WalterMitty

Current Situation: My two primary cars are a Toyota Tundra, and Lexus LS460. The Tundra used to be my primary car, but about four years ago, it became the kids car, and I got the LS. Now that the older two are in college, I drive the Tundra most of the time (because it's behind the Lexus) so the Lexus sits a lot. I've decided to turn the Lexus into a more fun car. This decision was actually triggered a bit by buying a Jeep last year. The Jeep was purchased in Oct of 2017. It's lifted and has big tires, and was more of my daughters car. It was somewhat fun to drive, but a bit of a clown car with the big tires. That was until April of 2018 rolled around and we took the doors and top off. Then it became this goofy, fun, totally different experience. I've never been a convertible guy, but I absolutely love driving the Jeep with no doors and top. It was a bummer of a day when we had to put them back on in Oct (Chicagoland weather). So while I really do like my Lexus, I want to have a fun car more often.


I've pretty much settled on either a used Boxster (prob 981), or a used C7 Corvette.


I test drove a 2015 Boxster (base) yesterday. It was upper 30's/lower 40's for temperature and raining and the salesperson accompanied me on the test drive...all of which is to say, I couldn't really explore the performance too much. Impressions: Felt great, sounded great. I did experience the choppy/chunky full lock slow turn thing, that I have come to learn is normal. I would say that the performance was good, not great. Again, I didn't get to really explore too much, but my LS has 357hp and AWD, and while some might think it's a boring car, it does has some reasonable get up and go. I really did like the mechanical feel of the Boxster, and I need more seat time to explore the performance and get the top down.


Questions:


1) Has anyone owned both a Boxster and a C7 Vette? If so, please give me your take (pros/cons) on each, and which do you prefer and why.

2) For the Gen 3 Boxster, what options do think are must haves? If I ever track the car, it will only be rarely.

3) Is the S versus the Base worth it? Can you really feel the difference in performance? I assume so, since I think its a 265hp to 315hp delta, but maybe not.

4) Any other words of wisdom regarding buying and owning a Boxster?


Thanks

CaymanSinAR

The Base is fun to rev out. I vote S/GTS though. The C7 will have more power, of course, but to me that was a downside. Too easy to get yourself in trouble and out of control. The Boxster/Cayman are perfectly balanced and have just the right amount of power. And sweet Lord the sound of that NA flat six! The Corvette will feel huge compared to the Boxster/Cayman. I far, far, far prefer the interior of the Boxster to that of the Vette. The Vette will cost less and be cheaper to maintain.

As for options, I like Sport Chrono, PTV, PSE, 18-way heated/ventilated seats, full leather interior, Bose, X73.

Yes, the S/GTS is worth it over the Base. Though you can get in the Base more and wring it out with less worry of going to jail.

My only advice is a warning: this car will ruin you. Nothing else will live up to it.

Also, get a manual.

pitt911

two completely different cars .only similarity is both are two seaters
boxster is much better than c7 corvette at every level
I have test drove C7 on multiple occasions, and rented one for a week this year , and put around 1 k miles on it ... it is a good car but not a Boxster
also I believe the market agrees with me
corvette stopped production of c7 several months ago because of a reason: they are not popular, even without production , they are piled up at dealers. the dealer next door to me has over 25 of them that has been trying to sell for couple of years
to be fair to corvette, each generation has improved over the previous generation , but still the overall package is not there in full

DFW01TT

On the street you can use the full rev range of the base Boxster more often than on the S.
Consider the C7/981 in this light, which way do people migrate, Porsche to Corvette, or Corvette to Porsche?

algiorda

I have these conversations with my son all the time. I've always loved Euro sports cars and he's an American Muscle car fan. He owns a Corvette and I a 981 Boxster. For engineering, reliability, and build quality Porsche wins hands down. For raw power in a straight line and V8 exhaust note, Corvette wins. For twisties, parking, daily driving, pure handling balance, fuel economy; Porsche wins. For uniqueness, Porsche wins. Everyone owns a Corvette; I RARELY see another Boxster on the road.

vbb

I have not driven the C7, but I have driven other vettes. Obviously this is going to be a personal decision and you are going to get a biased opinion on this board. I would implore you to just drive both and make the decision yourself. Personally, I enjoy a smaller, more "tossable" sports car to a larger more horsepower monster. The Vette feels even bigger than it is (my opinion) and it is already bigger than the Boxster. Interior, "fun factor," fit and finish and rarity all go to the Porsche. Looks, though subjective, go to the Porsche. The Vette is faster and has way more torque which is what you feel on most drives. It has cheaper parts and labor rates.

It'll obviously come down to personal preference, but the Vette is not even on my short list of vehicles I'd want to own.

PS- I had a Tundra that I daily drove for 2 years and a Wrangler with big tires that i drove for a year. I like both of those quite a bit....especially the Tundra. It wasn't as fun as the Wrangler, but I really liked the 2015 Crew Cab limited that I had. Great truck.

okie981

If you get a 981, get the S model. As compared to the C7 it is of course is low on power and torque. I care not. One really nice bonus with the 981 Boxster is that it has two trunks and hold a surprising amount of gear. Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of C7 styling. The C6 is a better looking car, but agreed it is technically way behind the C7 for suspension and construction.

CaymanSinAR

Earlier this year I got the wild idea to snag a C7 Grand Sport to accompany my Boxster GTS. My wife sat in the Vette, looked around, looked at me and said, "No. I feel like I'm in a limousine." She got out and that was that. Bought a 911 instead.

Still prefer my Boxster to the 911 and Corvette though.

993Guy

Had a C7 Z51 and now have a Cayman S. Pros and cons of each are touched on above. The Corvette offers more raw speed and options for the money, and it does feel large. The Cayman - quality, balance, and feel that in my opinion, the Corvette can't match. Both great cars, and very different, drive both. If you are considering a Corvette, you should probably get the S.

PorscheAddict

I love the C7 grand sport and 981's. They're very different. I would get the C7 if you are a big power junky (they're faster stock, but can be made MUCH faster with headers, tune, etc.) or want to go for absolute track times (really a formula [F, M, E, whatever] would be best, but C7 is not shabby). I would, and did, get the 981 if you want a well-rounded sports car with a unique engine wail and the best handling dynamics around. Both good cars.

WalterMitty

Thanks for all the replies. After doing a bit more shopping, I've realized a few things....
1) While I still plan on getting a Boxster, the Cayman is one of the best looking cars out there.
2) The list and combinations of options is endless. I'm trying to form my own list of "must haves' vs "nice to have" (shopping for used, so sifting through a lot of listings).
3) IMHO the Boxster looks WAY different depending on wheels. To me, it can go from frumpy/Miata-ish looking, to gorgeous. I find myself gravitating to either the 911 Turbo or Carrera Classic wheels (at least I think that's what they are called. I've included pics of both below).

Please confirm the names. I think the pics below both have 20" wheels, the Cayman has the Turbo wheels, and the Boxster the Carrera Classic wheels. I think both look awesome.

DrBillyD

1. I own a 2015 Boxster GTS; good friend has a C7 (Stingray. Think it's got the 3LT interior; it's not a Z06/Z07). Others have noted pros/cons and differences. My summary is that the Boxster is like a go-kart on steroids and the Vette is a modern American muscle car. For cars like these, which one is "better" is pretty simple IMO: Test drive both and remember which one gives you the biggest smile for the longest time. For me, it's the Boxster.

2. My personal take is that the only "must-have" options are Porsche Sport Exhaust (PSE) and full leather interior. The engine wail past about 4K sold me on mine and I detest Alcantara. "Nice-haves" are things like 18 way seats, seat heating/ventilation, heated steering wheel, rear camera, PASM, sport chrono, PTV.

3. Yes, the power/torque upgrade on the S compared to base is worth it.

4. Figure out what you want the car for, what you want to do with it, and what your personal preferences are w.r.t. options and don't settle. Will require patience but you'll be happier in the long run. Don't get the thought that the car is too precious; these cars are meant to be driven so get out there and have fun with it!

WalterMitty

I tried to post yesterday, but it apparently got hung up. Maybe it was due to some pics that I attached. I'm posting again, and apologize if both get posted.

Thanks for all the replies. I've done a decent amount of looking online, and continue to do my own research. I plan to do some more driving this month as well. So far, here's where I'm at...

1) While I still plan on getting a Boxster, the Cayman is one of the best looking cars out there....period.
2) The vast number and endless combinations of options that can be had is tough to wade through. Since I'm going with a used model, I'm trying to boil them all down to my must haves versus the nice to haves. Color is also going to be a tough one to nail down. Leaning towards triple black, but then I will see a nice silver, or red, or blue model and it makes me wonder.
3) While I've always thought wheels really can make or break the overall looks of car, I think it's really the case with the Boxster. I think depending on the wheels the Boxster can go from looking frumpy/Miata-ish to great looking. I've pretty much added 20's as must haves and I think my favs are the 911 Turbo and Classic Carrera styles. I will try and post those pics in a separate post to confirm their names.

WalterMitty

Please confirm these wheel options. I believe the Cayman to have 20" 911 Turbo style wheels (is that thing gorgeous or what?!?), and the Boxster to have 20" Carrera Classic style wheels.

TXshaggy