Flat Out News & Events

Cars 'n Coffee

Saturday, September 13

If you're not coming on one of the drives, keep on keepin' on with Cars 'n Coffee.

Second Saturday every month at 9:30 am.

President's Corner

September 2025

“It’s not just the cars, it’s the people…” 

Porsche Club of America started in 1955 with 190 charter members. Seventy years later, PCA has grown to over 167,000 members, across the United States of America and Canada, in 14 zones and 149 regions. Big Sky Region became a reality in 1975 when 12 individuals applied to become a region, we now have 293 members and 3 test drive members. BSK celebrated our anniversary in early June.

PCA will be holding its celebration on September 13th with all the regions sponsoring some form of event in honor of the occasion. National will celebrate by holding an open house at its headquarters in Maryland which is already sold out. Big Sky is partnering with the Absaroka and Inland Northwest Regions to join up on some amazing drives. See our website for more information. These are just two examples of what is happening across PCA.

PCA began with several Porsche owners gathering knowledge about the Porsches they drove. These meetings culminated in the creation of the club later that year. What started as a forum to share knowledge turned into a large community that not only shares a common passion but is a large platform for social interactions. Many people often ask me what the benefit is from joining PCA. I believe the answer is probably different for each member, but I am glad to share what I feel is mine. The number one aspect of membership to me is the people I meet. The club is about its members, I’m a bit of an introvert and don’t typically seek out many social interactions. In general, I have a large number of acquaintances but just a small number of friends. The majority of them I met via PCA. That even continues after I came to Montana six years ago, I have met many new friends through Big Sky that I often interact with. 

Of course there are other benefits, all of which at one point or another I have taken advantage of. This includes driving tours, High Speed Driver Education, Autocross, Concours, and Rally (currently BSK doesn’t offer the last three). And of course, Panaroma, which I enjoy reading every month, and our 10% discount on parts at Porsche along with many other vendors.

As I said above, social interaction is a great benefit which I have enjoyed over the years. It has only happened because I actually attended different events and activities. Volunteering took it to the next level which I encourage everyone to consider. Volunteering is definitely rewarding and something I encourage everyone to do.

Our club runs on volunteers, and we are always looking for more help. We have a new event coordinator in Bozeman, Chris Steuer. At the next cars and coffee in Bozeman be sure to meet him. Chris will be leading the drive to the Bear Tooth Highway to meet up with the Absaroka Region. If interested in being a volunteer or if you have questions, please contact me directly by sending an email to Michael Handelman.

Michael Handelman

President Big Sky Region

Unicorn Hunt: My Brief Fling with a Boxster S

By Tom Petrovich, BSK–PCA Member

When you buy a Porsche, you expect two things: speed and style. What you don’t expect is a trunk full of mystery parts, missing lug bolts, and a convertible top that looks like it went ten rounds with a weed whacker.

But let me start at the beginning.

A few weeks ago, I spotted the one: a 2006 Porsche Boxster S down in Texas. The dealership had glowing reviews on Google, the kind that make you think they hand you champagne with the paperwork. I called up the salesman, but he was… let’s say, slippery. A little dodgy about sending more photos. Red flag, yes. Did I want to believe it? Absolutely not. Because who argues with 4.9 stars on Google? Not me.

Two weeks passed while they supposedly “fixed” the convertible top before finally shipping it off with the transporter. Then, radio silence. No updates and no way to contact the driver. Finally, out of the blue, I get a call: “Hey, I’ll be there in an hour.” That’s how I met my car—on a trailer, unannounced, like a surprise guest at Thanksgiving.

And oh boy, did she make an entrance. The Porsche was filthy. Not “it rained on the highway” filthy—no, this was “someone hid it in a barn with a family of raccoons” filthy. I thought, no problem, a quick trip to the car wash will sort her out. Instead, the car wash baptized my floorboards like it was Sunday service. I should have known, minutes before I had retracted the convertible top, it didn’t glide back with the smooth elegance of German engineering—it groaned and creaked like an old pirate ship lowering its sails. Honestly, I half-expected to see barnacles fall out.

Then the remaining discoveries began. One headlight out, the alignment was off, the radio buttons were falling out like baby teeth, and trim pieces were hanging on for dear life. Small stuff, really. Oh, but the trunk? It was stuffed with random car parts—aren't these supposed to be “attached” to my car somewhere? 

My personal favorite? Missing lug bolts. Yes, the rear wheels each had one missing, like a toddler had walked off with them as souvenirs.

Still, I wanted to love her. I spent hours polishing the paint, fixing rock chips, conditioning the leather, convincing myself she just needed a little TLC. And to be fair, that 3.2L flat-six is a masterpiece—it growled at me in a way that almost made me forgive everything. Almost.

When I told the dealer about all the issues, they assured me they’d “take care of me.” Their version of “taking care” was shipping me a few random parts, as if I could play Porsche Bingo in my garage. That’s when I asked about their return policy, and boom—the owner himself appeared like a genie. To my shock, they actually offered to take the car back and cover the shipping. Now that’s Texas hospitality with a side of guilt.

So, back she went. I was sad to see her leave, because beneath the chaos and missing headlights, the 2006 Boxster S really is special. It’s the sweet spot of the lineup—a unicorn. Not plagued by IMS failures like the 2005 model, not cursed by bore scoring like the 2007–2008 models. She deserved better.

I like to think I made her a little better in our brief fling, and maybe the next owner will love her enough to finish what I started. As for me? I learned two things:

1. When a salesman is dodgy with pictures, run.
2. The 2006 Boxster S is still my dream Porsche, and I want another one more than ever.

Because really, where can you find a unicorn in the Porsche world under $25k?