Guess the final chapter has been written. At least the final chapter as far as I'm concerned.
Today I picked up the Boxster, paid the $198 diagnostic fee and drove the car straight to the Livermore Porsche dealer where I dropped it off and left all the keys. The used car manager already had the title. Signed a release of liability form and have a copy I can use to get a nearly $1000 car insurance refund. (I just paid this but it doesn't kick in until the 21st of this month.)
Used car manager said he'd give me a check to reimburse me for the $198. Didn't expect that. Reminded him of our "deal" and how I already received the check for the Boxster (and Turbo), but he insisted. I accepted. Also, I returned a new passenger side sun visor and will get a check for this: $201.
Been 32 days in the shop.
What is wrong? No one knows. Was suspected the AOS was bad but it proved not to be so the new AOS was removed and the old one installed. (The old one ain't that old. It was installed early October 2014, and has around 35K miles on it.)
The tech thinks the P1128 might have something to do with a leak in the secondary air system but if not the engine might need to be dropped perhaps even torn down. At this point the cost to track the cause of the P1128 down becomes just too high.
Settled in behind the wheel. Think I hurt myself getting into such a low car. I've really gotten used to my two new cars.
Was surprised at how stiff/hard to press the clutch pedal is. At first I thought I was pushing on the brake pedal but no I was stepping on the clutch.
And the engagement point is very high. Clearly the clutch is due to be replaced even though as I drove the car 25+ miles and "tested" the clutch -- full throttle acceleration in 4th and 5th gears -- it didn't slip.
Car drove beautifully. Steering a bit heavier than I remembered. Both new cars have more modern (electric) steering. Engine ran like it had another 300K+ miles left in it. That 2.7l engine is one fine piece of equipment.
Every control fell into place. Driving was almost effortless. A real joining of man and machine. Sigh. Gone. Now it belongs to someone else and is destined to auctioned off and who knows where it will end up.
Memories.
Test driving the car in Merriam KS with snow on the ground/roads. Buying the car after a pretty intense but odd negotiation. Ended up talking "over" a cube wall with the sales manager going back and forth with prices and I made what was going to be my last offer and I hear the sales manager's voice say: "We'll take it." Never met the person behind the voice.
Finding a spot of oil on the garage floor. RMS. But due to leave town on a road trip. SM said no worries just bring the car in after. RMS leaks never get severe. He was right. In around 8K miles I never saw a drop of oil under the car. When I got back had 25K miles on the car. This in around 6 months.
Mom saying she liked the Camaro Z28 better. Didn't like the Boxster's "push me pull me" looks.
Co-worker amazed at how much I paid for a car (around $43K; MSRP was nearly $47K). Told me he had just bought a 2 story farm house on 5 acres of land for $50K.
Another co-worker, a nice looking woman, came up to me and asked me if that was my Porsche parked in the lot? I said it was. She replied "You dog you." The way she said it I had the urge to smoke a cigarette after.
Road trips out the wazoo. From hundreds of miles for a steak dinner to thousands of miles to visit family.
Dodging a black bear dashing across the highway up in the northern reaches of Wisconsin.
Battling high winds, dust, and the largest tumble weeds ever through a wind storm in eastern CO and western KS.
A white knuckle drive in snow -- on summer tires -- from Ft. Smith ARK to Butler MO.
Developing a long distance relationship with the Dalhart TX courthouse clerk dealing with the speeding tickets the Sheriff handed me it seemed like every time I passed through the Texas panhandle.
Outside of Strong City KC on 50 highway and falling asleep at the wheel only to wake up when the car hit a tire carcass and dealing with the aftermath. Long wait for a tow truck. Long ride to Wichita KS. Spending two days in Wichita KS waiting for parts.
A high speed (if you know what I mean) dash across the empty eastern portion of Oregon.
Driving in blazing heat and blistering cold. Sometimes both extremes in one 4K mile road trip.
Attending a couple of events down in Fredricksburg, TX. Meeting some nice people, there, and other places where Boxster and Porsche owners met up.
Uncounted road trips/miles where nothing out of the ordinary happened. Just me enjoying seeing different parts of the (mostly) western USA and enjoying doing so from behind the wheel of my Boxster.
The 10 mile drive carrying the ashes of my Dad home from the mortuary. (Because Mom was not a fan of the Boxster her ashes got to ride in the Turbo.)
And more. Lots more. Too many to list.
Bought the car January 19, 2002. Here is it January 17, 2018. Just 2 days short of 16 years with the Boxster. Oh, and 317,842 miles. (Thought it had accumulated a bit more than this.) Wouldn't trade the memories for anything. If I could do it all over again I would. Well, except the ashes part.
Making new memories with new cars, good memories, maybe as good as those of the Boxster. But in no way surpassing them.
There you have it I guess, my attempt to wrap this up, bring you up to date.