[velorider]

Like the everwax said -- it all depends on the company. Roll up to a Miata club and you'll be the Exalted One in your 986 Boxster......but shop for a tshirt at the Ferrari dealership and you will be seen as the Errand Boy. From the perspective of "pure driving pleasure" there isn't really a price point -- I'll reference a well setup Miata in this regard. But -- and this is important -- from a "what's in YOUR wallet" perspective we know there is a pecking order and we're very very low. Does an Aston Martin drive better? Is the 911 a better car? What is "better" anyway? In high dollar clubs the cost IS the mark of a good car. People don't buy a Bentley because it drives well; they buy it because they CAN and not worry about the cost.

And it is precisely those circles (in addition to Camaro owners as well, apparently) that the Boxster is poo'd as the Porsche you buy for your wife. We know Porsche holds the power back on purpose to protect their 911, and that alone should tell you the Boxster is imminently capable.

If you need the cool car to feel cool, then I suppose the Boxster is a risky choice based on this thread. I've certainly enjoyed owning many fun cars (M Roadster, street and track Miatas, S2000, TTS) but the 986 Boxster has a hook that I haven't found in others. No one else's opinion could change the feeling I have both owning and driving it, and along those same lines I can say that buying a car that costs 2/3/4x as much wouldn't necessarily offer the same feeling just because it is more expensive. My approach to car buying has always been to find what I like, rather than buy what I think will impress other people. We all know that's not the case for everyone -- which is fine, I can respect another approach to car buying -- but that's where I stand.