[blue2000s]

I've had my 2000 S for about 2 weeks now. I though it might be useful to anyone considering a Boxster if I gave some of my first impressions. Plus, I figured I'd make my first post something other than a question.

I've only owned Japanese cars before buying the Boxster. I grew up on Rx-7s and have owned two 1st gens. I also have an Impreza and Integra. I've also had experience with a couple of air cooled 911s. My impressions are within this reference frame.

The engine is great! There seems to be plenty of torque, which surprised me somewhat considering the 911s I've driven and some of the magazine reviews on the car. It's no muscle car, of course, but it really has impressive punch from 2500 or so RPM up. High RPM power is very linear and very strong. Compared to some turbo 3rd gen Rx-7s I've driven, the power feels comparable. It's certainly more than enough power for me.

I'm a little disappointed by the engine note, however. I'll never forget the first time I heard my uncle start up and rev his '77 911. It was almost a religious experience, that low, semi loud rumble is missing from this car. It does have a nice angry growl as the revs get over 4000 rpm though, when the secondary runners take over.

The handling is phenomenal, I've never owned a car with this kind of grip and balance. Settling from a transient manouver is very fast and responsiveness of the chassis is very satisfying. The ride is quite reasonable too. I'm a little bewildered by the lack of a limited slip differential though.

My Rx-7 is less than 2400 pounds and stiffened, I think that helps it to provide more feedback through the chassis and steering, but the Boxster is still very communicative. At lower speeds though, the Boxster is noticeably more numb than when it's exercising harder. The Rx-7 by contrast is always feeding you a lot of information. The early 911s that I've driven are also far superior in lower speed feedback. Weight, big tires (relatively) and power steering I think have factors in this.

The other thing that is clear is that you'd have to be crazy or suicidal to explore the Boxster's handling limits on the street. The levels are just far too high. It's another difference from my Rx-7 and Integra, both are easy and relatively safe to push hard just because the limits are considerably lower. In some respects, you can have more fun on the street with a car that has lower limits.

The interior quality is a mixed bag. In Japanese cars, you either have a fairly high quality interior (Acura) where the materials feel expensive and have high quality tactile feedback, or you have a lower quality feel (Subaru) where the plastics aren't quite as nice and the switches feel somewhat lower budget. The thing they have, though, is consistency.

This makes the Boxster kind of different, the overall impression is that it's quite nice and the materials are of a high quality, but some of the switches and knobs feel like they wouldn't even make it in a Subaru. The headlight knob for example, has some of the worst tactile feel that I've ever experienced, even compared to some GM rental car's I've had. I'm afraid I'll break this thing just by using it. Some other seemingly low rent parts are the wind deflector, the sliding doors for the cubby over the engine compartment, and the cover over the passenger side airbag. The levers for releasing the trunks, by contrast, are beautiful aluminum pieces that are a pleasure to operate. The cigarette lighter is similarly expensive feeling and has a nice, damped operation.

I'm a mechanical engineer and I understand why this happens. During product development different people design the various parts and cost constraints are different for each part and can change with time. But product consistency should be high on any manufacturer's list.

The exterior of my car is in really nice condition. The paint is shiney and the orange peel is fairly minimal. I've seen factory paint jobs that weren't as nice.

It's cool to look at the under side of the car just to see the full chassis belly plate. It's something they don't NEED to have on their street cars but they do it anyway.

So enough rambling. I love the car, it's the best car I've ever owned, for sure, and hopefully will provide entertainment for many years to come.