Is the Boxster the unloved stepchild?

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by mcomet

There is a large part of me that wishes the convertible top of the boxster looked better than it does when up.

Funny you mention this. Porsche did extensive work on the 991 Cab's to improve this. They did an excellent write-up in a recent issue of the Christophorus. I think Porsche hit it out of the park with the 991's new top. It stunning.

Did they not do the same thing with the 981? Not sure. Maybe in the future??

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by kk2002s

For me and I think for many others, a used Boxster allows many entry into the P-Car experience at a some what reasonable price.

I always find this statement a bit odd. If you can't afford a new 991 or newish 997 you can buy an old 911 all day long. The papers are full Carreras going for the same money as a low mileage Boxster or Cayman. In fact, some 996 Carreras can be had for barely $10K. High miles of course but a water-cooled Porsche can handle it.

The notion that a Boxster is the default option for a limited budget is misplaced.
Water-cooled Carreras are depreciating just the same as Caymans and Boxsters.
Actually when the stock market crashed in 2008-2009 they took a nighmarish beating. Some 996's that stickered well over $80K could be had for less than $40K before the factory warranty had even expired. Ouch.

[944boy]

When I was shopping I could have purchased my dad's 993 but instead went with the Boxster. I LOVE 993's and WILL own one variant or other of a GT3 some day.

However I do not ever plan on selling the Boxster. For me it has been the perfect balance of fun, practicality and modern comfort. Everyone will have their biases. However for someone like me, I would rather have purists pass on "less desirable models" so that I can get a better deal on an amazing car.

My ideal garage would have lots of Porsches and be a wide mix of all the models from the 356 to the Cayenne (gotta have a tow vehicle).

[stephen wilson]

Perfect, you answered your own question. The usual purchasing advice for buying a used P-car is the newest model possible. That will be a Boxster, a comparably priced 911 will be older, and/or have much higher miles.

I think the Boxster looks better than a 911 Cab. , top up or down. Eh, each to their own

[ProjectM96]

Well I know someone with a TPC twin turbo 430whp Cayman S(close enough), and it beats all the GT3's that come to the track. I was in the passenger seat when the driver was making sharp turns at 80mph passing those GT3's and Z06's. It was a blast.

Also, a hot women(seems to be 28 years old) waved to me a couple of times from her 997 Turbo S and we played around on our commute to work. My driving confidence allowed me to keep up with her. That made my day.

And yesterday I waved to a Boxster that also waved back.

[jaykay]

Porsche number 1 was mid engined as I recall, as are their race cars.

Subsequent 356s were based on VW architecture for manufacturing econ. This why the engine is where it is. The 911 was a two plus two sports car compromise; so now you have wicked polar moment; this was optimized over the years. The layout has some unique handling characteristics that can be used to advantage and there is that quirky character brand appeal along with mastering it

The arrangement is not ideal though and didn't come from a performance justification. It was mass production economy for the general public along with 2 plus 2 seating. These days the arrangement is so far optimized and developed that there probably little justification other than seating capacity and unique handling.

I am a 911 variant fan; I grew up sitting atop a beetle engine but a "real" or traditional Porsche would have to be mid-engined.

[Flavor 987S]

Originally Posted by ProjectM96

Also, a hot women(seems to be 28 years old) waved to me a couple of times

Pics, please, or it did NOT happen. Thanks.

[mountainman]

I recently did a very, very spirited drive on some very very twisty roads and I was 4th in line behind a new C 4S, a year old 997 turbo and a new GT3. I was in the 08 boxster S with the 3.4 and I had no problem staying right with them and they all seemed surprised and commented on it. On a straight pull any one of them had a tremendous advantage, but on a nice twisty road course they have very little advantage and certainly did not enjoy it any more in spite of their much higher purchase price.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by mountainman

I recently did a very, very spirited drive on some very very twisty roads and I was 4th in line behind a new C 4S, a year old 997 turbo and a new GT3. I was in the 08 boxster S with the 3.4 and I had no problem staying right with them and they all seemed surprised and commented on it. On a straight pull any one of them had a tremendous advantage, but on a nice twisty road course they have very little advantage and certainly did not enjoy it any more in spite of their much higher purchase price.

and if LeMans didn't have a single peculiarly lonnnng straight it might not have been so ideal a race for the rear engine Carrera. Good thing the engines last.

[ProjectM96]

Originally Posted by Flavor 987S

Pics, please, or it did NOT happen. Thanks.

haha. I will take a pic as soon as I see her again. I see her driving on my commute to work about once per week.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by stephen wilson

Perfect, you answered your own question. The usual purchasing advice for buying a used P-car is the newest model possible. That will be a Boxster, a comparably priced 911 will be older, and/or have much higher miles.

I'm not so sure that when it comes to Porsches, if that's the best advice.

Put it this way, if I had a sum of cash on hand for a sports car, enough to buy a regular type car new, but not enough to buy a new Porsche, I don't think finding the newest Porsche would be my objective.
I'd be looking at air-cooled along with the newer stuff. And depending on the 911 series (and the specific vehicle's history) I'd have no problem crossing off many water-cooled Porsches right off my list an opting for a much older Carrera vs. low mileage Boxster/Cayman.
The newer Porsches are said to be "low-maintenance" yet I've still put in over $13K in major maintenance and unexpected repairs with mileage well below 100K miles. Did I mention I only drive weekends? And unlike some air-coooled Porsches, my car is only bleeding value every year.

[stephen wilson]

Well, I wanted a car to drive, not work on. Newer/low mileage is almost always a better bet. For an air-cooled 911 you'd be talking 15 or more years old. There's no getting around the fact that the higher the sticker price, the more it has to degrade/depreciate before hitting a certain price point.

[Porsche Chick]

Couple of things:
I think we need a definition of how "high up" this guy was in the hierarchy. I doubt anyone of any consequence would say something like that. And if this is like most racing schools, the majority of people working the event are temps, not regular employees. They get shipped around the country, from track to track, and then spend the rest of the year at home watching TV and drinking Buds. I have several friends in this business. Nice gig when you can get it, but it's a temp job of a couple of months a year.

Also, why is the Boxster ever compared to a Carrera? It's a roadster. That's what it is, a different animal in intent and style. It's a roadster in the tradition of the Carmen Ghia, the Triumph, the Alpine Sunbeam, the MG and all the other cool roadsters of history. I actually prefer it to the Carrera, and if you offered me a free 911 or a free Boxster, hands down, I'd take the Boxster. Better handling, cooler styling.

So Porsche makes cars other than the 911, so what? I believe other car makers have multiple models as well.

[schnellman]

I'm jumping in a bit late, but I thought I could add a bit to the discussion. I'm glad the Boxster is not loved nor respected as much as more expensive P Cars. For the same reason I'm glad not everyone agrees with my choice of the Sumitomo HTRZ III. Why? Because a used Boxster is affordable, and I can buy Sumitomo's for half what others are willing to pay for their tires. I'm cheap. But, I still want good products and often price is driven by popularity as much if not more than by the quality that went into the product. I teach marketing and I watch crappy products being sold for far more than they are worth to any thinking person.

[dmairspotter]

I'm deliberately not posting the guys name, or anything I think could be used to identify him. On the off chance that someone from Porsche might view this thread, I have no desire to get the guy in trouble.

He was not at or on his way to a school. He was on his way to a major professional racing venue. He gave me his business card, which identified his capacity at Porsche which was not "temp". I looked him up on the interwebs and he is on an official Porsche website identified by job function.

[jdiba]

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

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by dmairspotter

I'm deliberately not posting the guys name, or anything I think could be used to identify him. On the off chance that someone from Porsche might view this thread, I have no desire to get the guy in trouble.

He was not at or on his way to a school. He was on his way to a major professional racing venue. He gave me his business card, which identified his capacity at Porsche which was not "temp". I looked him up on the interwebs and he is on an official Porsche website identified by job function.

Well, considering that the Boxster saved Porsche, and his job, he's a very (I'm being gentle here) ungrateful man.

[Bryan topping]

In the 80's I was at the dealer to buy some parts & the guy in front of me looked at the counter guy in disgust & said "You mean I have to put a 914 part on my car?". He walked away looking like he had something in his mouth that he had stepped in but wouldn't eat.
When I stepped up to the counter I heard the guy behind the counter muttering "You have no idea how many 914 parts are on your car."
I stepped up, smiled & told the parts guy I need to order some parts for my 1970 914, he grinned from ear to ear.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Bryan topping

In the 80's I was at the dealer to buy some parts & the guy in front of me looked at the counter guy in disgust & said "You mean I have to put a 914 part on my car?". He walked away looking like he had something in his mouth that he had stepped in but wouldn't eat.
When I stepped up to the counter I heard the guy behind the counter muttering "You have no idea how many 914 parts are on your car."
I stepped up, smiled & told the parts guy I need to order some parts for my 1970 914, he grinned from ear to ear.

LoL..... just like the Boxster is the 996 Carrera. Talk about a double whammy:
"Well the bad news is no more air cooled"
"And the good news? Well you know that Boxster you've be seeing on the road for the last three years? surprise! That's 2/3's of what will be all the new 911s. From the doors to the front license plate. Yep the whole interior will be lifted from the Boxster too."

[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.