Took Delivery of a 2008 Boxster S
 

I took delivery of my 2008 Boxster S yesterday. I had a 2006 Boxster S and later sold it for a Lotus Elise. I regretted giving up the Boxster and now I am back. Some of the highlights of the equipment are: PASM, Sport Chrono, Short Shift, and Sport Exhaust... took delivery 5 months after order, and well worth the wait. So very happy to be back behind the wheel of a Porsche.
vincesf

Beautiful car with all the right options!

What things made you switch from the Elise to the Boxster?

I had a down payment down on an Elise before I bought my boxster. The Lotus dealer was a real scumbag and played every game imaginable and I got fed up. Bought a used boxster S and never looked back but I always wondered what it would have been like with the Lotus.

Wow that's nice. Congratulations on a new member of the family.

Whoa someone ditching an Elise for a 987? That's a first that I've heard of. Please post why you ditched the Elise.

Nice new ride!

:cheers:

Very nice! Congrats and welcome back! :cheers:

I love that color combination! Enjoy that ride! :cheers:

First of all thank you for the congratulatory posts, and I have always enjoyed reading the posts of others who have just picked up their Boxster, and how they felt about their new acquisition. For those interested in hearing why I sold my Lotus Elise to get back into a Boxster, here is my story. In 2006 I purchased a new Lotus Elise (Ardent red with tan leather, pictured below). The first 15 minutes in the car, it was an absolute kick, very much like driving a go-kart. I picked up the car in Newport Beach and drove it home to the Bay Area (400 miles). By the time I got home, I was wondering what the heck I had done. I just paid $54,000, for a car that felt one small step up from a kit car. Mind you I just sold a 2006 Boxster S, that did everything so perfectly, I just took it for granted, and thought I would go a notch up for an even purer driving experience with the Lotus Elise. What I found was a car that annoyed the heck out of me everytime I crashed over a bump, I thought the driver or passenger window was going to crack. The shifter felt as if it was going to come off in my hands and just had a very flimsy feel to it. The steering wheel also felt flimsy and had a bit too much flex for my liking. Yes, the car was a kick to drive on the track and on the street, and people would just stop in their tracks and stare at you when you went by, but I just missed the feeling that the Boxster was the complete package to me. The optional $1,400.00 Elise convertible hardtop panel took almost 20 minutes to unscrew and remove and was such a hassle to take off that I loathed putting it back on, and never used it again. Fortunately the Elise also came with a soft top, and that only took about 5 minutes to put two brackets in place and roll out and stretch into place. In contrast the Boxster's convertible top operation is first-rate, and I feel that I am riding in a true convertible rather than a car with a T-top. The Elise's trunk lid had just a flimsy (there's that word again), metal pole to hold it up. In fact, if you opened the trunk too far, there was nothing to stop the trunk lid from crashing onto the C-Pillars and scratch paint. The radio had the worst reception of any car I ever had the pleasure to own. The dealer was of no help and said that because the frame was aluminum it was not optimal for grounding the radio antenna. I could go on, and some will say that I am totally missing the point of what the Lotus is about, but let's just sum it up to say that I am much happier to be driving the Boxster again. Lastly, some have said that I should have waited for the face-lift and direct fuel injection (I have mixed feelings on the planned styling changes), and was not willing to wait for direct fuel injection. I'll wait until Porsche perfects dfi and possibly the paddle-shifter in year 2 or 3 of the facelift, or in the 988. One thing is certain, my biggest regret is that I missed out on almost 2 years of Boxster enjoyment, I didn't want to make it 3 years.
vincesf

vince,

GL with the new ride and thanks for the Elise summary. Very insightful.

Same here! Most people I know (such as myself) switch from 987s to Elises and never look back!



Good choice and congrats :) Can't wait to be in another Porsche myself.

Lucky you - congrats! I ordered my Red/Black Boxster S on Nov. 5 and hope to have it in a month or so (Jan. build). And I'm like you - why keep waiting for something new...you'll wind up dying before you ever get the enjoyment!

Lotus cars should have a big, bright disclaimer on them that says, "THIS CAR IS NOT FOR EVERYONE." You're not the only one who buys an Elise or Exige and then sells it after a short while.



I'm glad you're happy :D

WOW..is the word! Congrats vince and glad you survive the waiting game :D

Hopefully we get to see you in one of the Bay Area Boxster Owner Local gatherings w/c happens once a month but on winter, I hibernate :D

BTW, Gerry is the name!


BV,
Glad to see you back in the forum, how's life treating you now and did you ever find a good car wash station...hehehehehehe!

Congratulations! That Guards Red/Tan combo is my favorite. My next Porsche will have those colors.

Nice options, too.

if the Elise weren't so expensive I would have bought one... even if it was just for a year. The car is designed to be paper clip heavy thus it will have the feel of a paper clip in many aspects. Too bad there isn't a willing large car builder that can afford to build an ultra light weight sports car for a small price tag. It would be worth the publicity alone and who knows it might be a commerical success like the Miata. I just couldn't get my head around $50K for a Toyota 1.8 engine.

There is! They are called PORSCHE & the car IS THE BOXSTER....ha ha. Sorry couldn't help myself. :p

thanks for the insight on the Elise. Your new S is BEAUTIFUL.

x100 on the nice colors and options. Very nice indeed.

I'm with you. I love the Elise, but it's just too much for a simple car with that little Toyota power plant.

Bob Z.:
I agree, as I was already 2 years without the car I really wanted. Everytime I saw a Boxster go down the road, I was kicking myself, and regretted ever selling my '06. It was painful waiting 5 months for delivery of my car, as 3 Porsche dealerships in the Bay Area refused to take my order for a Boxster S, and Carlen Porsche had a slot available for a November order on a December build. I would have gladly purchased the Limited Edition, which quite frankly is a much better deal, but I had to have guards red. I find with red, either people really like it, or dislike it, and of course I fall into the former rather than latter category. The choice of sand interior was a tough one. Black is classic and will hold up better, but I thought the sand interior looked sharp as well (see pic attached). What is not in the picture are the black Porsche floor mats that I substituted for the sand floor mats, and put in storage. Black mats will be a bit more bearable to maintain and go well with the other black pieces in the interior, as you can see with the interior picture of my former '06 Boxster S (bottom picture). I went with the aluminum center console to spice up the interior, which I believe the RS 60 will have as well. In short, it was what I wanted, and I really like the number of opportunities that Porsche gives you in personalizing your car. Albeit expensive options, but nevertheless options.
vincesf

Vince-

Love the options list you picked.

My wife and I drove the Elise before buying our Boxster and I love the go kart feel, etc.

The killer for me on the deal was when the lotus sales guy returned with my wife driving the car. He was about my size (maybe a little smaller in height- 6'1-220lbs.) and he looked HUGE in the car.

I'm thinking I would look like the man with the shrunken car going down the road.

Enjoy the 987S

"Hopefully we get to see you in one of the Bay Area Boxster Owner Local gatherings w/c happens once a month but on winter, I hibernate :D

BTW, Gerry is the name!"

Gerry:
I look forward to participating in the Bay Area Boxster Owner Local gatherings.

Thanks,
vincesf

Great car!
 

That red boxster is something else!!

I often wondered about getting a Lotus. I was thinking about that "pure" sports car deal.

After your experience, it makes me glad to have my 987.


Jason

Congrats on a great purchase.

I wondered why your recent posts were sans pic. You always had super sharp pics with outstanding backgrounds. Looking forward to your new sig. :dance:

Vincesf, very nice! Congrats!

Guards Red/Tan is my favorite color. I briefly looked at Lotus also... great pedigree. It looks like such an adrenalin rush for about 20 min. at the track and then...you gotta drive home in it. Even though my Box is a weekend toy I still wanted modern creature comforts for tooling around town. I like your reasoning. Enjoy!

Congrats vincesf, and thanks for the "why did I make the switch" writeup. I have always wondered about the Elise, but don't think I will wonder anymore :)

Enjoy your new ride. :cheers:

Thanks for noticing, as the scenic pictures were of my 2006 Boxster S. I look forward to the weather improving so I can go out an take some shots of the new car, as all I have are my delivery shots.
vincesf

Nice car, I love the color combo, very classy. I also agree with you, I test drove an Elise and it was a pain to just get in the car and I felt very insignificant in the car. It handled great, and all that, but if you drove the car for more than an hour I can see it really taking a toll on your body comfort. Welcome back to the P family. :cheers:

So much dislike for the Lotus... :p I find it very comfortable at 6'2" and 260 lbs. I'll stop there lest I be flamed for offering a different perspective.

At most you should weight about 225-230. I'll stop there lest I be flamed for offering a different perspective. :p

Please understand that the Lotus is a great car in its own right. I ultimately did enjoy the car very much. I was just sharing my thoughts in comparison to the Boxster, as I am always hearing the Porsche defection to Lotus. What is a shame is that I see Lotus's being resold with less than 1,000 miles on the odometer, as many people don't understand the car. I had a love to hate to love relationship with the car, and some probably sell their Lotus prematurely before being able to fully appreciate it. Had I never owned my'06 Boxster, I may have remained content with the Lotus. My other major complaint is that the price point is too high, and getting higher, as I priced an '08 Elise SC with the 220 hp supercharged engine, and was at $64,000 equipped the way I would want it? And even with a supercharger, I felt that it still would never replace the '06 Porsche I gave up. My suggestion for those that want to experience and own a Lotus is to buy a good used '05 or '06 in the low $30,000 range, but beware, it might not be all that you thought it would be.
vincesf

As I said below we originally were going for the Lotus and had it not been for the shady dealer I would probably be on the Lotus forum now. But the problem I had is that it seemed that the Boxster would be a much better car to "live with everyday" as Jeremy Clarkson would say. Plus the one we were looking at had the sport package and had a darn harsh ride for daily driving. Another factor is that I don't think my wife would enjoy, or look dignified, in getting in and out of it.

I agree it's a great car and fun to drive but as many have said, "I just need more". Also the reliability is somewhat subject when looking at all the surveys, owners experiences, etc. But that is just my subjective impression and I haven't owned one so I can't say.

I really appreciate you sharing your experiences vincesf, it's important for folks that are looking at a boxster and are considering cars in a similar market. We also drove the Merc 350 SLK and it is a nice car too but MB's reliability reputation lately scared me away.

you're funny.

Yeah, I know. Poor Lotus :(

Vincesf, I love your new Boxster. Great color, great interior color. I am thinking about buying a Cayman in those colors. However I may go with a Boxster.

Norm

Thank you. You can't go wrong with either a Cayman or a Boxster, but see if you can test-drive both cars so you can choose the best car for you.
vincesf

Well, it's been one week since I have taken delivery on my car, and I am thoroughly amazed at how beautifully built this car is. After taking delivery of my Lotus Elise in '06, I stopped looking for flaws, as it was too depressing. My '07 Honda S2000 was put together very nicely and made the Lotus look like it was a kit car; however, the Porsche tops them all for quality.
vincesf

Congrats! It's beautiful. My Boxster is schedule to be built Feb. 11.

Perfect, you'll have it by Spring.
Vincesf

Congrats!

Your car looks great and I think you have the perfect color combo.....but then I might be somewhat biased..... :)