I wish I would have realized you were looking to buy a nice sports car Kagy ~ i'm still looking to sell mine.
Nice ride Keg, but why did you choose the Boxter over the Carrera? I am approaching my mid life crisis age, and am considering a luxury sports car too. Either that or an old Ferrari or Lotus....... What helped you make your call on the Boxter? Thanks, DD
Don't Ever, Ever, EVER get a Lotus. You will spend more time in the shop than you will in the car. Even the Post-2001 V8 Twin Turbo are riddled with problems, though the older ones are a disaster. I currently have an MB SLK and a Navigator, but am looking to get rid of the SLK and get something kinda wild. Though i'm far from a mid-life crisis at 28, I want something a little wilder. I thought about a 911, but they're really not as exotic looking as I would like. I'm looking right now at 97-99 Ferrari 355 GTB's, or maybe a 2003 Maserati Coupe. It wouldn't be my primary vehicle, so a few problems isn't that big of a deal. The thing to be weary of when purchasing an older ferrari is don't just worry about low mileage. If you're looking at a 1990 348, its better to have one with 30K miles rather than 5K miles. Its an engine built for racing and its not good for the car if its never used. Most Ferrari's have problems more because they haven't been used.
I had a friend with a 1991 Lotus Esprit, and yes he did have problems, but OMFG could that car scoot. I was doing 148 on the Sam Houston Tollway one night, smooth as glass. I just want a sports car, I grew up with classic mustangs and now want something a little beefier than my Explorer, just for fun. DD
I know what you're talking about with the Lotus. It hugs the ground amazingly and corners on a dime. A friend of mine had a red 1994 S4S (not yet the V8) when I was in college and it was a blast. Till the day we were meeting two girls out and the car wouldn't go into reverse, so we had to push it out of the parking spot to leave!!! Another buddy of mine had a 2000 Mustard Yellow V8 Twin Turbo with the black interior w/ the yellow piping. That thing was a chick MAGNET as well but a reliability nightmare. That friend sold it and returned to Porsche. He got a 2003 911 S4S, but then recently got rid of it for the new 2005 911's in Yellow again! My brother had an Acura NSX with a glass casing over the mid engine and beautiful Enkei sport wheels. It was pretty mean and he NEVER really had any problems with it. Those can actually be picked up at a reasonable price and would be a great direction to go in. I really have that bug in me to get something wild. I had a Lexus Coupe before my SLK and drove it for years and years w/o any type of problem, and almost got the new one but then went w/ the SLK instead. Though its fun being a hard-top convertible, I really want some more speed and a little more size would be nice. The 2003 Maserati's are really tempting. The sticker price is around 95K new, but the lack of really strong demand dropped the 02-03 prices to around 70 or so. Though I prefer a standard, the majority have the F1 shifter that also allows it to run automatic and its just a beautiful car w/ a 4 year 50k mile warranty. There is also a licensed ferrari/maserati servicer and dealer in houston. A 911 is a not so flashy but very nice option being that the change in body style has dropped the prices on the 2000-2004's a bit. You can pick up a 2001 w/ low mileage for in the 40's. Any questions and you can shoot me an email.
