I'm turining 16 this year and was looking into getting a 99-04 mustang GT, alas inurance was nearly twice as much as I could afford. Having my dream crumbled right before me I started looking into alternatives. After going to cars.com to start looking for a new car to save up for I saw an ad for Porsche and decided to see if I could find anything used that I could afford. I quickly saw a 1997 Boxster with 140k miles and fell in love all over again and it was just about how much I was looking to spend ($10,500). I rushed over to allstate.com and got a quick quote to find insurance was not to insane either. So bassically, would you recommend one to someone my age and is it a reliable car? My main use for it would be the 5 mile drive to school daily and the other 5 mile drive to work about 3-4 times a week. Also I could possibly get a late 80's 944 line if that would be better. Most of those come with less miles and are cheaper but I prefer the boxster aesthetically.

 

a boxster with 140k miles? that thing is never gonna sell. and dont get an awesome car for your first car its just stupid. if you get into an accident, ur next car will definately be a crappier car. get some decent experience. im 17 and i crashed my first car and now i have a 89 944. if u want a porsche get a 944. i am considering a used boxster as my next car tho. but not till awhile

 

The Boxster (or ANY sports car) with 140K miles at your age/experience/income (I presume you haven't been driving that long at your age and I presume also that you have a typical after school job for income.) would NOT be a wise car to buy as a first car or as a daily driver. You have done the math on acquisition and insurance, but I don't see where you've factored in for regular maintenance or the inevitable repairs, much less for replacing the bits and pieces that are beginning to show their age. Any and/or all of these cost mucho dinero on a German sports car like the Porsche or BMW, and you will soon find yourself trying to scrape up enough money to get your car back on the road. Brakes, tires, oil changes, etc are very expensive, and much work on these cars is user unfriendly. I would also have to consider that the interior, top, and paint on a car that used will soon need replacement.

As much as you are tempted in this direction, don't do it.

Here are some alternatives that you might consider:

VW New Beetle (hard top or convertible)

Toyota Camry

(Yeah, I know. Not as 'sporty,' but there will be plenty of time for that in just a few more years.)