I know nothing about cars so I thought I would ask here. I have been browsing craigslist and I have been seeing these older model Porsche boxters and caymans (1990's and early 2000's). Can these vehicles be serviced at pep boys or similar places or do they require strictly Porsche dealership maintenance service? Can I assume that these models can be of similar maintenance than, lets say a nissan or toyota? Or should I stay completely away from those cars? I dont have a problem with oil changes and replacing filters, but I am used to the more common car maintenance like the mazdas, toyotas, etc.

Any thoughts?

NO offense meant...But You are right....You know nothing about cars.

Go to one of the Porsche forums, find the MAINTENANCE threads and get educated. LITTLE to NOTHING on a Porsche is cheap. Not even reasonably priced.

Porsche at pep boys No! they are high performance mid engine boxster 986 that you cant even get to the motor without some effort. issue they had with the 2000 are real main seals pull engine transmission to fix. Porsche dealer will make you go broke. stay with a Toyota or Nissan.

I had a 2002 boxster s great car fun to drive but never looked forward to basic service. unless you know how the Porsche engines work and the details to an oil change don't do it it's not as easy as a spin on oil filter and a drain plug. with 4 quarts of oil. I believe mine had 9 quarts in a dry sump oil system it's been a while since I messed with them so don't quote me.

Caymens are a newer production car. not built before 2000 I think it was 2006. I had my boxster 3 years and never saw the engine.

https://www.bing.com/videos/se...BE71F93&&FORM=VRDGAR

You'll end up getting a monumentally expensive education in exotic car costs if you don't spend at least a full year, maybe more, researching them first.

Tell us about your background in cars, then we can give some useful advice that is more positive. Frankly, I'd love to have either a newer one, or an older one (1960's 911 or 356) that would be easier to work on.

My experience is minimal but in reality is none. I am one of those who just gets in and drives. This is why I asked the question first, because I know nothing. Thank you gentlemen, I will stay away from these cars then. I will stick to what I have driven my whole life. But its just those cars looked so cool :-) But I rather drive the inexpensive, low maintenance that if something happens it can be easily fixed without braking my piggy bank.

Can they be serviced at Pep Boys?
Generally, no, but that doesn’t mean they have to go to a dealership. There are lots of independents that specialize in one or more makes of German cars. My own indy mechanic told me to figure on $3000/year in maintenance costs. As he went on to say, an annual service may just cost a couple hundred bucks, but the next year expenses could run $5000 with a set of tires and some miscellaneous $2000 expense.

Can you assume maintenance is similar to a Nissan or Toyota. No, you cannot. The vast majority of Japanese cars are, to me, like beige Buicks; sleep inducing people movers. Porsches are high performance sports cars. Maintenance expenses are much different and much more expensive.

Many do not realize this, but Porsches are among the most reliable cars on the road. They rarely breakdown. If, like we do, you enjoy something more than basic transportation, they are worth the trouble and expense.

If you want a sports car—and it sounds like you do—look into Miatas and Honda S2000’s. Look at cars.com, get the Carfax on a car you are interested in. I wouldn’t buy a decent car on Craigslist.
Mazda and Honda sports cars as above are cheap to maintain, reliable, and great fun to drive.
The S2000 has a lot more power, but the Miata is much more popular and lots of fun to drive.

I have owned a 1999 Miata, a 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata and currently own a 2006 Honda S2000. All have been worth their weight in fun and easy to maintain.
Mike

This sharp performing model is example of being expensive to keep on the satisfying edge instead of somnambulistic Buick nap land.

It's not a beginner level car.

They are not even close to the high end of Porsche cars but an older one will eat you alive.
This is a good example of if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford to play.

What 220-9 said. You will throw money at it just to keep it running enough to sell it. I know from experience.

Sjtill's suggestion of a Miata or S2000 is very good, if you keep in mind that these cars are smaller and slower than a typical Porsche. If I had the coin, I'd get one of the new Fiat 124 Spyders that's essentially a Miata with an Italian engine, rather than a Porsche, even a new one, simply because of the ease of maintenance and improved reliability.

Just make sure you fit in the car before you commit to it!

Don't give up on the sports car experience, just because your first choice isn't the best choice for you.

Another good little ride that punches above it’s weight limit is a Subaru WRX. Stock, they are impressive and with some tweaks can be badass.

Waiting for an obsolete part to be shipped from the other side of the world may lead to a few weeks of down time when the wrong part breaks. Pricing a Bosch brake pressure switch for Series III ABS was around $390. A hydraulic accumulator will run you a few lottery tickets. Start saving for the parts and you may be able to afford it by the time you find one.

You do realize that the whole time you'd own the Boxter, you may not ever SEE the engine. Thinking the rear subframe and drivetrain would have to be lowered to swap plugs. Seen a few where they used a hole saw to the firewall to swap plugs instead. Do a practice run with a Toyota Previa. If you can swap four of those without a police report and a restraining order...

Look into a Caterham Super 7. I can't imagine a car more fun than that unless you are looking into 10 or more cylinders.

I bought a 98 e430 MB last summer because I'd always admired the big W210 chassis, it was a RWD variant, and it had the 8 cylinder instead of the more common 6 e320. I paid $6k from the original owner. Now, mind you, all of this maintenance was pretty much discretionary, not needed to make it go or stop, but I've doubled my investment in it already.

If "taking all the neglect out of it" at significant cost and effort, isn't your bag, then I advise avoid old German cars at CL price levels.

When I saw your title, I thought you were talking about old Porsche 911s.

I had a 1980 911SC, which were considered the first everyday driver models, with the 3.0 air-cooled engine and it was a joy to drive. Much more fun than the Honda Accords or Toyotas I'd been driving before.

The trick to owning a Porsche is to find a trust worthy private shop to maintain it. They'll make up a list of what you need done to keep it running and the priority of the items so you don't have to do them all at the same time.

I've found that a Porsche really are highly reliable cars. It is just that the parts are a bit more expensive when you need to buy them.

The cost is about on par with Mercedes, but less than BMW or Audi

If you're buying a Porsche, be prepared for Porsche type maintenance.

If you're buying a Nissan or Toyota, be prepared for Nissan or Toyota type maintenance.

Porsche has some known gremlins that can be VERY spendy to fix. If you have the scratch to throw in to one, I highly recommend getting it. They're kinda like a boat, just be ready to throw money at it. It's all state of mind. If you want to do oil changes and tire rotations, get a Honda S2000.

I’ll just drop this here...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b4NX5CWWCAs

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
I’ll just drop this here...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b4NX5CWWCAs

Not a bad option, but lets not act like getting an STI to push 8xx HP/42 lb of boost won't cost money or generally be a pain in the dick to maintain.

quote:

Originally posted by JeffSig2022:
I know nothing about cars so I thought I would ask here. I have been browsing craigslist and I have been seeing these older model Porsche boxters and caymans (1990's and early 2000's). Can these vehicles be serviced at pep boys or similar places or do they require strictly Porsche dealership maintenance service? Can I assume that these models can be of similar maintenance than, lets say a nissan or toyota? Or should I stay completely away from those cars? I dont have a problem with oil changes and replacing filters, but I am used to the more common car maintenance like the mazdas, toyotas, etc.

Any thoughts?

Holy smokes please research your Porsche purchase thoroughly before committing. Most of the "affordable" Porsche's or at least the variety one might take to Pep Boys for maintenance are NOT worth buying. For example, older Boxster's are not worth buying due to their propensity for catching on fire. Not to mention there are a ton of better German cars available for the money. Early water-cooled 996's are prone to serious issues with the intermediate shaft bearings failing (or something like that). Long story short it's a lot of money to fix. Don't go buy one for the sake of owning a Porsche. I'm personally holding out for a good deal on a 964 Carrera 4, but I'll settle for a 959 Sport.