"poor man's" Porsche...a RANT.
 

Why do so many consider a Boxster a "poor mans Porsche"? It's as if the mindset is that "if it's not a 911, it's not a Porsche". Personally, I would RATHER drive a Boxster than a 911, it's just more fun....unfortunately, I spend a lot of time explaining why I think the Boxster is better than a 911 (or at least different in the feeling it provides).

Ok, I will admit I was guily too, but it was a different time, a long time ago. Back in the early '80s (ok, high school), someone had a Porsche, and was quite fond of letting everyone know he had a Porsche, but was never seen driving it. Finally one day, he told everyone that he had driven it, and after school, a crowd gathered to check out his car. Was it the exotic car of dreams? Nope, it was a sad litte 2 seater....yep, it was a 914. Oh how the teasing started (I think he needed up selling a bought a MG).

Now here we are later, and 914's are sought after classics. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like the kid with the sad little 914. Personally, I blame Porsche...if they priced the 986 closer to the 911, perhaps it would get a little more credit. And you know what, I still would have bought a gleaming new Boxster over a 911.

Rant finished. For now... :)

I could give a flying pile of poo what anyone else thinks about my 986. I love it. It's the perfect roadster and weekend fun car. Now do most non-PCA 911 people (most PCA folks are welcoming and at least seem non-judgmental) give me the time of day - no, but many, many "regular" people come up me and ask about the car. Mostly "what year is it?" When I tell them it is 13 years old and cost me (to buy anyway [emoji6]) as much a 3 year old Corolla, they can't believe it. Oh, and I loved 914's back in the 70's too when I was too young to know about P-Car elitism.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I won't complain about the pricing, however the car should've been the 718 Boxster from the start and marketing just now figured that out.

I've had a few people say poor mans Porsche and I always respond with "What Porsche do YOU have?"

Look at it this way, keep any Porsche on the road long enough and you can become a poor man!

Now this is a poor man's Porsche
 

Sorry couldn't resist. I think someone posted this on here once a long time ago.

http://i68.tinypic.com/i2lmoi.jpg

In over 6 years of ownership I've only had one person make a negative remark about my Boxster and he had cut the roof off a 356 to make it into a Spyder and had a replica 550 Spyder with a Subaru motor so put it into perspective. Everyone else thinks I paid $90K for it and, after 17 years, still think it's new.:cheers:

Me. too only one fewer negative comment. 6 years, two states, upscale NOVA and rural NC and got nothing but approving comments and nods. And they came from very varied types of demographic backgrounds and were totally unprompted. Maybe color (AS) and driving style had something to do with it.

Strangers seem to love these cars. I've only had jealous co-workers talk any smack.

I work around new porsches all day but I still love my 986. Would I take a brand new gt3 or turbo over this thing? Absolutely. But for how much money I have into my car I'm thrilled with it. I really don't care if someone calls it a poor mans porsche or a chick/hairdressers car, at the end of the day it's still a porsche. That's like trying to insult someone for buying a maserati by saying they purchased a poor mans ferrari. It's still a damn maserati!!

Look at the sales figures for the last couple of years. Porsche isn't a 'sports car' company any more. It's an SUV company that also makes sports cars. :eek:

When they start importing the 4 cylinder Macans, the numbers will be even more skewed.

Honestly, I think this is an urban legend. I've never heard anyone say that outside of a Porsche forum! :rolleyes:

I had a 2001 911 and now a 03 Boxster S...I will say the 911 was faster but the Boxster is quicker. Much more willing to go around corners, similar braking and the interior is the same. Other than the 911 engine I really think the Boxster is the better sports car. I can see why Porsche never has given this car an engine with the same power as the 911.

And if someone says the Boxster is a poor mans Porsche I have to say that when it comes to public opinion I think the 996 is at this point more ridiculed than the Boxster. Not that the 996 deserves any flack but it's made fun of far more often than the 986.

I've owned a Boxster, 944 Turbo, 996 C2, and a 911SC.

As Jake said, the 996 was, by far, the most maligned Porsche out of the group - Porsche people have a hatred for that car. I loved it; they are great cars.

As for the Boxster being a "poor mans Porsche", that's just plain old snobbery talking. With that kind of thinking, every Porsche except a 918 (and maybe a 74 RSR) is a poor man's Porsche. Anyone who thinks like that is kind of a d-bag, so don't be that guy. And don't feel like you have to apologize for owning a Boxster.

I proudly fly the Boxster flag everywhere I go.

I agree
:cheers:

There are a lot of snooty people out there - some with Porsches and some without, and I'm sure they like to look down their noses at us poor Boxster owners....but I would say those people are few and far between. Most real Porsche owners have a love for the brand and respect all the vehicles in the lineup.

Been in the PCA for a few years now, never heard anyone there with a bad word for the Boxster.

I had the pleasure, yes pleasure, of spending a week in a 2016 Cayenne (service loaner while the dealership did some work on my Box). The Cayenne is quite big - but it can move! Handles great, solid acceleration, very quiet cabin but still a good rumble from the engine...

This thing is not your typical SUV.

Frankly, don't really care what other cars they build/sell - it doesn't diminish the fact they still make some of the best sports cars out there.

All that matters....
 

.....is that YOU are happy.

That's all.

BTW, I also own a v8 Audi S5, and not once have I been accused of driving a poor mans R8. Maybe it's something about the look of the 986...sometimes I feel like sticking on a bunch of "awful" body kit mods (just kidding).

But seriously, how long do we have to wait until the 986 reaches the "collector" status of the much ridiculed 914?

I think they made too many for that :/

I had only one bad comment for my boxster... A kid, with four other guys, in dad's Escalade, told me "Boxster is gay, get a 911". I gave him my best smile and left while laughing a them.

No disrespect was meant towards the rest of the marque's line-up. It was my, perhaps poorly made, point of what this company has evolved in to. I would happily drive anyone of the offerings. And snooty 911 owners need to be reminded of how the success of the Boxster helped bring the financially troubled company back to profitability.

I've had many Porsches and not one of them was not a real Porsche. If someone doesn't think a Boxster is a real Porsche it very liking they know very little about Porsche.

I feel like a Boxster is really a poor mans race car.

When I get into it and drive I just keep on thinking, this is not an expensive road car, its a friggen race car that people can drive onto a track as is and have a perfectly good race.

Then I wonder why all the other cars I have driven now feel like junk and wonder what lame designers were hired to produce such crappy handling cars and that adding gobs of HP to these to make them "Sporty" just makes them more dangerous and even worse handling.

My Response to "Poor Mans Porsche" ...I would laugh and keep the secret to myself, but so far no one has said that, and they think Im lying when I tell them the car is 15 years old and inexpensive, so I stopped saying that and let them assume I paid $70k and bought it new.

I've gotten the "that's not a real Porsche" comment behind my back, but the originator likely didn't even own a car. ;)

Did get a "gay car" comment once on the way back from a range trip when I let my friend drive it. His witty retort was one for the record books.

One time I had the 964 out recently I waved to a Boxster driver, and he waved back enthusiastically, sort of in a "Holy crap a 911 owner acknowledged me!" sort of way. :D

There is a good write up on this in the off topic discussion on pelican. Take a look, you'll appreciate your car even more.

The not a real Porsche's stems from some sort of insecurity, I can see someone saying that about a badge engineered Toregue with a vr6 VAG engine. (Butchered the spelling on that)

Although I would still say that's a real Porsche graced by the Porsche engineeres.

But I don't see how anyone could look at a car with a flat 6 anywhere behind the seats, ignition on the left, and such crisp handling isn't a Porsche lol.

There is just no argument to it, at that point I guess only the CGT and maybe GT3 are Porsche's, idk because what's more Porsche than a flat 6 anywhere behind the seats.

There are just too many Boxsters relative to 914's and they certainly don't rust away as quickly :-)

I don't think the Boxster will ever be a collectors car, but it's a great platform and I love mine.

Mike

Hell I thought a 944 was the poor mans Porsche. Had one loved it.Now I have another poor mans Porsche the 986. I`m so hard done by.:(

You can delete the "kind of".

I've only heard the "not a real Porsche" once and that was 9 yrs ago in my 986S. A young man and his 3 friends were walking by my car at Wrigley Field (or Wrigley Stadium as Jeff Gordon calls it) when he tried to impress his friends with his intelligence. I didn't think of it at the time, but am ready now. Will say "aww, that's too bad, I would let you drive it. But since you don't like it, I'll keep the keys".

I've owned two 944 turbos and two Boxsters since 1993. Yep they both have been called poor man's Porsche, not a real Porsche, not a 911 or the last one I encountered Porsche's pecking order. I've heard them all many times. The last encounter was over a year ago at a local PCA event.
This was my response.
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/54429-porsche-pecking-order-2.html#post421504

I've have had only one negative comment in the 5 years since I got mine. The guy said he wouldn't waste his money on a Boxster when a 911 was superior. I agreed that the 911 is the pinnacle of German engineering and asked him what year his 911 is and he told me he didn't own one. I asked him what car he drove and he told me a Dodge Caravan so I took the high road by saying the Caravan was the pinnacle of American engineering and that they were definitely chick bait with the back seat for groceries and stuff. He had been giving me advice on how to drive my 986 up to that point but strangely clammed up after that.

The whole "Poor Man's Porsche" business is funny. Ever since the 918 Spyder came out, 99.9% of all Porsche owners have been relegated to the "Poor" category. Given that most of us don't know a 918 owner, who cares what they think?

I'm use to it.
Owned a few fiat spiders...not an Alfa!
Owned a Miata...after Italian sports cars, the Miata was heaven on earth to drive and own, yet the comments of it being a girls car...
Bought my Box S. Best car I've ever owned.....I've educated a few about what a great car this is. Heck, a few guys I know that bought 996's didn't even realize that the Box basically has the same engine, just turned to face the right way!

I just don't care..never really did.

This made me chuckle...and pretty on point with pinnacle of American engineering.

Regarding pecking order, I once asked a German colleague abut the rules on the Autobahn...he responded "There is an unwritten rule that all drivers MUST adhere to; VW's MUST move right for an Audi, Audis MUST move right for Mercedes, and all MUST move right for a Porsche." As a proud Boxster owner, I had to ask if this included Boxsters, to which he replied "Well, there is some latitude..."

Couldn't possibly care less about someone's dislike, negative opinion, or bash of my Porsche.

100x's more exotic than 90% of what's (sometimes barely) on the road. If you're keeping up a Porsche, you're doing something right.

I used to own a 924 and would occasionally get the remarks that it's not a real Porsche.
A friend of mine pointed out that, well, if you own a 911 or perhaps a 928, you might have the right to make that claim, but if you're driving a Volvo, you should just STFU!

Most other Porsche owners are actually great in their view of the 924.

I have owned 3 914s, 2 944s, 1 944T, 2 911SCs, 1 86 Carrera, 1 Boxster S and a 03 Boxster (automatic) which my wife loves to drive. All of these were heavily influenced by Porsche's engineers and craftsmen. I am just as proud to say I have owned 914s as well as the 911s. They are all great cars that do great things differently! As long as I can drive there will be at least one Porsche in my family....:cheers:

If we all fell for the negative comments, mostly on the internet, we'd be driving gay, chic, hairdresser's fake Porsches. Hell, mine's even a chicktronic, I might as well put a rainbow decal on it.:rolleyes: