18 days to first-time Porsche ownership

A couple of months ago, a reader from Indiana reached out. He'd just test-driven a Porsche in California and couldn't stop thinking about it.

He decided it was time to get his own, and he had a clear vision: a convertible, a reliable model to daily, buy it before the snow hits.

“Wait, what?” I looked at the calendar. Winter was around the corner!

That didn’t matter to him. I love nothing more than someone with ambition, so I said: “Ok, then. Onwards!”

A wild goose chase

Here's what we were working with: zero mechanical skills ("I take everything to the shop"), no garage, $30K budget, wanted an automatic for daily driving. His current ride was a BMW 330. He wanted something faster.

Every Porsche forum would tell him to wait. Learn to wrench. Get a manual. Reconsider the whole convertible thing… just “buts” and problems.

He was going for it anyway.

Like anyone in a hurry, he hit up the local dealer first, where he found a 2013 Boxster sitting right there in Roselle, IL.

Then he checked the Carfax. The car had been sitting at that dealership for two years. He saw the red flags, but he still hesitated. He wanted a car (any car) so bad!

Normally, I like to suggest more than declare. But this time I had to be blunt: "Honestly, I would not touch that car with a 10-foot pole. After 2 years sitting, you'll be the one finding out what's broken and how much it costs to fix. You're buying a $30K lottery ticket."

I proposed he expand his search nationwide. I sent him half a dozen leads from Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. A white Boxster in Florida, a blue S in Atlanta. Multiple options. He even test-drove some, but none was quite right.

Days passed. The good-weather window was closing. The dream was starting to feel impossible.

The find

Then one day, an ad popped up. A 2013 981 Boxster. Sparse description, but clean Carfax, service records and an older gentleman willing to have a conversation. Best of all, the car was nearby!

There was only one catch: After a few days on the market, the seller was taking the car to the dealer the next day for a quick sell.

Game on, then.

I confirmed the lead looked solid. The reader reached out to the seller immediately. Good vibes. The guy had a garage full of tools and every service receipt. Priced it at exactly BlueBook: $25,479.

Similar cars were asking $27-29K. If the car checked out, he could be getting one of the best-priced 981s I'd seen, from an honest seller with full service history.

He drove over that evening. The seller let him really test it. Everything checked out.

He scheduled a PPI for first thing the next morning.

Back and forth we went as he vetted each detail. Brakes last replaced 30K miles ago. Concern? Nope, not if maintained right. Brake fluid? Done last year, receipts prove it. Valentine radar detector hardwired in? Removable, no issue.

The PPI came back clean. Tires and battery were flagged for replacement soon-ish, front brakes good for another 10K.

He negotiated down to $24,400 and closed the deal.

Eighteen days from his first message to keys in hand. He had done it.

I congratulated him and wished him the best with his new Porsche.

Living the affordable Porsche dream

A few days later, he messaged me again: "Car is driving great so far, did a few joy rides with my parents."

Then just last week: “Took the car on a nice road trip of America’s twistiest roads culminating in the Tail of the Dragon. Car drives like a dream :)”

He’s even planning to do his first oil change himself soon.

That's the whole story. Midwest guy wanted a convertible Porsche before winter. Everyone would tell him to wait. He didn't. He found the right car, did his homework, moved fast, and closed the deal.

He did it and you can too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

—RF