Hi guys,

I know nearly zilch about Porsches, but my wife has stated an interest in a used Boxster (sub 20k price) as a weekend car for driving around town and road trips. She needs an auto/tiptronic and prefers grey/grey and I prefer below 60k miles. They exist. That's not the issue.

The issue is I know nada about Porsche and want to know if this is a good car for her. The car will remain virtually stock (she may be talked into an aftermarket exhaust and maybe upgraded wheels) and will need to be reliable for long road trips of over 2000 miles in length (e.g. a drive out West for the summer, etc.). We have a garage space ready to store it, although we have "convertible weather" 12 months of the year here in Houston :)

Now, worry not... I'm definitely a 'car guy' ... I've owned and lusted after many a car, both mundane and insane. I've owned Japanes (Toyota, Mazda), German (Volkswagen Passat & GTI), and domestic (including two 4th generation Camaro Z28's, my favorites). The wife drives a solidly reliable Toyota Matrix to work and this Porsche would be for nice days, weekends and summers (she is a teacher, has summers off). I know how to do lots of car maintenance myself and prefer to do so. I also know how to identify a good non-dealer mechanic who specializes in Porsche (and I am sure I can find one in the 4th largest city in the USA).

Is a Boxster a good choice for my wife? Is the Tiptronic still fun? Are they reliable and trustworthy for a nationwide road trip, even a 5 to 8 year old model?

Thanks for any advice!

-ZeroTX

Greetings, I purchased I used '97 Boxster about 6 months ago with 75k on the dial and have experienced only the mildest of issues. Small power steering fluid leak, replacement of the mass air flow sensor, repair of the boot-to-converible-frame linkage. Most of these things I'm sure a fellow familiar with auto repair can preform. Although I can not speak for the triptronic tranny as mine is the original 5 speed manual, I have read they are still a blast. And I would certainly trust my vehicle on any road trip as its my daily driver. Although I would still purchase a service manual as it is an unusual vehicle, I found some available on Ebay and purchased one for $65 american dollars from books$cars.com. Best of luck to you and your wife.