After I bought my loft in December 2017, I began thinking about buying a new car. After researching the new car market, including MINI, I decided that nothing in my price range really interested me. Since the time I was a kid, I have always wanted to own a Porsche. So, about a year ago I started doing some research on the Porsche Cayman. The reviews of the car were excellent and I decided to try to find a recent (Generation 3 or 981 in Porsche-speak) with low miles. I had one requirement: the car had to have a 6-speed manual transmission.
In early June I spotted a 2015 Porsche Cayman in white with low miles that seemed perfect. But it was an automatic. I decided to go have a look at it at Porsche South Orlando and maybe test-drive it. Maybe it would change my mind. When I arrived, someone was just taking it out, so I went inside to speak to a salesman. I gave him my preferred specifications and he told me about a 2013 Porsche Boxster with a manual transmission that had just been sold to the dealership. Did I want to have a look? I hadn’t really considered a Boxster, which is the convertible version of the Cayman, but I thought it was worth viewing. So I followed him up to the large parking garage at the back of the building.
The Boxster was a beautiful Dark Blue Metallic with a dark blue top in nearly new condition. It was indeed a 6-speed manual. Plus, it had very few miles by the one previous owner, an older gentleman in his 70s who owned several Porsches and used this one on sunny days to drive to the golf course. I liked the car and its history, but I still wasn’t sure that a convertible was right for me. So I left.
The following week I received a message from the Porsche dealership asking if I wanted to test-drive the Boxster. Since I had an appointment at Orlando MINI for an oil change that coming Friday, I decided to go try the Boxster. It was a very hot and sunny day, so I began the drive with the top up before retracting it on the way back. I really liked how the Boxster handled, shifted, and sounded with its mid-engine flat-six engine. I expected the the car to feel big and heavy, but it drove very similar to my previous MINI JCW Coupe.
Again, although I loved the looks and enjoyed the feel of the Boxster, I still wasn’t sure a convertible was for me. So I left again. But I kept thinking about the Boxster.
In the meantime, I did some more searching and research. I realized that a manual Cayman (or Boxster) with my other specifications might be hard to find. I was buying the car for fun, and I live in Florida near the beach. When the salesman sent me a message the following week asking if I had any general questions (they were not aggressive at all), I made them an offer a few thousand less than the asking price. I didn’t have anything to lose. But they accepted my offer and I quickly put a deposit on the car.
The first available day I had to go back to Porsche South Orlando was Wednesday, June 26. I took the afternoon off work, left my MINI Cooper in my parents’ driveway, and drove down to the dealership with my dad. We had another look over the car. My dad, Jim, a retired auto-body technician, was impressed with the like-new condition of the car. I signed all the papers (twice, due to a small error on their part), and was the owner of a Porsche Boxster! I took a few photos at the dealership before heading home in my new purchase.
When I left, it was nearing rush-hour and traffic through Orlando was terrible. But it was a beautiful day and I was just getting adjusted to the car. Once I escaped the suburbs of north Orlando, it was open Interstate back to Daytona Beach. Then I could really enjoy driving the car. Once I reached the local streets of Daytona Beach, I lowered the top and drove the rest of the way home.
Since it was a sunny day and there were several spaces blocked off in front of my building, I decided to have an impromptu photoshoot.
Because my building was being painted, all cars had to park in the guest lot. Including mine. A few days later I spoke to the painters who assured me that my car would be fine parked in the covered lot. Only then could I finally could rest easy knowing my Porsche was safe at home. And I have already decided that buying the convertible was the right choice. I am thoroughly happy with my choice of the Porsche Boxster. I’m sure there will many adventures to come.
