Is the Boxster the unloved stepchild?

[jdiba]

If I wanted a Porsche....and I wanted a roadster with a drop top, what other choice would I have ?

[986_c6]

There aren't many cars out there that can give the right amount of driver input/aura/smiles as the Boxster does. Period.

As for name, yeah, a Carrera 4GTS Cabriolet name does sound a little better and cost a little more.

[pothole]

The guy must very simply have been a halfwit. Any knowledgeable Porsche employee would know the Boxster and 911 are the same car available in two different engine orientations. If you lament the Box, you lament its sister 911.

Yes, the Boxster gets lower output engines. But it's the same engine and power is only one part of a complex package that goes into a great car.

Even a basic 2.5 986 is quicker than most early 911 models, values for which have gone crazy. Ditto something like the original E30 M3.

[recycledsixtie]

Originally Posted by pothole

The guy must very simply have been a halfwit. Even a basic 2.5 986 is quicker than most early 911 models, values for which have gone crazy. Ditto something like the original E30 M3.

+1

Who cares what other people say. Prejudiced people just end up being shut out anyway.
What is not to love about the Boxster with heated seats and air cond. Options u don't get with earlier 911's ? Even if my engine blows up I can go out and buy a used
Box with a running engine.

[ilikeching]

the 911 should thank Boxster for not being bankruptcy.....

[rondocap]

I actually don't feel that the Boxster is really missing much compared to the 911 on the "car" level, i.e removing any 911 star power or allure.

First, the interiors of the Boxsters are almost always fairly close to the 911 each generation, the 911 may have a few extra gauges and better seats, but for the most part, they seem fairly and practically similar.

2nd, I'm really comparing more to the base 911 - as obviously the bigger engine 911's have what the Boxster and S don't have: A lot of power. (Especially the turbo) But then, money enters the fray and it's no longer a feasible comparison.

For the everyday guy, driving around town and the fun backroads, I think a Boxster is really sufficient. It may not have the 911 brand, but who cares - it drives in some regards even better.

[LAP1DOUG]

In any group there are those who will look down there nose at others:

The Ducati guys frown on the Gixxer guys
The Harley guys whence at the Jap cruisers
The Rolex crowd looks down on the Seiko wearer
The Mooney pilot --- well you get the idea.

[coreseller]

From my perspective.....the older you get, the less you care what others think. Believe me, it's VERY liberating.

[thstone]

I could care less what others think, its Porsche that has me worried. Why on earth doesn't the Boxster get the bigger motors or a Turbo or a GT-3 or even a measly -R version?

[Steve Tinker]

Originally Posted by thstone

I could care less what others think, its Porsche that has me worried. Why on earth doesn't the Boxster get the bigger motors or a Turbo or a GT-3 or even a measly -R version?

Because you would be taking away kudos & profit from THE recognised icon.

Forget the Boxster, if Porsche wanted to promulgate a potential world beater both on track & road, they would shoehorn a Metzger GT3 engine into a Cayman... but that ain't going to happen while the 911 rules the roost.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Steve Tinker

Forget the Boxster, if Porsche wanted to promulgate a potential world beater both on track & road, they would shoehorn a Metzger GT3 engine into a Cayman... but that ain't going to happen while the 911 rules the roost.

They may have to. the new 981 Cayman is already rumored to be slower than the Boxster Spyder in track testing.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by thstone

I could care less what others think, its Porsche that has me worried. Why on earth doesn't the Boxster get the bigger motors or a Turbo or a GT-3 or even a measly -R version?

Personally, I tbhink 300hp from a 3.4l lump is plenty.

A Mezger GT3 option is alluring. But a turbo Boxster? Yuck.

[dallison]

I have had some of the same comments. I like the one when someone calls it a girls car. They are normally ones who are stuck in a minivan and would probably enjoy a boxster given the chance.

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by dallison

I have had some of the same comments. I like the one when someone calls it a girls car. They are normally ones who are stuck in a minivan and would probably enjoy a boxster given the chance.

I actually had that happen a few years ago, not kidding. I was at a stop light with the top down in the right hand lane, a Nissan Quest minivan pulls up on my left hand side. A 40 something guy who was in the passenger front seat felt the need to turn and say "nice chickster", I turned to see who / what said that and noticed him and then saw that his wife was driving. I just cracked up and didn't even respond.

[thstone]

Its surprising that Porsche hasn't followed BMW down the path of maximizing the sales of each model through model proliferation.

For example, the 5-series is available as a Sedan, Estate, and GT. Three engines are offered across these models along with an option for all wheel drive. And of course, there is the M option. Similar configurations are available for all of the major BMW models (1, 3, 5, and 7).

BMW has shown that this proliferation of models results in higher total sales. Sure, there might be a few low end 7-series sales cannibilized by high end 5-series buyers but overall the company has demonstrated that its earns more sales in total.

Porsche takes this approach for the 911 (Carerra, CarerraS, convertible, 4, Turbo, and GT-3) but surprisingly not for the Boxster or Cayman. Some might say that they are leaving a lot of potential sales on the table.

If I were running Porsche (insert a lot of laughter here!), I would merge the Boxster and Cayman into one car model (as the convertible or coupe options) and then proliferate the model line as discussed above. I would have the upper end of the Boxster/Cayman line overlap the lower one-third of the Carerra line. This way, any Boxster/Cayman sales that came at the expense of Carerra sales would be about the same revenue.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by thstone

BMW has shown that this proliferation of models results in higher total sales. Sure, there might be a few low end 7-series sales cannibilized by high end 5-series buyers but overall the company has demonstrated that its earns more sales in total.

Porsche takes this approach for the 911 (Carerra, CarerraS, convertible, 4, Turbo, and GT-3) but surprisingly not for the Boxster or Cayman. Some might say that they are leaving a lot of potential sales on the table.

Ahhh, but the 911, Boxster and Cayman are all one model. It's just brilliant branding and some clever engineering tweaks that make you view them as separate models. So what we're dealing with is one model in a very large array of configurations. Very clever.

Given Porsche's profitability, I'd say they know exactly what they're doing. Sure, they could do a Boxster Turbo (ghastly idea, but people would no doubt buy it). But there are implications for that sort of model re 911 sales

What you have to appreciate is that a Boxster / Cayman and a 911 are essentially the same car. But when you look at the list prices, you realise the margins on the 911 must be massive. And that's why Porsche doesn't make Boxster / Caymans that threaten to cannibalise 911 sales.

They are way ahead of us on this stuff, I reckon.

[Heiko]

Pothole Quote - "Ahhh, but the 911, Boxster and Cayman are all one model"
Aside from the front end looking much the same how do you figure this? The boxsters are mid-engine cars and the 911 is a rear engine car... completely different setup and both drive completely different.

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by Heiko

Pothole Quote - "Ahhh, but the 911, Boxster and Cayman are all one model"
Aside from the front end looking much the same how do you figure this? The boxsters are mid-engine cars and the 911 is a rear engine car... completely different setup and both drive completely different.

Different set up? yes....different hardware? Not so much. The bits are all essentially from the same bin, just assembled and attached in different ways...

[Heiko]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

Different set up? yes....different hardware? Not so much. The bits are all essentially from the same bin, just assembled and attached in different ways...

Well I'm sure there's lots of parts that cross-match because the 'style' of the cars is so much the same, but that doesnt mean the cars themselves are the same! In the end they'd be silly to make or redesign every part seperately. Personally I think the 911 is far overpriced for what you get, but in the end you're paying for the '911' badge and its historic success which is what the stealerships use as leverage to boost the price tag.
Hey I can go out and buy a Escalade or a Yukon and get fancy trim and some extra features for and extra 30K in the Escalade and the parts are essentially the same....

[thstone]

Originally Posted by pothole

Ahhh, but the 911, Boxster and Cayman are all one model.

The key differentiator between the 911 and the Boxster/Cayman is the engine location. This results in signifiicantly different handling characteristics not to mention back seats vs rear trunks.

BMW gets by just fine with even less differentiation (than engine location) by using old fashioned "size" to uniquely define the 3, 5 and 7 series.