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CarSpace P-Car QuestBeing an honest, true and mostly accurate account for the reader's amusement and education on buying a used Boxster. Jun 4, 2009 - Sham wow!!HAS it been 15 months since my last blog? Lotta gasoline under the hood since the last time i fired up the boxster. When driving or as a passenger in my car I find myself gazing at the fender, sleek and silver in the wind. It reminds me a little of a WW II bomber engine housing. Ah, day dreams!! I met a man whose mother (yes, mother) was a WW II fighter pilot. After the war she competed in the Olympics as a swimmer and later helped organize the Portugese Air Force. Nothing like having a stay-at-home mom like her, HA! BTW she's still alive and well, tho a tad forgetful. The boxster continues to be a source of amazement, mainly because I've never owned anything that could remotely compare to it. I am in awe of such technical mastery in motion. If everyone's mathematical ability was comparable to mine, we wouldn't have invented the wheel yet. How very fickle women are compared to men-Now I'm looking (believe me, outside of becoming the next Calilfornia Lotto winner) at the Mercedes-Benz AMG. Boy, those Germans, they sure know how to werk mit metal! I enjoy learning technical workings. My friend Brian used to own a GTI and competed in Moto-cross events. Letting him drive the boxster is like giving a 9-year old boy the keys to the Fireworks store on July 3rd. Watch him go with it!
NEXT WEEK: My first drive with a maniacal master of manual transmissions on a very winding road.
Mar 5, 2008 - First-time highway rideYesterday was sunny and the roads were dry for the first time since November. Like Red Riding Hood, I packed a gift basket in the trunk of the Boxster for a friend who recently had surgery and headed out-ah, the sound of the engine! and at my (inexpert) command! I was drunk with power, anticipation and the deep desire for Spring.
Mar 2, 2008 - Baby Boomers
Mar 2, 2008 - A drive in a boxter
Feb 18, 2008 - Where Do You Go In Winter When The Roads Are Closed?Why, inside your head, of course! you have the greatest recreational plaything resting right there on your shoulders! If the government could tax your fantasies, you know they would. So cherish them.
Feb 3, 2008 - Iron Race HorseLike many valuable racers, 4-footed or 4-tired, the Boxster spends a lot of time stabled alone where it is safe and dry. Occasionally it is joined by its smaller companion, a Mazda Protege. Everyday on my way out of the garage I pat its gorgeous flank and murmur some witless term of endearment such as "good morning, princess" or some other nonsense. Of course, one shouldn't love something that can't love you back..alright then! I have an intense, unquenchable like for this machine. I can't believe she's mine! (well, I have other investers in this pony.) I can see the potential power and speed bulging beneath its contours like a well-muscled torso under a tee-shirt and see my reflection in its 12 coats of pearlized paint. Yes, the radio is crummy but I didn't get it for its stereo. I have an Ipod and 2 stereo systems at home. It's been snowy here and the roads are full of sand and salt. Actually the city ran out of salt, so they're using a mixture of 75%sand and 25% salt. The Ancient Romans would be amazed that we throw such a valuable commodity on the roadways! The word salary is the derivative from the Latin verbum for salt. Don't want to get that stuff on the undercarriage..what do the Germans do in winter? Do they salt the Autobahn? Perhaps someday a huge Zamboni-like highway vehicle could traverse the roads, blowing heated air to melt the ice instead of grooming it... Just a thought.
Jan 10, 2008 - A Mail-Order PorscheThe tires I purchased, Yokahama Advantage, are stacked in our garage. I was shopping last Saturday when my cell phone rang. My husband Bruce simply said, "the car is here." I drove home 20 minutes later to find Bruce carefully piloting the Boxster off a truck ramp. (The transport driver was too big to fit inside it.) Forty-five minutes later the driver was headed for another rendevous in Indianapolis with a $40 tip in his pocket. We silently stared at the little car. I had never even been up close and personal to a Boxster; Bruce inspected the body minutely and proclaimed "it's perfect." At this point I should be a little jealous. I think he's in love with it. This, from a "I don't like German cars" kinda guy. He's whistling a different tune these days! He took her bra off (the Boxster's) because it spoiled the beauty of her lines. He croons to it and polishes it with his detailer spray. He yells at the cats for sitting on the convertible top.
Jan 3, 2008 - OooooWeeee!! Now I'm nervous and happy tooWired the moola. Seller received the moola. I called Fox Auto transport, whose fees are very reasonable and promptly had the Box picked up the next day. Only one ignition key! it's irksome to think that 2 additional keys are laying around on someone's desk somewhere. It's been very cold (minus temps) in the midwest, but no snow. Came out from work, and was convinced the Mazda wasn't going to start. That was asking a lot, for the ORIGINAL battery to crank. It did tho, but I'm taking the truck today..Tomorrow's the day our little Boxster is due to arrive. The seller wants us to be happy with his little ex-car, and we are free to call him..the manual is a must, as I've heard this is not a "self-discovery" kind of car. My nerves are on edge. The last vehicle I purchased solo was in 1984-a Toyota truck, which my brother Gil described as "a beer can on wheels." He had one too, but upgraded, with 4-wheel drive that required the driver to get out of the cab to activate. We were driving it around Colorado and I was too chicken to explore the old mine entrances that abound. There's a cougar that lives up there.
Dec 29, 2007 - Extra-Vehicular activitiesThank Goodness for Gil! My brother really looks out for me, and if I listened to everything he told me about this Boxster I probably wouldn't have purchased it. So I took the best advice from him and proceeded with all due caution. A few car sellers on other boards (I accidently landed on an Impala lovers site-they're sort of crude) want to see the money in their account before they make a move, but where does that leave lil' ol' me? Doing exactly what every wise advisor says NOT to do: wire money. I called the receiving bank and spoke with the bank Prez, who knows every customer in this tiny Oklahoma town. Of course he knows the sellers. "They're good people," he drawled. That was good enough for me. When I went to my Credit Union to send the wire, the bank teller didn't believe me when I explained how the Okie teller, Corkie, wanted it sent. Naturally, the next day my CU had to call me back because they were missing the info Corkie told me to give them yesterday. I was a little frustrated because my Mazda was stuck hard in snow in my neighbor's driveway and I had to hitch a ride back home and kick in the garage back door, knocking over a bushel basket full of daffodil bulbs still waiting to be planted. They might be waiting until spring. I promise not to procrastinate next fall.
Dec 22, 2007 - The purchase (sign your life away)OK, so my hand was shaking almost uncontrollably as I dialed the Boxster seller's number. He answered, but was in the midst of last-minute Christmas shopping with his wife (I finished mine earlier that morning), so he begged off and called me later. It was the first time I actually spoke with him, and he had a definite Okie twang which was hard to distinguish from my father-in law's Texas drawl, which I love. I'm a little better at price quibbling than Bruce, so I gave it a go. Got $1,500 off the asking price. That will almost cover the carrier shipping fee, car insurance, registration and repair of a (maybe) faulty DME sensor. Christmas is putting a delay on the actual deal, so I reckon the transport of said vehicle won't happen until early January, weather permitting. All my husband said was, "just don't tell too many people about this, willya?" Ten minutes later my son called from the mall, wondering what he could get Dad. I blurted out "you don't need to get him anything, I just bought him a Porsche!" I think my son was momentarily taken aback, since we always complain/joke about money, but I figure in 5 or 10 years we wouldn't do this nor would we be physically able to manuever a quick car with aging reflexes. I accept the fact that someday I will die. In fact, according to Cornell University's "Death Clock" (visit the web-site), my death date is officially proclaimed as August 14th, 2027. So now I can do some planning...unless the world ends in 2012 A.D. or we transmute our DNA into a 4th dimension, which some new-agers predict. And please, before you assume I'm a crackpot, do your research-Not only does the Mayan calendar end at 2012, but the ancient Egyptian calendar carved as timeline events in the great pyramid also ends...in 2012. Metaphysics aside, my practical side then reminds me that barely 5 years remain to have fun. So you see? The Boxster was a practical purchase. I can rationalize anything. Merrrrry Christmas and have a peaceful, prosperous 2008!
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