who came up with 'poor man's porsche' idea?
 

i accidently stumbled upon this forum:
http://www.mahjoob.com/en/forums/showthread.php?t=152037

i think that none of those people actually drove one, of course. but seriously, ive heard this too many times.

wher did this come from?

some people who had other porsches sold them after getting a boxster since its such a great car.

it was actually fun to read this couse none of those people owned a porsche and it was complitely unbiesed.

weird to call an expencive car like that as a "poor man's car". in my opinion, poor mand car is a 2 thousand dollar junker. o well

Jealousy and idiocity are probably what started that thread :p

Hi,

It's just words. Most Manufacturers produce a Line of cars in order to appeal to, and be affordable by, a wide market. Add to this the Manufactuers' desire to get a customer involved in the brand (hopefully young) and then have them buy more and more expensive models as their earnings and such grow over time. Customer Brand Loyalty in the Car Biz is something all manufacturers strive for.

In the case of Porsche, they have stated that this is one of the reasons to produce the Boxster - to introduce Porsche to a broader market, including women. They would hope a lot of Boxster owners move up to the more expensive 911 - the company's current flagship. The Boxster is the least expensive model Porsche curently offers and so it is quite naturally considered the low-end of the line-up.

But, you can argue that it's Porsche's only roadster and not the low-end model at all. Many (but certainly not all, incl. me) buyers are really 911 wannabes, but cannot afford one, so to them, the Boxster is the next best thing. I think that while this view has some merit, it has also been exagerated by 911 owners who feel that their exclusivity has been invaded by people who could not, or would not, shell out the $80k+ that they did to get a Porsche.

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

They seem so proud by recommending slk's and other fine cars but im sure none of them drive anything nearly as much fun, exciting and as good looking as a Boxster. They all probably drive those square box looking cars that we always see running check points in Iraq and blowing up..... Thats right, I said it, but its ok my gf is lebanese so i get to say it :D :D :D

FWIW, last September I went in to buy a left over 2006 C4 cab at my local P/VW/A store. After doing the obligatory test drives (and the math) I figured that it was to my distinct advantage to order a better handling , spec'd out, heavily discounted 2007 Boxster S and a 2007 Eos for my wife. Two cars for less than the price of one made sense to us. Being able to afford any particular object ( car, house, gem) is much different than being willing to mortgage or lease your life away. How many of those 997 drivers are at their financial edge just for looks? There was no compelling reason to spend more .

It's no one's idea. I've seen this phrase being used with every car brand out there, referring to the lowest priced model in their line-up.

That's what I guy who knows nothing about DRIVING sports cars would say.
A poser.

In sports car world there are roadsters, convertibles, targas, true exotics, GT's and regular old sports coupes.

The poser has no understanding of this. He will compare a roadster to a GT failing to understand that different sports cars have different purposes.

A roadster tends to smaller, lighter since it only has two seats and limited storage capacity. Thus it requires less power to go fast. As a result the car maker will put a smaller engine in it. Smaller car, smaller engine, smaller price. Roadsters have always been popular, the best selling sports car in Guiness Records is a Roadster (Miata) and in order to make them so popular, a not very practical car like a two seater has to be priced so that the wife will not deny the request for a weekend toy. The wife is ALWAYS a factor when buying a luxury that is not a hand bag or diamond ear rings. Some argue that the roadster is the purest type of sports car because its made only for driving pleasure.

The poor man's Porsche nonsense was a line I first heard back in the 80's when the 944 was introduced. Maybe they even said it about the 912 or the 914 years before the 944. I guess the line gets stapled to the lowest priced car in a line up.

I guess you have to know who you are talking to, a person that doesn't know trail braking from trail mix will look at a Boxster or Cayman and say, "nice but its no 911". A guy who knows a thing or two about driving a car on track, racing, autocross, etc. knows the mid engine P-cars are world class, just artificially held back in power by marketing people at Porsce Auto Group.

I remember once hearing a Carrera GT ($400K) owner tell a C4S ($90K) owner
that the C4S was "the poor man's porsche". :D
I guess it all depends what you consider to be "POOR".

yea i guess theres always someone out there driving a better car than urs..

Better? or more expensive?

they don't always mean the same thing.
The Boxster, in my opinion, is not a better car than the less expensive S2000.

But to the Poser...well he just wants people to see him in a car most can not afford.

Personally, anyone driving a Boxster because they don't have the means for a Porsche coupe is a poser. It's kinda like saying "I can't afford an BMW X5 SUV so I will buy a 3 series sedan"....they don't care about the purpose of the car they just look for something that is perceived to be exclusive solely on price.

Just get in, feel it, drive it, love it.....and if you can walk away look around and think its beautiful...it must be a boxster....

ENOUGH SAID. :troll:

CJ_Boxster wrote:
> They all probably drive those square box looking cars that
> we always see running check points in Iraq and blowing up.


Oh boy, now you done it -- now the suicide bombers will switch to Porsches.

-- peer

Perfectlap: By no means am I offended at your post, and I usderstand your point. BUT truth be told, there are many cars I would rather have than my Boxster, and economics IS the only factor.....price point is price point....

well I should have clarified, anyone only buying a Boxster because they can't afford a 911 is a poser. But I don't think there are many examples of this because 911's can be had for the price of new Dodge Neon with engines that will last an eternity. Even the well mileaged 993's and 996 put a 911 easily within reach if that's someone's life ambition. No need to "settle" for sports car world's benchmark roadster.

Hi,

@Perfectlap - No need for clarification here. I think you nailed it, I agree with all the points you've raised...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Well put Perfectlap...

I think that we established in this forum a long time ago, that many of us who could certainly afford the 911, drive the Boxster as a matter of CHOICE!

It appears to be jealously or dislike of the brand. I have a '99 328 and get the same..you have the poor mans BMW or that is the car for everyone who wants a BMW but can't really afford one. PLEASE!

The Boxster is what it is. And this is certainly fine with over a hundred thousand owners I believe.

man you must be reallly poor to drive 2 poor mans cars LOL :cheers:

Better than a rich man's chevrolet I guess.



It's such an ignorant statement and a paradox at the same time that the idea is laughable.



It would be different if porsche really cheaped out on the Sexster and made it a sub-standard Porsche, but the fact is, many prefer Boxsters and Caymans (usually S models) to 911s because they are such great cars, and when you look at it like that, what difference does it make how much the car cost? It's a great car, and not just relatively speaking, either.


And MNboxster is right. I know my next car will be a 911!! Especially since I hear they're upping HP output to around 380 for the S models.

Humans love to trash each other, it seems.

Makes me laugh when the elgalitarians get going. As a wise man once said, "some of us are more equal than others!"