Boxster for 911 advice

[stargate823]

Hello all. I am coming here to get some biased and unbiased opinions on something that is nagging me.

I currently own a 2003 Boxster with just over 78000 miles. I've have the car about a year. I have done an oil change, spark plug swap, air/oil seperator replacement, water pump replacement and I am about to replace the alternator pulley. Obviously I am not afraid of getting in there and making repairs. The car is a daily driver in the Baltimore, Maryland area (just to give an idea of climate).

My Boxster is a daily driver. I have a 30 mile round trip driver five days a week for work. I put at most 10-15k a year on a vehicle. As of this writing it is my only vehicle.

My question is actually quite a simple one. Would I be crazy to get rid of this car and replace it with a late eighties 911? I have passivly been looking for about a year at the 911'; the Boxster was a band aid for my obsession. I'm about to go and look at an 87 Carrera with a rebuilt engine this week. I'd just like someone with experience to give me some pros and cons here.

Thanks for any and all input!

[geoff]

I talked to the head mechanic at my local Porsche dealer for a long time last week, partly about older air cooled 911s. When I first bought my Boxster in late 2001, the dealer wouldn't touch the older air cooled models for service. Now they have lots in for service and are happy to work on them. Go figure! The mechanic is happy to work on the older 911s (he has several of his own), but he has to look up a lot of things to work on the older cars relative to the newer ones

Based on his comments, the two key points that stuck with me were: 1) you're much better off getting a well maintained older car that costs more, than trying to bring a neglected car back to where it should be - way more cost effective to get a well maintained car in the first place; and 2) lots more labor required on the older 911s than the current Boxsters and Carreras. Just to adjust the valves on some of the older cars (a required maintenance activity), much of the exhaust system has to come off to provide access.

I would love to add an older 911 to the Porsches I have, but can't see an older one as an alternative to my Boxster.

[70Sixter]

Older 911s can be reliable daily drivers, but not for me. Maybe as a weekend/special events car. They are great cars. Problems can be very expensive to fix. Get the Excellence magazine with the analysis for that year by Bruce Anderson. They sell back issues. Bruce sells some reviews from his site. PCA Special Interest Group also helpful.

DC area had several good independent shops as of when I left there in 82. Not sure about now or Baltimore. You are a lucky man if a dealer can be trusted with an older car. Not around here!

If you have not looked at a lot of cars, do NOT fall in love with the first one you find. And for goodness sakes get a PPI!

Edited December 2, 2009 by 70Sixter