txhokie4life

Buy a decent Boxster for under $10k. Save the other $15k for a rainy day.

If something catastrophic happens you're only out $10k.

I used a Boxster S as a daily driver for 4 years. Had a 996 as well for a short while.
I liked the way the S handled better thought it looked better too. JMHO.

Most repairs are do it yourself with some Harbor Freight/Sears tools.

Do note Boxster repair bills are just the same as the 996 -- you just have another $10-15K saved up from the delta
initial purchase to offset them.

Mike

9964runner

Sure, based on the numbers for my C2..... Over 5 years, $350 for new coolant tank, and $900 for an alternator issue.

At the end of the day any car will need $$ for maintenance, and any car, regardless of manufacturer can cost large.

So, can you afford it, yes, should you buy, only you can make that desicion.

Dennis C

My 2002 C4S has ~125K on the odometer. If I look at maintenance and wear items (including tires), I spend about $5,000 per year. Some years it's higher, some years it's lower.

If that works for your budget, then go for it.

TheLastTemplar

I don't like the Boxster look (not the ones before the Cayman debuted)

Is a first gen (2006-2008) Cayman or Cayman S a more affordable (maintenance and repair upkeep per year) car than a C2/C4 996?

I don't do any car work at all as I know of none (I'm not a gearhead or mechanically inclined), and have always taken my used car (when I had it) to the shop to fix or check up, etc.

RV4Flyer

My late 20's and early 30's when I was cash-in-pocket poor I owned a 924 (piece of crap), 914 (rust bucket), then a 944 (awsome car). All paid for. Of course I did all the work on them myself. Now, a 944 can be purchased for a pretty low amount of $$ but they are older now so repairs may be more frequent. It would be a good idea for any other sports car to learn some basics like changing filters, belts, oil, brakes, brake fluid, etc. and leave any shop repairs to the big stuff. Start by pricing out all the tools you need and if that hurts it may be a good sign a Porsche is not the way to go right now. I'm still poor (and dumb, owning an airplane doesn't help) but when I purchased my 996 it had 56K miles on it. The first thing I did was do all the general maintenance stuff like filters, oil, serpentine belt, plugs and coils, and brakes. Just the parts alone for that were about $600. If I had taken it to a shop my bill could have easily been $1200.

As an earlier poster mentioned, figure $250/mo for maintenance and repairs, or be aggresive and call it $200/mo. Instead of putting it into repairs on a car that will only go down in value over time, put it in the bank religiously every month and see where that gets you in 20 years. I learned a long time ago to pay myself first. Get a more reliable sporty car (used: Miata, Hyundai Genisis Coupe, BRZ/FRS in a year, etc) for now especially if you will be depending on shops to do the work. Take them to DE's and learn to drive them fast. You will have lots of fun and able to afford it.

Barn996

That would be my answer as well.

babylonboots

If you are single, you probably will have to factor in the number of hot babes who want to date you and how much that will cost. These cars are chick magnets and you'll probably be in debt up to your neck due to unforeseen entertainment costs.

hacker-pschorr

It can depend entirely on where you live.

You can rent a nice duplex with a two car garage in my area for $600 a month.

A C4 with snow tires, it could be your only car too.

cmartin214

@TheLastTemplar
I'm pretty much in the same boat that you are, not sure your age but I'm 22, single, no kids, not a lot of bills, making close to $40k a year. Almost a year ago when I was 21 I bought a 2001 C2 for under trade in value and paid cash for it so no car payments. I had a lot of maintenance records so knew what it may need and what was already done on it. In the 4-10 thousand miles before I bought it the clutch was done, all 4 pads and rotors, alternator, drive belt, front tires, left radiator and a few other things. First month I had it I did a small tune up and had the dealership go over the car ($500). I was recommended to do a coolant flush so went ahead and did that along with the water pump the second month ($450). Month after that I got some new Michelin PS2's off craigslist for $300 on the rear. Also found out that the RMS was leaking so did that along with the upgraded IMS the next month ($1700). After the 4th month everything was up to par on the car. Each month after that I started doing some mods to the car. New Victor black wheels ($1,100), next month got window tint ($250), month after got a K&N CAI kit ($270), painted side markers black ($7), and some smaller stuff. Went a couple months with no problems or mods. Last month I took the front bumper off and cleaned out the condensers and radiators ($0). Next month I will attempt to do the motor mounts, spark plugs and spark plug tubes myself just for kicks. Having free access to Alldata really comes in handy as the plugs may be a little more difficult than my 68 Camaro. I have enough money on the side to cover any big repairs, and also have another car to drive if it needs to be in the shop for any extended period of time. Luckily I have had no problems besides the RMS leak so I am very happy that I got the car. Also, the girls love it haha. So in your case I would say get a online subscription to Alldata so you can do the small jobs yourself, and if you can find one similar to how I did with maint. records and a good PPI then I would say go for it!

nick49

If there's a will, there's a way.

I live in a very expensive neighborhood near the mountains and have for almost 17 years. My neighbors are MDs, CEOs, profession sports players and the like. I make a fraction of what they do, but make it all work. I paid cash for my home, I pay no consumer interest, I mow my own lawn and wife cleans our house, unlike our neighbors. I am self-reliant, fix my furnace, fix my cars and my faucets. Life is good!

Quadcammer

all depends on your priorities. Are you ok skipping vacations or nights out?

$35k after taxes and necessities doesn't leave much over. I like other stuff besides cars, so I would not make that sacrifice

Rrrockhound

More people need to live like you do. if they did, there never would've been a mortgage crisis. Too many people try to impress their friends/neighbors/coworkers and end up ruining themselves in the process. To the OP, I say buy a nice, cheap Mustang with a V8.

jimq

I maintain a 996TT and a 964 on not much more than that plus my 2 houses. I am a couple years away from full retirement so choose to only work part time these days. If you do most the work yourself it normally wont cost much more than any other older used car.

Macster

Depends upon the car.

If you don't drive the car much, if you have good luck with the car, if you don't own it long, the car can be as cheap to operate as a lesser car.

These cars are rather expensive new. They cost to maintain and keep up like their initial cost, not what they cost when bought used.

Even though my '02 Boxster is 11 years old the dealer charges me the same hourly labor rate ($150/hour) as he does for someone who brings in a new 2013 Boxster for service.

You probably need to develop the habit of taking the longer view.

That $25K if invested wisely and making/earning say 5%/year can double in 14 years. Then double again in another 14.

So one way of looking at this purchase the $25K you spend today costs you maybe $100K in less than 30 years from now.

You are probably too young to consider retirement but young is when you should start thinking about retirement.

I know two elderly people who retired in their early 60's. One, the man, is now in his mid '90's and has been retired longer than he worked once he got out of college. They were getting by quite nicely on their fixed benefits pension (common in their day but rare nowadays) and Social Security coupled with very nice retirement insurance benefits.

But recently their living costs have gone up to $6K a month for assisted care. This is considerably more money than they make per month now. Part of that $6K/month is being paid for from their savings.

While it is true one only lives once that also means one doesn't get a chance to go back and fix a screwup. Fortunately for this couple they did things right and saved and invested and have sufficient money to last them for as long a time as they have left.

I can't begin to imagine their misery -- and that of their family -- had they for instance taken that the we only live once mind set to heart and what condition they would be in now.

This is not to say they didn't enjoy life but it was done with the future in mind, not only the present.

My rule for buying cars -- my only real real weakness -- is the neither the purchase nor the upkeep can hurt and there can't be any worry on my part afterwards.

When I was making $35K/year a Porsche was out of the question. Nowadays since I make considerably more than that I can afford a Porsche. But I have tucked away a good sum of money for my retirement and continue to add to it on a regular basis. That came before, and comes before, the Porsches.

halik

Buying **** you can't afford because of #YOLO is fastest way to poverty. Max out your 401K, go to college, get a career. After that you should start thinking about toys.

There's a term for this, actually