boxster or tt... which would you choose - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

rick3000 · 10-02-2008, 05:35 PM

Just for the record, you can drive a Porsche in snow just fine. I did all last year with no problems, even in snow storms. Good snow tires are better than an AWD system, but the AWD can help.

Quickurt · 10-02-2008, 05:47 PM

My best customer's wife has a first gen, I think third year TT coupe. Drove it to Road Atlanta last year while I was looking at boxsters. No comparison, to me.
I didn't like the seats or the seating position. I disagree with "newer" interior design, but that is opinion, I didn't like it. I'm not all that tall (6'0"0), but while it feels as if there is alot of headroom, I felt like I was almost crouching down because the windsheild felt low at the top. I say feel, or felt, because I really think it was some sort of illusion, not real. The chassis isn't in the same city, let alone ballpark, and if felt unresponsive on initial turn in which turned to annoying understeer. In all fairness, this car needed new tires all around. The torgue of the TT left alot to be desired, especially compared to 987 S. Brakes were okay, but as an entire package, I didn't come home thinking about a TT instead of a box.
I re-read this and noticed I didn't mention the 6 spd. transmission. It was, well......unremarkable. Gear ratios were kinda weird, like they couldn't decide if they wanted it to be close ratio or good mileage and the shift linkage felt like my wife's old 87 Jetta.

Samson · 10-02-2008, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick3000

Just for the record, you can drive a Porsche in snow just fine. I did all last year with no problems, even in snow storms. Good snow tires are better than an AWD system, but the AWD can help.

This is true. I should have clarified - Quattro makes it go better in the snow, all else equal. And yes, drive wheels are much less important than tires when it comes to snow... stopping and to a certain extent turning are things that AWD can't help.

Lil bastard · 10-02-2008, 08:58 PM

A 986 vs a new gen TT Cab w/ DSG... that would be a tough choice.

kabel · 10-03-2008, 06:37 AM

I have no real-world experience with the TT, I have always liked the shape of the tt but my armchair analysis says the boxster is the best (fun) choice.

Samson · 10-03-2008, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

A 986 vs a new gen TT Cab w/ DSG... that would be a tough choice.

I test drove a 2.0t DSG FWD TT a few months ago, and while it is a much better car than the first generation, it still isn't up to the Boxster level of fun. My main annoyances were the sensation of sitting in a bathtub and the fart-like noise of the exhaust on every lightning-fast upshift. The handling is much improved, and can even be described as fun, but it's not the same.

blue2000s · 10-03-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick3000

Just for the record, you can drive a Porsche in snow just fine. I did all last year with no problems, even in snow storms. Good snow tires are better than an AWD system, but the AWD can help.

I used to tell people that too before I got an all wheel drive car. There's no comparison. You can get by with a RWD car with the right tires in the snow. You can really enjoy driving in the snow with the right tires with an AWD car.

..and then I bought another AWD car, and then I bought ANOTHER AWD car.

rick3000 · 10-03-2008, 11:16 AM

I've driven my dad's 4x4 Jeep in the same snowy conditions as the Boxster. I'll admit that the 4x4/AWD helps, but I actually felt safer in the Boxster because it doesn't lean as much in curves, and has a similar amount of traction.
But it doesn't matter what drive system you have when you hit a patch of ice at 40mph in a curve, which I did in the Boxster and recovered from very well because once it gained grip I was able to maneuver quickly back into my lane.

blue2000s · 10-03-2008, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick3000

I've driven my dad's 4x4 Jeep in the same snowy conditions as the Boxster. I'll admit that the 4x4/AWD helps, but I actually felt safer in the Boxster because it doesn't lean as much in curves, and has a similar amount of traction.
But it doesn't matter what drive system you have when you hit a patch of ice at 40mph in a curve, which I did in the Boxster and recovered from very well because once it gained grip I was able to maneuver quickly back into my lane.

You're talking about two different things. Handling and traction.

Jeeps have traction with their high weight and ground clearance. I've been riding along in Jeeps driving through snow that I would have thought impossible to get through. However, they cannot handle worth a damn. They're numb, crude, and physically challenged. You have no idea what's going on underneath you beyond what you can see from the windshield. Even the little Jeep sucks. I don't understand why people drive those stupid things all year round, or any SUV for that matter. But back to the subject.

The Boxster just oozes with chassis feedback, it gives you confidence in it's handling abilities, which on dry roads is very high. Even when it's slippery out, you know what's going on with the ends of the car almost before anything happens. After living with the car for a while, you can predict how it will behave in certain situations and you will know what to do when the situations come up. This man/machine coordination is a thing of beauty. All this makes it more confidence inspiring when you are in conditions where traction is low, but make no mistake, it has less traction than the Jeep.

Now combine the two, put AWD in a 3000 pound car that on dry roads can tell you what the chassis is doing and that you can feel like you can control. Something that doesn't feel like your driving a 10 story building ready to tip over. A car that communicates and has AWD will have a combination of traction and feedback that you can't get in a RWD or FWD car or a Jeep. The chassis may not be as easy to rotate as the Boxster, but it's a world away from the Jeep. You can drive up slippery inclines, move from a dead stop without spinning the tires and loosing steering control, and maintain control in an emergency situation much better.

I spent several years driving a RWD Mazda Rx-7 in the winter. I'd switch to snow tires when it would snow and I could get around pretty easily, but still had to be careful of understeer/oversteer transitions and there were some places that I just couldn't go. Then I switched to a FWD sports coupe and left the sports car in storage during the winter. Less oversteer was nice to have and the car only weighed 2600 pounds, so it was pretty fun to drive in the winter, but as soon as I bought my first Impreza, I knew I wouldn't buy anything other than an AWD car for winter driving.

As I've mentioned before, there's no way I'd buy an Audi or VW as a daily driver, from my past experience they are very expensive to maintain, especially once the value of the car gets into the "I don't want to fix that" range. Things go south fast. But as far as AWD vs RWD in the snow, there's no comparison.

djomlas · 10-03-2008, 11:44 AM

after getting a bike, i use my box as a winter car lol
soooo wrong, but o well.
drove 2 winters so far and no problems, as long as u have right tires (and i dont even have right tires, well i have all seasons, but they are good)

rick3000 · 10-03-2008, 01:34 PM

I completely get the traction vs. handling debate. The thing with a Boxster in snow (with snow tires), it that does fine for daily use. In the daily winter driving conditions you'll face in most of the US your going to face 1-2" of snow, mostly plowed roads, and the occasional storm.
The Boxster does just fine in those conditions. Now if you want to go driving in 4+" of unplowed snow you need a Jeep. It may not be as good as an AWD car but in most conditions you'll be just fine, especially because of the low center of gravity and 50/50 balance.

Just take a look at these two pictures:

bmx672 · 10-03-2008, 09:23 PM

I have a modified A4 as a DD with a set of winter tires. The A4 by far is the most unbelievable car in the snow. I've had it for 9 years now! 190k flawless miles. The Box gets stored in the winter as soon as the winter wheels go on the A4. I love Porsches, but for winter weather the Audi Quattro gets my vote. In dry or summer conditions the Box is hands down the choice over the TT. My good friend has the TT... and I can tell you that the Box is much more of a true sports car.