986 as a future classic

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by pothole

Ummm, performance is just one relatively unimportant metric of what makes a good sports car.

Mustangs, even the most powerful, aren't nearly as good to drive as a Box.

I've driven the latest GT500 'Stang. Very powerful. But fundamentally a crap drive.

Take away drivetrain and handling performance and what is one left with? What else makes a sports car? Body style? Interior? All are slightly better than average, IMO.
I'm not trying to put down our cars, I'm just saying that I don't thinks its exactly memorable in the long run.

I drive my girlfriends Mustang GT every once in a while and give her crap about it. It handles like a cargo ship, lmao!

[southernstar]

Particelwave, its a question of balance and connecting the driver with the road. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1. steering feel and feed back.
2. precision on turn-in
3. cornering balance (no excessive understeer or oversteer)
4. cornering balance on bumpy roads (yes, go-carts can handle well on smooth pavement, but....)
5. Braking distances
6. Lack of fade on repeated heavy braking.
7. Brake feel and the ability to modulate.
8. Brake balance (and here a mid-engined car has an inherent advantage over a front-engined one, as the inevitable weight transfer forward under heavy braking does not overwork the front brakes).
9. Pedals set up to enable heel and toe (or ball to side of foot) downshifts on a standard transmission.
10. Relatively close gear ratios and a relatively light shifter effort (snick, snick, rather than slam/slam).
11. Decent acceleration, especially for passing and coming out of turns (drag racing from a standstill does not really matter).
12. An interior that allows a proper driving position with good visiblity of the road and instruments, plus seats that hold the driver in place during hard cornering and braking.
13. A 'sporty' exhaust note.

It all about balance and feel and connectivity between man (or woman), the machine and the road. Ultimately the whole of a good sports car is often greater than the sum of its parts and, the Porsche Boxster is a decidedly good sports car!

Brad

[pothole]

Originally Posted by particlewave

Take away drivetrain and handling performance and what is one left with? What else makes a sports car? Body style? Interior? All are slightly better than average, IMO.
I'm not trying to put down our cars, I'm just saying that I don't thinks its exactly memorable in the long run.

I drive my girlfriends Mustang GT every once in a while and give her crap about it. It handles like a cargo ship, lmao!

Your mistake is to measure these things simplistically. There's more to a drivetrain / powertrain than performance.

Boxster engines are well, well above average for things like engine note, smoothness, linearity, response.

The feel and balance of the chassis, brakes and steering are likewise well above average - they're in a territory an 'average' car like a Mustang simply cannot comprehend.

In fact they're in a territory few cars at any price can beat. And that's what makes a Boxster so special and so memorable.

With respect, the bottom line is that you couldn't be more wrong. The Boxster is an absolute stand out sports car. As an overall package taking everything in account (it's even very practical with two decent storage compartments), it's a truly exceptional car, an all time great.

It is, in short, miles better than the average sports car.