Shawn Stanford

I'm actively looking for an early Boxster with Tiptronic for my daughter. She's 17 and this will be her first car, so obviously I'm fishing in the shallow end of the Boxster pond: ~150K miles, <$7k.

I go to a PCA Region meeting and there's an old dude there with a 2001 S with Tip. He says he's thinking about selling. So he gives me a tour. The car has 55k miles. He bought it from some other old dude who only put 48k on it in the first 12 or so years of its life, and current Old Dude has only added a few more thousand in the years he's had it. It's serviced by a well-regarded local shop, so I'm sure the running gear is fine. The paint is dull, and has several interesting dents and chips. But he does have the hard top. The interior looks like bobcats have been having sex in it. Okay, maybe not that bad, but for a car with only 55k put onto it by two old guys over 18 years of life, it's got an unlikely amount of scuffs and scratches. Not just in the leather, but in the center console, the steering wheel, the back of the seats. It's more beat up than my Boxster, which has 175k on it.

So, after a few minutes of telling me how awesome of a car it is ("Yeah, I have one, too. They're great fun."), I tell him I'm interested and we swap phone numbers. Then out of the blue Old Dude tells me, "You know, these are worth more than a Cayman or Macan." (I assume he meant Cayenne.)

And I'm like, "No they're not. I can buy early Boxsters all day for around $8k." (Admittedly, he did have a point about Cayennes, although I love mine.)

At this point Old Dude practically yells, "Don't call me!", totters into the car, and storms off.

I mean, his car did have low miles but, frankly, they were too low. Two old dudes driving a Tiptronic Boxster and putting on 55k on it in 18 years? There's no way that car has been properly exercised. I'd have been happier it if had 110k on it.

Oh well, back to CL!

Macster

He probably did you a favor. That car is a likely candidate for a failed IMS bearing.

Spyerx

grrrmonster

Track rats are more fun

Shawn Stanford

I've seen what you guys do to your cars.

And I approve...

mikefocke

Can't think of a car more inappropriate for a novice driver in their teens. Wonderful cars. Expensive to repair. Even a small crash will drain the wallet in ways you can't imagine. My first I slid into the rear of a pick-up truck. No real damage to the truck. Based on prior accidents my son had had in a Honda, I mentally estimated $3500. The car was driveable. The auto body shop stopped counting at around $26k and the insurance company totaled the car. Get her a basic car until she has proven herself.

Tom R.

I wouldn't put my daughter in a Boxster. Too small, too low! The world is not like when I got my license in the late 70s early 80s. Instead of SUVs people had B210s. At least I would have had a chance in a Midget or Spitfire. I also told her if I was buying a car for her to use it would not have an auto. I found a 2000 323Ci with 87k miles and the original owner. Interior looks like nobody ever wore shoes in it, exterior still has orange peel from the factory. It even had the original brake pads and rotors. Original clutch and cooling system, but plenty of receipts. The problem with the Bosxter and my M Roadster is the knucklehead on your left in the SUV doesn't know you are there. At least with the taller roof of the coupe (over the M or Boxster) they may see her. New drivers don't have the sixth sense to feel the guy on the left wandering over or taking a left turn too wide.

She and I replaced the rotors over spring brake. She finished 9th grade last week, and yesterday and today we took out the cooling system, idlers, etc. She installed the two idlers and water pump this morning. Tomorrow we install the thermostat, and change the oil. I need to order one more plastic cooling system part, and then we will install the new radiator and new upper and lower hoses.

She will drive my wife around this summer for errands in "her" BMW and when she turns 16 this winter she will have a properly set up 19 year old BMW.

Shawn Stanford

Thanks for the thoughts.

Really, the Boxster is as basic as a car gets these days, if you think about it. There's nothing special in there at all: an unstressed 6-cylinder motor and a fairly basic suspension.

This is a good point. I got my license at about the same time and your memory must be failing if you don't remember the behemoths that were on the road in those days. Plus, as shoddily as Midgets and Spits were built, you'd have been hard pressed to survive an accident with a moped. Unfortunately, any car she gets is going to be one of those little roller skates that soccer Moms in their Escalades aren't going to notice. She's doesn't like driving my Cayenne because it's too big. I'm having enough trouble finding Tiptronic Boxsters that she may end up with a manual. She's driven my Boxster, so I know she can do it, but since she's planning on going to school in Ithaca, I'm concerned she'll fry a clutch in those hills while she learns.

Anker

The Boxster is one of the safest cars around to be involved a crash. It has huge crumple zones in front and behind before the passenger cabin gets impacted and you will have a terrible time trying to roll it over. It is also one of the best cornering cars around, so with it you have a better chance of avoiding and accident than in a top-heavy SUV.

The biggest risk of having a teenager learn to drive in it is that he/she may think other cars handle just as well.

Its all about tradeoffs!

zedcat

In my experience a weakness of the Boxster is the low front. I was rear-ended on a freeway at relatively low speed but enough to cause me to submarine under the rear of the Jeep SUV in front. Took out the lights, fenders and hood. Would have been much worse at higher speed. Another consideration is most 986s don't have PSM. It was an option only on the late cars. Just things to consider.

Tom R.

But the roof of a spitfire was visible from the drivers seat of a land yacht. Not so today. I was in my M, which is just as safe as a Boxster, and handles just as well as a Boxster, making a left turn from the right lane (two left turning lanes), a SUV in back and a SUV on my left side. As we started moving I told my daughter the kid on my left doesn't know we exist. He takes the turn a little wide, I go to hit my brakes, and the SUV in back is so close to my tail she is looking past me. It was tight, and if I was a new driver, I may have tested the crumple zones. I don't buy the volvo advertising and we have two volvos. I also don't agree with parents that want their kids in tanks. My first car was a convertible. With all the SUVs and pickups in vogue today, I wanted something a little more substantial than a boxster or Z3 for her first car.

That's why she is working on a E46 coupe. Big enough to survive a hit, small enough to avoid a hit. Built like a German tank, and clutches are cheap compared to a Porsche clutch. She also knows she is autocrossing and DEing as soon as she is of age. Street Survival is also a requirement if she wants to take out the Cayman.

Shawn Stanford

She's seen how stupid people can be. She and I almost got pinched against the center K-barrier by a pickup truck coming back from Frenzy in my 928.

We're in full agreement here. I'm going to send her to Bertil Roos as soon as she has her license.

mikefocke

Plus the Boxster isn't the best winter conditions car considering Ithaca. Maybe a smaller 4WD with all seasons? Good luck.

Shawn Stanford

It snows in Germany!

911mhawk

e39 ever cross your mind?
Great handling cheap tank.