Newbie - considering first Porsche
 

09 and up

Great cars
 

cannot beat a boxster. I drive one every day (2004) change the oil more frequently than factory recommended, and have had no problem with it what so ever. They are a great value, do everything right, (handle great, plenty of power, can see 360 degrees around you) have light steering light shifting and light brakes, ice cold air hot head great sounding radio, good gas mileage, and one push button operation to take the top down! Why pay more for a cayman and do away with the soft top?

Owned 2. Daily driver in mid-atlantic area. Wonderful cars. But they are aging and stuff can happen and parts are expensive. True of almost any car of that era.

Subscribed. Considering one too. There are early S versions for $12k and even less with high mileage. But maybe one with 100k miles had been proven that the IMS bearing is doing OK?

Any wear part can go at any mileage. At the same time that kind of mileage does mean that block abnormalities are improbable so should you replace the IMS it would at least be going into a good block.

I'd say also look at the RS60. Yes it is an 08, but heck of a fun car to drive, and the major issues like IMS were sorted out before then. That said, an 09 S might be less expensive.

I had an RS60 for 3 years, bought it with 23K miles on it, literally never had a single thing go wrong with it. Most reliable car I've probably ever had.

I have had a 2004 986 Boxster for two years now, my first Porsche and my daily driver and other than the yearly service I have not even had to touch it other than choice, such adding like retrofitting cruise control and a more modern stereo ect, but nothing has failed on me. As a daily I would recommend buying one with the spec you want from start though, these cars are usually not easy to retrofit option on, for example I made sure when I bought mine It had to have Bose audio, Climatronic air con, heated seats and litronic headlights. fairly standard options but difficult or impossible to retrofit like the cruise control was. the other consideration is 2.7 vs 3.2 size engines, obviously you get an extra bit of power with the 3.2 but get about 35mpg best case where the 2.7 is more like 40mpg not to much but as a daily may be something to consider. My father owned a 2.5 briefly but stated by comparison to the 2.7 and 3.2 it felt lacklustre especially when it comes to torque so would avoid that engine. other things are the last few years 2002 onwards 986's had a few other upgrade which you will probably want if its your daily such as a glass heated rear window instead of the plastic one, an updated look and a more sophisticated instrument cluster and drive by wire, and stability control as standard.

Buy one. You won't regret it. It is a daily driver...except for snow. They are blast to drive. I have a 1999 with a 5 sp. that I purchased new. Over 100K now. I have never had anything major go wrong with it. Part of why I decided on Porsche in first place. Things like the water pump and alternator went in the last couple of years and a year ago I had the clutch and related necessities including the IMS replaced. The car owes me nothing. While it is a great car, if I were starting out now I would go 2009 or later as others have suggested.

I don't 100% agree that the default should be -09 and up. Obviously, budget is everything. There is also an old saying when it comes to Porsche's and that is buy the latest model you can afford. The other old saying there is no such thing as a "cheap" Porsche. Having said that, these days the known issues are just that, known. Most earlier cars will have had the IMS addressed if deemed necessary, and for those that have gone there have probably address some of the other potential issues. These cars are still one of the best bang for the buck purchases IMO. But you need to be educated, and search for a car that has a good service history and then get a solid PPI. Keep in mind, the early cars are getting close to 20yrs old (some already are) and like ANY older car there will be things that need to be fixed, worked on etc. They can be expensive if you don't have some wrenching skills, but not really too out of whack for most cars, relative to parts/labor. There is extensive parts availability both aftermarket and Porsche factory. They are seriously fun cars, not terribly hard to work on and worth a little TLC.

You have had multiple replies to consider.

Post your location, budget and expected type of use. You'll get people falling all over themselves to give you suggestions appropriate to that info. Without it we are just guessing.