More cheap wasserboxers...

[kaisen]

I can't believe how cheap Boxsters are going for

Here's a 1999 Boxster (base) 5spd with 107K miles being offered wholesale for $5990

There are tons of them under $10K

That's Miata money. If it weren't for higher Boxster parts and repair prices.....

[tharbert]

That makes them almost disposable... Wow!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Yup, they are a screaming deal. It's easy to find a nice one with under 100k for $10k or less. I don't think there's a better deal going in a sports car. If it weren't for my need to have a car that fits my kids, I would be driving one right now for a daily driver.

[Noah930]

Same as Matt above. If I didn't have kids, I'd drive a used Boxster as a DD. And get another one to track. Don't PCA and POC have Boxster spec classes? What a screaming good deal.

[Rot 911]

That is one of the driving forces for me buying my 2001 a few weeks ago. 48K miles, excellent condition, maintenance records, all for the price of $12,500. And that is probably the average market price for a similar Boxster. It's a buyers market. Easy to find the exact Boxster you want without having to travel far.

The down side is that you still pay Porsche prices for parts and repairs. In the hands of 2nd and 3rd owners the car will eventually not be worth the cost of repair. Like the 944.

But, like the 944, these cars are quality built cars. As pointed out in another thread, the interior is identical to the 996. My car is 11 years old and there are no squeaks or rattles. The doors close with a "thunk." The paint is well done.

This is what $12.5K gets you:

[Shaun @ Tru6]

aren't MY2000 and above the ones to get?

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

Can I drive it year round? I would assume it would do just as well as my Miata in the snow?

The Miata will be going to college soon and I'll need something else once that happens.

They do much better in the snow than a Miata

Four reasons:

Mid-engined for more weight over the driven wheels
More real-world ground clearance and clearance around the wheelwells
Physically larger diameter tires
Better traction control system

Snow tires!!

[onewhippedpuppy]

2000 gets you a 2.7 vs a 2.5, but there's no reason to rule out an earlier one. I had a '99 and loved it.

There's a lot of people that drive theirs year round with winter tires. It's just like any RWD car. I avoided snow in mine, but only because it had DOT-R tires on it.

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

Can I drive it year round? I would assume it would do just as well as my Miata in the snow?

The Miata will be going to college soon and I'll need something else once that happens.

I have had a Miata in the snow and now have a Boxster in the snow. Obviously you need good snow tires for either but the Boxster has less tendency to get stuck. I used to get my 99 Miata stuck in the snow once in a while but has not happened with the Boxster because the engine is over the driving wheels. The Box has a bigger battery, starts without block heater. Make sure you get one with heated seats for the winter. If you measure the clearance beneath both cars it is approx. the same. Too much snow and both cars become snow plows. If there is too much snow, I take my wife's car. I have no Psm so too much gas causes the back end to break away. More than 30 degrees of the back end breaking away, could be a hockey puck. I must admit I could use a Porsche winter school driving lessonSo far so good.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I thought the 2000s also had significant suspension upgrades.

[kaisen]

Here's what you need for a winter wasserboxer:

2000 911 C4 Cab 6 spd 98K miles, one owner CA car, no issues/accidents/paint
All Wheel Drive, heated leather
New Bridgestones, receipts for Porsche reman gearbox/clutch

$16750





Of course, you could buy a used Cayenne for even less





YMMV

[speeder]

I have no doubt that you could make one of these cars work for a winter driver, but it's not what I would want to be in on icy roads and highways. Too low and small for me. Plus where would the fun be, with winter tires and cold pavement, etc.

I guess if you can only afford one car and want a sports car for summer, but put me in something larger for winter.

[VincentVega]

Love these threads, my mind is going 100mph. Figure out a way to mount a bike rack on one and I'm pulling the trigger. Not a fan of a convertible in general, but a hardtop can solve that.

[kaisen]

I've driven a Boxster in the winter with four Blizzaks on the stock 16s. Cold pavement is exactly what Blizzaks are designed for. Unless the snow is deep, something you'd rarely encounter in suburban/urban driving, they're pretty remarkable snow-goers

A hardtop would be nice, but the standard top is pretty cozy. It just sucks when snow melts a little on the warm top and turns to ice woven into the fabric.

Bike rack:



Pelican Technical Article: Boxster Roof Rack System (Roof Transport System - RTS) - 986 Boxster (1997-04) -

[speeder]

Is the A4 a Quattro? There's your great year-round car.

[speeder]

Dumb question. Nobody drives a 2wd Audi in MN.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

I thought the 2000s also had significant suspension upgrades.

I'm not sure, all that I can find online are references to "suspension updates" in 2000.

Originally Posted by speeder

I have no doubt that you could make one of these cars work for a winter driver, but it's not what I would want to be in on icy roads and highways. Too low and small for me. Plus where would the fun be, with winter tires and cold pavement, etc.

I guess if you can only afford one car and want a sports car for summer, but put me in something larger for winter.

I never had any issues driving on cold streets, even with borderline race tires. Obviously you wouldn't want one as an only car somewhere that heavy snow was common, but in places like KS where 6" is a lot I'm sure it would be fine.

Originally Posted by VincentVega

Love these threads, my mind is going 100mph. Figure out a way to mount a bike rack on one and I'm pulling the trigger. Not a fan of a convertible in general, but a hardtop can solve that.

My 986 was my first convertible ever, and I felt pretty much the same when I bought it. But it's actually a lot of fun to drop the top, especially to hear that flat six sing.

[kaisen]

Ultimate Cheap Winter Porsche

(watercooled, but not a boxer)



This just sold a couple hours ago for $12,800

Yes, this is a 2005 Cayenne TURBO with 120K miles
It was a Grade 3.9 of 5.0....very clean for the miles
No issues, no paintwork

Those early Pepperwagens are so feared, that they're dirt cheap

Where else can you get a factory 450 hp AWD for under $15K?? Did I mention 0-60 in 5.5 secs?

You can buy a Cayenne Turbo and a Boxster S (or 996 Carrera S) for less than JUST ONE 993 S with the same miles


(BTW, if this was a Cayenne S non-turbo V8 it would have been ~$10K)

[VincentVega]

Bike rack:

True, thanks for the reminder. $$$, hopefully you can find one used in decent shape.

[kaisen]

More in 1 year then it would cost to keep your Audi on the road for 10