Help! Stop me from buying a 911!

[WhipE350]

It's funny I hadn't thought about my 28 year old RX7 in years, my first sports car, it never broke down and felt like a rocket on rails at the time. Fastest I ever went in my life...it was 4am in 1984 on route 128 in Boston, got the little rocket up to 126mph...though I can't remember how high the speedometer went. Car and Drive in a review said "The Mazda RX-7 is the car you buy when you have all the right instincts and are a person of good taste and character but you can’t afford a Porsche"

Looking at the car specs though it likely wasn't that fast...think the top speed was way below that...must have been down hill.

[Khizer]

I have had a 986s for 4 days, but on Friday night all I wanted to do was take our 1974 Toyota Carina out on a 0-60 test and a high speed run. 0-60 in 11.8 and 100mph top speed. It was awesome!

We spent two months on it to get it to this. A lot of time under the bonnet and minute measurements. It's all about doing a bit of work, going on a run, listening to the engine note, feeling the distribution of power, then going back home and repeating the process. It's a lot of fun and as long as your not planning on trying to put your car on pole during qualifying, figures don't mean anything.

Go with the 911 but only if you are willing out time into it. If you want quick thrills and clean hands, go modern.

Classics are about nostalgia. People smile at you more, genuinely take an interest in your car and give you way.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

It's all about sensory input!

Drive a '66 Lotus Elan at 9/10ths, and you'll be doing all of 92MPH, but starting to see the bright light, hoping your children can cope as orphans, wishing you hadn't peeked under Lovie Broadbottom's dress back in the 5th Grade.

Drive a Boxster at 9/10ths, you'll be doing 135MPH, have time to text your friends, swap CD's, and wonder what you're gonna have for dinner.

As mentioned, it has unfortunately become all about the numbers.

Decades of Video games, slasher movies, bungie jumping and Hustler have dulled our senses. Can you even imagine that the original Frankenstein movie scared people for days back in the '30's?

Classic sports cars had lots of sensory input, but little actual speed.

Modern cars have lots of actual speed... but little sensory input - you have to settle for the number reached by the needle on the Speedo, then go brag to your friends at the Bar that you reached XXX MPH (albeit that you are actually safer than driving half that speed in your father's old Buick).

The classic 911's are simply more visceral, produce waaay more endorphins, even if the Speedo doesn't match a current Boxster.

Drive both, and see which is the more satisfying ride. I sold my wonderful Boxster for a Classic, fearful that I was trading something away. Not so... it was an awakening.

They're older, so may require more maintenance in the beginning to sort it all out. But once done, these are robust cars - the cars Porsche built it's reputation on. They're hand produced, unlike the current assembly-line products ruled over by accountants - the folks who brought you RMS and IMS.

Cheers!

Same thing can be said for women isn't it? Nothing gets more attention from me than well maintained 40 year-olds... most 20-something puts me to sleep.

[surf40]

Thanks for all the input. I think the Boxster will better meet my needs/desire to own and drive a Porsche. I’m still a while from actually making the purchase, but have been looking at all the adds every week to get a good take on what is out there and what is available. I’m looking at spending $15-20K on a 2001-2004 S model.

[d18mike]

I've owned a newer 911 and a Boxster. IMHO, the Boxster handles better and 911 has more muscle. Both are great cars. You simply can't go wrong.

The car you showed at the beginning of a thread is a badged as 911 -- but it's more than that now: it's a vintage car. And in that sense it's a different beast entirely. It's tremendous in its own way but also likely not a daily driver.

One thing you might want to consider is the flexibility of having back seats (911) if you have small children. There were a few years when the Boxster was my main car and I found that lack of flexibility pretty restrictive. That 5-7 year period when you can pop the kids in the back seat certainly has value for our family.

[99 Boxcutter]

Hell, I want a 911... Doesn't mean you have to give up your Boxster.
You want convertible or not?