Considering change - am I nuts?
Discussion
Help me fellow pistonheaders!
I currently own a Porsche Boxster 2006 2.7, which i've had for 3 years now - i've done a couple mods to make it more mine, (996 intake, carnewal exhaust and remap), and it rolls along at a constant 30mpg which is great.
However! - over the last 3 years its cost me an average of 1k pa to keep up servicing and the odd little niggles. The car is generally superb condition (1 previous owner, full specialist/main dealer history), - but i'm currently only averaging 1k miles a year in it. I have a diesel van for the odd trips to the shops etc. so the Box only gets used at the weekends.
While its a superb bit of engineering, and on the right day with the top down and the sun shining its epic - but those days are few and far between, and doing the normal motorway/a road slog its not a fun car.
Been looking around at a hot hatch, primarily a mini cooper JCW 2007-2009, as the Mrs' has a normal cooper which is quite nice to drive (if not a paragon of reliability!) - the idea being to save money on servicing, and to have a few more 'smiles per mile'
Do you think i'm mad ditching the Boxster for a cheaper car? I can afford the servicing etc, but at 40 I keep thinking the cash could be spent on more worthy things...
Any help, viewpoints and blunt PH advice welcome....
I currently own a Porsche Boxster 2006 2.7, which i've had for 3 years now - i've done a couple mods to make it more mine, (996 intake, carnewal exhaust and remap), and it rolls along at a constant 30mpg which is great.
However! - over the last 3 years its cost me an average of 1k pa to keep up servicing and the odd little niggles. The car is generally superb condition (1 previous owner, full specialist/main dealer history), - but i'm currently only averaging 1k miles a year in it. I have a diesel van for the odd trips to the shops etc. so the Box only gets used at the weekends.
While its a superb bit of engineering, and on the right day with the top down and the sun shining its epic - but those days are few and far between, and doing the normal motorway/a road slog its not a fun car.
Been looking around at a hot hatch, primarily a mini cooper JCW 2007-2009, as the Mrs' has a normal cooper which is quite nice to drive (if not a paragon of reliability!) - the idea being to save money on servicing, and to have a few more 'smiles per mile'
Do you think i'm mad ditching the Boxster for a cheaper car? I can afford the servicing etc, but at 40 I keep thinking the cash could be spent on more worthy things...
Any help, viewpoints and blunt PH advice welcome....
What's the point in a nice car if you never get to drive it? I'd get something genuinely special to drive if you only manage about 1k miles a year, something totally impractical and fun, some sort of seven maybe,
Don't see how getting a hot hatch instead of the boxster is going to change much.
Don't see how getting a hot hatch instead of the boxster is going to change much.
I'm not sure how much money you're expecting to save.
An older Mini is not necessarily maintenance free, depreciation on a new one will easily outpace the Porsche, the JCW won't beat 30 mpg by much, and there are enough of them that their depreciation curve will take them into shed money before they eventually appreciate in 20 years. A low mileage Porsche... could be worth quite a lot even when it's relatively young.
So you're not nuts for thinking about it, but if your servicing and upkeep is "only" a grand a year, I can't see that there's much potential for saving money unless you go properly hair shirt.
An older Mini is not necessarily maintenance free, depreciation on a new one will easily outpace the Porsche, the JCW won't beat 30 mpg by much, and there are enough of them that their depreciation curve will take them into shed money before they eventually appreciate in 20 years. A low mileage Porsche... could be worth quite a lot even when it's relatively young.
So you're not nuts for thinking about it, but if your servicing and upkeep is "only" a grand a year, I can't see that there's much potential for saving money unless you go properly hair shirt.
thanks guys - slight typo, its 3k a year on the Box (big difference! 
)
I know what you're saying - I was working on man maths that I would save about 2k on the sale of the box, and annual servicing would be roughly 1/2?
I can understand the depreciation estimate on the money, but is the Box going to out appreciate the 1k per year i'm spending to keep it tip top?
Its a heart/head type decision, as Boxster is favourite car i've had (alongside my old Racing Puma), but don't want to be shelling out money for a car constantly when I could be having as much fun on a budget.
) I know what you're saying - I was working on man maths that I would save about 2k on the sale of the box, and annual servicing would be roughly 1/2?
I can understand the depreciation estimate on the money, but is the Box going to out appreciate the 1k per year i'm spending to keep it tip top?
Its a heart/head type decision, as Boxster is favourite car i've had (alongside my old Racing Puma), but don't want to be shelling out money for a car constantly when I could be having as much fun on a budget.
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