Boxster Killer?

[Lux]

Looks like VW is going to produce their mid-engined roadster concept car for public consumption.

The intriguing thing is that they might put in a 3.6L 280hp V6 (think torque!). Or perhaps the 1.8L Turbo with it's vast aftermarket could be used.

It'll probably never compete with the Boxster buyer in real life as Porsche owners aren't exactly looking for 'bang-for-the-buck'. But it should have Boxster-like qualities at a price that's competitive with the Z4's, 350Z's, etc.

If Porsche keeps artificially holding back power for the Boxster, it'll be very difficult to justify.


http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=100879

[mrmickeymouse]

Wow pretty nice, man I will do a 180...

Oh well life goes on :>)

[bamaboxster]

I saw this car at the Detroit Auto Show last year.

VW has a long way to go with their customer service before I buy another one.

HMM, a 30K r32 which looks like a plain Golf, a $101,000 Phaeton (nice car - tough sell), 30-50K Touaregs (wannabe Cayenne), $27K Beetle Convertibles, TDIs with less fuel mileage than the previous year, no T5 Eurovan... I just don't think VW has a real grasp on the US market.

If they fail to market the Concept R like they botched the R32, Eurovan and the Phaeton it will also be a flop. These 4 vehicles are amazing, but the general public would never know it due to VW's weak advertising and promotion.

David

[QporscheQ]

I think you’re definitely correct in regards to price of the VWs. They are starting to get crazy. If they put the 6 in that R, the price could easily be in the $40K-$45K range, which would then drive it right out of the price range of most of the target audience. My "little" (22 years old) sister and all her friends who are currently driving the VW Cabrio are dying for this car to come out because they think its the new Cabbie, however I don’t think any of them at the moment can throw down $45K for a car.

Is it just me or is this car just a total Boxster rip-off? Most of the other recent roadsters and ect.. have at least tried to disguise themselves (think 350Z, SLK, S2000) but I bet if you took off the badges and started telling people it was the new Boxster, some people would believe you.

[BAYTRAN7]

I'd definately buy one of those if they were in the 30's range, I have a 95 passat that has been bulletproof since i've owned it and it's still going strong. My 98 boxster on the other hand has given me a few problems but nothing major.

Wheel bearings
Passenger window that makes a grinding noise when going down (still not fixed yet, anyone have any ideas?)
top that screws up when closing every now and then (won't line up)

otherwise i guess the boxster's fun factor is what we all pay for...

p.s. i like the boxster more then the passat....

[dennizxxx]

i kinda like the volkswagen W-12...but at what price!!!!

[Ad Sach]

Originally posted by QporscheQ

Is it just me or is this car just a total Boxster rip-off? Most of the other recent roadsters and ect.. have at least tried to disguise themselves (think 350Z, SLK, S2000) but I bet if you took off the badges and started telling people it was the new Boxster, some people would believe you.

Looks more like an Audi TT ripoff to me -

Parked next to a boxster this is the chubby girl at the dance.

[sTTevo]

Originally posted by Ad Sach
Looks more like an Audi TT ripoff to me

I don't think it looks like a TT rip-off.. what DOES look like a CHEAP AND NASTY (and I couldn't bold that more) rip-off of the TT is the Daihatsu Copen:


As for the VW I think it looks gorgeous, but still, the Boxster is a timeless classic IMHO. The VW looks like a car that might have troubles with the test of time. A bit like the Audi TT, or the Lexus SC340... they are dating fast, while the Boxster looks just as good as it did 7 years ago

[RandallNeighbour]

"oooh, I want to grow up and own a Volkswagen"

Nope! Can't imagine any little boy I know saying that!

Other car companies can produce whatever they like. It can be faster, get better mileage, and be a fraction of the price as well, but the "oooh" value of owning a Porsche is simply not found elsewhere.

We have nothing to be concerned about.

[Richard Truss]

to me, this car seems like a complete diversion from VW's market -- where are their other "true" sports cars ....ever? They make some cars with sportiness built in, but this car, to me, makes about as much sense as buick developing a mid engine roadster out-of-the-blue. Regardless of how nice it is, it would be a bitter pill to swallow.

VW builds "cute" cars.... they always have (bug, ghia, microbus, rabbit, golf, new beetle, etc). This car is abandoning cute and trying to hold on to sexy -- and unfortunately porsche has a patent on it.

i have been told that porsche "de tune" the boxster as so it doesnt compete with the 996 sales. They wont ever race the boxster as if it races well they will see a drop in 996 sales..

if porsche wanted to they could really make the boxster a hell of alot quicker.. but at the end of the day no matter what the power issue is the thing that the boxster will always have compared to other rivals is a porsche logo and exellent re-sale value.

it wasnt that long ago in january 03 when the tv show "topgear" says ..

stuff investing money in the bank, buy a boxster, enjoy it.. then when you want to, cash it in and get just as much..

[Lux]

Originally posted by porsche986
...at the end of the day no matter what the power issue is the thing that the boxster will always have compared to other rivals is a porsche logo and exellent re-sale value.

Excellent resale? Maybe in Italy...but in the US depreciation is not exactly stellar.

The Porsche logo only goes so far. Sooner or later the competition catches up. Many great cars have fallen by the wayside, both from Porsche and other makers due to competition and/or lack of interest.

How's the 997 doing? Looking on ebay, there are cars going for less than msrp and completed listings that never met reserve. Usually, new models of enthusiast cars go for way over sticker. I've seen a few 996 owners jump ship over to the new C6 Corvette. If the new Boxster doesn't garner enough interest, guess what's going to happen?

I don't want to be too critical of the Boxster but I would like to see it evolve and last for more than a couple of model generations.

[Subanez]

I wonder about that whole "The boxster would take sales from the 996/997" thing. I mean, they are different cars, even considering the cabrio version of the 996. Though essentially we all buy the cars for the driving pleasure, the 996 is more practical in some small aspects, while the Boxster is a true roadster, as they say. And if Porsche wants to keep up that stigma of having created the "true roadster," they need to back it up. Even if the Boxster had another 100 horsepower, I'm sure there would still be people that buy the 911 for the fact that its a 911, and there would be people that buy the Boxster for their own reasons.

There shouldn't have to be a market for upgrading the engines in the Boxster...its sad! Porsche is walking a very fine line when their SUV can accelerate faster than their claimed "true enthusiast roadster."

I guess we ought to look at the corporate mission, and see if we're blowing smoke, which I fear we are. I think the downfall of the Porsche marque might be the coupe version of the Boxster. Personally, I think that's going too far, and will truly make the boxster the "poor man's porsche" in the eyes of the public, and will make it the bastard son of the 997.

(don't worry, I love my boxster to death, I'm only providing fuel for discussion!!!)

good points....

when i posted that i was speaking from a uk point of view, they hold good value here...

i also agree porsche need to do something fast as the boxster has seen porsche safe into the 20th century but what about the future?

[Pilot2519j]

Is this a choice a VW or Porsche? I don't think so!

[saphriel]

The dash is chrome!


whilst driving on a sunny day (w/ top down)....
"Oh My Goddess! I can't see! I can't see! "

***CRASH!***

[scubaguy10]

As a long time Porsche admirer, and recent Boxster owner, I have a few observations. I love my 97 Boxster, it's the best looking, best handling roadster out there, but in the current hypercompetitive market, I would hesitate to purchase one new. The Honda S2000 is probably an equally good car, compard to a 2004 Box, but it costs about $9,000 less. In SCCA class B Stock autocross, there are about 10-12 S2000s to every Boxster, and the Hondas have won the nationals for the last 3 years. Given, that's a rather specialized test, but still relevant.

Likewise, the 350Z costs about $36,000, and has 287 HP! It may have cheap, nasty interior, problems with front tire wear and some other shortcomings, but it's clearly more bang for the buck. If Porsche hopes to compete with the Japs and the other competition, they need to recognize the moving nature of the target, and the fact that the Boxster (without the cachet of the 911) needs to be price competitive.

[QporscheQ]

In terms of "just" price, Porsche should be more expensive if for no other reason than production numbers. Worldwide Porsche sales (all models) this year will be in the tens of thousands range (approx half Cayennes too) while Honda and Nissan sales will be in the millions. So does it really surprise you that there is a 10:1 S2K to Boxster ratio at SCCA? Your Boxster has a lot more Porsche overhead money in it then some guy's Honda or Nissan, its also far better looking

One of the things that I really like about my Boxster is that in terms of the automotive world there really aren’t all that many of them (or us owners). I don’t want a car that everybody else has; I don’t want to blend in. If I wanted a "bang-for-the-buck" car instead of my car I would have purchased a Corvette Z06, which actually had an identical sticker price to my Boxster. I just don’t think I would have enjoyed the 'Vet nearly as much. I drive a Pontiac Firebird as my everyday driver and I looked at the 'Vet then looked at my 'bird and thought, man its basically the same car with some fancy crap bolted on. However, the Z06 does have a heads-up-display.

[CA_Boxster]

Does anyone remember when the Boxster was introduced and it was supposed to be the $30,000 Porsche to pull in a new generation? I think the fact that it's been so popular while pushing its way to $50-$60,000 is pretty good testament to the value and quality of a Porsche.

It's definitely a relative value to buy one used now, though. Less than $30,000 gets you a good selection of 2000-2001 2.7 Boxsters with 30k or fewer miles. They don't depreciate much from that point, though. New cars like the 350Z and S2000, even with more HP or other features, are still shopped against USED Boxsters - not new ones. The Porsche is still what people prefer.

[sTTevo]

Originally posted by CA_Boxster
New cars like the 350Z and S2000, even with more HP or other features, are still shopped against USED Boxsters - not new ones.

This is so true. A colleague of mine purchased a 350Z after shopping around for quite some time. He's ALWAYS wanted a Porsche but couldn't stretch his budget. When I got my 6 year old Boxster we went for a drive and he was kicking himself he didn't save and stretch that little bit more - even though his car was brand-spanking new