Will the 987 Boxsters become classics?

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by Lordblood

...I think if anything the 986 will become classic for being the first serious "people's" sports car of the modern age...

Of course, there are probably some 300,000+ Miata owners who might disagree with you...

If you don't see it that way... you just don't get it.

Cheers!

[eightsandaces]

But Wait Lil B, what about the "limited edition"? hahaha just kiddin.

Boxsters were made in huge numbers but anyone who keeps one in phenomenal shape will always have a unique beautiful sports car.

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by eightsandaces

what about the "limited edition"? hahaha just kiddin.

I know you're pulling LB's chain. I have no false hope that I'm sitting on an orange gold mine. If you look at the price diff of an 04 550 vs a garden variety Box, there's a few $$$ prem but not that much. That's why I enjoy my Box vs leaving it covered up in the back of the garage.

Lordblood's point about the Mustang is interesting. But Porsche's are not mainstream enough to evoke the passion from Joe Average. If / when a Box becomes a museum piece, do you think the public will know the difference between an 04 550, an 08 LE, an 08 RS60, or the 11 Spyder vs any other Box? The models I just rolled off may become like a 65 Mustang with a 4bl 289 and the Pony option but from the outside most people couldn't tell them apart from a 6 cyl 3 spd. You could have a 6 cyl Mustang in a museum as easily as a hairy-chested one.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by eightsandaces

But Wait Lil B, what about the "limited edition"? hahaha just kiddin.

Boxsters were made in huge numbers but anyone who keeps one in phenomenal shape will always have a unique beautiful sports car.

Agreed.

Cheers!

[ekam]

987 will not be a classic because namely of the extra 200-300lb weight gain.

It's faster, more modern but lost some of its lines.

Just like when 360 Modena replaced the F355. F355 in my eyes will always be a classic, regardless of the numerous issues it has - expensive service/repair and likeliness of catching on fire. 5 valve per cylinder is sweet.

That being said, I do very much like the 2009+ 987.2...

[Jake Raby]

I'd not expect any modern day production car to become a classic..

[renzop]

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

I'd not expect any modern day production car to become a classic..

I disagree.

While I tend to think the popularization of the classic car hobby (think of Barret-Jackson on Speed) is a phenomenon that will lose its luster in a few more year, I think that cars are almost as important a part of the fantasy life of the average American male as it was 40 years ago.

As such, as that male grows old he will want to recapture his youth by reliving those fantasies. When that happens those 20-40 year old cars will become classics. How else can you explain the insane value of such cars as the 1958 Chevy Impala. It was not rare, it was not swooned over by magazines. It is and was not in any way beautiful (except in its bizarre grossness).

Of course that does not mean that any modern car is a good investment taken only as an investment.

[rick3000]

It's impossible to tell what will become a classic. More than likely older Boxsters will be worthless in a few years. To even be worth buying as a 'collectors item' you would have to keep it in mint condition for a few decades.

I would much rather enjoy my Boxster now, and not worry about what the car will be worth in the future. I have no intention of ever selling my Boxster and it will probably be worth far more to me when I'm older than to a car collector.

[mebiuspower]

Originally Posted by renzop

I disagree.

While I tend to think the popularization of the classic car hobby (think of Barret-Jackson on Speed) is a phenomenon that will lose its luster in a few more year, I think that cars are almost as important a part of the fantasy life of the average American male as it was 40 years ago.

As such, as that male grows old he will want to recapture his youth by reliving those fantasies. When that happens those 20-40 year old cars will become classics. How else can you explain the insane value of such cars as the 1958 Chevy Impala. It was not rare, it was not swooned over by magazines. It is and was not in any way beautiful (except in its bizarre grossness).

Of course that does not mean that any modern car is a good investment taken only as an investment.

Just like music, every generation thinks the next generation's music is total crap.

Baby boomers feeding the same crap back to their kids (ie. new beetle/mini).

There will always be "classics", whatever the next generation of cars/music/fashion is.

You can argue all gasoline cars will all become classic when we have flying cars.

[Lordblood]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

Of course, there are probably some 300,000+ Miata owners who might disagree with you...

If you don't see it that way... you just don't get it.

Cheers!

Oh shoot, totally forgot about the Miata! That just tells you how much I think about classics.

I actually don't think the Boxster will be known for anything, at least not outside the Porsche world. I think to Porsche owners, the 914 is classic, but ask anyone else and they wouldn't have a clue.

Really there are so many other similar cars out there now that it's become an everyday car. The Miata will be looked upon as the car that relaunched the roadster, the Audi TT will be known for its looks (I believe it caused quite a stir when it was first launched, I was about 6 so I wouldn't know...), maybe even the Z4 might become known for its looks as well.

Really the Boxster was created only to compete with the SLK and Z3.

[Quickurt]

Quite a few compared the Boxsters to 914s. I had three 914-4s, over the years, and one '70 - 914-6.
I wouldn't want to trade the sophistication of my 987S for any of them, but, then again, there's no such thing as tossing the 987 around the way you could "toss and catch" the 914-6.
When I started racing formula fords in the mid 70s, it was just a nice big step ahead of tossing around my 914-6. You could set it up into a corner and at whatever angle you wanted to continue thru the corner, you simply stabbed the throttle and caught it by planting the rear tires with power. The absolute beauty of an extreme low polar moment car.(all the weight in the center)
Anyone who never drove on hot slicks just doesn't know what they are missing!!! :dance:

[landrovered]

The Boxster will not become a classic the Boxster is a throwback to classics of the past but with all the modern conveniences.

Just like the Miata.

All the fun of the Fiat, Triumph, MG, Jag, Porsche, Austin Healy and other roadsters of the past without the greasy hands and Lucas electrics.

Will it survive as a popular model long in the future...I think no. The popular auction cars today are all vehicles that folks are buying because the could not afford them when they were new. The fact that retro mod cars are bringing more money than original restorations speaks to the desire for drivability. Drivability and modernity are a moving target. This year it is different than the last.

The models that will be popular in the future have higher price tags than a Boxster. The Veyron, Ferrari, Lamborhini, Spyker, Ascari, Koenings, Carrera GT will likely be more collectible becuase a Boxster is actually afordable.

[Jacques79]

Actually my 2006 Boxster S only weighs 2965 pounds compared to the 2855 pounds of my 2000 Boxster S.

Add to that the fact that my 987S has the optional sport seats and the curb weight drops to 2945 pounds.

So all in all only a 90 pound increase in weight but with 30 more horsepower, a stiffer chassis and better suspension.

Far from 200-300 pounds...

The only thing I miss about my old 986S was the steering feel. The 987S has great feel, but not as communicative as the old one.

[Quickurt]

My 2006 S weighs 2885. It has one option - Litronics.
I weighed it on certified scales at the track. It had about 1/4 tank of gas.
I've also now cut 25 lb. with new wheel/tire combo and that's unsprung weight!

[greg9ball]

The direction of this post took a direction other than I intended, which of course is fine. It has been an interesting thread.

What I was hoping to discuss was to compare the 987 (or 986 - there was no offense intended to the 986. I haven't driven one so I have no opinion of it in a meaningful way) to the 911 993.

The 993 has become a highly desirable car. I know that a lot of the appeal is that it is the last of the air cooled engines. The 993 is not necessarily a classic yet; however, a lot of people are buying the 993s instead of the now less expensive 996s. There was just something special about the 993 that future 911s have not captured, despite improvements in performance. There is something special about the 993 that transcends specifications and performance.

My question was meant to ask if the current Boxster 987 (or 986) is that type of car. Is the Boxster really special? I'm not asking what it will be worth 40 years from now. Will it be the car that we think back of as a really special car. Will it be the car we wished we never sold? Will it be the car that a few years from now, Porsche fanatics find more appealing then than they do now?

I think it truly is a special car. I think we are nearing the end of an error for sports cars, just like the beginning of the 70's. It will not surprise me if over the next five years, we start to see HP specifications go down with new models instead of up. Most people didn't know they owned a special car in the late 60's / early 70's. A lot of 993 owners upgraded to 996's and now wish they had never sold their 993s.

I've been a car jumper for several years. I've jumped from car to car from the following cars: Q45, Acura CL type S, Honda S2000, 2002 Corvette, Lexus SC430 to the 2005 Boxster S. The Boxster S is the first car that I have owned where I wasn't looking for the next car within a year. I've owned it two years. When the itch to get something different finally kicked in, I just couldn't figure out what I would want instead. I'd still trade my Boxster for a 993 Turbo, but I'm not willing to pay 30K more for it! It was after this exercise of trying to decide what I would want to own next, that I decided that there really is something special about the Boxster.

Someone said in a post on this forum, that the Boxster was just a stop on the way in his quest for cars. It wasn't a "destination." I've come to the conclusion, after two years of ownership, that perhaps the Boxster S is a destination for me. I really love this car! It is such a great balance of everything I want in a car (except that my drums don't fit!).

In fact, I decided when I bought it that I would not upgrade the stereo for a year, just in case I decided I wanted something different. After a year, I thought about putting in a stereo. I knew I loved the car, but I was still worried that I might become fickle again. Its been two years and I love the car more than ever. I'm putting a ring on the boxster's finger with a stereo upgrade!


I was wondering of others felt the same way.

Greg

[70Sixter]

Who'da thought the Model T would be a classic in 1929?! And the 64-66 original Mustang has already been mentioned. Hows 'bout 2CV?

They were ************************************ cars. Everybody had one. So they mostly got trashed, hotrodded or left in garages as worthless.

Even the big-engined monsters from the 70s that are so valuable now fell to worthless when gas got expensive. And they were terrible cars except for straight line acceleration. I know - I had a 67.5 Firebird 400 4sp with the hood tach.

And the Speedster! Porsche hated it and thought it was not a real Porsche. Thank you Max Hoffman. I remember when they were cheap used cars listed in Panorama for numbers that make me hate myself for not snapping one up. And a lot were bought as DDs until they died or rusted away. Or tracked.

I watch prices in Hemmings and am regularly amazed at the prices brought by reasonably maintained or restored cars like the 67 Mini Moke for $22k!

So do I think someone will eventually pay way too much for an original paint, numbers matching stock Boxster that has been gently used and painstakingly cared for by one owner?

Absolutely.