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Old 07-16-2018, 07:43 AM   #1
John V
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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. 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.
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Old 07-16-2018, 08:33 AM   #2
John V
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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.
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Old 07-16-2018, 08:51 AM   #3
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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?
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Old 07-16-2018, 09:42 AM   #4
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I wish K was on board with yellow cars.
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Old 07-16-2018, 10:05 AM   #5
equ
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I wouldn't jump to sell it. It's a very nice porsche to have for the price range it's at.
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Old 07-16-2018, 10:10 AM   #6
rumatt
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John V View Post
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 can certainly relate to this.
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Old 07-16-2018, 10:46 AM   #7
wdc330i
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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.
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Old 07-16-2018, 11:00 AM   #8
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Fwiw, I had a Mazda 3 manual transmission for awhile and bought it thinking it would be fun and it was not very fun
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Old 07-16-2018, 11:12 AM   #9
John V
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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.
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Old 07-16-2018, 11:12 AM   #10
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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).
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