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As someone who is in the process of selling their 05 STi I can attest to the level of quality and engineering Subaru has put into their driveline. Mine is lightly tuned and puts 320HP to the wheels and has been 100% reliable for 30k. The all wheel drive system is state of the art. The factory Brembos are the same calipers you get on an S or base 996. However, what is missing as compared to the Porsche (or generally any European sports car) experience is cache and overall build quality. I love driving my STi on the track, but it seriously annoys me when I drive it around town. The seats are horrible (they look like they're plucked from a race car but are uncomfortable and unsupportive), the interior build quality is definitly questionable, the lack of sound deadening and my loud exhaust get annoying, and every girl who smiles are you thinks you're a 17 year old high school kid with daddy's money. Obviously, I have none of these gripes with the Boxster. Is it as fast at the track. Nope. Is it so much a better driving experience everywhere else? Yup.
I am planning a 3.4 or 3.6 swap into my boxster when my factory 3.2 gets tired, and I would never ever consider putting a non Porsche motor into this car. 944, sure an LS1 is a great option, but I think that by the time you custom engineer a solution to put an EJ series motor into a Boxster its not really going to save you much money and you've just built a Frankenstein of a car.
Just my $.02. As always, your actual mileage may vary.
Patrick
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