Le Chef

I'm interested in this as it comes up fairly often here and on other boards. For example you often get new posters saying "I'm interested in your opinions on base Carrera vs. Boxster S" and somewhere along the line someone drops in the expression "it's a Porsche with panties" about the Boxster. You see the same thing about the MX5/Miata, the Audi TT and about the Mini. Yet Corvettes are never "girlie" nor are Ferrari's.

So what makes one car a "girlie" car and another not? Opinions? Definitions?

MTIA

1999Porsche911

- Automatic Transmission in a sports car
- Training wheels on a sports car. (AWD, PMS, etc)
- Dyno chart in the glove box

OCBen

Most Vettes have A/T, so you can throw out automatic transmission as a criterion.

I would say it has to do with perception. The perception that most "girls" would want to buy such and such model over one that is perceived to be bought mainly by men. There is a higher percentage of female owners of Boxsters than there is for 911s.

Truble10

[QUOTE=1999Porsche911]- Automatic Transmission in a sports car
- Training wheels on a sports car. (AWD, PMS, etc)

Does this mean the 996TT & 997TT are chick cars?

ELUSIVE

I agree with Ben.
And although most women like Boxsters, they are a blast to drive for everyone....just as long as you're not over 6'2"...then they are uncomfortable. At least mine was.

1999Porsche911

[QUOTE=Truble10]
To call it a sports car....yup. Especially at the track. And it's not a chick car, but a "girlie" setup for a true sports car.

TD in DC

If the first thing "most" women say when they see it is "How cute!", it is a "girlie" car no matter how capable it might be, not that there is anything wrong with that

cleanme

I personally think that if someone has the insecurity to not buy a car they like just because someone perceives it as a 'girlie' car, is....well...stupid!

I love the Miata's, amazing performers for their price and like the 911, each year they get progressively refined. The Mazdaspeed Miata was/is an amazing car, if I had unlimited funds I'd definitely buy one for it's uniqueness. Same with the new MX-5, it's a sweet car too.

When people say the Boxster is a 'girlie' car, I think that's just because Porsche is synonymous with 911. Then when Porsche all of the sudden releases a "cheaper" car that sort of resembles a 911, the ignorant label it as a "try hard" 911 rather than truly looking at what the Boxster does & can do and the market area it fills.

That's just my opinion or thought!

D.D.

Most white cars area perceived a "girlie" cars....especially with A/T. This seems most true for white corvettes, and BMW's Z series.

OCBen

Girlie colors.

Now that's a whole sub-category of discussion, right there.

RonCT

Insecurity and ego is all the term "girlie car" is about. There's no such thing. Everyone should just get what they want. If I want a stripped down 997S for street and track duty, then that's great. If you want a Boxster automatic because that's what you like, fantastic. I'm also put off by people that say things like a Cayman is a poor-man's Porsche - why would anyone think or say that? I guess I just don't understand people...

Mike Murphy

I thought this thread was about which cars are female and which ones are male . I see plenty of guys in "chick" cars and vice versa. Remember, these are just stereotypes and stereotypes always have a rule of thumb to be broken. By they way, I originally thought that the mini was a chick car, but I almost always see guys driving them.

jason1st

A girlie car is definitely one that a girl says "how cute" to when seen.

My ex gf loved Boxsters. She never commented on other Porsche's. Any sports car I had that I thought was manly she considered a "***** extension" or she would say "honey, I'm quite satisfied with the size of your *****".

It goes both ways..

Truble10

[QUOTE=jason1st]A girlie car is definitely one that a girl says "how cute" to when seen.

I went to a dinner party on Fri and drove my 996TT. One of the guys was into P-cars so we went outside to look. Several people came out to see what we were doing. One of the ladies said 'I like your car, it's cute."

My GF said that was a compliment. I said "puppies are cute, not 911 turbos."

My GF has a red BMW Z4. We always refer to her car as a chicks car. Ironically a guy who lives close to me has the exact same car in the same color combo - red/tan.

OCBen

Another obvious factor that comes into play when a girl chooses a particular model, besides the cute factor, is affordability relative to disposable income.