New car - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Perfectlap · 02-20-2013, 07:35 AM

BRZ. They look nice but they aren't cheap, what you save on maintenance you will lose on depreciation just like any other car. When the turbo comes out (with full warranty unlike your aftermarket warranty-voiding option) it will be very pricey. I don' think this car will be very successful in the long run.

Personally I would get the cheaper FRS alternative if I needed a daily beater. I would be tempted to give a lightly used Lotus Elise a shot too. Until the Boxster Spyder comes down in price that might be the car to have if you like a minimal light weight sports car ....and with a Celica engine you won't need a Wolfgang Von Trips to wrench on it. And as you see from Henessy the engine mod possiblities can put you into super car performance territory. One guy on YouTube did a dual turbo and supercharger mod, crazzzy acceleration. Just don't mess up the body work on an Elise or it will cost you.

Porsche Chick · 02-20-2013, 07:55 AM

The BRZ and the FRS are the same car, I think. It's a joint project between Scion and Subaru, the BRZ just has more "standard" features, plus a higher sticker.

It's my understanding that they are underpowered cars. Here's a drag race involving both Porsche and the BRZ (FRS, FT86, whatever you want to call it)

The World's Greatest Drag Race 2! - Motor Trend

I understand the temptation; the rear seats fold down, so there's some cargo capacity. But I thought that overall it looked a little cheap: the dash was a mess, the all black interior annoyed me, and the paint finish was begging for clear coat.

Have you considered a used Lexus F Sport? Decent size, with rear seats, good trunk, and an engine roar to rival a big engine American car. It's basically the same size as a Lexus IS350, but with a bigger engine and sporty interior. They are hard to find, but I drove one and it was very close to the Boxster. I didn't care for the black interior, on the one I test drove, so I passed on it.

JAAY · 02-20-2013, 08:06 AM

my 99 interior looks cheap and is cheap. Until the 987 the the 986, 996 interiors were garbage. I don't care what anyone says. My 97 eclipse gsx back in the day was much nicer.

Perfectlap · 02-20-2013, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAAY

my 99 interior looks cheap and is cheap. Until the 987 the the 986, 996 interiors were garbage. I don't care what anyone says. My 97 eclipse gsx back in the day was much nicer.

The 986 interior is much like the rest of the 996/986 styling as far as options. If you don't go for the upgrades it will look bare and cheap. Just like a 996 Carrera without 18-19" wheels and without the GT3 aero package, that Carrera just ends up looking really dull.
But with those over-priced Tequipment interior options the 986/996 cars look like a sports car should: well done but not overly done. When the 987 came out it did in fact look more expensive but it also looked more like a VW/Audi road car than the minimalist approach in traditional Porsche interiors. And now the 981 interior doesn't look even remotely like a sports car interior. More like something you would see in a Cruise Ship Captain's cockpit.

JAAY · 02-20-2013, 08:04 AM

I do love stirring the pot here!

I think we own the worst valued car ever! From mid 60k to 9k? I do like the elise/exige and would love to build one. I have been in one before and I am only 5'5" and there is no room in that thing and your touching your passengers shoulders at all times. I really miss the ease of working on my car with the pop of your hood. If I could do the subaru conversion cost effectively I probably would. I do not have the fabrication skills nor the 12k+ to dump into my 1999 car. I am going to have to find a new profession and get my GTR one day. If people could get over the fact that it is Hyundai, or toyabaru or whatever, slap a set of nice wheels on it and some coilovers and the thing is sexy. People always say what would you rather pull up to somewhere in? A porsche or a hyundai? Who cares? I take my Fj cruiser cause valet is not allowed to drive my box. I always get other boxster owners who are not into them like we are and they always ask.... What year is that? Mine doesn't look like that? Or even what kind of car is that? The same could be had with many other cars as long as you have taste and mod it the way that best represents you. Customizing a car is like how you dress, eat, carry yourself. This is sexy to me - http://hyundai.freeiz.com/images/hyundai-genesis-coupe-black-rims/hyundai-genesis-coupe-black-rims-picture-5793.jpg