e7lew,
I appears you have a very limited knowledge of Porsche. But welcome aboard just the same. The Box
Ster was the first design by Porsche designed from the start to be a convertible sports car. So obviously it was going to be popular. All other convertibles before Boxster were coupes that had their tin tops cut off to satisfy the consumer demand for convertible fun. That resulted in a car that shook too much and wasn't rigid enough. The design of Boxster addressed those big complaints of the 911 Cabriolet. More importantly it allowed Porsche to make up for another big demand from the public: a mid engine 911. From the doors to the front bumper the Boxster was EXACTLY the same car as the MK1 996 Carrera. By simply giving it a new name "Boxster" they avoided the embarrasment of having to acknowledge that mid engine sports and LMP cars are superior to front or rear engine sports cars in sprint racing.
Why didn't they put a bigger engine in it? No need. Boxster is a combination of the words Boxer and Roadster. So obviously it's a roadster with a boxer engine.
A Roadster is intended to be light in weight, small and perfectly balanced. Going fast in this car is up to driver skill.... and not relying on the engine to do the work for you. But despite this the 2.7 and 3.2 engines have more power than most of the 911's every built. The Carrera only recently passed the 300 HP mark in standard form. It has never been a powerful car. If you wanted one of the fast 911's you had to pay $$$ and you were already over paying to begin with. But lucky for Porsche they rely on customers who have more money than knowledge, most Porsches never make it to the track or even an autocross. But I guess you can certainly say the same of Lamborghini and Ferrari. They want the most expensive car to satisfy whatever non-driving related goals they want to achieve with their car. Obtaining the Porsche that does the most for your money (Boxster/Cayman) is of no concern to this type of of sports car owner since they won't really be testing that value in the habitat it was designed to perform in.
e7lew,
Now that you have a better understadning of what the Boxster is and of Porsche I can share with you my motivation. I watched Top Gear one night and a former F1 driver was testing the Boxster on a track and was having a great time sliding the car all over. Top Gear proclaimed the Boxster as the best sports car, not just convertible, but best overall pure sports car you could buy new. So the next week I drove one and bought it.
p.s.
I have never understood the idea that the Boxster "is the Porsche I could afford".
If you can't afford a 911 buy an old 911! There are tons of old well maintained 911's in every color and power combination you can imagine. They don't handle as well as a Boxster or are as reliable but you can still buy a 911 if you don't have much money.
