Boxster lust - talk me down

ReverendDexter wrote: Every time I see a Boxter, I think to myself, "If you're gonna get a Porsche, why wouldn't you get a *real* Porsche?". For the money, there are much better cars.

The Boxster(986) was designed concurrently with the 911 (996), and shares everything forward of the doors, so I guess it's at least half real.

A Cayenne would be example of a not-real Porsche.

It's hard to argue with the mid over rear engine config. too.

I had an '01 S I bought used. Had to replace the RMS. Around $400, IIRC. Small leak. Other than that (and over $1000 worth of tires) I had nothing but joy from it, and still miss it.

Look up The Maestro for some fascinating technical stories. I think his company was HCP Research.

The Maestro only worked on "real Porsches". Real Porsches, in his eyes, meant 356s and 912s. None of those funny six-cylinder, water cooled, or mongrel 914 Porsches.

He probably knew more about them than the Porsche engineers did...

In reply to noisycricket:

On base at the base exchange. And no, I will not take you shopping there. Mobil 1 by the case.

I am a PCA member and I know lots of Boxster owners. Never ever heard of a 4 figure top repair. The part that broke on mine was literally $35 and the dealer put it on as they discovered it in the course of doing an alignment.

As for Grant blowing his motor during a drivers ed event, you have to see Grant drive. He is fast. He expects the car to perform and it is not the first motor that didn't... For a little more than double the money he spent he could have had a new Porsche replacement motor.

I've had both an '84 911 and a 2.5L Boxster at the same time. The Boxster was my "wife's car." Truth is, if it weren't depreciating so quickly, I (er...we) would have kept it over the 911.

In the end, the 911 isn't as much fun, isn't as user-friendly (isn't a car with terrible weight distribution and a propensity to swap-ends, when made by anyone but Porsche, just a dangerous car?) All that being said, I LOVE my 911. The Boxster felt more like an appliance, but I would still invent reasons to drive it and then take the longest route I could, just to get more seat time.

It was a tough call to be sure, but had the Boxster been an 'S' model, I think it would have won out over the 911. I also can't agree that the 911 is better built. It has different weaknesses than the Boxster, but no fewer of them.

I say buy the Boxster S and don't look back.

Oh, yeah, and it is true that there is no such thing as a cheap Porsche. I have a yard full of (mostly dead) 944s and a 911 that leaks like a sieve to prove it... Buy a good one.

My '84 Carrera has 67K miles on it and looks and feels like a new car. It is absolutely stone stock and I have every receipt from day one. I am the second owner and I had to freakin' interview with the original owner to buy it.

As I said, I also once owned a Boxster. I am always stunned when I hear comments about the Boxster or the 914 or even the Cayenne not being a real Porsche. I own my 911 because it is the best example I could find. But, it is not in any way a better car than my Boxster was, or my 914 is... Even if my 911 was set up for autocross I wouldn't take it to an event. It could not compete with my 914. No way!

Point of fact: The Cayman is probably the best Porsche being built right now with the exception of some of the special model 911 cars. The chassis is so good I have seen 1st time autocrossers within 2 seconds of TTOD. I would have to guess it would get panned as not a real Porsche?

Interesting stuff here:

LNE Boxster

bludroptop wrote: Tell me horror stories about exploding engines and $800 oil changes please? Steer me back on course.

No, the maintenance is a bit more than your average DD, but not without warrant. An oil change on my '03 S is about $150. Seems high, but then you have to remember that the Boxster uses 11 quarts of oil. Tires are tires. Brakes are brakes. I've even lived through the drama of replacing the clutch in mine, it wasn't remarkably different from the quote to put an aftermarket clutch in my 350Z.

And for the "real" Porsche comment... The Boxster is actually more of a "real" Porsche. Equating that "real" means coming from a long line of performance and racing. 911s aren't even 911s any more, they are Carreras. The chassis on the Boxster is better, not many would argue that point. The Boxster actually has an integrated dry sump which stems directly from the racing heritage and pedigree. Which of the Carrera models has that? Only the GT3.

The truth of it is that Boxsters and the (ugly) Caymans are the better cars that Porsche is building today. They are handicapping them for the purposes of keeping their cash-cow (Carrera) safe.

Personally, I think the 911/Carrera shape is timeless and classic. They are the better car to look at, but the better car to own is the Boxster.

More interesting 986 stuff:

Flat6_986_Reliability

Wow! Some great pics there...not exactly feel-good stuff, but still interesting.

Boxter! A Porsche wearing panties!

Get a Z06 and never look back.

Hmmm..get it. I did. Just picked up a 2000 Boxster S for $10,200. Super garage kept shape but had 85K miles. I have had it for 2 weeks. The Miata I feel the speed - it yells at you. The Boxster presents its case in a mellow, refined petition. I love them both. Boxster prices are sweet, buy one and enjoy the mid engine finesse.

Daddy_Rocket wrote: Boxter! A Porsche wearing panties! Get a Z06 and never look back.

I like the Sopranos reference, but I disagree. Here's an EVO magazine reference, "the Corvette is all grip and no handling."

PorschesOnTheCheap wrote:

Daddy_Rocket wrote: Boxter! A Porsche wearing panties! Get a Z06 and never look back.

I like the Sopranos reference, but I disagree. Here's an EVO magazine reference, "the Corvette is all grip and no handling."

Yeah, I don't mind the Boxter, I just like the Soprano's line.

I think the better way to say it about the Vette is it's got lots of grip, great handling, and no feedback. The handling is there, you know the car is staying right, but you just don't feel it. I haven't driven a Boxter, but I imagine the feeling is much like my comparison to the E36 325 I drive a lot. It doesn't have nearly the grip or speed through the corner, but I know exactly how the car feels about the corner. I can carry 15-20 MPH more in my Z06 in the same corner, but it's much harder to tell how much more the car has, where she's at. It's just not as settled. That's the feeling I get hearing people talk about Porsches.