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Old 03-22-2005, 08:13 AM   #1
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Wanted to Introduce myself -> Updated Just drove a Box

Just wanted to say hi. My name is Chad, I'm a 20 year old Computer Engineering student at Rose-Hulman Institute of technology. I'm also an Air Force ROTC cadet. My current car is a 1984 Porsche 944 with 83K miles on it. I got it last year and absolutely fell in love with Porsche engineering.

I've just started becoming interested in Boxsters because I found out that I am most likely going to be stationed at Eglin AFB in FL and decided that instead of getting a truck as a winter driver, I would wait until I get to FL and get a drop top

I have a couple of questions for you guys...

1. I am an autocross adict and was wondering how the Boxster's, both 2.5 and 2.7 base models, are doing in SCCA races since being moved to AS.

2. How reliable are these cars? If I get one, it will be my only car and I won't be able to afford to have it off the road for a long time.

3. The other car that I'm looking at is a Honda S2K. Have any of you driven one of them and if so how would you compare it to you Boxster?


Thanks a lot guys!!

- Chad


Last edited by wombat7; 03-30-2005 at 12:32 PM.
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Old 03-22-2005, 09:16 AM   #2
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I do a bit of Autocross myslef. My last car was a 1.8 Miata with lots of Autocross oriented mods.
In my opinion this is the best car to autocross and drive daily.
But the chicks don't dig it like they do the Boxster

I've driven the the older S2000 and I have the 3.2 Boxster.
The first thing I can say is that its a differenc of low end response
and higher end performance. The boxster S in 2nd gear(autocross gear)
is something to behold. Into third gear and you hear the lear jet sound coming from immeidately behind you. The S2000 is...different. You really have to work that gear box to get the same off the fly feeling. But the S2000 is easier on your wallet with those more expensive gas prices in Florida. How far is your daily commute?

I can't speak for the newer S2000 with much more torque than earlier versions but against the old s2000 I think my Boxster is more to my liking.
Actually, much more so.
The japanese cars are just more reliable than Germans and less expensive to repair (no contest) but someone recently posted that the Boxster received an award for consistently passing the strict German inspections process.

The torque that the 3.2 puts down is instantaneous and the steering is
like a surgeone with a scalpel. The handling is better (in my opinion than the
S2000) because you really can't beat a mid engine car in abrupt changes of direction like is so prevalent in Autocross. And I'm not a big fan of Honda's although I think the NSX which was developed by the greates racing driver of all time Ayrton Senna is a piece of sports car history.

anyhoo...I would recommend a Miata or a Boxster S if you plan to autocross and drive every day. You can turbocharge a Miata and coilvoer a Miata and get close to Boxster performance.
I think if you can find someone (usually an instructor) who has Autocrossed both a Boxster S and an newer S2000 you can get a better understanding of which you'll enjoy more.
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Old 03-22-2005, 09:29 AM   #3
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How much money are you looking to spend? How important is power to you? IMO S2000>2.5 boxster=to 2.7L and < than a 3.2L
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Old 03-22-2005, 09:39 AM   #4
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My best friend is a EE from Rose. Welcome to the group.
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Old 03-22-2005, 04:13 PM   #5
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My daily commute is going to be about 10-15 minutes at the most. I'm going to try to be as close to the beach and the base as possible, like every 21 yr old USAF officer would

I'm looking to spend $23 - 25K at the most. I'm not looking to buy right away, probably not until next winter, but its never to early to start looking. I would love to get an S, but right now there are no mid to low mileage S's in that price range, or none that I could find.

I'm definately more of a torque guy than a huge hp guy. I rode in my friends S2K and that's one of the things that bothered me. You didn't get that thrown back feeling like I even do in my 944, which is pretty sad. Another thing that I didn't like was the fact that until the VTEC kicked in, the car felt like a Civic.

I've tried to get some fellow Porsche guys to come to autocrosses in Indy and surrounding areas, but no one will venture out.

Thanks for the input guys... keep it coming

- Chad
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Old 03-22-2005, 05:07 PM   #6
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Hey, you live in Terra Haute? I live in Charleston IL about 45 min west of you. I'll drive over to your town if you want to check out my S and go for a spin.
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Old 03-22-2005, 05:26 PM   #7
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Perfectlap - I was looking at the 1.8 Miatas, but I just don't like the looks of them or the image that they have. I just can't picture myself driving a miata even though I know they are a very good autocross car... One of my friends got one and I just didn't like driving it.


Adam - that would be AWESOME!! Just let me know when will work for you to do that, I will be gone for the next couple weekends, I coach a volleyball team and we have a big tournament this weekend, then I will be in Italy for the next two. Our college team is going over there. The weekend of the 10th would work for me, if that's ok with you, or during the week is fine too, but i doubt you would want to make that drive during the week. You can PM me if you want and we can work out specifics...

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Old 03-22-2005, 05:32 PM   #8
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since you are a member of the the armed forces I think you should get a discount

if you can get the 25K together try and find someone with a dealer auction license and fly up to Pennsylvania one weekend. They have auctions for Porsche's there that are returned for leases. I imagine the discount is quiet steep. It will require some investigating and a bit of legwork to get a licensed dealer but I'm sure at least one of them is a veteran. or you can wait for a good deal on low mileage S to pop up.

My Miata had excellent acceleration from a stop. even with only 150 hp.
I never really liked the styling but I would have found it difficult to part with the overall responsiveness/handling unless I was getting at least another 100 HP. And even with the extra 100 ponies the S acceleration not two levels better than my lightweight Miata. Just one level. When you consider the price difference between a used well maintained/tweaked Miata and a standard Boxster, its hard not to be impressed by the chick car with stupid lights.
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Old 03-22-2005, 06:36 PM   #9
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Funny you should say that about Pennsylvania... That's where I'm originally from and where my parents still live. I actually have a family friend who is an auto dealer and has an auction license. I never even thought about looking for one at an auction, and really had no clue about the Porsche auction. Do you have any idea where that would be??

I agree that a tweaked Miata is pretty hard to beat in many aspects of automotive performance, but can you imagine the looks I would get switching from a Porsche to a Miata jk... I do only drive a 944.... I just can't get over that the miata is such a chick car... maybe I have problems with my masculinity or something... :ah:
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Old 03-22-2005, 06:42 PM   #10
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Chad...welcome to the Air Force. I graduated from Syracuse last year, and after being sent to Tunisia to speak french, Maxwell to do ASBC, and other random stuff, I'm stationed at COlumbus AFB going through pilot training. I have a bunch of friends down in the Elgin area, a couple of Comm guys down there. We head down every few months to crash at their place and wreak havoc on the coast.

If you do get the Boxster, we'll meet up and trade war stories. If you have any questions about coming on active duty or anything, feel free to contact me. Its a great place to be.

-Kevin

PS- Drive a Boxster. Drive an S2000. Drive a Miata.

They can all do wonderful things on the autocross track, but they are each tailored to very different driving styles. I'd say the S2000 would be the least favorable option for autocross, because, as everyone has mentioned, torque is such a godsend. Light, stripped out miata's with engine work done are disgustingly fast...like annoying mosquitos that always seem to be 1 or 2 seconds ahead of my Boxster (2.7).

Good luck!
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Old 03-22-2005, 07:18 PM   #11
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Manheim, Pennsylvania.
Wherever that is...

sounds like you've got half the "battle" won on the auction front.

I plan to go this route when I'm in the market for a Cayenne S or
a higher end 911. Hopefully I'll have a two car garage.
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Old 03-22-2005, 07:25 PM   #12
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I used to autocross a '84 944, ran an '83 944 track car for five years. owned a 1990 Miata, owned a S2000 and currently have a Boxster S. I also used to run an E-Production 356 and a '82 narrow body 911SC with a '89 breathed on Turbo motor in drivers education events.

While I haven't tracked or autocrossed the Boxster or the S2000, I have driven them both hard enough to get an idea of how they would perform.

You will find it pretty tough to beat the neutrality of the 944. You can get away with errors in a 944 that will bite you in a Boxster. I set up my 944 to have a bit of oversteer but the rear never snapped around like a Boxster will. It's a natural trait of a mid or rear engine car. The neutral handling of the 944 will allow the average driver to run it closer to the edge lap after lap without going over that edge. Once you have experience with rear or mid-engined cars, you can also run them on the ragged edge as well, but it sure takes a lot more concentration, skill, and balls to keep them on that edge. That's why driving a 911 or Boxster well is so rewarding.

The S2000 and the Miata have one thing in common and that is the Japanese feel. Not quite the same solid feel of the Porsches. At the same time, the two best transmissions of the many cars I have owned belong to the Miata and the S2000 with the favorite being the S2000. My 2001 S2000 was a ball to drive because of the short, smooth shifting transmission coupled with the 9000 rpm redline. While it is true that the car comes alive at 6000 rpm, it is not a total slug down low. The Boxster S is more rewarding down low and I love the combination of the induction and exhaust noise. However, I would guess that on an autocross or track, they would be pretty fairly matched.

Both cars are great fun to drive with the Boxster being more practical because of the two trunks. Either one would be an ideal Florida car.
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Old 03-22-2005, 07:36 PM   #13
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hey nice wheels jerhofer, really makes it look like the 93 concept car.
are those 10" in the rear?
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Old 03-23-2005, 07:59 AM   #14
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I definately do love the neutrality of my 944. I have yet to get the back end to come out from behind me while on the autocross course... and yes I have been pushing hard, finishing about 1.5-2 seconds behind the winning 1.8 Miatas. I absolutely love the way the car handles. If my car had a little more potential, I would probably keep it and mod it, but there is very little potential in an early model NA 944 and that's the cruel truth.

I have yet to drive an S2K, but I definately agree with the cheap feel of a miata. That is something that I hate. I had a Nissan 300ZX turbo and that was one of the reasons I sold the car. Everything in it just felt cheap. I hate that!! If I am going to spend the money on a car, I don't want everything in it to look like it is made out of cheap black plastic.

jerhofer brought something up that I didn't really think about. How much of a difference is there in handling btw a mid engine car and a front engine car. I have never driven anything but front engine, but I'm a very quick learner and would probably adjust very quickly to the difference, but I would kinda like to know some opinions on the subject.
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Old 03-23-2005, 08:40 AM   #15
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I think MR configurations are vastly affected by the power and torque.

an uderpowered car like the MR2 is very good in autocross and in one of my clubs runs within .1's (consitently) of a front wheel drive civic. Its really uncany, they are both excellent drivers use similar tires and week after week are seperated by less than .3's. Some times its come down to .01's difference.
They are both left foot brakers and water down their tires between runs.

I gues it comes down to driving style/preference.
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Old 03-23-2005, 10:41 AM   #16
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That's interesting about the mid rear setup... I've always heard that mid rear cars were very prone to snap oversteer... is that true with Boxsters? I just got done riding with my friend in his S2K and the oversteer in it was crazy. I mean he is a very good driver, and definately drives at the edge 85 - 90 % of the time so he probably induces more than what I would usually get on the street. I dunno which car I like better... I haven't driven a Boxster yet, but we'll see what happens when I get to actually drive one. The S2K has an amazing sports car feel... very stiff, very responsive, but i dunno about having to drive it at such high RPMs....
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Old 03-23-2005, 11:45 AM   #17
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I have been in an S 2000 and it is a small car in fact my knees were rubbing against the dash and i had the seat all the way back. I am 6 foot by the way
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Old 03-23-2005, 01:03 PM   #18
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the s2000 is a fun little sport car, but it is very small inside and has a minimalist interior...i drove one several times back to back with the 986s, ....the s2k is more raw, louder rougher ride...very fast steering and quick shifting which is very fun...but if you are not in the mood to shift like a mad man and flog the engine well over 6000rpm , the car can get bogged down.....the boxster s has much more torque and a much nicer engine sound...its steering and shifting arent as quick, but they are still very good, esp the steering feel...the seats and interior are much better as are the exterior touches.....so more me, a used 986s is the better car vs the s2000
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Old 03-23-2005, 01:20 PM   #19
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"I've always heard that mid rear cars were very prone to snap oversteer... is that true with Boxsters"

In my experience, the Box is pretty neutral. Granted, I don't track these babies but have driven them hard on ocassion.

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Old 03-23-2005, 03:04 PM   #20
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I guess you're looking for a ragtop. But personally, I'd get a mint E36 M3 before an S2K.


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