Steve Nugent

Has anyone else noticed that Boxster drivers never wave or flash? Your car could burst into flames right in front of them and they'd be looking off to the side, pretending not to notice. All other Porsche drivers, whether their car is old and creaky or a new twin-turbo, always wave or flash. Is there something in the Boxster owner's manual I'm not aware of?

AR

On the contrary, yesterday while filling my Cup Car at the gas station, one went out of the way and honked at me and waved. Granted...we are not in a busy porsche town. I suppose where there are tons of boxsters the issue maybe different.

Jay H

I know some serious Porschephiles that own Boxster's and know how to wave back and flash their lights. They are enthusists and enjoy the mark and Porsche's history. They are the people waving back at you.

But, for Porsche to stay in business, they have to sell a bunch of Boxsters and 996's to people who just buy these cars for their status or because they felt they were a better sports car deal than Car X from Manufacturer Y. Lease 'em for a few years and move on to something else. It's a vital part of Porsche's survival. These owners probably don't care about Porsche's past or the heritage. Or, they might be first time owners that just don't know about flashing headlights and waving to other Porsche owners. I bet there are some Boxster owners that probably can't recognize an older 911 or even appreciate what it takes to keep up an older car.

It's their money, they spent it, so they can do what they please. Though, it's a bit frustrating........

I remember pulling up to a new 996 Twin Turbo at a stoplight when the Turbos first came out. My brother and I were in his '83 SC turbo look. We were basically invisible to the driver. That guy couldn't have cared less about us even after our friendly waves.

Bob C.

To add to what Jay H said...

I owned a Boxster until four weeks ago, and I have to agree. Most who buy the newest Porsche models haven't been exposed to (and often don't care to be exposed to) Porsche traditions like the flash.

A couple years ago, I found out that one of the Partners at my former company owned a Boxster, and I thought to myself, "Cool, that'll make for a great conversation starter." So I found an opportunity to strike up a conversation. It was like talking to a wall. It turns out he was only interested in how he *looked* in the car. I'm pretty sure he never flashed or waved...

I suppose that in the early '90s, a similarly high percentage of owners of 964s didn't flash or wave either.

BS911

I think it is more geographical of nature more than anything else. I work in Montgomery county Maryland - Rockville to be exact. It is an extremely wealthy county so you get to see a lot of Porsches. Unfortunately, there are also a bunch of snobs with their heads so far up their own A holes that they couldn't be bothered to acknowledge other people. They drive 996's, Boxters, 964's, 993's, and even SC's and 3.2's. A former VP of my company had a silver 996. I was having a rare conversation with him and decided to ask him of it and mentioned that I too was an enthusiast with a 911. He said 'oh yeah, I'll have to let you drive it some time, anyway, let me tell you why I'm so good at my job...'

So you see, there are a lot of ****** who buy 911's so they can look good and feel like someone important. It's not any particular type of car. Just don't get bothered too bad when they ignore you - they really are ****** and can't help it. Keep waving though, lest another real enthusiast think you are one of the ******. My $1.50.

Christer

I have flashed/waved at only a couple of Boxters so far - they responded with grins and a small wave. The only thing is I am not sure whether it was a condescending smile followed by the 'bird' but I don't care.

They're all hairdressers anyway....

GeoC2cab

High,
I bumped into this guy a few weeks ago when my family and I were in this chocolate shop,
when we entered I saw this guy w/ a porsche hat on, so of course I gotta start up(my wife's looking at me like here we go again),and I ask him about his Boxster out front, It ended up that it was a 2000 bone stock ride except for the Big Red Twin Turbo brake upgrade that he had "some place in Parsippany" do. After we left I couldnt stop laughing at the fact that he flushed 4G's down the toilet, he didn't track it, speed in it, he couldnt tell me anything about why he bought it, in fact he looked at his wife like lets get the hell away from this wacko.
He seemed unimpressed w/ what I have and how long I owned it, no problem here.

ps. My neighbor just returned his Boxster(1997) back to the dealer, 3 yrs. and out, says a lot about the car(he owned a 911 for 17 yrs earlier in his life). We swapped (cars)a couple of times on cruises, I was always the one to ask for my car back, I could see the tears building in his eyes when he new he had to get bk in the Box, I didnt like doing it to him, hmmmm, maybe I did.

Tabor

Most people I see, don't wave.

911s, 914s, 924s, 944s, Boxsters. Only about 10% of them ever wave. Actually most of the ones who do wave are (older) 911 owners.

Suprising, I thouhg you air-cooled guys didn't like the front engine watercoolers.

Randall G.

Here in SoCal, if you waved and flashed at every P-car you saw, your arm would fall off and your battery would go dead .

I have a new neighbor that owns a '99 Boxster. He was a bit surprised that I didn't look down on him for owning an "entry level" Porsche--he kinda' assumed that all 911 owners looked down on Boxster owners. He also told me that he really wanted a 911, but was afraid of the maintenance costs on an (older) 911 he could afford. His point is not without merit ...

Thom Fitzpatrick

There's a guy near where I live with a black 996 cab that I've seen several times in traffic, and I've waved and flashed several times, and he doesn't notice.

Overall, I get about a 60% response rate, seems to be higher with the earlier cars, with the major split at the C2 era - G-body and earlier cars respond with a much higher frequency.

Tabor

Thom, I flash my lights at people who don't have their headlights turned on at night. 40% of the time they don't respond!

JL

I think its a new (guy/gal with money)/older car/enthusiast thing....I get almost NO waves/thumbs up from new Vette owners when I am in my '63 split window..however anyone in a vette older than '95 practically stands out their window to wave to me......in my 88 911 same thing..nothing from Boxster/996 owners...big waves from pre 99 owners..except for a guy in a 356 speedster who apparently thinks his car is too good to wave to my bottom feeder of the Porsche food chain Obviously I am not saying that all 996/Boxster owners are not "enthusisasts"..but probably more than 50%...

Jordan

richard glickel.

I've just about given up waving/flashing at the newer cars (Boxters, 996s AND 993s ... and I LOVE 993s).

There are alot of Porsche owners (leasees?), who don't really care about the marque, just the status of the name P O R S C H E. It's a shame too, because as we here all know there's so much wonderful history in that name.

Richard
'87 Carrera 3.6L

Kurt in SFO

I know a number of Boxster owners who are avid Porsche enthusiasts, and I count myself among them. It's my third P-car, and the 964 (recently purchased) is for the track. As was discussed above, however, there are a number of owners for whom the car is a status symbol alone. I can't imagine it was much different in '90 when the 964 came out.

- Kurt

Dbltime

Boxsters return the wave/flash about 40% of the time. 996 owners have about the same score. Thats been my experience anyway. I think that if they are Porsche people, have had other P-cars they are likely to acknowledge other Porsches. I feel the new Porsche people take a while to "adapt".