First986NJ

I love reading posts like this one.....

Jay Laifman

While I agree with his post, yesterday, I picked up my '73 911 again after a long hiatus for engine rebuild. Despite some issues that have to be worked out, I'm starting to think of selling the 2000 Boxster S and giving the 911 more duty! I probably won't do it. Given how much these long noses are going up in value lately, it probably doesn't make sense - then again maybe it's better to sell the Boxster before it drops more in value, while it's still under extended warranty. But the 911 has been my daily driver for 18 years, less the last few years with the Boxster (which I love, and it has all the right options, as far as I'm concerned), and I'm thinking it's my life, my car, and what am I saving it for if not for me! (of course my kids may think otherwise).

First986NJ

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'd still love to have a 930 slant nose parked along side my 986 someday. Not so much because I still think a 911 is better or a "truer" Porsche, but just because it is such a different animal and would be fun to play with sometimes.

Have to wait till the kid makes the NFL though.......payback's a bitch

Doug&Julie

Me too...it's best to have both. Playing the lottery now...

perfectlap

A Honda S2000 will give you the same enjoyment of driving top down in scenic locations as a Boxster.
(And will be more fun shifting). The Z4 isn't bad either. Heck my old 1.8 Miata was more fun than all of them.
Allot of this is pyschological, growing up thinking a Porsche is soooo exotic (but now much more common) tends to remove allot of the objectivity of driving this particular car. But I will agree, with the right mods, its the best looking by far.

mborkow

are you serious?
s2000 is torqueless (140 lb-ft.)
z4 is ugly
and i owned a miata...it was great --but it is not in the same class as a boxster and certainly not in the same class as a boxster s.

fast1

It's not psychological. I test drove the Z4 and the S2000. There are both nice cars, but neither one comes close to offering what you get with the Boxster.

Let me confess that I'm an old guy who use to race a GT6 in SCCA competition back in the late 60s, early 70s. Being an old guy my back isn't as supple as it use to be. After driving the Z4 and especially the S2000 for about 20 minutes, I could feel my back tightening up. The Boxster on the other hand outhandles either of those cars, and yet I can drive it for a couple of hours and feel great when I exit the car. Moreover the driving feel of the Boxster is simply fantastic and anyone who appreciates driving can't help but fall in love with what it has to offer. I'm certain that the S 2000 would perform quite well on the track, but it certainly wouldn't be the car that I would want to drive on a daily basis.

Another thing that the Boxster did for me was to make me appreciate the pure driving enjoyment you can get from a great handling car, even though it doesn't have much power by todays standards. Back in the late 90s I got caught up in the HP fever and I couldn't wait to buy my '02 E46 M3 with its 333 HP, and I even strongly considered buying a C6 Z06, but what I forgot is how much fun that old GT6 with its 90 HP engine provided.

So today I've come full circle back to having a great handling car with modest HP and enjoying every moment of it.

Pugnacious P

I can definitely agree with alot that is being said in this post, I have a 996 and the base Boxster and altough I am no kind of driving expert the boxster feels lighter, nimbler and better balanced in the twisties. And because I also have a 996 people cannot say that I say that its sour grapes. I love my Boxster, I think it will be like the Lotus Elan of the 1960's: an all around outstanding and fun to drive sports car.

911sport

The Boxster is a versatile car: it can be a luxury car in conventional driving, or it can be a true sports car revved up to 4-5K rpm. Performance/handling comparable to my old SC, but a less stiff suspension--and a good deal less noise.

I have developed a squeak in the clutch pedal--similar to a Z3 I used to own. Sprayed some white grease on the spring above the pedal to fix it in my Z3. Is there a similar spring above the pedal in the Boxster? Tough to reach on your back in front of the seat.

First986NJ

No offense, but you can keep your Miatas,Z4s, and Hondas. I'll keep the Porsche.

I'm not saying they are not great cars in their own ways, they are. But the Porsche doesn't require me driving the wheels off it to make it realize it's potential. It allows me to push it hard through the twistys without really even being close to the edge. It still lets me throw a couple of suitcases in the boot(s) and take a comfortable run to North Carolina or Maine for a weekend getaway....even with the optional ROW M030 suspension on it. The Boxster is a roadster that lets you do anything you want, and it does them all well. Japanese roadsters are all about the numbers, and nothing about the FEEL, or the experience. They don't get it. The Z4 is the closest to the Porsche, but it doesn't have the feel of the Boxster, and isn't as comfortable in my opinion. Looks and build quality wise, forget it - the Boxster has it hands down.

Yep, you can keep your Miatas,Z4s, and Hondas. I'll keep the Porsche.

911sport

Another thing I noticed in early driving: the floor of the rear trunk gets a little warm after a 20 mile drive. That doesn't surprise me since the engine is there below it (actually the transmission.)
Can anybody comment on that? How warm does that floor get? I'm thinking of putting a layer of styrofoam insulation on the floor. Don't know if I need it.

Commenting on the Z3 vs the Boxster, I get a feeling of spaciousness in the Boxster I didn't get in the Z3--which has very little behind you except for a short trunk. I'm pleasantly surprised, because that's one of the things I didn't like about the Z3. It's a smaller car. The Boxster feels like a bigger car inside.

Doug&Julie

I don't think mine ever got more than "a little warm". I'd leave it. Just carry the cold groceries in the front trunk. Use the rear trunk for carry-out pizzas!

First986NJ

If your talking about a Boxster, actually it is the exhaust (muffler). The stock muffler gets pretty damn hot, and even though there is heat shield galore above it, it gets pretty warm in the boot as well. I wouldn't go putting any ice cream in there to take home.

When I changed my exhaust to the new Maxspeed type muffler, the temp went WAY down in the boot. I would suspect the same is true of some of the other aftermarket units as well.

Jay Laifman

I just want to say that I agree with all your sentiments about how great the Porsche is and how I too picked the Porsche over the others. But, I do strongly disagree with the comments on "Japanese roadsters" as I very much like the S2000 and find it is an absolute blast to drive with a soul. And to top it off, much of it is handmade/assembled (as I understand it). Again, I still picked the Boxster S over the S2000. But, it was a close call. I would have certainly picked the S2000 over a non-S Boxster (not because of overall performance, but overall sporting feel - to me, I know others disagree).

I think part of the beauty and curse of the S2000 is how wildly it changes character over 6,000 rpm. If you never went over 6,000 it would be a fine sports car. But, it's that instantaneous dramatic change that makes the sub 6,000 rpm zone seem so weak, when it really isn't.

I didn't mean to wax on about the S2000 on this Boxster board, as it's been done many times before - and I obviously picked the Porsche - and have the 911 and recently sold the 356 too. I just wanted to defend this one Japanese roadster (but no others, mind you).

perfectlap

yes I agree the S2000 is very underrated by Porshafiles. Its every bit the sports car a Boxster is. My local Autocross club classifies the S2000 in the same class as the 2.7 Boxster and though the S2000 is low on torque in comparison, the time sheets are still nearly identical for the Porsche and Honda roadsters. With the S2000 CR coming out this fall the scales may tip in favor of the Honda over the base Boxster. The Z4's are not far behind if at all behind. The BoxsterS is classified one category above and I've matched and bettered the times of standard 996 Carreras and M3. The thing about the S2000 that impresses me the most is the handling. Placing the engine rear of the front shock mounts was an excellent decision by Honda. It really doesn't feel like any of the other understeery front engine roadsters.
The Miata is also well known to be an excellent autocross/track car. Its bare bones construction also makes it feel less disconnected like all modern water cooled Porsches in comparison to the older Porsches.

anyhooters...that's performance driving. I brought these cars up before with regards to plain old top down scenic driving where the car's talents are barely tested.