche in my garage. I never brought a 914 simply because I've never owned a used car. Also, I look at cars from back then or older, and think they look like a death trap. So, I never purchased a 914. Just a hang up of mine, I guess. Thankfully, Porsche produced the Boxster. I did look at Miatas and MB SLKs, but they just didn't do he trick. Even if I won the lottery, I don't think I'd buy an exotic simply due to their Hot Wheels-like looks. There's just something about the lines of a Porsche that have always appealed to me.

Flushing the lurkers, eh?

Good idea for a topic. I'm 'nobox' cause I got no Boxster but have followed the forum for years (including brand x). Great community and nice break from any day.

But the Boxster's always been appealing (save for bucks) as, like many here, I started with a Porsche (after some brief time with a Biscayne in high school).

And there's no Porsche (real or otherwise) to start with if you've got the Boxster itch .. than a 914.

Was attending the Zoo in COS in the 70's when I reached the point where the PTB decreed we could have a car. Loved a certain prof's kelly green 911 (what a car! still is great) but couldn;t afford anything like it. Thus the search for the 914.

Found one in the foothills west of Denver and drove the heck out of that thing. Various coast to coast trips. Faithful companion so long as you knew the tricks (jumping the starter, vapor lock work arounds ..) plus it had.. two trunks(!). Women loved it. Great for hauling lumber and new borns around town.

Totalled at the bottom of an off ramp outside of Nashville in the 80s (someone behind me forgot to stop). Replaced at various times with a 280Z, 924 and an RX 7.

Would like to return to the world of Porsche but it's a nice-to-have. So I lurk here. However, recenlty decided saving money was old fashioned but bought a beach home instead. Time to start saving again for a car for that place. Should be a Porsche but the other night ouside the DC Park Hyatt i saw a new red Corvette parked in front of a silver (what else) 911 cab. That Corvette looked damned good but don't know if I can grow enough hair for the mullet.

Again, wonderful site. Thanks to all for saving it.

Here's a pic (I hope). All apologies to my sister (but, hey, what else are big brothers for).

I'm sure your story has a familiar ring for a lot of people on this board. I know it does for me.

After falling in love/lust with that silver Targa in '69, I almost got into a Porsche a few times, but other things in life got in the way. Then in '93 the Boxster prototype came out and fell head over heals for that since I always liked the idea of roadsters and this one was designed as a roadster, the perfect design with its mid-engine layout. Still it took another 13 years before I was finally able to buy my first Porsche in '06. So, yes. 37 years it took me. But, for me it was worth the wait. (One of my choices for custom plate was WRTHW8N4, but it was already on another Porsche.)

Keep the faith, plan for it and I hope that you'll be able to post here (soon) about picking up a Porsche again.

the rear trunk lid on a 914 never sat even with the fenders in the front and you were always adjusting the hinges. So a sister sitting on the trunk lid at that spot was a good thing.

... has the PERFECT color too.

First generation Boxsters are very affordable and make nice beach house cars

Happy hunting
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 314,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Never thought of that. Too bad she bounced off at 40 (kidding). God love her, she looks much the same today save the hair.

Pedro's right about that color although I don't know that it would work today. That's a lot of orange for today's bigger Porsches.

Porsche Produced a limited edition Great Pumpkin Boxster that was orange and had orange tidbits inside, as well. It looked darn nice. Do a Google Image search for Orange Boxster.

Lurking alot as of late, life gets busy you know?
Growing up, I was always a Lamborghini and Corvette kid, my brother was the Porsche poster type.
Getting into college, I swapped 4 wheels for two and chased my new obsesion, a Ducati. After graduation, I purchase my 1998 Ducati 748...

Maybe 4 months later this was all that was left of my dream machine, and I still miss the sound and feel of that bike...

While recovering in hospital and rehab, all I could do was thumb through the Dupont Registry dreaming of a replacement for my bike. With a hopefull settlement from the person that hit me, my replacement vehicle ideas slowly whittled down to several cars. A New C5 Vette convertable, a used Ferrari 348, a Used Viper GTS, a 1999 Boxster (new), a new Superformance Cobra 427, and a used H1 Hummer wagon!
I had seen the Cobra at a recent car show in Raleigh, and although super cool, and amazing sounding, I could not consider spending that kind of cash on a remake of 60's tech, so out went the Cobra.
The Hummer, although a fun idea at the time, was just that. 10mpg was no gonna cut it for me! For similar reasons the Viper went out the window too.
I was down to three cars, thr Ferrari, the Vette, and the Porsche. The Ferrari was eliminated due to servicing costs, I did not like the idea of removing the engine to change belts!
My brother had a 97 vette, the first year of the C5, and I had driven that before. The power and sound was a hoot, so it left me only to test out the Boxster.
While I was still in casts and using a walker to get around due to my hip fractures, I had my mom take me to the local Porsche dealer to look around. The sales manager took me aside and showed me a car on the lot and took me for a test ride. Even without being able to get behind the wheel, the feel, the sounds, and the handling sensations were spot on for a now ex-motorcyclist. I was sold, I shook hands after my ride and told him I would be in touch. The guy probably thought I would never be back, but a couple months later after rehabbing at home in CT, I was back in NC and back to work. One weekend while returning from a road trip, I stopped in to the dealer, reminded him he owed me a test DRIVE, and the rest was history. I got back from the test drive of the 98 pastel yellow with a serious permagrin and had him draw up the paperwork. The wait time for a car at the time was 6 months from order date, but he had just had a customer back out on a build in progress. I was able to get in on his chasis and make all the option changes I wanted, and it would let me get my car in 2-3 months!
So then I became a waiter, and found PPBB, and started to make some Porsche friends that I will probably keep in contact for all our years.
Since the car has been mine, its changed a bit from its original delivery state, maybe not everyones cup of tea, but she's mine. My friends have dubbed her "the red headed slut"! and she has given me many years of enjoyment and hopefully many more to come...
Delivery...


New styling by RUF...

Lowered, wheels and brakes painted, headers, intake, and super quiet GHL muffler!

Some new wheels and a wing...

My most recent addition, a GT3 race seat for my spot in the car, really wraps it up for me for now. Maybe somewhere down the line a larger 3.4 or 3.6L motor will find its way into the car, but there is something about that original 2.5, that begs to be flogged and will not get you thrown in jail for it. It screams to redline, and loves to be revved up there. The power delivery is exactly what I loved about my Ducati, all the power was up high, and it sounds great being there. I'll try not to be such a lurker, but when my car has gone from 15-20k/year down to maybe 5k/year, the stories and rides/trips aren't as abundant.


Steve
Guards Red 1999
I'm not a race car driver, but I play one in 2nd and 3rd gear

If you'd asked your mom to take you to a Ducati dealership .. what would she have said? Liked the note about enoughpower to not get you thrown in jail ..especially given all the car news about the new Shelby Mustang and Hellcat. We're back to fighter design from the 50s .. more metal? no problem, I've got a bigger engine and maybe some rockets to get you moving. Don't ask about turning.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be driving a Porsche, even less to get a 2nd. It's been a dream with many many memories. What's funny is that in the past month, I've had people from PPBB contact me after 10 years.

In 1998, my daughter turned 18 years old. I thought I'd give myself a present since I made it through the teen years. I had been wanting a convertible. Has saved for a car, was going to get a Camaro, but didn't like the new look. Then saw a car I really liked but didn't know what it was. I saw it again and it was a Boxster. I didn't think I could afford it because it was a Porsche and no pricing online. I then went to the dealer who told me the price, started at $40K. I looked for a used one but couldn't find any, dealer didn't even have a Boxster for me to test drive. Then looked at the BMW Z3, sat in it, but when I closed the door, I didn't like it, kinda "tinny sounding". The cost was 30K. I didn't like the Z3. I thought, "well, what's an extra $10K when I was willing to pay $30K". I went back to Porsche, no cars available and had to order, took over 8 months to get my car!!!!! Here's my '99 Boxster, this is the pic that was on the cover of our PCA magazine (I won a contest, another story).



While having my first Boxster, had so much fun with PPBB, PCA and all the people I met. I have attended many events including TBHL, BRBS, Boxstobefest, West Coast BoxterFest and a few others. Here's a pic of Sherrif John and Reggie getting beer out of my car at a Babbler's event:



Here's another great memory on PPBB. Chuck was such a supporter of community activities and supporting others. He provided the opportunity for fund raising on the board. Jamey Rawlings of Paris Audio had donated a completed car stereo system ($4500 value). We did this prior to TBHL for about 3 or 4 years. The last year the board raised over $12K which was donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Center where I worked. I was able to develop many programs and support for the kids. It was incredible. Here's a pic of Jamey and Bill Snyder (organized TBHL) during the check presentation ceremony at Orange County Children's Hospital.:



I do have to say, I truly enjoyed my car and all the opportunities it brought until 2 years ago, Oct 2012. I was driving home from a UCLA game at the Rose Bowl, about 2 miles from my house, I was in an accident and my car was totaled (the other person took full responsibility). I was injured, has surgery, but cried many tears and many days over the loss of my car. I pleaded with the insurance guy not to total it. Even though I have my new car, I still miss my 1st one. Here's a pic of the damage that totaled my car (the frame was bent):



After my surgery in April 2013, I was missing my Boxster soooo much, I decided to get another. I had received the Porsche marketing book on the new Boxster, but put it away when I received it the year before. I had taken the book out and looked at it, just really liked it. Then I ordered my car, another story, but many of you remember my posting and anguish that I was going through being Porscheless. I even posted pics of the ship carrying my Boxster as it went through the Panama Canal. And many of you followed it as it left Germany and the 4 weeks to get to San Diego. The dealer thought I was neurotic (I probably was). Here's my new car:

Great story, Joanne.

... perfect angle to photograph the 981.
Beautiful.
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 314,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Great story Joanne. It's apparent that both your Boxsters have made you suffer from that affliction called Permagrin.

I can relate to your story of driving the BMW Z3. I remember test driving an Audi TT (and I'm a big Audi fan). After driving it, I remember thinking "This is nice. BUT if the Boxster costs about $10K more, it's worth the extra time to save that extra $10K and get a Boxster."

...and yes, I can remember you posting how you were "stalking" the ship as it carried you 981 through the Panama Canal. Lots of chuckles. I remember how frustrated you got sometimes ....still it looks like it was WRTHW8N4. (That's the custom plate I wanted to get, but I found out it was already on another Porsche.)

If I may.

The raffle winner (Howard) lived in London and it was not feasible for him to ship his car over the pond. So, I asked him to sell me his winning ticket. That amount got donated by Howard to the cause. I got an awesome installation. Still love it!

I haven't posted in years but this thread intrigues me. I was a sports car fan my whole life but never a Porsche fan. In the early ninetys I was a motorcycle fan. I was on my third bike and I loved that bike.



It was a 1995 Honda VFR. That single sided swing arm wa just so cool or at least I thought so. In '97 I got in an accident My bike riding days were over so I was looking for something to replace that feeling of riding a bike. (side note: Driving the Boxster top down is close but not the same). So I was looking at the TT, Z3, S2000, and the Boxster. The TT was ok but I couldn't get over the fact that is was a sports car with a front wheeled drive chassis. Sports cars do not have front wheel drive chassis. lol Then I tried the Z3, it was ok but it was front engined and I just didn't like the looks. Ok next on the list was the S2000. It was really cramped and I'm a small guy and the trunk was really small. If this was going to be my only car then I could not have that. Then I test drove the Boxster. Loved the way it drove and the looks, had 2 trunks, and was just smitten with the car. It was around then I found PPBB and the community was great. It was just such a positive board, unlike the boards for the other cars.



Then the folks in socal started to get together and do some runs. It was a lot of fun and some great people.





I then had to do some hacks and modify it a bit. One of my mods was to replace my M030 suspension with Bilsteins PSS9. I bit harder at the loosest setting but it was so much better on the track. Of course this then lead to the track and the car was so much better on it then me lol This was my first time and I didn't have any magnetic numbers yet. I really looked like a newbie here. lol





Those were some great times. I still have the car but due to some economic reasons it sits in the garage. Boy, do I miss driving it. Thanks for letting me run down memory lane.

Hope you have a chance to get your Boxster out again really soon.

We may be getting together with Craig, Jeanine, Tony, Chris Brown, Jose and Dave next month in Seal beach for a PCA meeting. Let me know if you're interested and can post info here

It would be good to see you again, it's been awhile

Joanne

Thanks for the invite Joanne, but unfortunately my Boxster is not currently running. I would like to know if you get together with everyone that is not at a PCA event.

Thanks,

Michael

I haven't been here in awhile, but this thread caught my eye, so here goes.

I salivated over sports cars as a kid (in the 60's). College, marriage, family, houses, work, sports interests, etc got my mind into other things through my 20's, 30's, and most of my 40's. Also, affording what I wanted was a problem as well as not seeing much on the street during those years that interested me. Then one day, about 1993 or so I saw a car and fell in love. It drove by and I had no idea what it was. I never bought car magazines, so I just kept my eye out for this car. Then I saw one parked and took my sweet time checking out the NSX. Once I knew what it was, I did a bit of research. One, I learned it was mid-engine , two, I learned I could not afford it (: Then, what do you know, Porsche comes out with a mid-engine car at half!!! the price of an NSX. I turned 50 in 1998 and took delivery of my car that year. I turned 60 in 2008 and bought my second Boxster which I intend to enjoy until one of us drops dead.

...So, I went to test drive a Boxster in 1998. After the test drive it was a done deal. wafc! (what a f*&^ing car!)

Here is my story why I got a Boxster, titled “Blame the Wife”.
Many of you dreamed of eventually owning a Porsche. I always appreciated Porsches and really valued the shape and body contours of most Porsches but I always thought that a car like that is out of my reach until………..I seen the first pictures of the Boxster Prototype. Wow, what a sexy beast. After these early pictures I started to tell myself eventually I will own one.
Fast Forward. I flew back home to Austria (from Canada) for a short vacation to see my parents and siblings. Coincidently it was also around my 40th Birthday and my Brother picked me up from my parents’ home to go for a spin with his new Audi 3. After a 30 minute drive we suddenly exited the highway and ended up at an Audi/Porsche dealership. Wow – what a showroom, many Porsches including several Boxsters. I was in heaven.
The manager came and guided me and my brother to the back of the building, pressed a set of keys into my hand and said; this grey Boxster you’re looking at will be your rental car for the next 5 days. Seriously, you must be kidding me…….. As it turned out, my wife arranged the car rental with my brother for my 40th birthday – what a Birthday present!!!!
I was cruising around for 5 days (did not spent too many hours at home), a short stint on the German Autobahn – what a rush, but mostly I drove through the Austrian Alps with a lot of curves and altitude changes – understandable only with the roof down – outcome, lots of fun and a terrible sunburn in my face and ears.
After my return to Charlottetown, PEI, I started to look seriously into getting a Boxster. Hired a sports car importer from Ontario, told him what I’m looking for and how much I was willing to spend. And finally after 6 month the transporter dropped off my (for me new) 2 year old 2003 Boxster S with 13000 miles. The truck could not make it down my narrow road so we arranged a drop off at the local Sobeys Grocery Store. When I arrived at the store the car was sitting there ready to be driven off. I bought the car unseen – except hundreds of pictures with small scratches highlighted – but honestly I could not see any of the small imperfections. This car was more than I have expected.
People always ask me why I decided to get a Porsche Boxster and I always start off by saying “ Blame the Wife”, ………then I tell them the rest of the story.

your wife never heard the end of that one.

2 keepers.

Like many, been a car guy most of my life. The few vehicles I owned prior included a most fun 300ZX, then a Mercedes E320 Cab. Got the Porsche bug (again) in late '97 and was heading to South Florida for some time away with the wife. I was back/forth with Steve Williams, then the Sales Mgr at Champion in Pompano. Never told the wife. We passed by the dealership and walked in. On the showroom floor: a stunning, new '98 C2 Cab, Guards Red/Cashmere Beige/Black Top. 'SOLD' sticker with my name on it. WTF? I didn't buy....but he tossed me the keys and said come back before the end of the day. That was it. I was hooked.

Returned home days later, fantasized for a few months....spent some time with our local dealer Sales Manager - one of the best in the business, Dale Knorzer for those who know him through other stores. Great guy. When I heard about the revision and the 996 coming, I was salivating. Plunked the deposit down early spring '98 for what would be one of the first 996 Cabs in town. Guards Red, Savannah Beige, Black Top. Delivery was awesome. During the wait time, I found Porsche Pete's Boxster Board, Rennlist, and Funcarsonline. Got to know the 'gang' a bit, did more reading and research. Car arrived in the fall and I was smitten. It was a love story.

But wait - what the hell were those two square holes in front? A life changing moment....as I crafted a few ideas to get them out of sight. The rest...is history. BumperPlugs.com began, and was just a sideline business. It grew as I traveled around and met more Porsche folks, went to BRBS and other events and met a lot of people. The sideline became full time, I sold my other business, and plowed ahead with the 'Plug' business.

During the time of the 996 Cab, I experienced one of the early airbag light problems, and had to really hold back my disdain for the lack of problem solving at Porsche. The dealer did all they could, but it took me a lot of direct calls, some well-placed emails, even some digging around on this board (PPBB..) to eventually discover the issues and get resolution.

I also had the chance to meet then President of PCNA, Fred Schwab at a local gathering (German Chamber of Commerce meeting) and spent some time with him talking all things Porsche. (see image)

The love affair continued as I sold the C2 Cab, ordered and took delivery of the 2004 C4S Cab, then later sold that to take delivery of the '09 Turbo Cab.

All the while attending more BRBS events, meeting a good number of YOU in person, and finding such a wonderful 'family' with similar interests. It did not matter what model Porsche anyone owned, we all had this in our blood. Got to meet Pedro at BRBS as well, and watch him tinker with a few cars in person. Pretty amazing sight to see a Boxster hanging back off a set of concrete steps while he tweaked the suspension!

It's been a great ride. Some sad moments (losing Chuck) but overall some great times and very fond memories.

Me with Fred Schwab


My son, and sidekick for a few BRBS, back in the day (he's out of college now), and the first generation BumperPlugs on the car:


The '04 C4S Cab....


The beast:

I can't say I was a dyed in the wool car guy although 911 Turbo's and open wheel racing was a big interest growing up in Montreal during the 70's. My birthday always seems to happen around the same time as the Indy 500 so I watched plenty of those. Who knew that 30 years later, I'd be living and working in Indy! During our 11 years there I went to almost all of the 500's and attended all of the USGP's including the infamous 2005 Michelin tire fiasco ... the attached picture was taken before that race ... parked on the back straight car club parking corral. Well before moving south of the border, I was visiting a customer in the Calgary area during the mid 80's and when it was lunch time, he offered to let me drive his 70's vintage red 911 coupe to the restaurant. I can still remember that drive and it makes me smile whenever I think of the only time I've ever driven an air cooled Porsche. I've owned my Forest Green 99 for 11 years now (second owner) and it has been great! We drove over to Hershey PA for PCA's 50th parade and I think that we'll drive down and really attend the 60th parade in Indiana next summer. The Pete and Pedro boards have been a great resource over the years. Three years ago we moved back home to Canada and recently, I took an early retirement so more time in the short summer for permagrin drives. I found out the hard way that speed traps are a common thing on week days ... only took two weeks after retirement to get my first ever Boxster speeding ticket!

During the course of the 04/05 winter in Indiana, I got the convertible sports car bug real bad! Weeks and weeks of trawling the internet ended with me driving up to Chicago to pick up our one owner ex lease Boxster. Defintely, no regrets. The car was built in the last month of production for this gen one '99 (July '99).

Major service items were the oil filler tube (done by the same dealer that had done the new car pre buy!), MAF, ign sw, bent suspension control arm causing premature tire wear, air oil separator (preventative replacement), clutch and flywheel, RMS seal and installed the LN IMS retrofit bearing, brakes and tires ... that's about it. For the last several years, I've been cutting up my oil filter after the annual oil change and I hope to post separately, some pictures of the findings to get an opinion on the catch.

I'm thinking that an air cooled 911 ('88 911 cab ?) might be my cup of tea if I decide to replace the Boxster but it's oh so hard to part with one's first Porsche!!

Prices are climbing ridiculously. I bought mine before the madness ('88 Coupe). Picking which car to drive is a hard choice. A good choice.

OK ... thanks. After the sticker shock for purchasing an '88 911 ... would you say that the running costs (maintenance / repair) for a well maintained, two owner 75K mile 1988 911 would be more or less than a '99 Boxster with the same pedigree? I'm also thinking that the likelihood of my '99 Boxster 2.5 L engine going kablaamo is greater than the same catastrophy on a 911 3.2 so that might skew the long term repair costs? On the other hand, I gather that the 3.2 valves require to be adjusted periodically ... routine maintenance for the Boxster seems rather simpler. What do you think?

PS: Forgot to mention that my '99 is still sporting her excellent forest green bumper plugs ... thanks Eric!

Both cars have proved to be very reliable cars. The cost to maintain either are very similar. Boxster- Tires wear out much faster and are more expensive. My S goes through a lot of half shaft boots. I think 5 in 102K miles. I had my AOS changed recently as a preventive measure while I had a cam sensor replaced. 911- Valve adjustment every 2 years with a cost of about $350. Have not replaced a boot yet in 50K mlies of ownership.About 165K miles on it. Things are starting to fail due to age now (window rail, door lock mechanism, hood shocks, etc). When i first got it, i had the shocks, ball joints and tie rods replaced. Costly, but worth every cent. Suspension is very compliant and feels like a new car. Motor refreshed at ~80K by previous owner. Parts prices and labor similar. I do basic maintenance (brakes, oil, tune up, minor fixes) myself on both. Hopefully the 911 you get has a motor without current issues (oil useage, wear, etc). Comparing replacement or repair engine costs on them is not similar. I hear $10K min. parts/machine work on 911 motor, while i have seen S used motors in the $5K to $7K range. Ask others their opinion for their experience on motor costs. As always get a PPI, so you know your risk.

Tony,

Thanks very much for the info ... really appreciate that.

Cheers,
John

On a memorable evening in 1967, a lifelong seed was planted as a naive college student sat in a movie theater. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as the glorious sounds of a Formula One car jump-started John Frankenheimer's visually stunning ode to racing: "Grand Prix."

Never mind the lame storyline. The student was hooked! A singular thought owned his brain: "Get me behind the wheel of one those cars, right now! I have found the career of my dreams!"

Of course, cold reality quickly set as an over-exuberant, immature mind reluctantly accepted the obvious: A career in F1 was over before it began.

Still, the impossible dream evolved into sports car lust. Four years later, the lustee found himself living and working in Denver, firmly planted behind the wheel of a white/black '66 MGB-GT. The dreamer absolutely LOVED that finicky sports car--a daily driver--and wishes he still had it. Eventually the GT gave way to a brand spanking new mallard blue MGB. Against all the the gods of common sense, this car, too, was a daily driver. Today, despite a plethora of oh-so-British frustrations and expenses, its rusted metal bones lie buried somewhere in a Colorado junkyard.

Eventually, the crazy dreamer landed in Iowa City, family in-hand but sans sports car. Thankfully,the open-minded spouse came around to the idea of owning a 1973 pimento/chestnut Triumph TR6. The dreamer still owns that farm-wagon-of-a-BMC car but a new dream took shape about 15 years ago while vacationing in Fort Myers, Florida. There, an extraordinary new creation from Porsche flashed by, growling through traffic and setting the hairs on the back of the dreamer's neck upright once again. A new lust sprouted. Had to have one of those.

Incredibly, as if it were meant to be be, the dreamer's wife called one day from the bank.

"You're not going to believe this. The bank has a Porsche. It's a long story."

"What model?"

"Um, I think it's a Boxster."

"That'll do."

"What color?"

"Silver, I think."

"That'll do."

"Manual or automatic?"

"Manual."

"That'll do."

Three months later, after intense price negotiations aided and abetted by this board's precautionary tales of potential IMS problems (thank you all very much!), the lusty dreamer was testing the limits of an automotive athlete, a fine work of motor sports art, a true enthusiast's sports car. The dreamer has babied that Boxster through thick and thin. It remains a daily driver. While the dreamer now finds himself lusting after something newer, this lithe Germanic machine has fulfilled a dream on many levels. Fun to drive, functionally usable, comfortable, and reliable.

And as an added measure of satisfaction, the dreamer re-lived the thrill of "Grand Prix" the movie in a dynamic way, seated in Section K at the very real Grand Prix de Monaco, circa 2011. What an amazing experience!

Anyway, that's my Boxster love story and I'm sticking to it!

I'll join in the fun and share my story.
Like many of you, I have always admired Porsches and dreamed of owning one someday. Two things prevented me from fulfilling my dream: my innate practicality, and my inability to drive a manual transmission. It had always been on my bucket list that I wanted to learn how to drive a manual transmission, however the one time that I convinced my husband to teach me to drive his very large F150 PU that seemed to go on forever, we nearly got divorced. I think that spouses wallpapering and teaching the other to drive their beloved truck rank right up there as #1 and #2 as causes for divorce! I didn't want to wuss out and buy an automatic - that would be like declaring defeat.
Fast forward ten years to last month. As is my habit, I enjoy searching through the local car ads "Just to see". Imagine my surprise when I found a beautiful 2003 Boxster with 27,000 miles on it. The ad said it was a 5 speed automatic. I wanted to take a test drive so I could see what it was like. Unfortunately when I called the dealer, the ad was incorrect: the car was actually a manual, not an automatic. There went my Saturday treat: no drive for me. I wheedled my husband into going over to the dealer to look at it and take me for a test drive. WOW! Talk about a super ride! From the rumble of the engine to the smooth acceleration as the car entered the different turns on our drive, I was hooked. So, apparently was my husband. He bought the car for me for my birthday. This is the best birthday present EVER, but also a torturous one: to be able to use it, I had to learn how to drive it!
Kudos to my husband: he taught me with only a few tears shed (mine, not his). He still has his hair, most of it, anyway. But, I still have dreams of him yelling, "Don't pop the clutch!" - whatever that means!
Seriously, I am enamored with driving a manual transmission - maybe because it is a Boxster!! Unfortunately, the weather here in Maryland is getting too cold now to take it out. Will have to put it to sleep for winter.
I have enjoyed reading everyone's stories and am looking forward to attending some Boxster events. This is such a helpful, informative group.

Love your story. I admire your tenacity.

Great that it worked out for you. The real payoff will come in spring when you have a chance to get comfortable driving your Boxster. Driving the manual will give that special connection with the car. Once you get it out on a sunny day with the top down, dancing through the twisties to the sound of the Symphony in Flat Six, you'll get that special feeling. You won't want a cure for the resulting permagrin.

Enjoy!