Please Help Me Out - Boxster or C6 Corvette?
 

Yes, I know this is a Boxster general discussion group and of course the bias would be for that car. I have been lurking for a while and enjoy reading this forum, so I thought I would ask a sincere question, looking for some objective (and subjective) opinions/advice. OK - here goes:

I have been driving Mazda Miatas for years and it's time for an upgrade! I lust after both the Porsche and C6. I think the C6 is drop dead georgous, and the one test drive I took last summer nearly sold me. I do feel the car might be more powerful than I would ever need and might even be too powerful for me. ("might"). The Boxster is also very sexy, is clearly less powerful and is smaller, and handles like it is on rails! For me, the choice is a matter of money, how much enjoyment I would get from either car, the reliability and cost of maintenance, and which would be less likely to get me into "trouble" I wouldn't mind the extra muscle on the Corvette, but remember - I am used to driving a Miata!

I can get an untitled 2005 Boxster (base) for $46K with some decent options. ($7K off MSRP). I believe I can get a reasonably equipped '05 Vette coupe for a bit more money upfront... so the Vette would be more money, but probably not a lot more.

OK - that's the basics. Again, I am looking for comments that will help me consider your experiences, as well as points I haven't thought of in making my choice. Thanks again for any help! :cool:

Doug

For me, the typical american muscle car is good for only that.. going in a straight line.. (yea, many argue the C6 is not like vettes of old but i've driven one and am not that impressed) You do much more of your spirited driving on backroads with twists and turns which is where the boxster really shows it's stuff. It's a genuinely fun car to drive. The vette will make you feel good racing people from stoplights but it gets old fast and you just want to enjoy the car and it's performance.

Just my 2 cents.

Not that I do not like the vette but it seems to me that there are way more on the road v/s the boxster. I do believe the vette will cost much less in maint in the the long run. You should arrange for the dealers to deliver the cars to your home for the weekend and drive both as much as possible. You'll figure out which one to buy on monday morning when you choose which one to drive to work. Both are great cars and I doubt you'd be dissappointed in either you choose. Check the insurance rates for each as that may help make the decision easier. Just enjoy the options you have, as your very lucky to have such a choice to make. Good luck either way, hope to see you on the team soon!

Hi,

As you stated, this is a Boxster Forum, so the replies so far do not surprise me.

They are both Great Cars! I love my Boxster! But, I have owned many Performance Cars through the years, including a '63 Corvette SW Coupe. Because of this, I just cannot muster the Brand Loyalty some others may. I have seen too many Great Cars of many Marques Come and Go over that time.

At the risk of surrendering my Club Card, frankly for the same money, or close to it, I'd say the edge goes to the C6. It's more right out of the box and it WILL be more reliable and cost LESS in the Long Run.

It lacks the uniqueness of the Boxster, but will have greater recognition from the Masses (if that's important to you).

It will hold it's resale value longer too.

Whichever you ultimately choose, Drive it like you Stole it!!

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Like you said, it comes down to horsepower vs. feel. If it were me, I'd drive both and go with the one that was more fun. I would think 5 years down the road and consider which car will hold up better. I've been in a number of 10+ year old Porsches and they always are solid wihtout a lot of the rattles, squeaks, etc. that would drive me nuts after the novelty wore off. My 6 year old Boxster is as solid as a new car and Porsche is known for that. The build quality makes all the difference in the world for me. I don't have experience with aging Vettes, but they don't have the best rep. I happen to prefer the preciseness and feel of the Boxster to a bigger car with huge horsepower. The Boxster will never look like an out-dated car, either. They all still look good. You'll be buying into last year's Vette body style. They're performance cars, but it's still more fun to have one that looks new.

Mechanically (as far as wear and expense), I think it's a wash.

First off if your in Ohio I have a friend that owns a high end lot. You will save a few thousand right off the bat. Not because hes my friend because he has fantastic prices. I bought a Vette off of him, drove it for 4 months and didnt like it. He sold it for me for a hundred bucks more than I paid for it. Anyway, if your interested in info on his lot PM me. I had a similar choice to make recently, an 01 Z-06 or the Boxster. I drove both and loved the power of the Vette but the ride was awful. My Porsche feels like a brand new car at 40k miles. My friend, who owns the lot told me I would never be happy with the Boxster over the Vette because he knows Im a speed freak. I love the boxster! It would be perfect if it had vette hp but then it would be a 911 right? Let me mention the Z-06 was 5k more but that wasnt the deciding factor. Decisions decisions, you know how many people would love to have your problem? Good luck, both are fantastic cars.

I would drive both cars as much as I needed to, in order to feel comfortable with my choice.

Both are great cars. The Corvette is NOT a muscle car in the classic sense. It handles very very well. The Boxster is not as slow as many folks make out.

This makes the choice a tough one IMHO.

In my opinion, the driving experience trumps all the other elements of the decision. Drive until you are certain.

And good luck!

As a former Miata and C4 Corvette owner,
 

as others have suggested, buy the one that makes you feel the best.

Our Corvettes were fun cars and we got into P cars only because GM decided not to honor a warranty claim. Our old '99' was definately a step down in HP from our '96' LT4 but it made up for it in so many other ways:
-Balance
-functional design
-ergonamics
-more efficient overall package.

The biggest change I think was that the car was so comunicative to the driver; you always seemed to know what was going on at the wheels and there weren't any unhappy suprises when you started to approach the limit.

With our '06', all of the small issues with the older car have gone away; enough HP to get into trouble, stiffer chassis, better interior, better gearbox..., the list goes on.

Having said all that, we looked seriously--at least I did--at the new C6. I like the styling a lot and performance wise it has a lot going for it. After we drove the 987, though, it didn't matter--we were thoroughly hooked on the P car again.

One small issue which entered into the decision making was the way that a few Chevy dealers treated prospective buyers. We tried to drive a 6spd and were told that Vette buyers wanted 0 miles on their cars so they didn't allow for a lot of test drives. Our local P dealer on the other hand let us drive both a base and an S; another P car dealer did the same. Seems to me if you want people to plunk down $45-50K on a car, they should be allowed to get it out on the road to see if they like it.

You probably know what features are the most important for you and by driving these cars extensively, you'll figure out which one hits the mark and which one doesn't. Best of luck with it.

BTW, this a terrific time to buy a performance car in OH--I've seen a lot of inventory on certain lots and would expect traffic to be slow. That Chevy dealer in Elyria had a few cars in stock the last time I went by; Freddie Baker in Bedford had a number of 05's.

About 20 years ago I had the same decision to make. At that point it was the "new" Corvette or the new 944. While that was a long time ago and they were 2 different cars from the C6/Boxster there are a lot of similarities. I bought the vette because unless I was willing to pay $5,000 over list (on a $19,000 car) I would have to wait a year for the 944.

18 months later I wanted to trade the vette for a 944 turbo. Why? The 944 was more fun to drive. As a Miata owner I think you can appreciate the "fun factor". Its not the power nor the skid pad numbers, but the "feel". Back then the vette out accelerated, had a higher top speed and could negotiate curves faster than the 944. But the 944 was more fun to drive. I never did buy that 944 because my new wife was against me spending money on cars, and I always regreted it.

I think that still holds true today for the C6/Boxster comparison. So now as a fellow Miata owner I am in the market for a Boxster to replace my trusty old Miata (the divorce also factors into that LOL). I drove the C6, its one hell of a car, but I think the Boxster is more "fun". With any luck I will be buying a Boxster next week (I had hoped to get it this week :-( ).

You should also pay heed to what people say about longevity. Ride in a 10 year old vette and then in a 10 year old Porsche. Especially comming from a Miata, I think you will be sorely disappointed in the shakes and rattles of the vette.

GM vs Porsche?? if you have to ask you might not enjoy the Porsche.


Do you want a ballerina or a boxer? The vette is a rumblebox piece of **************** that happens to be fast. I saw an article on pelican from 83 where a 944 spanked a vette through the slalom, I'll bet it would be a close race even today. Vettes are good if you just want to burn from stoplight to stoplight. If you get one, don't be surprised when you get owned on a twisty highway by anything from the Porsche factory.

The 83 vette, design wise, was a 10 year old car (actually there wasn't even an 83 vette it was a hold over from 82). The 84 vette could outperform any other production car made that year. They may use brute force to achieve their performance, as opposed to the elegance of a Porsche, but vettes do perform!

84 vette outperforms all other production vehicles of the same year? I'm not buying it..Push an 84 into a corner see where you end up, that era of vettes was particularly ****************ty, I drove a couple I know.


BTW 1984...Lambo specs

Lamborghini Mid-Engine 5 litre V-12 with 6 two barrel carbs, putting out 375 horses.
Here's the vette specs:

Type: V8
Displacement: 5733 cc
Horsepower: 205 bhp @ 4300 rpm
Torque: 290 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm
Redline: ---- rpm

"If you get one, don't be surprised when you get owned on a twisty highway by anything from the Porsche factory."

I have both cars right now.

This statement is simply not true.

"84 vette outperforms all other production vehicles of the same year? I'm not buying it..Push an 84 into a corner see where you end up, that era of vettes was particularly ****************ty, I drove a couple I know."

Actually, the 84 vette pulled 1.02 G.

Having said that, this is not germane to today's C6. A whole other car totally.

:cheers:

" Ride in a 10 year old vette and then in a 10 year old Porsche. Especially comming from a Miata, I think you will be sorely disappointed in the shakes and rattles of the vette."

I have owned a 97 911 and a 97 Vette.

You might be surprised at how close they were in the "rattles" dept.

:cheers:

"You probably know what features are the most important for you and by driving these cars extensively, you'll figure out which one hits the mark and which one doesn't. Best of luck with it."

Right on! :cheers:

I don't like the balance of the Vette, I know it has good skid pad numbers but I still prefer the grip of the Porsche and Vettes ride like stagecoach wagons,every crack is felt. As for the production car fastest dealio, get the Lambo and the vette, I'll race in the lambo anyday..GM is not a sports car manufacturer, nor will they ever be. I know a lot of people love them and that's good with me. I had access to a 69 with both tops factory 4 speed, I liked it because of it's looks and brute speed so I do get it. It really does depend on what you want, the two vehicles are very different IMHO. I didn't mean to offend anyone..
Peace..

Hi,

Without being judgemental, I think it's safe to say that Ghostrider 310 just doesn't get it.

He may not like the Corvette, which is of course his right to choose, I suspect that he isn't as familiar or current with them as he may think.

To try and malign the 'Vette to bolster or affirm his choice of Porsche over Covette simply lacks substance.

Brucelee makes a good point about the validity of camparing a near 20 y.o. 'Vette to a 21st Century Porsche.

But, do a reliability survey between 2000+ Boxsters vs 2000+ Corvettes. The results may surprise many people. This was the single biggest factor in my recommending the 'Vette over the Boxster.

It's really all opinion anyway, and an easy one at that when it's not your money which is being Plunked Down...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

The comparison was between an 83 vette and 83 944, the vette lost in the slalom to a 944, so did a 928 and a 308 Ferrari ..It was an article I read which was a repost from R&T I think. I'm well aware that the current Vette can run with it's contemporaries, if you guys like em, go for it...The other dude posted that the 84 vette was the fastest production car that year, I still maintain that it wasn't..

I don't know much about the C6 Vette, but if it is NOT a drop-top, the decision would be very-very easy...get the Boxster. Nothing like driving with the top down.

Doug,

I find it VERY humorous that you'd ask hundreds of Boxster owners on this forum if you should buy a Boxster or a Corvette. It shouldn't be too hard to guess what we'd tell you, would it? :)

I think you should take Richard's advice (BruceLee) and drive both, decide what you'd enjoy driving for as long as you plan to keep it, and then make your decision.

As a little kid, I dreamed of owning a Porsche. What did you dream of owning one day? Buy that car and find out if it was worth dreaming about all these years.

For me, it was a Porsche, for which there is no subsitute (including the Corvette).

I personally prefer something a bit "unique".


Vette's are a dime a dozen around here. No one looks at them unless they are being driven by a jerk, dragging off the line at a traffic light, and then most folks just roll their eyes.


When people see a pooch, they look because it is unique and beautiful. You don't have to drive like an ass to get noticed. ;)


I've had more folks come up and admire my car than you'll ever get with a Vette. Again because they are a bit "exotic". :)

You might also want to consider gas mileage. ;)

I like the BruceLee way - get them both. Then do a long term study on which you like better. :)

don't forget one thing, if you get the vette we will not have you back on the best forum in the world!!! :dance:

That is very nice to hear but in truth, we would welcome anyone who likes to chat Boxsters, owners or not.

:cheers:

You may want to chech that article again. A 1983 corvette doesn't exist. GM didn't offer a vette for 83. They jumped that year and went into the C4 for the 84 year.

The boxster's mpg rating is worse than the corvettes.

That just amazes me that they would expect someone to buy a vehicle without a test drive first. When I was out boxster shopping I saw a used base model at some saturn dealership. I just got done test driving a Z4 and M-roadster accross the street at the BMW dealership. The saturn salesmen wouldn't let me take it for a test drive because he thought I was just some punk fresh out of college. He was trying to point me to the saturn EON's or whatever they are. I eventually ended up getting a brand new 03 S at Tom Woods which is a dealership in Indy. They let me take out the car without the salesmen ridalong and they were very helpful. I knew that was the right car and the right dealership.

American engineering vs. German engineering....no contest. Go with the Porsche. I've had several friends who bought new Vettes to sell them a year later for something else because of disappointment with quality. Check the 928 forums and you'll see several people who dumped their new Vettes for 20 year old Porsches and have never regretted it. :D

My comments won't have anything to do with the statistical comparison between the Porsche and the 'Vette. Others have done a good job of that.

Rather, I would urge you to take into consideration what a Porsche IS.
The history of the Boxster can be traced in a straight line to a lumber shed in Austria in 1947, to a company founded by Ferry Porsche, son of arguably the greatest automotive designer that ever lived, Ferdinand Porsche.

When you buy a Porsche, part of what you are buying is that lineage, that history, that place in development of the automobile.
If you research the history of the development of Porsche cars, you cannot help but be struck by one fact. The Porsche sports cars of today look remarkably like the original design laid down by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930's.
The man was a genius. The first four-wheel drive car. The first mid-engine Grand Prix car. The first HYBRID car for pete's sake.

How many independent low-volume automobile manufacturers are there left in the world? No more than a handful, surely. Yet Porsche manages to maintain their position as manufacturer of the pre-eminent cars in their market segment. The one their competitor's use as the benchmark, the standard for all the others.

Porsche. There is no substitute.

GM not a sports car manufacturer? If you want to spank an '06 Z06 Vette with a new Porsche I hope you bring your Carrera GT! :matchup:

Don't backtrack brother, you said "GM is not a sports car manufacturer, nor will they ever be"! :troll:

Furthermore, I don't know squat about 1983 Vettes, but from 1982 to 1985 (a four year period) Lambo only sold 323 Countach cars--I'm not convinced averaging 80 cars a year qualifies as a "production" car. By production car I'm pretty sure most enthusiasts are talking about a car produced on an assembly line in large numbers, not hand built one at a time.

And the person who said the Vettes of today have a low build quality sure is right. The plastic is cheap and the seats feel weak, etc., etc., but they have come a long way recently.

Hi,

Unquestionably, Porsche has had a great lineage. But, much of it came from when the Company was Family Owned and Run, when Profit was Secondary to Quality and Performance. Much has changed since that time.



I totally disagree that one is buying this Provenance when buying a Modern Porsche. To follow this Logic would dictate that we all drive either Mercedes or Fords as their's is the greatest Provenance of all.

But, as I stated, Porsche does have a great Provenance, but maybe not as great as you seem to think, you have a few Facts mixed up... The Czech Company Tatra manufactured the 1st 4-wheel Drive Truck in 1898 - Porsche's 4X4 Truck was built by Jacob Lohner, AG in 1900 and is a contested 4-wheel drive design - no patent was ever awarded. The 1st 4-wheel drive car was the Dutch 1902 Spyker 60 HP. The first 4-wheel drive Race Cars were the Bugatti Type 53 (1932) and the Miller Indy Racers (1932), the 1st Gran Prix Mid-Engine Car was the Auto Union V16 Type C and the V12 Type D (1937) driven at the Nurburgring by Tazio Nuvolari, the 1st Mid-engine Formula 1 Car was the Lotus Type 25 (1962).

But, back on point, when you buy a Car, any Car, you are buying the Car you're in, not the Ones that were, or Those to come.

It's been my fortune to own some of the most distinguished Sports Cars in History including a Jaguar E-Type, Alpha Duetto Spyder, TVR Griffin, Austin Healey 100/M, Lotus Elan, Lotus Europa, Lotus Esprit, Porsche 912, Datsun 240Z. These are recognized by most as some of the best Cars to come along, but because of the Drive they offered, not because of the Badge they sported.

I love my Boxster, but not because it's a Porsche. I love it for it's Looks, Feel and Performance - I don't Buy Labels. Take this Car and slap a Mazda, Ford or even Yugo Badge on the Hood and it's still a great Car. To me at least, slapping a Porsche Badge on it does not make it a Better Car. One should never buy a Car because of it's Label...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Let's see, a Porsche or a C6....Hmmmm

Oh yaa, a Porsche! :)

Sorry biased

Get use to seeing this if on a coastal or mountain road, you can have the next red light :D

rbennett, I am not very good with personalized plates....so, what does yours mean? Channel...like the perfume??

I suspect the plate is a take-off of the German word "schnell", which means something like quick or hurry-up.

Many of your points are well-taken mnboxster, however, I still contend that many purchases of enthusiast-type cars are motivated by things other than engineering factors. If that were not true the car companies wouldn't spend the millions and millions they do trying to build an image.

You didn't mention it, but I'm sure you realize that the Auto Union was designed by ol' Ferdy.

The post-WWII Porsche folks also designed a beast called the Cisitalia, intended to compete in the F1 World Championship events that commenced in 1950. After many years of financial tribulations, the project was dropped in the '52 or '53. The final configuration was mid-engine 1500cc supercharged flat 12 cyl. At one time in the development, 4-wheel drive was part of the design.

Many rear-engine cars competed in F1 events prior to the Lotus 25, although they were generally up-rated F2 designs, not full F1 spec. Stirling Moss won the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix in a 2.2 liter rear-engine Cooper, a victory that marks the first post-wwII victory by a rear-engine car. The Lotus 25 was certainly a landmark car, but hardly the first rear-engine post-war Grand Prix design.

Much ado about ancient history, eh?

I like that...

That's good too...


Won't the Vette seem utterly huge when coming from a Miata? When you sit all hunkered down in that GM plastic with that big ol' hood in front of you... that will seem very different from what you're used to. Boxster -the roadster obviously, will be ever so familiar. Though the Vette and Boxster can seem somewhat comprable, compared to what you're coming from (the Miata), it's a pretty radical change.

As for the 80s car debate... wow, shouldn't we just put that decade behind us? I'm not a fan of anything from that era... we should be ashamed of ourselves (Vette, Porsche, Lambo -everything... UG!)

Except for the 88 Maxima... I, for some reason, LOVED that car!

Had a C5, Z-28, and even a Lotus Elise. I will never purchase any of those cars again. I have never tracked any of these cars so I won't go there...but...on the street the Boxster S I currently own has been the absolute best. As quick as the Z-28, a bit slower than the C5, and I truly believe quicker than the Lotus. The Vette was basically a flexable piece of ****************. Sorry to those that own them...but come on. This car felt like a HUGE PIG that just wanted to twist apart on every uneven patch of road. NEVER FELT SAFE! The C6 looks much tighter due to its smaller dimensions but I just don't trust Chevy did enough to firm up the car. I vowed to never buy the same car twice until I purchased the Boxster. I have never felt as home and secure as in this car. I sold my 3 month old Lotus Elise for it! I will buy a Boxster again! It's just that good of a feeling! I have come to realize only recently that large, high horsepower engines don't make a car. It should be a total sensory experience combining power, handling, style, AND the secure feeling which lacked in all the above cars! :cheers:

Just as long as you don't have strong feelings about it.

:cheers:

C6 still have body roll, but the LS2 makes up for it :D Nevertheless Vette is Vette and I still love it (of course boxster too) for its look and engine. Viper is nice too...if it's not that LOUD.