Will the 987 Boxsters become classics?

[greg9ball]

The Boxster/Caymen made both Car and Driver and Automobile Magazine cars of the year. Each article mentioned that the Boxster/Caymen is a more enjoyable driving experience than the 911. That is high praise indeed!

Does anyone think that the Boxster 987 will become a classic in the way the 993 911s have become classics?

The Boxster has always received positive press, but it seems like that level of praise has gone to a new level.

Greg

[ChrisZang]

don't think so. The 987 (and the 986) were produced in too large numbers

[demick]

Sure they will, but it will take a long time. 40+ years probably. It will take as long as it takes for them to become scarce, and then they will be 'classics'.

But I wonder about how well modern cars will hold up. Cars from 30 and more years ago were simple compared to cars today. So maintaining an early 911 is reasonable for driveway mechanic. But today, there are so many electronics and plastics used, that in 30 or 40 years, nobody will be able to continue to maintain such an old car - due to parts availability, complexity and cost. So yes, they will become very scarce - and therefore, the survivors will be valuable classics.

Now go put your 987 in a vault for 40 years........

[husker boxster]

Boxsters will never attain classic status because they'll always be considered the redheaded step-sibling to the 911.

But personally I like redheads.

[kabel]

Boxsters will probably be as classic as the 914... not that there is anything wrong with that...

[rick3000]

I think it may become a classic in the same way the 914 is a classic now. However, I don't see them being coveted and sold at car auctions for millions of dollars. If the Boxster where to become a classic, I would put my money on the 986, not the 987. It has won far more awards:

Car and Driver: One of the 10 Best Cars of 1997
Automobile: Automobile of the Year
Motor: 1997 Performance Car of the Year
Autocar: Best Roadster in the World
Motorweek: 1997 Drivers Choice for Best Sports Car
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Best Sports Car of the Decade
Newsweek: One of the Best New Products of 1997
BusinessWeek: One of the Best New Products of 1997
American Marketing Association: Best New Product of 1997
Automobile Journalists of Canada: 1997 Car of the Year
Automobile Journalists of Canada: Best Design of 1997
The Boxster has been on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list nine times, from 1998 through 2003 and 2006 through 2008.
The Boxster S (986s) was rated one of the top ten Porsches of all time by Excellence magazine.

[eightsandaces]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Boxsters will never attain classic status because they'll always be considered the redheaded step-sibling to the 911.

But personally I like redheads.

That's what they told the guy with the 914-6

[blue2000s]

I'd be surprised if there was any correlation between magazine praise and eventual classic status. Ther have been alot of Accords on those lists.

In 40 years, any gasoline burning car will be a classic. Hopefully there will still be liquified dinosours around to burn.

[Lil bastard]

No!

Stuttgart/Uusikaupunki ground them out like link sausages.

By the time a Boxster is rare enough to achieve collector status, finding a Gas station is going to be as difficult as finding a Buggy Whip today... except that you'll need to find one every 300 miles.

Some will be sought by museums, but really, how many Auto Museums are there in the World?

Cheers!

[Lordblood]

I don't think classics need to be scarce, what about the original Ford Mustang?

I think if anything the 986 will become classic for being the first serious "people's" sports car of the modern age. But if the future is going to head in the direction as it seems to now, all gasoline cars will become collectors items in the future.

[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...

[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.

[Bruce Wayne]

Indeed.. the 986 is *already* a classic.

i have a classic car collection that is ever changing depending on what moves me at the time, i've just sold off most of my classic porsches and switched out to some others, i felt i'd made well out of them and fancied a change..

It's often tough to determine what makes a classic. cars produced in small numbers ? sometimes.. but look at the maerati bi-turbo, compared with some cars that were the everyday run around and were junked en-masse !

It really seems to be iconic cars, they may not need to be limited number production, but limited remaining numbers.. so fords are fetching silly money even though they were produced in large numbers and were junked in large numbers as they got old, what remains is now in the classic market..

The 986 is now a calssic and the prices have stabilised for good examples.. so for me, what i look for is origionality.. as it came out of the factory, with no owner modifications... as per the build sheet, and i do change something out, like a throttle body, keep the origional one in a box to stay with the car..

Records too.. orgional service book, with reciepts and documented ownership.. this all goes to to the history of the vehicle. i buy replacement bolts for something, reciept goes in the file..

This is what classic car buyers look for.. origionality and records..

As the 986 has found it's way into owners what want the marque, have modified and personalised the vehicle, undertaken shoddy repairs and left the car worthless, origional, unmolested 986's with history files have now become few and far between.

As 911's with G50 gearboxes now move into big money and other Porsches have risen in value, getting an affordable classic that wont eat your lunch to buy and maintain gets harder, future classic owners start to look wider at the range, as they are now doing with 986's and so values start to rise.

Is the 986 a classic.. it's now there.. !

[Fyeganeh]

Well I am the original owner of my 2000 Boxster that I got it in December 1999. There is no way I would sell it - to me it was a classic the day I bought it. Most of the people on these boards are second to fifth owners and they have gotten the car for a steal - which is great. But in some ways they underestimate its potential value and are willing to sell it at a low price to move on especially since they got it at a reasonable price. Given inflation and the number of Boxters dying off there is no doubt that in 10-15 years the price of an old Boxster will be the same or higher than what it is selling for today. Would you have thought in 1965 that the average car would be selling for 25000-35000 in 2013? What will the average car sell for in 2050?

If you were to buy a new Boxster today - the first year of ownership - depreciation would cost you 9000. The same for the next 2-3 years. So if you buy an old Boxster and it lasts 3 years, you are already ahead 18,000. I haven't driven a new one but I doubt it's that much better. So when someone sells it for 8000, from my perspective they are losing sight of its value. In the end, these cars will be scrapped because the owner won't want to put in the money to maintain it. That will create scarcity.

Will it go for more than a 993 - probably never, but might a 986 go for more than a 996 - you never know - if you guys scrap enough of them - maybe I'll find out in 20 years....