17.5K miles on a '99? Is that a typo?

I did something similar to you, and made a tough choice. I bought a 2006 Pilot 4x4 in Dec 05. I discovered and fell in love with MINI in June of 06. For almost 90 days I wrestled with buyer's remorse over the SUV. Finally, in Sept 06 I said to myself, hell with it - pay off the truck and keep it around for occasional use but go for the MINI. Life's too short not to enjoy it. And the MINI has brought me ENORMOUS enjoyment. :thumbsup: It's not just a car, it's a lifestyle.

Not one regret - other than a truck that rarely moves.

Boxster, no question.

:eek2: You can't be serious.

a 1999 Boxster sold for about $41K. It should retail around $20K depending upon options. For an 8 year old car holding 50% of its value is pretty good. You got a great deal for that kind of mileage.

Porsche is a lot of hype? Where did you hear that?

I will give you one example. Just read here For example, EVERY Porsche built must go through a test of driving from 62 MPH to top speed, braking as hard as it can back to 62 ... 25 times in a row without ANY fade. Try that in the MINI and see what happens. Yes, I am talking OEM but if you want to upgrade brakes ... you can also upgrade the brakes in the Boxster.

Want to talk about MINI handling? See here Until recently, the a 987S (2005, not 199) had the R&T record in the slalom beating an Enzo. MINI JCW? 66.2 MPH. 987S? 73.9 MPH (and any arguments about changing the OEM tires would apply for both cars and their relative rankings most likely remain the same).

You lucked into a fine car, got it at a fair price or great deal, very low mileage and you can keep it forever. Best of luck in what you do but calling Porsche ... "hype", IMO is simply a naive statement.

"It's no different than any other sporty car"?

Well, you know what you like. That's up to you. I didn't advice you to keep it, only to look into the RMS seal issue and personally, I'd probably get the R56 ... guessing your situation if its your "only" car, it is 8 years old. Getting a new one, any new one, means anything breaks gets fixed for free. So it depends upon what is important to you. Fixing Porsches isn't cheap nor for the faint hearted. Insurance should not be an issue. But owning one means you own a part of true racing heritage ... a winning heritage and their advertising about "racing improves the breed" actually means something. What comes off the track goes into their cars.

I wish you the best of luck. Older car or new car.

BTW, Jakay is correct. Don't go to a dealer for service. Find a local Porsce racing shop. There are just about everywhere. If you want a monster car, I'm sure you can drop a 3.8L X51 engine in there or TPC is coming out with a supercharger for the 3.4l (in the current 987s) to get 425whp. ... wheel, not bhp.

Personally though, I'd say buy the R56:) just for piece of mind in warranty work. I'm not saying MINI is bad ... just dissing Porsche as hype is kind of uninformed?

For the OP, listen to jakay ... he's right.

If you care about tracking the car ... and many people could care less, the P-car crowd "can" be very unforgiving and look down on the lesser siblings. A totally different culture than the MINI culture which is great.

When I had a new 944 in the early 80s, I quickly found out when autoxing I was the unwanted stepchild. Bought a new 911 Carrera and suddenly I was "in" but I promised myself I would never act that way. Unfortunately, I find out now that the same culture exists. If your sensitive to these issues, its not the car for you (or if you think the phrase "chick car" bothers you but then again the MINI is referred to as a chick, clown, and gay car anyway. I could care less what others think but if that bothers you ... it can be an issue.

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yes dissing porsche is very uninformed. :)
i would sell the boxter and get an R56, again for the warranty and also because that is what your drooling over now. it doesnt matter if you take a hit selling the porsche as long as your happy in your new car. dont get a used R53 though, for a few thousand more you can get a new 07

This assessment is a good one. I agree. I would also opt for the R56, not the R53, if its what you really want, especially for the warranty:)

I owned a 2002 Boxster; I loved it, but I needed a more practical car, and I loved the Mini also. Don't fool yourself: the Boxster is one of the best handling cars of all time. The best touring roadster for a reasonable price and a terrific autocross car. Drive the same twisty mountain road with the Box and repeat in any Mini and you will know what I mean.

That said, I love the MCS now and its the car I need at the moment. If I could have them both I would be VERY happy.

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Exactly! If you got on a porche forum, 1 guess as to their opinions!:wink: :lol:

My brother has a Boxster and it is a fantastic little car...But he hardly ever takes it out and has some fun with it for fear of breaking something and the associated repair cost that go with it. So it remains a Sunday fair weather car that his wife drives mostly...:roll:

MCS...

IMHO the boxter is the everyday porsche. Either get a Carrera or stick with an MCS. Now the new Cayman looks promising and great looking. Love the hatchback body.

Have driven my fathers Carrera a good bit. Absolutely amazing. Not much can top it for total joy factor. I will have to stick with MCS's for the next few decades though as I can't pay cash for a porsche anytime in the near future.

I have a friend that has a Boxster and I have an MCS. Nothing wrong with the Boxster. It certainly is a driver's car. The seating position is just perfect for driving, whereas I can't quite say the same about my MINI. And there's nothing quite the same about driving a mid-engined car. I would call it "effortless handling". If you don't need a back seat or a lot of luggage space, the Boxster is a fine car.

BUT, after driving my MINI, I just want to get back in and drive it some more. It's the only car I've driven, other than a Lotus 7, that leaves me grinning after going for a drive. MINIs just beg to be driven hard and wants to play. Whereas most other cars can be driven fast but don't have the playful nature to go with it.

Just my thoughts.