Reviews, Comparisons and Flying Low

[rkwei]

We invite you to tell your story of why you love your Porsche, and compare it to other performance cars that you've driven (or driven against!).

Please include your model (e.g. Boxster S) in the title of your post.

R

[Jeannot]

Ok, let me try this.
I love my Porsche because:
- it is PRECISE. handling. braking. response. It does what I want. Nothing else. Nothing more.
- it is beautiful. these curves...mamma mia !!!
- it is reliable and a daily driver
- people will still turn they head around in 20 years
- 987 made the boxster a classic
- it's a flat 6 !!!!!
- the engine sound comes from back
- ...and because i am fan of the brand from childhood...
I also drove: (the ones worth mentionning)
- Audi TT quattro 225hp
Nice but behaves like front wheel drive, and small 4 cylinders with poor noise
- Honda S2000
No torque, no pleasant for daily driver, misses 2 cylinders...and is going to be recycled in something else in 20 years
- BMW M3 SMGII
Fantastic gearbox. Perfect all-year, everywhere, love it.
- of course other Porsches, but do they count ? :-)


What I do not like with Porsche however:
- cayenne looks ugly
- no sequential gearbox available. their tiptro is a joke.

[Brucelee]

Perfect handling, mystique of the Porsche marque, and man, it just is a tactile blast!

[RandallNeighbour]

I love my 1997 boxster for the following reasons:

1. It has no rear badge and unique rims ... which causes people (usually folks that are at least 50 or older) to come up to me at gas stations or rest stops and ask "what kind of car is that?" Looks just like a Porsche to me, but apparently, lots of older (no offense to you 50+ readers!) people have not seen one up close and personal.

2. I've updated my interior to a 2002 5 speed shifter and now a 3 spoke wheel, which makes the car look very current.

3. The car is incredibly "cat and mouse" like in light traffic. I can zoom around others and take advantage of the sprint-like responsiveness if I remember to keep it in a lower gear.

4. I drove my Boxster 300 miles this last weekend, and did not get out and say "my back hurts." My '90 Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo and my '86 Toyota MR2 were both really hard on my back.

5. I've dreamed of Porsche ownership since I was 8 years old, and now I own one. I often open my garage door, see the Boxster and think, "I can't believe I own that car."

6. Ditto on the mid engine and flat 6 comment prior to my post. I have never driven or owned such a balanced sports car that is predictable and fast. Even my smallish 2.5 liter engine is quite strong compared to the light weight of the car overall.

[YellowJacket]

I have a 1997 with 40k miles.

There is nothing obvious about my car that I can say makes it perfect. It's fast, but not that fast. It handles well, but so did my highly modified 325i. It looks fantastic, but even American automakers are starting to make cars that look good. What makes this car perfect is that everytime I get in my car, it makes me smile. It just feels right -- no more, no less. I knew I liked it when I bought it, but now that I've driven it a while and I go to ride in friends' cars, I realize how the Boxster has grown on me even more, and I have no desire to have anything else.

I think it says a lot that my dream car (other than something fairly unattainable such as a CGT or 550) is an 04 Boxster S, which in the grand scheme, is not too far off from what I'm driving now.

The only downside is that at 22 years old, I have a lot of cars left to buy, and there's not a lot of room for improvement. So it's scary to think what I might be driving when I'm 40 or 50. :-)

[jiggysubman]

The 986 is timeless:
-7 year old body that still isn't outdated
-cat-like reflexes
-everyone wants to race me off the line at lights....i let them go, let them wonder...then wait for that curve to catch up
-I'm 20, and the older guys at work all go "You drive a Porsche? Damn!" Envy, hate to say it, but its nice
-I remember the first time I saw a 911, I was 9. I was in downtown Chicago and one drove past...I knew then that I was going to obsessed.
-Ever just look at your car and say "wow, that is a really beautiful car"

[Pilot2519j]

Originally Posted by YellowJacket

I have a 1997 with 40k miles.
The only downside is that at 22 years old, I have a lot of cars left to buy, and there's not a lot of room for improvement. So it's scary to think what I might be driving when I'm 40 or 50. :-)

Dam I should feel angry at your statement about the "old folk" but I am 56 and waited until I was 55 to buy my first Porsche 2003 Boxster S. I always bought the practical car as my father had saddled me with that thought. If it wasn't for my wife I would not have this car today. I originally looked at the Audi S-4 and M-3 when my wife said to me why don't you look at the Porsches that you have always longed? I love the car , Boxster S and it is a machine and an experience that keeps multiplying every day. I use it as a daily driver and people are shocked about that! In NY in the winter Oh my god!. I simply answer I bought to be used not to sit in a garage and collect dust.
So young man just think of me when you get old and still driving my Porsche and your scary thoughts should disappear. Just buckle up and enjoy the ride.

[Brucelee]

I am 55, drive motorcycles and Porsches and work out 5 days a week. No ready for the boneyard yet!

[aglsteven]

Why I love my boxster?
There are too many reasons, but....

It makes me smile every time I drive it. You can't beat driving to work in the morning with the hood down!

It handles beautifully, all the time!

I saved every penny for two years before I got mine. I'm now saving for the replacement in two years time. Will it be another Boxster or a 911 cab? Who knows. One things I do know, it will definitely be a Porsche!

My colleagues at work all ask me about it, where I got it from, how much it cost and how I like it. They are always amazed when I tell them it is 6 years old already, and how reasonably priced it was. They all want one.

I'm addicted to it!

[Brucelee]

"My colleagues at work all ask me about it, where I got it from, how much it cost and how I like it. They are always amazed when I tell them it is 6 years old already, and how reasonably priced it was. They all want one.

I'm addicted to it!"

This is one of the cooler things about the Box. If you keep it pristine, the 97 looks like the 04 to most folks. Add some 18" wheels and you are off to the Country Club in a 20G car.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[PasadenaBoxster]

Let me give this a try.

I love my Boxster because:

1) The handling is absolutely amazing. It handles so well, I can now honestly say that I know what people mean when they talk about the car being an extension of the driver. No other car has given me that feeling.

2) I love twisties! Exhilarating is the only word that I could find to describe the feeling of blasting around corners in this car.

3) It's a Porsche. As has been said many times there is a certain aura of mystique that surrounds Porsche. In LA you seen tons of BMW's or Mercedes on the roads, so much so they stop catching your eye. But a Porsche will still turn heads.

Compared to:

BMW Z4: My father has an 03 Z4, and while it's a great car in it's own right it just can't measure up. The steering is not nearly as tight or responsive as the Boxster, nor is the handling through the twisties. Also, I don't feel like part of the car while driving it. It's fun to drive, it's just not "exhilarating".

[IceBox]

...Because it is everything a sports car is meant to be and nothing a sports car is NOT meant to be...
It is:
A two seat drop-top, the essential component of the Sports Car.

The most pure expression of the 'Modern Sports Car' since the introduction of the Miata, itself a pure blood in it's own right.

A true Porsche in every sense of the word, and attached to all that heritage.

Beautiful; near flawless design

Powerful enough, even in base model to constantly deliver fun and excitement while offering a daily driver that forces you to make zero comprimises.

Track-bred. Try one out on your local raccing complex and you'll see what I mean. Those who have already know.

Fits me like it was made for me alone. The interior layout simply enfolds you and mates you to the machine

It is NOT:
A truck
A four door
All show and no go
Ugly
Harsh
A compromising design
Fragile
Flimsy
Cheap
Goofy-looking
Overly Gadgetized
Overly complicated
Cost-prohibitive for a good cross-section of enthusiasts
Parked in someone else's drive-way :dance:

[QporscheQ]

Ill just stick with comparisons to other cars, since everyone has already said what is so great about the car


Cars I've driven (recently)

2005 Corvette -- Tons of power, okay handling, okay styling, problem was it only felt like a fast version of my '95 Firebird. I was less than blown away.

2005 GTO -- Sounded awesome, drove like a total piece of junk and looks stupid

2005 Pontiac G6 -- I included this because I thought it kicked the pants out of the GTO. Kind of strange.


Cars I've ridden in or driven against recently:

2004 MB SLK32AMG -- crazy HP in a small car. Completely destroys my Box off the line (it has the auto tranny that does everything for you), however I start to reel him back in when the speeds go up and the road starts to twist. I’m not crazy about the styling.

2004 WRX -- some how I completely obliterated a friend in his WRX off the line the other day. I’m still trying to figure this one out. I don’t think he had the turbo spooled in time and the lag killed him. My back tires cleared his front bumper before we went under the traffic light. I actually really like this car. It has some sedan usefulness, all wheel drive and is still pretty quick.

2004 RX8 -- I actually love this car. A friend bought one and every time I ride in it I think I like the car more. The back seat is more then large enough for an adult.

1968 GTO -- in a straight line no competition. However any turning of the wheel and he is done for.



The Boxster is by far the best looking car of the lot. In my opinion it drives better than any of them too. The Boxster is just everything a sports car / roadster should be. Its tough to beat.

[Perfectlap]

One word:

THROTTLE RESPONSE

ok maybe two...

The S puts down %85 of its torque by 2000 RPM's.
That's just plain nasty.

the other day I had to drive a Toyota Corolla which I hadn't driven since buying the BoxsterS. Wow I thought the Toyo was broken. SOmetime you need to drive a tin can with now power, handling or steering to fully appreciate what Stuggart has engineered.

[YellowJacket]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

SOmetime you need to drive a tin can with now power, handling or steering to fully appreciate what Stuggart has engineered.

OR a Z4. A buddy just bought one, and convinced me to take a test drive. Took out a 2005 Z4 3.0 w/ 6-speed. My thoughts:

Sounds dead. Same dull drone through the entire RPM range. They took the "if it's loud, it'll sound sporty" approach. The opposite is our Boxsters, where there's a nice high whine at low RPM that slowly changes into an all-out growl under WOT at about 3-4krpm on up.

Road feel sucks. In my Box, I feel like I'm driving a go-cart. In the Z4 I felt like I was driving a loud Buick. Even though it handles well, it had that disconnected feeling.

STEERING!!!! Can't stress this enough. I can dart in and out of traffic, handle crazy twisty roads, etc, etc. In the Z4, it felt like a truck. I felt like I was out of control. The car had a mind of it's own and felt skittish.

Seating position. I'm a small dude (5'10, 150lbs), and the Box fits me like a glove. Even at 5'10, I felt like I was looking over the windshield in the Z4. This is in addition to the fact that I could NOT find a comfy seating position and the lack of bolster on the seat allowed me to go flying all over the seat every time I hit a curve.

Verdict: BMW did a great job at making a roadster that even Mazda and Toyota would laugh at, despite costing twice as much as a Miata or MR2 Spyder.

[PasadenaBoxster]

And that hump on the Z4's hood is just fricken annoying!

[Perfectlap]

wow that's too bad the Z4 is uderwhelming for the moolah.

I appreciate what BMW is doing style wise. They are determined to bring concepts to reality rather than just tweaking current designs like Mercedez and Volkwagon. I find most of the Mercs and VW's sterile and boring. Very star bucks yuppy like. Its easy to sit back and criticisize something like Z4 when no one else is taking design risks.

But performance wise, those wheel base configurations of the Z3 and Z4 and M coupes are very limiting if they are to compete with the mid engine Boxster.

[boxsterbaby]

First porsche 98 boxster. I'm like a kid at the candy store. Or needing a reason to drive there. My wife says you are driving where again? What a car, I hope it stays to-gether for me. I thought my friends 92 325beemer was fun, but it is no comparison. You're never too old for a porsche......

[PSP]

I've only had my 2001 for a few weeks. The Boxster is everything that the British sports cars were supposed to be, but with reliability thrown in. The gently used cars are the best value on the market right now.

Yellowjacket - there are many steps up from a Boxster, but most are going to require a serious investment. It's the best reason to work hard and be successful

[Sy Vee]

everthing Randall Neighbour said!! bout sums it up!!