Hello, I am new to the forum. I don't even own a Porsche...yet. Just got married, have finally found a house, now it's time to start planning for the next big investment, so I've decided to educate myself first. I've always loved these cars, since the cherry red 944 was in fashion back in my youth. Now I'm at a place in life where owning one of these vehicles (not a 944) is finally within reach. Any advice on particularly helpful threads to read up on would be appreciated. Look forward to discourse with all of you.

 

Well, you can call a Porsche an investment, but you can't really call it a "good" investment. I.e. Don't expect to make any money off one. You can drive them for a few years, put some dollars into maintenance, and then probably sell later on and not really take much of a hit if it was used to start with. Buy new, and expect to take a huge hit when you go to sell it. There are some that have held their values fairly well, others that have not.

What model do you have in mind?

oh...and welcome to the board

 

Thanks! Ah, no I never said "good". Only "big". I realize it's a terrible investment if anything. I would probably try to find one with <20k miles used or lease one for a few years. While the base Boxster is in my price range at the moment, its lines have never really done it for me. I've driven one, and it's fun, but not my style. A 911 is more or less out of the question price-wise at this stage in my life.

Enter the Cayman and now it's something I'm seriously considering trying to save up for which is pretty much exactly what Porsche AG's marketing department was hoping for. Well played.

I got a chance to see the car for the first time up close this past summer, and it's pretty interesting. Not as classic as the 911 sillhouette, but very nice, and far preferable to me than the look of the Boxster. I've done a fair amount of reading on initial test drives of the S and now one or two of the non-S variant, and it sounds like a ton of fun to drive which can be had for a lot less money than the 911's.

I'd love to get the S, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be the regular Cayman for me at this point. It would be an expensive indulgence, but it's always been a dream of mine to be able to drive a true driver's car.

 

Actually, leasing is probably the worst option for me given the price of these cars now that I think about it.The attraction of the lease was maintenence is presumably covered and you don't have that big question mark hanging over your head about mechanics bills and parts. At the end of the day it's going to be about making the numbers work.

 

Hi Keinenersatz

welcome to the forum.. As for maintenance of porsche cars it all depends wether you like or have some time to do the maintenance yourself.. It all depends on the person and what type of driver you are I guess.. I know some friends of mine that go for S simply because it has an S and means Sport and has red calipers.. etc.. (but they just use it for daily driving). In my case I would have gotten an S if I can take my car to the track every weekend but I dont. I have a friend who bought a 924 and has been restoring it. As far as lease is concerned personnaly I have never leased cause I feel like I dont own the car (its weird thing of mine). But to matter what descision you make I guarantee you wont regret it. These cars are blast to drive. My friends always refer to my car as a jet cause the engine is high pitched and distinct. Welcome again to the forum.

 

Hi, Keinenersatz, welcome aboard, this is a good site to get information about Porsche.
I suggest you test drive all the models that you want to buy, then pick one. You mentioned that you are looking for <20k miles. I think it is a good idea, because it has some factory warranty left, and if you can get the factory certiify (assume you buy from the dealer) you can have up to 6 years and 100k mileage warranty. One think you need to check is at 20K miles, it is time to change a set of tires. Check the condition of the tires on the car. A set of new tires run you $1200+.The S gives you a lot more kick when you step on it, but depends on where do you drive, most of the day, you just don't need the extra power, who doesn't stuck in traffic all day long??? I like the Cayman too, but I like theconvertiablebecause I live in Hawaii, I can drop the top almost anytime I like except when it is rain, so, I brought a Boxster S. I would like a 911, but that is just a little more than I like to spend on a car, at least at this time.

 

Thanks, guys. Unfortunately, I am not very mechanically inclined (despite the fact that my grandfather ran a garage for 30 years, none of those genes were passed down). So I would have to rely on someone else to do the maintenance which is why I'd need something which would be reasonably reliable.

As far as the convertible goes, that's kind of one of the reasons why the Boxster isn't worth considering for me; I live in New England, and that means no convertible for at least six months out of the the year; it's just not worth paying the money for given my budget. I understand the lease argument you make, I can never decide if they're a good idea. On the one hand you don't have to worry about the mechanical problems which crop up later because you only have it for a few years starting from brand new condition. On the other hand, if done right, and you are able to find a well-maintained vehicle second hand and can turn it over before it starts to experience problems, that is probably a more cost-effective way to do it.

Problem with that is you have to get lucky in order to find a car which, at a minimum has an exterior and interior color you like or can at least live with. My guess is that I will probably try to find a certified pre-owned model at a dealer which would at least offer some coverage against mechanical issues once the time is right.

One of the things I wanted to determine is, "are you wasting your money by not spending an additional 15 grand for the S model?". It seems that the answer to that is, "definitely not". I do know, for example, that my wife bought a 325xi before I met her, and I consider that car to be a waste of money. IMO, she paid for the hood ornament because the car is grossly underpowered considering the sticker price. Sure it rides nicely, is good in the snow, and is safe, but so is a Subaru. My VR6 Jetta can blow the doors off of her car, and I paid a lot less for it. Then again, her priorities aren't really the same as mine (viz the fact that she had no interest in learning to drive stick). Oh well.

Tinchao, I'm jealous that you can drive with the top down whenever you want. We were in Hawaii for our honeymoon and loved it there.