Pay attention, dammit!

Thank you Pedro and team for hosting the community for 10 years!

I had various Porsche posters on my wall as a kid. Never really knew anyone with a Porsche until I was an adult. But I did begin driving with a VW Karmann Ghia, which felt like a Porsche to me When the Boxster rumors started, I began searching the internet for every scrap of info I could find. Probably around August of '97 I found PPBB, and ordered by car in Sept of '97. Still have it. Still love it. Never letting it go.

Here's a collection of my memories from 23 years of Boxster enjoyment. Time-consuming to caption all of these photos individually, so here are some suggested captions. Feel free to ask for more info on any pictures that spark your interest.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3qyv65kfprgkvbs/AAD2IXw6HTF7UcBOg6uqDCkUa?dl=0

(I'm not sure how this album will be presented to you, but you DO NOT need to sign up for Dropbox to view them...look for some link to view without a signin, if you are prompted)

Friends
PPBB
Thunderhill
Mario friggin Andretti
Boxsters Kick Ass
MRLS
Babblers
Boxstermento
TBHL
Drivers Ed
Chuck
Brake refresh
WCBF
Sierra foothills
AOS
Coolant Expansion
Distracted teen driver
New wheels
Porsche Parade
Deafening stereo
150k smiles
New look for the new wheels
Kids
Car cleaning
Indy
Rennsport Reunion
Hard top
Road trips
AutoX
Neighborhood kids
Joy rides given
Yosemite
Horn beeping
Turn signal (non)cancellation
Joy rides taken
ALMS
100k smiles
Friends

I mentioned in my first post that I started looking at PPBB around August of '97. "Lookin at" isn't a fair description...more like obsessed with. Obsessed with the Boxster, the options, the stories, the people. Info was hard to come by, and this joint was about the best there was. I read every post, and checked in many times a day. I was bursting with anticipation and damn jealous of those who already had a car.

One day in Sept I called my wife and told her I was taking a long lunch - going to Niello Porsche (Sacramento) to look at the Boxster they had. I was going to buy it (order it), or stop obsessing over it. A quick test drive and many hours later, I was a waiter. For those of you who have played with the Porsche Configurator, check out the Porsche Order Form that I posted in the gallery.

In the afternoon of Jan 22, 1998, my friend Tom and I drove to Niello in my '85 Supra. Excellent sales and delivery experience with Niello, then it was time to drive her home...MY OWN '98 AS/BLK/BLK 986. Madison Ave (fairly busy main street) at rush hour. I'm sure it was a cool evening, but my hands were sweating. Not familiar with the car, dark, traffic..so worried about somebody hitting me. I was exhausted when I made it home.

Back to the Supra. The Supra was an awesome car. Fit me like a glove. Keeping it forever kind of car. The Boxster was going to be my weekend car. You've probably figured out what happened there. Every morning, I'd open the garage and have a choice to make...do I drive the Supra, or the Boxster. I think I sold the Supra that summer.

A few pics in the gallery...

I've probably had >100 people drive my car...my kids learning to drive a stick, family, friends, PCA events, even had my neighbor take it to prom. I've probably also given >100 rides to others who weren't comfortable or couldn't drive it. I really enjoy sharing the excitement.

I remember giving my 90+ year old grandma a ride shortly before she passed away. She and my grandpa were the original owners of the Karmann Ghia that I grew up driving, so it was fun to share stories and compare the two cars. I can still picture it...after our top down drive around the block, she attempted to straighten her hair and simply said, "woooooooo." (My ride had nothing to do with her passing!)

I've been fortunate the other way around too, having driven 911s, Lotus, McLaren 570S, Maserati, and, of course, the Carrera GT! Did I tell you that I drove a Carrera GT?

Enjoy the ride!

Right after I picked up the car, I started pestering Porsche about the availability of the passenger airbag deactivation bar. I can't recall when it actually became available, but I finally got it (guessing after 6-9 months...late '98) and a Porsche booster seat. No need for the Porsche-specific seat, but it worked well. Then I started driving my 3 year old to/from day care a few times a week.

One day after work, almost home, stopped in a wide lane waiting for oncoming traffic to clear to make a left turn, BAM. Simple traffic situation, good conditions...just simply wasn't paying attention...the young person drove into my rear end. Just. Didn't. See. Me. Didn't slow down at all. Slow motion as I saw the car coming up fast. I can't recall what exactly I did, but I had the clutch in and got knocked ahead 50+ feet and rolled to the shoulder. I bounced back and hit the roll bar pretty hard. I'm sure I had a concussion, but had a hot poker game to get to so skipped the ride in the ambulance. The Cadillac didn't look as bad as my car, and the two girls were ok. I learned that the new driver was in her mom's Cadillac because she had just wrecked her car the week prior.

I tried to be kind at the scene, but I was hurting. And I was crushed. My baby. Right after I was hit, it hit me that often I'd be in that exact spot with my 3yo son in the car. I was simply so happy that he wasn't with me that day that the rest was a nit. I think I maintained relatively good composure.

The repair process was loooooong. 3-4 months, mostly waiting for parts. But the car was repaired well. I kicked in some cash and had the entire car repainted to repair some front end paint damage after a tire scrap hit the hood. I was confident in the quality of the repair, and the paint job was very good. The clear coat was THICK, so I can still polish the hell out of it and 20 years later it looks great.

After the accident, my level of defensive driving went into overdrive. When others were with me, even more so. I have my lights on 100% of the time. I hate sitting in traffic anywhere. I leave lots of space ahead to maneuver. I watch my mirrors. I look both ways, twice, before pulling through a green light. I have the car in gear, or ready to go in gear quickly. Don't drive in blind spots or next to others. Don't let others do that to me. So if I'm driving fast, it's just defensive positioning. The younger sister to my 986 is BRIGHT FRIGGIN BLUE with PSE always engaged...all in an effort to let people know that my little ol' car is near.

Lots of great memories driving my kids around in the car through the years. One of my favorite memories was dropping my son off at school. Top down, having pulled over at the curb, a bird bombed my son and hit him on the head with a significant load. It took us a few seconds to figure out what happened, then we both started cracking up. Good times.

What do these stories have to do with 10 years of Pedros Board? Just reliving the stories that were shared over the years with others. The PEOPLE on this forum have been a great addition to the Boxster ownership experience, and all of the fun and frustration that may come with it.

When you're irrationally attracted to a car, it sure is difficult to listen to advice about not buying the first year of a new model of car. While technically not the first year, my gremlin report certainly qualifies my car as an early build. These forums have helped to share information about the cars, and troubles, in an all new way. Without the help of the people contributing to these forums, my Boxster ownership experience would have been more expensive and less fun. From memory, here's a list of gremlins and a few maintenance items that I can recall...pretty much everything known except drivetrain-related issues, which I consider to be lucky.

Airbag light
Broken top cable/stretched sheath resulting in one side not operating
Bad top microswitch
Airbag light
New coolant cap
New coolant cap
New fuel cap (i think)
Bad hand brake microswitch
AOS
Inside door pull disconnected
Airbag light
Dead horn
Coolant expansion tank
Horn honking while braking
Ignition switch
Bad hand brake microswitch
Turn signal stalk not cancelling
Cracked rear window
Bad top microswitch
AOS
Coolant expansion tank
Radiator fan


Maintenance:
Clutch
Water pump, belt
Brakes
Trunk struts
Motor mount
Motor mount
Serp belt
Thermostat
MAF
Vanity mirror visor tension
Plugs, tubes, coils
Batteries
Wheel bearings, CV boots, struts

No problem here:
IMS
RMS
Slipped sleeve

What did I miss?

I'm appreciative of Eric's awesome bumper plugs, and of his continued sponsorship of this board. He must be a real fan of CarMax, who drilled two sets of holes into my bumper to mount my plate. CarMax wouldn't entertain the idea of me providing a tow mount or 3M mount. 4 holes in a virgin bumper. Ugh. The plugs look great though Eric!

Got me thinking about the early days of PPBB. Who remembers Dr. Dane's plugs? The dentist who molded them out of dental mold goo. I think I have the name and material correct. I had a set and stored them away after my repaint (and bumper hole patch) in '99. I'm sure I threw them away a decade ago. Dang, they'd probably be worth as much as my PPBB www.boxster.net magnet.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2020 10:37PM by SMILIN. (view changes)

Track days. AutoX. Wow. This is legal? I had no idea these types of events were available to "ordinary people." I started Autocrossing with the local PCA group in 1998. I believe it was Nov '98 when a group of Boxster folks signed up for a DE event at Thunderhill Raceway in Northern California.

So. Much. To. Learn!

I learned a ton. Great info from around the world thanks to the forums, but nothing like DOING IT, and learning from great people. I had/have no particular skill...just a casual interest to learn lots. Even that casual/fun level was addicting. And expensive. And time consuming. My participation ramped up quickly, but I couldn't get my family interested in participating, so it gradually wound down over the next 5 years, or so. My wife did one DE event and had fun, but no interest in making it a regular thing. Same with Autocross. I'm on pace to participate in 1 autoX every few years. Need to do more.

Lots of great people involved in these types of events. Lots of friendships developed. And lots of remote support from the forums.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry sir." - one of the best lines that I learned at the track...for when you are summoned to speak with the steward. This same line has proven to work well when you are having an involuntary conversation on the side of the road with a police officer. Fingers crossed. Knock on wood. Etc...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2020 01:05PM by SMILIN. (view changes)

Have you checked out PedrosGarage? The DIY section is my favorite, but LOTS of great info out there. I've done many of the projects listed, some more than once, but having these excellent articles for reference is a great resource. Good to review before work. Good to review during (torque specs!). Good to review when done as a double-check.

From the "Main Forum" on PedrosBoard.com, click on the "Home" link to get to additional forums. The DIY articles will take you to PedrosGarage.com. Or navigate directly to PedrosGarage.com for EVEN MORE INFO.

Thanks for sharing all of this info Pedro!