flynlo

Just wanted to say hello as I am new here. I have been "Porsche curious" for awhile and mostly Boxster curious. I have lusted over the 987's for a while and now the 981's. I test drove my first 981 last week and thought it was pretty damn fine. It was an S. I am going to test drive a few today.

I come from mostly an American Muscle background. My very first car ever was a 1972 Z28. I have had many Corvettes and my most recent was a 2014 Stingray with Z51. I gotta admit that was a very nice car and I loved it. I am having a hard time not going back that way. But I have been there and done that. And the (excess)horsepower gets me in trouble. I sold it because I was not driving it much. I did love it though and not sure what makes me think I will drive this any more than that. I do think the fact I will get into it a little cheaper will make it a little easier to justify....anyway....

Feel free to give me tips on must have options. I am a strictly manual transmission kind of guy. The car I am looking at today is a 2014 Boxster S. Main big options are Sport Chrono, Premium package, heated AND ventilated seats(ventilated seats are big must in Texas), and Carrera wheels. Rhodium Silver so don't know if that was a premium color but looks damn nice in the pics with those wheels. I am taking the girlfriend today. She really liked the Vette because it made her "giggle" when I hit the throttle. The big test today???.....her giggle factor....and mine of course!!! I am pretty sure she will like it.

My Porsche experience? Not much...BUT....I do own a 1985 grey market 911 Carrera. It is a cream puff at that. But no power steering...no boosted brakes...mechanical clutch!!! Maneuvering at slow speeds is quite humbling! But once she gets a bone in her teeth she is pure Porsche!!! My uncle imported it new in 1985. My brother bought it from him in 2000. And I bought it from him in 2015. So I guess I gotta keep it for 15 years!!!...

Howdy!!!

John

terbiumactivated

1985 911 is better than a bank account if it's well kept going forward, welcome!

TommyV

I haven't owned a muscle car in a while and never a vette. But my 2010 Base Cayman is seriously fun to drive. I have trouble staying out of the throttle because it sounds so good when it starts to howl!

Mib4840

You will have a blast in a Boxster. I have also had numerous Vettes and Z28s, dad was a big wig for Chevy so I have been a Chevy guy for years (couldn't beat employee cost either). I don’t miss either of those cars now that I have a Cayman GTS. On the other hand, the only car that I REALLY miss and even enjoyed driving more than the Cayman was my MINI Cooper JCW, and I just sold it last week, already kicking myself for selling it.
My GTS is a manual and I love it. The shifting was very easy and I had no complaints about it. However, I wanted it to be a little tighter just for a more sporty feel so I put a Numeric Shifter in it and now it feels more like a bolt action, very precise but still easy to shift.
The other option I really like is the PSE. I run my car in Sport Plus 95% of the time. The sound is great. Had I have bought the car new I probably would not have paid the extra money for it and added an aftermarket exhaust. I’m still trying to figure out all of the other options on the car so o don’t have any other recommendations.
The Boxster will make those long treks across Texas much more enjoyable and probably faster too.
Good luck with your search, let us know what you end up with.

JCtx

You should put your city in your profile; TX is a big state. Just a friendly suggestion. Anyway, I've owned many Vettes, and they don't drive nearly as nice as a 981 3.4L. They're practically just as quick, unless you had a supercharged one. Handling is about the same, since Vettes have massive tires, especially the wide body ones (like the one I had), but it's immensely more fun to drive my Cayman GTS. And it's also immensely nicer to look at it inside and out, both fully loaded (leather dash, etc). But each of us value different things, so just drive one and decide for youself. Vettes look and feel cheap by comparison, especially the pre-C7 ones. Good luck.

okie981

I have never enjoyed any car as much as the 981 Porsches. They are beautiful and amazing machines. And I fit comfortably at 6'2" and 220 lbs. Took a 5,800 mile round trip over 20 days last year in my BS and I love the car more after that trip than before.

flynlo

Thanks for the warm welcome fellas! I did drive 2 cars that day....3 actually. I drove an M4. Pretty interesting to get out of a Boxster S and into an M4. The M4 is a "car" and it feels like a car. There really is no other comparison. The Boxster was WAY more fun but obviously the M4 more practical. And while I know on paper the M4 is faster, it did not feel any faster and it sounded like crap. Anyway, there is no doubt I would enjoy the Boxster. I just have to find one that is in decent shape without having to get into an airplane...which may have to happen. The ones I looked at were in average shape. I can't believe what people do to their cars. There is one around here in good shape but he is WAY high on a very lightly optioned car. And the manual transmission is a must/dealbreaker for me so that narrows the pool by a pretty good margin. I used to think Sport Chrono was a big deal but I guess it isn't when it comes to manual cars so eliminating that(I would do it if I could) helps. Anyway, the search continues!!!

SoCal RJ

Good luck with your search. I am similar to you with a muscle car background and am looking for my first Porsche. Looking at Boxsters first and maybe Caymans. Saw a really nice 2014 Boxster in blue the other day and will probably go back soon for a second look. Be interested to see what you get. RJ

flynlo

Good luck! The one I liked was blue also. Really pretty little car. But they are asking $54k on car that probably had an MSRP of $65...a 2014. I am not sure I want a car that is that lightly optioned anyway. I do want a little bit of luxury. And there are cars on the web for significantly less money that have more options. It seems all the cars I like are in friggin Oregon. I am in Texas. Pretty long way to fly to look at a car. One popped up in Morgantown, WV that is loaded and mid 40s with only 6k miles!!! But it is black...dammit. I have had so many black cars and promised myself I wouldn't do it again. If it were any other color I would have already bought it.

Yogi911

Just be prepared most porsches (and really all high end cars) i find on the used market are in Florida or California.

As far as options go, you will hear different things from members here but mine is loaded and it makes me a lot happier. I had no options on my vette and i didnt care and never felt a high option vette felt different than a stipped model. However on my porsche i like the feel inside with lots of options. Makes the car feel more expensive and exotic then it is.

spyderphile

You really don't need to fly out just to check out. Post up; a forum member would volunteer to go check it out for you. Chances are, there is someone at or near the location of the car.

And, be patient. Aside from luxury you are looking for, mandatory options, from an enthusiast perspective, are: MT, X73 (Sports Suspension), PSE (Sports Exhaust) and possibly PTV. Finding this car in a preferred color choice is gonna take time. Don't pull the trigger until you are fully satisfied.

flynlo

Good point! Thanks!

And I am fully an MT guy. I would probably prefer the PASM over X73. The PSE is very rare on any car but would be a bonus. PTV would not be a dealbreaker for me but it would be a bonus and about as rare as PSE. My Must haves are MT and probably premium package(plus being better). Heated seats a must. For the right car, I would consider forgoing ventilated seats but I am but cars are easy to find with both. I know it shouldn't matter but those Carrera wheels really dress the car up. I haven't looked in the aftermarket for wheels but I assume there are plenty of wheels.

billwot

Interesting! When I was searching, I found the most leads in the DC suburbs (which is were I found the one I bought)