Raron

Guys,

I saw a yellow S today lowered on some 18" Fikse FM5's and a sport exhause that looked like plished bars on the back and it sounded sweet. With suspension and wheels the car looked menacing and sounded sweet. For the first time I saw the Boxter as a full fledge beast and it looked more agressive than any 911. Something about the way the fenders stretched over the wheels and that mid engine look.

I'm looking for another toy and I've had quite a few cars in the past. I'm wondering what some of the pro's and con's of Boxter ownership. One of the ones that seem to jump right out at me as a pro is the pure disposition and performance of the car.

However, what strikes me as a potential con is the "oh it's just a boxter" syndrome. In other words, it's the smallest, cheaper Porsche for guys that dream of 911 but can't get one. When I had the S2000 I never thought of this because it doesn't really have a big brother. It's Honda's flagship.

I'm not so shallow as to care that much about what people think (especially about my personal toy) but it's just a factor that being in this superficial world where people are so status concious do you get people discrediting or looking down on it?

I know many of you here either have, or could afford more expensive cars. Please give your feedback on how it stacks to some of the other cars I've listed and how you feel behind the wheel. Most of the cars I've owned have been under 60K but pull lots of street and public cred along with being very fun to drive.

ettsn

Who cares about "street cred"? Buy what you like. The Boxster S is a fantastic car and what it gives up in power, it more than makes up for it in balance. I bought mine while shopping for a 996. It just seemed like a better performance bargain for me.

Except the NSX. Sounds like the syndrome might be in your mind. Is that how you felt in your 944 or 968?

Are you sure? It seems like it bothers you quite a bit. I'm not trying to badger you here. Go drive one. It worked for me (I drove one in order to 'write it off the list', and bought it the next day). If you climb out with a big grin, buy it. Otherwise keep looking.

And if it makes you feel any better, 90% of the people out there have no idea the difference between a Boxster and a GT2.

-Paul

PS- It's spelled Boxster, not Boxter.

Raron

When I say street cred I don't mean drag racing. I mean general respect. Most people don't want to spend a lot of money on something that others generally minimize. Again, I'm not overly status concious as evidenced by my driving older 944 and 968, S2000, etc.

On the 944 or 968 I didn't pay a lot for them so I really didn't care. But on a Boxter S, I will be paying 40-50+. And let's all be honest, similar fun can be had for far less (I said SIMILAR so don't all jump on me about the unique drive of the Boxter). So what's the attraction to the boxter or any other car that will set you back 50K plus? Its looks, who makes it, convertible, how it makes you feel, etc.

So I'm just mentioning that the last few cars I've spent 50K-ish on had all of the above, plus made you feel special because they were rare or very respected by most people.

I'm a car nut so I'm not the general public. You guys can tell me how the general public feels about the car. Is it very ho-hum "yeah that's the little Porsche Boxter" or is it a "thats a nice Porsche" thing.

Either way, I will buy the car based on the drive because I've read good things about it's ride, handling, storage practicality, etc. Plus a good used S could be gotten reasonably. I'm just curious as to the intagible factor of ownership of high profile sports cars.

adsc4s

Stop thinking about what other's think. Street cred? Who cares! If you like it, get it. If the street cred bothers you, get something else.

Raron

Guys, read my posts. I already said I will by a "toy" for how much fun it is. I simply asked about the other intangibles such as gawk factor and and general respect. Surely everyone can't have so much of a chip on their shoulder that they can't answer.

Can someone get off of the "buy it and quit thinking about others" bit and just give some objective feedback and quit judging me and telling me I care too much about what people think.

In nearly every car comparison test they discuss who gets the most looks and coversations started, etc. on everything from econoboxes to convertibles and high end luxury saloons.

KJM3SMG

I don't care what others think.. I drive my Boxster S and I get lots of people trying to race me.. I don't usually bite. I think many of them actually disrespect the car because it's no drag monster. But who cares.. I just cruise along and ignore them. I couldn't resist my one and only race so far.. with an SLK320. Needless to say he got smoked. He must've thought it was just a regular Boxster which still edges his out.

Anyway, I have an M3.. and I'm not really into getting 1 super car and that's that.. I like have 2 cars that are great, rather than 1 car = the value of my 2.

The Boxster S in my opinion is a great 2nd car. That's why I got it. No apologies necessary. It gets more attention than my M3 because it's a Porsche and it's yellow.



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KJ

CARS FORUM - general car topics

Cars:
2002 BMW M3 SMG - 19", 8000k HIDs, Formula One tints, Naxxos fogs
2000 Porsche Boxster S - B&M short shifter, Naxxos xenons

ettsn

Lots of attractive women want to ride in mine. Many others say "nice car". Is that what you're looking for?

-Paul

PS- It's still spelled BoxSter.

adsc4s

I have purchase and modded my P-car with the mods I wanted to enhance (at least in my mind) its performance and appearance. My purchase and mods are not related to "who gets the most looks and conversations started".

Raron

KJM3SMG,

Thanks for the reply. That was a good summary of the Boxter along with some color as to how it measures up to the M3. The rest of you sarcastic busters can jump in the lake .

Which do you enjoy driving most?

OriginalSterm

IT'S STILL SPELLED BOXSTER!!!

986SS

Raron, I am also considering a new toy in the near future. The Z06 and the Boxster S are on my list but it is hard to make a decision. After doing lot of research on the Boxster and many test drive on my friend car (on both Z06 and 986S). I now perfering the ZO6 to be my next toy. Here is the reason of why:
Z06's perfomance has beat the 986SS in every way(in my opinion as I treat them as a toy) I admit that the 986S was a fun car and easy to drive, but it didnt' give the driver much challenge. It's great handling and excellent craftmanship allow everyone who sit on it can drive it very fast. I test drive both car on the track and find out that the 986S are very easy to drive after the first 10 lap and still very easy to remain consistence in the rest of the day. For a convertible, the boxster is a very reliable car and it almost seem problem free. Porsche alway offer excellent service for maintenance. My friend P-car does alway receive the No.1 rate service at Porsche dealer within the warranty.

For Z06, you can drive it fast too and beat the 986S ONLY if you got the skill and the gut. It was a BEAST which require the driver lot of experience and skill to handle and communicate with the car in order to drive fast. Trust me, it dose goes really fast no matter in the coner or straight. For me, it is more fun because I like more challenge.
On the other hand, i didnt' really care about the interior since i treat it as a toy.
Raron, why do you give up your Z06? Is there are any reason for that?


(Please ignore my poor english here)

Ghost Rider

986SS,

I disagree, the Boxster is a better balanced car than the Z06 and while it may be easier to learn to drive fast, it takes a lot of skill to drive one at the edge and it is driving at that edge that you will need to be faster than Z06's around the track. The Z06 is a fine car, but it makes up for some of its shortcomings simply through raw HP. A Boxster driven on the edge can out run a Z06 around the track despite 150HP less to work with.

If this guys wants a car for looks and attention he ought to buy something really unique though like a Spyker or something similar.

BTW, every car has its nuances and a Z06 driven on the edge will beat out a Boxster, getting good at driving a Z06 on the edge or driving a Boxster on the edge is no different, just different techiques, but not different in principle. In fact it can be quite rewarding to learn to drive one car on the edge then get in another and realize you don't know squat about driving that one on the edge and learn it all over again...

BK

For what its worth to the somewhat image conscious, I received more compliments on the Boxster S then I ever did on my 996. The Boxster is one of the greatest looking cars out there, bar none. I had more fun driving my Boxster S then my currrent 996. Always...and I mean ALWAYS, left me with a huge grin each and every time I took it out. The 996? Well its a great car, and the 02's really feel much faster than the S (the years prior to 02 didn't feel that much faster in the first 3 gears IMHO) but for overall driving joy, I have to give the nod to the Boxster S.

But, by the way it sounds, you may not be happy with the Boxster, simply because you'll always be worried about how its perceived by others. Its a great car though, and you'd be missing out on a great experience. There's a very good reason why Porsche wont put 300 hp into the Boxster...

BK

Raron

Very good reason I got rid of my Z06... I needed a business car that could also be fun so I traded it on a 740il. I kinda miss every toy I've ever had in some way. The NSX, 993, Viper, and Z06 are the standouts.

The Z06 is not lacking to the Boxster S in ANY category except interior build quality and overall fit and finish. Keep in mind it has aluminum suspension, very good torsional rigidity, and weights the same or less than a boxster SIt only weighs like 3050 pounds. A car with 405 hp, 3K lbs, big strong brakes, wide rubber, crazy torque, etc., is a monster on the track. It has been called the greatest out of the box track car under 150K.

You will love the handling as you can coax the tail out and hold it as long as you want with throttle and steering. It also has a fairly high strung sound with the titanium exhanst compared to the normal muscle car burble.

Now back to the BOXSTER (there, I spelled it right), I'm going to drive one today as I haven't driven one since I bought an M Roadster back in 2000. We'll see what kind of impression it makes.

KJM3SMG

<i>Which do you enjoy driving most?</i>

It depends on my mood. My M3 is much faster and is more comfortable on longer trips... the extra room is great. If I had to keep one it would be the M3 of course. Convertibles are great 2nd or 3rd cars.

As far as the Z06, look at it this way. I had a chance to get one, but instead I chose the Boxster S. It looks better IMO, gets more attention, and I can't stand the horrible interior of the Z06! If they revamp and improve the build quality of the inside instead of looking like Aunt Betsy's old couch, then I'm down for one as one of my next cars. You can't beat Z06's performance to price ratio.

--------------------
KJ

CARS FORUM - general car topics

Cars:
2002 BMW M3 SMG - 19", 8000k HIDs, Formula One tints, Naxxos fogs
2000 Porsche Boxster S - B&M short shifter, Naxxos xenons