I really don't understand how a car with its lineage traced back to one of the early great success stories in Porsche racing isn't a real Porsche. I love the 911, and dream of a 993 Turbo, but the Boxster is every bit a Porsche. Get the S and the performance difference is minimal between that and the 911.

When I was younger, I almost bought a used 911. The deal breaker was the cost of upkeep. Routine maintenance was unbelievably expensive and I doubt the Boxster is any better. I hear it is actually more expensive.

 

[QUOTE]Wait for the elise - Tristar Racing[QUOTE]

Yeah....try a 2 year waiting list.

 

But this lineage stuff is crap. The 911 has lineage. The Boxster shares nothing with it. Its about as "race-bred" as the Cayenne. There are plenty of things in history you can trace to Porsche . . . but that doesn't mean all those things apply to everything Porsche makes.

Take BMW for another example. They make the McLaren engine. They make their own racecars too. But you'd be hard pressed to say that a 325i is race bred. Now, before people jump up and remind me about the M3 . . . let me explain. The m3 is racebred. No doubt. It partcipates in competitions. The 325, like the Boxster, is a toned down version of another car that is a toned down version of a race car.

The 325 is to the M3 as the Boxster is to the 911. Only, the Boxster is WAY less derivative of the 911 than the 325 is of the M3. At the very least they share the same chassis. The only thing the Boxster shares with the 911 is the same general interior design.

And the performance difference between the Boxster S and the base 911 is NOT minimal. First off, you're missing about 50-60 hp. Second, you're missing the structural rigidity of the 911. Third, in any given acceleration test, whether it be the 0-60, 1/4, 30-50, 50-70, 0-100, the 911 will toast the Boxster S. The power under the curve is much prettier on the 3.6L 911 than it is on the 2.7L Boxster.

Plus, the 911 has a unique look to it. The Boxster, well, uh, looks the same from the front as it does from the rear.

 

I'm 6'7" 240lbs.......I barely squeeze into a Boxster about as well as I fit in the 350Z.....but the S2k is so small I literally can't even get in.....my legs won't even go under the steering wheel for me to try and sit in it.

 

wow, I didn't know how many people thought this way about Boxsters......curious how many of you have actually driven one? This car has a trunkfull of awards from the motoring press and every mag there is. S2K's may be nice but in stock form it doesn't hold a candle to a Boxster S which is a purpose built sports car.......and the price difference shows they're not really in the same class anyways. I'd love to have a 911 someday as well but even used 993's are out of my price range. For now I'm in Boxster S territory and with a little intake and exhaust mods they can get near the 280hp mark. Besides, I'm more into handling than HP and you can't deny the Boxster in that category.

 

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..............what about an MR2 Spyder with a widebody kit? Now that's interesting.....these are bad azz little cars......they only have 140hp but they weigh 2100lbs!!!! Has about the same head and leg room as a boxster albeit with much less juice but I could get springs and wheels for less than $2k. Hmmmmm....I haven't been in one of these yet but I love the looks and reviews are good for the mid-engine handling and light weight.....anyone ride in one of these??? Thoughts???

edit: here's a vid link to a guy doing a 1/4 mile run in his Spyder with a Celica GT-S engine swap.....very nice!!!!!!

http://s88303024.onlinehome.us/mr2/2zz_drag.AVI

 

1) ive driven 3. Two regular ones, and one S. Didn't like any of them.

2) trunkful of awards? the Prius has a trunk ful of awards . . . you need to look at what exactly those awards were for

3) "the price difference shows they're not really in the same class anyways" . . .
- Im sorry, but this is just bad reasoning. Since when was price completely dispositive of "class?" Its interesting that you would say something like that on an EVO board, since the evo has been one of the very cars that as disproven this "price/class" correlation.

4) you are NOT going to get 30 hp from an intake and exhaust on the porsche. Sorry.

5) if you are more into handling than HP, you wouldn't get a convertible. The LAST thing you need, if you are concerned with handing, is a car with poor structural rigidity, that need extra weight in beams through the side panels to compensate for the loss of rigidity due to not having a roof.

 

for those people who keep saying the porsche boxster is not a porsche, thats pretty ignorant. I'm stirring up the pot here a little bit. I really don't get how you people can say it's not a porsche. Please define what you mean. The car is designed and engineered by Porsche, its sold at Porsche dealership. It's a great car, granted it's expensive but still it's a great car. Does every car that comes out have to have a lineage? Hmm or maybe some companies say a niche market, said "hey we should design a car for that market" and they did. Why complain? Come on, a lot of people dreamed of owning a porsche, but buying a 911 is way out of reach for a lot of people. So they made a fun, drop top car at a lower price. Just because of a lower price and it is more available, you guys think its not a Porsche?????

The boxster is a Porsche- no question about it in my opinion.

And yeah, get the Porsche if you can afford it, fun car.

Nebo

 

But listen to yourself. a 911 is way out of reach for a lot of people, so they decided to make a cheap version? Thats why its a poor man's Porsche.

Whether not its a "porsche" ultimately domes down to personal opinion, totally subjective. But i've given my take on it.

By the by, the earlier Boxsters . . . you are left in the dust if your battery dies. The only way to access the battery is through an electronically powered switch, that conveniently dies when the battery goes out.

They rushed the entire Boxster design in a hurry b/c they realized that a bunch of people wanted real Porsches but didn't have good enough jobs to pay for one. Instead, they decided to Bastardize the Porsche name and make themselves an expensive Miata for women, rich kids, and uh, i guess men that are SUPER secure about their manhood.

 

Ouch. That pretty much eliminates the S2000, Miata, MR2, Elise, and any other small 'vert. I don't remember the Boxster being that much bigger than the S, but it's been a while since I've hopped in one.

 

A Porsche is a Porsche of course....but one thing

The Boxter and Boxter S is the POOR mans Porsche. My neighbor just bought a fully loaded Boxter S for $62000!!! Guess what, it's still slow, has bling factor with no ***** to back it up.

When he told me he paid $62 grand, my first response was "Why not spend an few thou more and buy a Carrera?"

At least the Carrera has some heritage. The Boxter is for the masses, the 911 is for the elitist.

That's my $.02

 

Don't believe the size numbers - the MR2 is tiny. I fit comfortably in an S, and find myself very cramped in an MR2. Entry with the top up is very difficult for me (6'2" 220 lbs).

Fun little car though - needs a bit more juice though.

 

Hi,

The Porsche Boxster S is overprice and very slow and the power is smaller than EVO.......

 

I don't know very many poor men who have $62,000 to spend on an impractical convertible. I'm by no means poor and would have a hard time justifying that type of purchase.

And the Boxster S is slow? Please. Drive one - it's a wonderful and sufficiently fast car. The 911 is more car than 99.9% of drivers need or would know what to do with.

 

well, it's been named "Best Sports Car" by Motorweek and Automobile (in 2004 too) magazines, made the 10 Best in Car & Driver multiple times, and a laundry list of "best sports car" awards from lesser known publications and foreign motoring press. A Google search will give you further details.....these are the first few that came up on my search.

there is absolutely a price/class correlation.....you're taking this purely on performance only.....that's only part of the equation. A $20k Dodge can run circles around a Rolls Royce and a Maybach too but there are clearly other factors at work there. When you get out of a Honda and into a Porsche you most definitely know they're not in the same class before you even turn the key.

intake/header/exhaust will get those kind of gains according to info on their forums.

the Boxster has non of the rigidity issues you mention. It's a dedicated sports car with a super strong and super stiff chassis that does not flex whatsoever. That is part of what helps the car be such an amazing handling machine. Read all the reviews in the car mags and you'll see they all mention the stiff chassis. You've got to remember that unlike most convertibles, the Boxster was designed from the ground up as a roadster so the sports car stiffness in the chassis was there from the beginning.