Porsche Dome

Buy A Porsche Boxster For Toyota Corolla Money

2008-01-19T10:24:00.001-08:00

I remember the first time I saw a Porsche Boxster. It was on a normal weekday evening on my way home from the office. As I pulled up to a red light my headlights fell on the car already stopped in front of me. Metallic Silver, perfectly proportioned, I recognized it immediately from the magazines. The light turned green and I rolled down my windows as it pulled away, to hear the sound of the engine. Ah, Porsches! So unique, so special. Since that night a decade ago there have been a couple hundred thousand Boxsters sold, either in normal or S trim, and they\'re not at all difficult to find for sale. A quick scan through Ebay will reveal several early Boxsters selling for anywhere from $12,000 to just over $20,000, depending on trim level and the condition of the car. The same is found by looking at Auto Trader, and much better deals are often found at seized car auctions such as those found on car-auctions.com or gov-auctions.org. It\'s certainly not difficult to find good examples for sale online in any event. As such, it\'s all too easy to decide that it\'s time to get one for yourself.

So what are the things to look out for in the search for YOUR Boxster? I\'m glad you asked. I myself have been searching for a suitable candidate, and along the way I\'ve learned a few things about the Boxster, particularly the 1997-1999 variants, which I\'ll share with you here. I\'ll assume you know a thing or two about buying a used car, but with any German car I think it\'s best to have a technician examine the potential purchase, unless you\'re very familiar with the car you\'re shopping for. I only do that after I\'ve made an initial inspection of the car myself and am serious about buying it, since these inspections aren\'t free. So, consider this list a \"first inspection\" checklist. Forthwith then, here\'s a couple things to look for.

One of the first things folks do when looking at a used car is pop the hood. Well this, friends, is the Boxster, and under the hood you\'ll find a spare tire. It\'s best not to act surprised at seeing the spare tire instead of an engine, however, lest the seller think you\'re a rookie. So go ahead and give the tire a cursory inspection and then move on to where the engine is actually located. Said engine is mounted amidships, and a lot of maintenance is done via an access panel in the trunk. Pop the trunk, open the access panel and check for signs of leaking coolant. The cooling systems on the Boxsters, especially the earlier ones, are fairly complicated, and prone to leak if not properly kept up.

Check the engine for oil leakage. It\'s difficult to see the all the engine, however, and you may want to crawl underneath. Many of the early engines were replaced under warranty with oil seepage issues, but all the early 2.5 liter engines are prone to leak around the rear main seal (what sports car isn\'t, though, just check my garage floor), and a few other spots. A little oil leakage isn\'t necessarily a deal killer, but you will want to have a look at the service records to see what\'s been done in any event.

The manual gearbox doesn\'t hold up too well to abuse, particularly if the maintenance hasn\'t been kept up or if the car has seen a lot of miles. Note the shift action, and if it\'s rough then I\'d consider moving on to the next candidate, since repair or replacement of the transmission runs into several thousand dollars. Ah, Porsches!

Check that the top works okay. This is an area where the age/mileage of the car will play a definite factor. I\'ve found that the higher the mileage, the better the chance that the top isn\'t functioning as perfectly as it once did. The car is dead sexy with the top down, and that\'s probably how the car will be shown to you. And it\'s awfully tempting just to spend your test drive driving around with the top down. If you\'re serious about the car, open and close the top several times and listen for any popping or knocking. If the top doesn\'t work well, then you\'ll at least want to negotiate a better price. Replacements, like everything else from Stuttgart, are expensive.

Check the rear bumper around the exhaust tip. On cars fitted with aftermarket exhaust systems, there can be some deforming of the rear bumper due to the tight clearances.

A last thought. The \'97-\'99 Boxsters had a 2.5 liter flat-six engine. In 2000, engine displacement was bumped up to 2.7 liters, which increased horsepower by 16hp. There is a noticeable difference between the two, to me at least. But there\'s also a very noticeable difference in the price, to say nothing of the S variants of any year. So if you want a Boxster for Corolla money, stick with the \'97-\'99 years, and have your potential purchase inspected by a pro before signing the title. Happy shopping and happier driving!

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Porsche Cayenne Review

2008-01-19T10:20:00.001-08:00

It wasn\'t that many years ago that Porsche was strictly about sportsters and roadsters. But no more! Today Porsche produces a product line for everyone and that includes the SUV Porsche Cayenne.

The SUV isn\'t that new. It was actually introduced back in 2002. The V8 was new to the Porsche line with the last V8 being produced in the 928 back in 1995. It instantly became Porsche\'s best seller in North America.

So what has made it such a great hit? It was co-designed with the VW team who were also planning to add a SUV to their line up. The cost sharing strategy was supposed to help both companies.

The chassis is actually shared by three companies. VW uses it in the Touareg sport utility, Porsche in their Cayenne, and Audi uses a modified version its Q7.

When it comes to the engines VW and Porsche share only a base engine. The Porsche engine has had substantial modifications. The Cayenne offers up four great engine choices.

The 247 HP 3.2 L engine, the 335 HP 4.5 L engine, the twin turbo charged 450 HP 4.5 L engine, the Tequipment twin turbocharged V8 500 HP 4.5 L engine, and finally the twin turbocharged V8 520 HP 4.5 L engine. That\'s a lot of power in an SUV.

You get 0 to 60 in about 5.2 seconds which is the same time as the Boxster S and the Tequipment engine is even quicker. Of course you realize there is no real good reason for that kind of speed in an SUV but it sure is fun having it anyway!

This is a true SUV and thus it is designed to take you where ever you need to go whether that is up the rocky mountain or across a deep river.

So what\'s it cost you ask? Well the turbocharged version can be purchased for around $90,000. It\'s priced competitively against the competition which includes the Land Rover, Mercedes Benz M Class, and Range Rover.

The Cayenne has a low profile tire that gives it a much sportier ride that you might expect to be not so good in serious off road conditions. But it\'s actually the opposite. These tires are very impressive in off road conditions.

4 wheel drive with manual lockable center differential are standard equipment. You also get a low range setting. There are some terrific off road options too which include air suspension, interior switching rear differential, and vehicle height adjustment.

In 2006 Porsche introduced the Turbo S which is a higher output model. It was designed to compete with the Mercedes Benz ML63. You get a whopping 520 HP making it the second most powerful Porsche ever built. O-60 in 4.8 seconds. So is that fast enough?

The Porsche die-hards that like the traditional reputation of the Porsche line which stands for sporty cars that are designed for speed, comfort, fun, and the race track, aren\'t happy with the introduction of the Cayenne.

Porsche however is in the business to make money and recognized that an SUV could provide them with a steady income and continuous sales that the fickle sports car market could not and thus they added the Cayenne to their product line.

If you are in the market for an SUV and want the quality and reliability that Porsche is known around the world for, you should consider the Porsche Cayenne. It\'s got a lot to offer for the price.
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2005 Porsche Carrera GT

2008-01-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

Unofficially, the Porsche Carrera GT is a racecar, a racecarbuilt for the street. What makes it a racecar is not necessarily the huge power produced by its V10 engine or the carbon fiber construction that keeps everything very lightweight – although these features surely make it a fast car. It’s more the sum of its parts that make this car worth every bit of its $440,000 price tag.

The Porsche Carrera GT was introduced as a 2004 model and until 2005 there were already a few changes in order to make the Carrera GT the new Porsche super car. These were minor updates in order to make it a little more street friendly. Between the supplemental bar hoops is now mounted a glass screen. The seats height is adjusted along with the additional bolstering in the thigh area. The Carrera GT is easy recognizable, as it’s a low, sleek, lightweight roadster, very beautiful on theoutside as it is on the inside. Two removable panels that canbe stored in the front trunk make the foul weather protection available.

The car has unique features, among which are: 5.7 liter, 605 horsepower V10 engine, monocoque chassis with Porsche-patented engine and transmission mounts made of carbon-reinforced plastic and the first use of a ceramic composite clutch in a production car. A very important aspect is that The Carrera is safe and stable at speeds up to 205 mph, thanks to its aerodynamic and race-bred suspension package.

The design of the suspension is so sophisticated that the shape of its components improves the Carrera GT`s aerodynamics.The designers used lightweight materials such as magnesium for the car’s substantial wheels and the frames of its special sport seats, the result being a faster and safer car. To prove so, The Carrera GT accelerates from a standing start to 62 mph (100km/h) in only 3.9 seconds reaches 100 mph (160 km/h) in less than seven seconds, 125 mph (200 km/h) in less than 10 seconds, and can achieve a top test-track speed of 205 mph (330 km/h).

What makes this car have these impressive results is it’s 5.5 liter, normally aspirated V10 engine for racing created in the development center in Weissach, Germany. That engine’s bores have been enlarged to displace 5.7 liters in the Carrera GT. It has a very low center of gravity, a 68-degree V angle and four valves-per-cylinder heads. Since the block, crankshaft and camshafts are all made of light alloys, the engine weights only 472 pounds (214 kg).

To stop this “monster” Porsche`s team used a high-tech braking system. Developed for demanding motorsports applications, ceramic brakes are the first to work for on-road use.The massive 15 inch ventilated discs and six-piston calipers havethe amazing capacity of bringing the car to a sure and safe stop,matched only by the stunning acceleration of Carrera GT.
Porsche Carrera GT is definitely a exotic appearance, a car that can do it all: fascinate you with its good looks, astound you with its performance and abilities on the race track.

Porsche - a must tell history

2007-04-25T01:55:00.000-07:00

Ferdinand Porsche played an important role in the development of airplanes and racing cars, and the construction of tanks for the Wehrmacht. He is an automobile engineer with more than a thousand patents to his name. He was appointed chief engineer at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart in the 1920s. Later on, he set up his own engineering workshop and designed among others the Volkswagen. At the plant where Volkswagen was made, Wolfsburg, he was chief of operations and at the end of the war he was interned by the Allies.

He was released a few years later and started building his first car with his son, Ferry Porsche. The car was named the Porsche 356 and it was a sports car and a reminiscent of the Volkswagen. It had the same four-cylinder boxer engine that was rear-mounted, just like the VW. It was far from being a powerful sports car, developing only 40 bhp and a maximum speed of 87 mph (140 km/h). First produced as a convertible and later as a hard top it distinguished by the very elegant and innovative body. It was developed in theworkshop of Erwin Komenda, a master of restrained streamlining who had been in charge of sheet metal and design techniques at Porsche since the VW Beetle. The new style of closed coupe was designed by Komenda and it soon became the embodiment of the sports car, thanks to its fastback.

This tradition was continued by Komenda and Ferdinand 揃utzi?Porsche, the founder抯 grandson, with the 911.

The 911 became easily recognizable: it had attractive sloping bonnet and what later became characteristic 揻rog eye?headlights, curves running from the top edge of the windscreen to the rear bumper and a straight waistline. From a functional and technical point of view it was more like BMW 1500, although it retained the stylistic features of the original Porsche. The new 911 will become the foundation stone of Porsche抯 identity, even though the design was not always appreciated. During the 1970`s and 1980`s, the designers attempts to distance Porsche from its legendary design brought the company to the edge of disaster. The more modern 924 model, 揳 people抯 Porsche? developed with Volkswagen, as well as the 928 were far from fulfilling the expectations.

In the 1990`s, the company realized that what for over twenty years was perceived as a straitjacket, it was in fact a marketadvantage. During the 1990`s, Porsche became highly profitable since they now knew that the typical Porsche features were timeless. Nearly forty people now worked in the design department on further developments of the long-running 911. These developments included the 911 GTI, a powerful combinationof sports and racing car, put forward by the in-house designer Anthony R. Hatter. In 1999, chief designer proudly presented the new Boxster which enabled Porshe to establish a second independent range of models.

Rural Racer

2007-04-25T01:49:00.000-07:00

Shop

2007-04-24T03:16:00.000-07:00

Porsche Panamera

2007-04-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

In 2009 is set to be launched a four-door, four-seat coupe, called Porsche Panamera. The car, powered by a modified version of the 4.5 L V8 found in the Cayenne, equipped with the FSI system will be front engined and rear wheel drive. Although it is extremely unlikely, rumors is that an option for the Panamera will be the V10 engine from Porsche's limited-run Carrera GT
supercar.

Porsche Panamera will be produced in the new plant at Leipzig alongside the Cayenne. It is the first V8-engined sports car built by Porsche since 1995, when the 928 was discontinued and some consider it a suitable successor to the two-doored 928. The company built the new model as a direct competitor to the Mercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG and Maserati Quattroporte and (to a lesser degree) a less expensive alternative to expensive vehicles such the, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Bentley Continental GTand Aston Martin Rapide.

Like Porsche Carrera`s name, the Panamera`s derives from the Carrera Panamerican race. Before it, there were other four-door sedans prototypes, such as the 1991 Porsche 989 prototype or the even earlier 4 door prototype based on the 911, but they never went into production.

Porsche 550 Spyder

2007-04-23T02:35:00.000-07:00

In 1953, Porsche needed a race car more powerful than the 356. So they created the 550. This was the first true competition car from Porsche. It was lightweight, it had two seats, aluminumbody, tubular frame and an open top. They were racing only with Volkswagen. The initial pair of 550 dominated their class at Le Mans finishing one-two in the 1500cc division. Then, one of the two cars won its category in the famed Pan Americana Mexican road race.

Subsequent 550`s carried on what the initial 550`s had started. They were fitted with the four-cam Carrera flat four cylinders. They soon became dominant cars world wide. During races, it was fast and easily maneuvered so no other car stand a chance. But people loved it purchasing every one of these quick little cars they could find.

In 1956, Porsche started to produce the 550A, a slightly modified Spyder. It was a hit, shocking the entire world by winning in its first Appearance in Targa Florio, a brutal road race. It also humbled well-knownand more powerful rivals such as Ferrari, Maseratti and Jaguar. In the next five years it won almost all the races in which it competed.It became a car that attracted more attention for its occasional losses than for the nearly non-stop victories.