I'm waffling on selling the Boxster
 

I think I'm getting old.

When I was 12, I looked through car magazines and ogled over Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the like, realizing that I'd probably never own one.
By the time I was 15 (1993) and getting close to driving, I started ogling over the new cars that were closer to being attainable, but still well out of reach (third-gen Mazda RX-7, E36 BMW M3, C4 Corvette, Gen4 Camaro).
When I turned 16 and had a license, I realized I could afford an older version of one of those cars, and in fact went and bought one (second-gen RX-7 turbo).
When I graduated college, the cars I wanted when I was 15-18 were attainable, so I bought one (E36 M3). And I've kind of stayed in that lane for the last 17 years. I've been fortunate enough to own a lot of cool (in my mind) cars for not a lot of money. Buy used and cheap, enjoy, sell slightly more used and for about the same money.

I've kind of reached the point where I'm just not that interested in having something fast on the street, and am not that interested in having three vehicles to serve specific roles. I've got the Ram, which isn't going anywhere until I lose interest in racing (and I really like having a truck). I've got the Mazdaspeed, which is fully depreciated (and then some) and probably nearly worthless on the used market ($5k?). And I've got the Boxster, which only gets driven on nice days and is probably worth on the order of $30k. I keep looking at the Boxster and thinking, "selling this gives me enough money to finish the RX-8 and put another $10k in the retirement fund, plus decrease our insurance load, plus have one less car in the stable that needs maintenance." It's really tempting. It took us forever to find a car specced out like we wanted it, but... it's just a car. :dunno: And while I love it (it is a truly phenomenal car), I've had it four years and I'm ready for the next thing, or ... nothing.

Then there would be the really smart thing - sell the BMW (the competition car, which by all rights will be replaced by the RX-8 once it's finished). But that's sticking around for a little while longer so I'm taking it off the table for consideration right now.

So I'm thinking of a few scenarios.

1) Sell Boxster. Drive Mazdaspeed. Finish RX-8, bolster investments. The smart move, but which leaves me with a car that is getting pretty old. I just did a bunch of work on it, but guessing what else a 200k mile car will need on any given day is a crap shoot.
2) Sell Boxster. Sell Mazdaspeed. Buy a new GTI. Move the needle significantly on the RX-8.
3) Sll Boxster and Mazdaspeed and get a really cheap, slightly used "basic transportation module" like a Mazda3. This is what my brother did, and it's a very smart play. Really low insurance costs. Awesome fuel economy. Near zero maintenance. Still pretty fun to drive with a stick (I actually really like his) and engaging enough on the road. Cheaper than a GTI, both in initial cost and cost / time to keep running.

No real point to this post other than to organize my thoughts. Criticize away.

Upon further review and a brief search of autotrader, I think option 3) is pretty unlikely. Used Mazda3s seem to hold their value a lot better than the older ones.

All three scenarios include "sell Boxster", so that tells you something.

Like you said, "it's just a car" which applies to all of them except the trailer queens. If you sell the Boxster and drive the Mazdaspeed for a bit, you'll figure out what the next car should be as quickly (or slowly) as you need to. Then, you'll get one, whatever it is.

Or maybe you'll get another bike instead?

I wish K was on board with yellow cars.

I wouldn't jump to sell it. It's a very nice porsche to have for the price range it's at.

I can certainly relate to this.

Remind us what your wife drives? Or is that just not in the equation?

I'd probably be inclined to sell the Boxster and the Mazdaspeed and buy something new or lightly used that is fun but also practical. Like a GTI or Mazda3. Especially since there will always be a purpose-built race car in the garage.

My 2 series fits the bill as a fun, but practical car where the top also goes down. We'd be hard pressed to get by on just the SUV and the Boxster, because we have a kid and two dogs and trade off chores that relate to them.

Fwiw, I had a Mazda 3 manual transmission for awhile and bought it thinking it would be fun and it was not very fun :(

Marisas car doesn't enter into this calculus. The itch to get another motorcycle hasn't hit me yet and I don't see it happening. I think I've just moved on from that part of my life.

I don't really want or need a convertible. I don't really even want or need a "nice" car on the street. And I don't want to pay for or maintain nice street cars.

I think the answer I'm leaning towards is sell boxster, drive mazdaspeed, and see if that annoys the crap out of me. Mostly I've been alternating between the mazdaspeed and the truck and have felt okay about it.

I like the Mk VII VW--I really do. And it is a very nice daily driver, and is actually pretty nice on the highway.

That said, there's something...missing with it. Steering feel, weight distribution? Clutch feel? I'm not sure. But as much as I like driving it, and as closely as it fits my needs, it's not a car that I really love to drive.

If I had JV's mechanical wherewithal and garage space, I think I'd sell the Boxster, sell the Mazdaspeed 3, and see if I could find another nice E46 330, ZHP or otherwise. Or an E36 M3, again. Shit, I'd really like to build myself something like Nick's car, which is hilarious fun to drive.

I've been driving the 987 a fair amount the past few weeks, and as much as I've also thought of selling it (for reasons sort of similar to JVs), it's just so good. It really exists in a sweet spot that few other cars occupy (though maybe the newly invigorated Miata will be in the same place).

This might sound crazy, but I'm intrigued by the idea of replacing my Cayman with your boxster. :speechle:

I don't imagine my Cayman solves your problem in any way, right? :lol:

If I could turn my Mazdaspeed and Boxster into a nice, well-maintained and relatively low-mileage E36 M3 plus a check for $15-$20k I would think about it.

I really just want to free up some money and have fewer cars.

Edit: I guess I should also say that while I'm not willing to daily drive something really hateful (Prius, anything Hyundai, and mid-2000s Honda or Toyota), I'm not sure I care if my daily driver is "fun." Pretty much as long as it's got a stick shift (or is all electric) and isn't horribly underpowered I think it'll be OK.

I went from the mazda 3 to the e36 m3 and it was a huge improvement in fun to drive. In some ways I prefer the e36m3 over the turbo, aka driving a slow car fast.

Even if it's only check for $10k, it seems like a win to me.

You love E36 M3's. It would reduce your number of vehicles to deal with and insurance bill. It would be more fun to drive than the Mazda 3. You know how to fix and maintain them so the main risk of an E36 isn't an issue.

What's the down side?

I am probably going to go one more time to see if I can fit in a Miata. I'm secretly hoping that they will come out with a slightly lower, or more adjustable seat. I've also seen some posts about companies trying to develop seat lowering kits, but apparently there's not a lot of room under there.

The same downside with any old car, which is that working on it will take time away from working on what I really enjoy working on - the race cars.

Is there a steering rack solution for the E36 M3 that brings it closer to a modern car? I remember getting to the end of E36 ownership and really despising the slow steering.

I hear that once you put an LSD and a set of shocks on an E46 they're pretty fun to drive. :eeps:

:D

Edit: Yellow...http://enthusiastauto.com/qsearch/?i...orm_display=51

Edit again: OMG, crack price! http://enthusiastauto.com/qsearch/?i...orm_display=51

Pretty sure people put in a z3 rack which is quicker. It is slow but has feel at least., didn't bug me.

1M (or any 1-series, really): Yuck. No. Never.
E36 M3: No coupe, no care.

:D

People now put in the E46 ZHP rack. Personally, I like the 3.0 rack.

:loco: you're really missing out on a cheap (in non- M guise) and fun little car, but to each their own.

Given that there is zero difference between a regular E46 330 rack and a ZHP rack, that seems really silly.

Regarding the 1-series, it doesn't buy me anything. I get all of the modern BMW downsides with none of the old BMW upsides - namely the rawness and the styling.

I've given up on this and solved it by doing a search-and-replace in my head - every time I read "ZHP" I replace it with "E46" or "330i", as appropriate.

"The rack that was used in the E46 ZHP that was also used in the late model E46 330s, but which is different from a whole host of other racks that were used in E46es, including earlier E46 330s."

See? Was that really so hard?

:lol:

Sorry, that that should have read: "...including multiple different racks used in earlier E46 330s."

All I know is the three E46 330i/Cis I owned all had the same rack. :)

So, apparently that not even correct. There were *three* late model E46 330 steering racks. Only one rack went in the ZHP (the 712 rack). The ZHP rack was put into a lot of other 330s as well. One of the racks isn't even a ZF part.

And then, of course, there is the Camry rack that BMW stuck in the '01s, and the retrofit rack that replaced many of those. So at least five different E46 330 racks.

I liked the Camry rack on the 2001 330i. I know I'm the only one.

I find it exhausting to drive cars with light/fast on center steering.

According to all the external markings, the turns lock to lock and the total travel, they were identical.

That was my thought when I test drive a Evo VIII with two turns to lock:eek:

Completely agree. While I didn't mind ZHP steering, I didn't mind the slower (pre-update) e46 m3. I don't need the car to change a lane if I sneeze.

Boxsters and Caymans have a variable rack, slow around the middle, sensitive as you keep turning.

Thats my biggest complaint with the electro steering in the current 3 series cars (speaking specifically about my short term 335GT). Not only is it light with minimal feedback, but it is quick with very little dead zone. Every minor wobble of the wheel makes the car move. At least if you're going to make camry steering, make a big on center dead spot so you can wobble the wheel without changing directions.

I don't need super quick steering but the E36 is absurd. Any one of the more modern E46 racks would be perfectly fine, I think.

I really wish there were more modern cars that I found interesting. I enjoyed my ZHP, but it was just a little too neutered to be interesting, and I was getting to the point where I was working on it all the time. Niggling stuff like airbag lights coming and going, random CELs that would come and go. I had done all the major stuff but it was getting a little tiresome.

An E36, even a well-maintained one, would be as bad or worse in that regard, but they're more engaging to drive which at least buys something. I would need to put a bluetooth audio and handsfree system, plus decent headlights in one if I went that route, but beyond that I think I would be okay with the oldness of it. Maybe not. I don't know. I really enjoyed Nick's car, even when tooling around at speeds where the engine swap wasn't really adding value. I fit in those cars well and am comfortable in them.

I have thought about a turbo Camaro like Clyde got. I probably should drive his to see. It's so cheap that it makes sense to consider one. I can't see myself getting one, but maybe that would change if I drove it.

None of the modern BMW stuff is remotely interesting to me. They all drive like there is a thick layer of wool between the driver and the chassis (minus the ones that are out of my price range). They're not designed to be worked on easily and anecdotally they develop a lot of problems as they cross over 80,000 miles, and I find the styling abhorrent. Not for me.

I'm not in love with the way the GTI drives, but they tick a lot of boxes. Cheap, cheap to insure, good fuel economy, reasonably fun to drive, limited slip diff, comfortable seats, manual transmission, good headlights and bluetooth.

I'm going to leave the Boxster parked for a couple weeks and see if I start to really miss driving it before making a decision one way or another.

We can swap Camaro for Boxster for a couple weeks anytime. Just let me know which tires you want on the Camaro. They make a difference.

Why not make a daily out of the Boxster? Get winter tires and use it almost every day other than the worst storms or on days of carrying large items.

Will a turbo camaro or a done-up e36 be that much better than a 987.2? I don't think so. If you find a zhp too "neutered", 987 is where you want to be.

I don't think it'll cost THAT much to maintain, my porsches have been reliable and reasonable. It's a different thing if you were putting track/race miles on it.

That might be fun.

No track / race miles.

The Boxster has been my daily driver. But I have no interest in driving it through salt and snow. It's just in too nice of shape, and I don't want to subject it to that. I got winter tires and wheels the first year I owned the car and quickly decided that just wasn't for me.

I'm starting to realize I'm just not a convertible person. At least not in this climate. For the few days where it's not crazy humid or hot or raining, yeah, it's great. But there are very few days like that around here. Maybe the solution is to move? :lol:

And here's the thing, I don't really like driving the car that much with the top up. This was an issue I had with my first Boxster - I loved it when I could drive it top-down. But top-up, the visibility sucks, and you're always reminded you're in a convertible. Wind noise, some creaks and rattles, etc. It's just annoying.

This sounds like I don't like the car. I do like the car. It's a phenomenal car. If I didn't have the race car(s), I'd almost certainly keep it (or turn it into a Cayman) because I'd need something really stimulating to scratch the "fast car" itch. But for the dollar value of the two cars I could have one do-it-all car plus cash to finish the RX-8. That's more appealing than owning a zoomy street car.

It sounds like you should sell the boxster and go halfers with JST on a 911T.

When you mentioned finding the zhp is too neutered, I thought the same as equ.