It's official...the Boxster is underpowered

[Brucelee]

"Gettin pumeled by the Corvettes is not new but its becoming a trend. Sports car cred comes from the track. That Laguna Seca time differential in Motor Trend was enough to make any Porsche die hard wince. Getting beat on power is fine, but to get outclassed on handling too? what's next braking??!!"

Ouch, you are not kidding. Notice Porsche stays way away from the GT1 class in AMLS. You gotta hand it to Chevrolet, racing does improve the breed. The ZO6 is as close to the C6R as you can get and still pass emissions.

Awesome car, I drove one last week!

[Rail26]

I understand the Porsche vs. vette thing...I really do. The Corvette is faster. However, I'm going to throw out an analogy. You can pick up a prostitute with no teeth on the street corner for 10 bucks. Can she deliver the goods? Hell yes. Or you can pay the big money for the Las Vegas escort who can deliver the goods with panache and class. Who would you rather have your friends see you with?

When I see a vette, I usually see a 45 year old fat guy wearing a Nascar hat driving it. When I see a Porsche pilot, I usually see well dressed, refined human being who understands style and class. Is this a stereotype? Yep. However, this is how I want to be stereotyped.

To Recap:

Vette = Hooker with no teeth or fat guy with Nascar hat.
Porsche = High class Vegas escort or well dressed aristocrat.

[mach schnell]

i have to admit - and maybe it's my despise for American cars (maybe that comes from living in Michigan for a while and having to deal with such narrow-mindedness!) but anytime I pull up next to a Vette i intentionally refuse to look or check it out. i know that some of them are faster and more expensive than what i'm driving, but i also know that for the most part, the caliber and intelligence of the lump behind the wheel is much less than maybe your average, hmmm... ricer?!

[Rail26]

BINGO Mach Schnell!

[986Jim]

It was a Z06 against the 997 S. Thats not exactly a fair comparison as the 997S is more on the same level as the C6-C7 is not the Z06 model.

The new 911 GT3 makes 415whp N/A from a 3.8L motor. It would walk the Z06 around the track and did on top gear quite nicely and by a pretty large margin too. Granted their track is shorter with lap times in the 1.25's for those cars vs. around 2 seconds for Laguna Seca it was still a large margin.

The Z06 is fast yes, but honestly it's just not that impressive because they use 7L to make 500hp, that barbaric. I can make 500hp with a 20L engine and put it in a boat, that doesn't mean its a sports car. Put a Chevy's best 3.8L motor in the Vette and see what happens lol... Or let Porsche make a 7L engine and again see what happens.

[Rail26]

Another good point. Anybody can keep bolting in larger and larger engines .

[Brucelee]

Yeah, and anyone can keep pushing the price of their cars up and up.

Face it, dollar for dollar, the z06 will walk anything Porsche can throw at it. Its a damn fine car, as is the 911. I just get annoyed when the C6 is slammed without any regard to the fine car and peformance bargain it is.

Believe me, if I have 45K, I am NOT buying a Boxster. That is just me.

And regarding your driver stereotypes, don't get me started.

Remember, I sell Porsches and Corvettes.

Both marques attract there lumps.

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by Rail26

Accord is for soccer moms, librarians and hippies.

Watch it, Rail, I own an Accord, and I don't have kids in soccer, I ain't no mommy, I've not been into a library since I was 16, and while I smoked a fair amount of pot in my youth, I looked nothing like a hippie ... more like a computer geek, actually.

[JP-s-in st. louis]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

Yeah, and anyone can keep pushing the price of their cars up and up.

Face it, dollar for dollar, the z06 will walk anything Porsche can throw at it. Its a damn fine car, as is the 911. I just get annoyed when the C6 is slammed without any regard to the fine car and peformance bargain it is.

Believe me, if I have 45K, I am NOT buying a Boxster. That is just me.

And regarding your driver stereotypes, don't get me started.

Remember, I sell Porsches and Corvettes.

Both marques attract there lumps.

In 2 years I will own a white C6 Z06. Nuff said!

[986Jim]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

Face it, dollar for dollar, the z06 will walk anything Porsche can throw at it. Its a damn fine car, as is the 911. I just get annoyed when the C6 is slammed without any regard to the fine car and peformance bargain it is.

I hear where you are coming from but simple fact remains that on paper where dollar for dollar matters the vette is cheaper more hp faster 1/4 etc.. In day to day life your still left with Cavalier quality interior and exterior parts. Overall the quality of a Vette is low, the materials used are crappy and the feeling of the car is heavy, awkward, and the trannies suck poo. If your willing to live with that then it will be a faster car dollar for dollar.

If you measure two cars together with the same stats, GT3 vs. Z06 the GT3 is clearly better at everything. It is more expensive yes, but it's also a Porsche and not a Cavalier with a V8 in it.

I just couldn't be happy with the low overall quality in the Vette. I have driven some Z06's and they are just too klunky and junky for me. I'd spend the extra on something faster and more refined.

And don't compare the GTR cars to Porsche's racing initative. GM spends 6x as much money in that series as porsche does. We all know money wins races.... Take Porsche's cars and GM's money and guess what would happen?

[eslai]

I have the opportunity to compare my 987S to a C6 pretty much every day. That car kicks my ass, but the driver admits that he has a hard time really using the performance of the car. It doesn't instill the confidence you'd expect it to when you look at the numbers.

Other than that, he's a bit bummed about the interior quality, and so am I. The oil pump seizing at 6000 miles and subsequent treatment by GM didn't help his impression of GM either.

Fast cars, but not nearly as much of a driver's car as a porsche. Belongs on a track.

[Perfectlap]

The Z06 marks the first time possibly ever that I would take the Chevy interior over the 997 one. Man you don't know how long I thought it would be before I would ever say that.
In the past the vette interiors reminded me of rental cars. Not anymore.

The 911 interior looks like I'm sitting in an SUV and not a 'pure' sports car at all, and that steering wheel looks it came from a VW beetle! And don't get me started on the front end that looks down right feminine.

The Z06 spanked the 997S for sure, but how much does that 997 (as tested) cost? it was out handled, out braked, out powered, a clean sweep.

EVO the Brittish magazine did a 996 GT3 match up vs. the ZO6 and they weren't of the opinion that the $100,000 GT3 was superior to the ZO6 by any stretch.
They (Yes Europeans) complained that the GT3 was way too nervous and twitchy vs. the fast right out of the box Z06. From a performance stand point, people seem to influenced by heritage and prestiege when what matters at the end of the day is your lap time. They don't give out trophies for best looking car at LeMans.

Rail,
as far as Vegas Call girls and $10 street walking hookers is concerned, They both whores.

[jangobox]

Geez you guys are really bumming me out with this talk of Porsches sucking compared to Corvettes. I guess all the "looks" the boxsters get and the " Damn that is a nice looking car" doesn't account for anything anymore. In my area of town, Vettes are very common place just like Mustangs. I bought mine because of its uniqueness, performance and its beauty. I went out a couple of nights ago in it with the top down. I went to go pick up some dinner and actually got 2 compliments from other drivers about how nice my car was all within a half hour. I know it isn't a popularity contest but it does feel nice when someone appreciates your car, I know I do.

[Perfectlap]

I agree 100%

If you gave me the option of Z06 or a 997S for the track,
I'd jump into that Z06 before you could blink.
Now if I had to drive one home from the track the Porsche no question.

when it comes to sports cars, reputation is 100% built on race cred.

Ferrari and Porsche would never have become what they are today without it.
otherwise Porsce might as well give up the Sports car image and follow Mercedes into the heavy, plush,options galore, luxury first sector.

[blinkwatt]

Just wondering isnt the only fair comparision to GM's Z06 a Porsche's GT2? Isn't it only fair to compare the best that each company has to offer sports car wise?

[wild1poet2]

The Z06 is "The Car" especially for its price and compares to cars costing much more! I'm a big fan and its on my short list of "next cars".

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by jangobox

Geez you guys are really bumming me out with this talk of Porsches sucking compared to Corvettes. I guess all the "looks" the boxsters get and the " Damn that is a nice looking car" doesn't account for anything anymore. In my area of town, Vettes are very common place just like Mustangs. I bought mine because of its uniqueness, performance and its beauty. I went out a couple of nights ago in it with the top down. I went to go pick up some dinner and actually got 2 compliments from other drivers about how nice my car was all within a half hour. I know it isn't a popularity contest but it does feel nice when someone appreciates your car, I know I do.

I never said that Porsches suck, far from it. Damn nice cars indeed (that is why I sell them!). It is just that SOME Porsche owners are SUCH snobs and look down on the C6 as it it wasn't "worthy of them.

Nonesense. I drive them both everyday and they are both great cars.

The C6 is simply a stone bargain in my opinion.

[Brucelee]

.... "Take Porsche's cars and GM's money and guess what would happen?"

This is such a lame rationalization, you should move to Germany!

PS-GM has no money, read the Wall Street Journal sometime.

[KRZTACO]

Mmmmm....there's a nice comparo............who threw the wrench in this one?

http://www.astonmartin.com/thecars/v8vantage

KRZ

[wild1poet2]

Z06 easily....

All three would be nice too.