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Originally Posted by drburton
I would have to agree that the more recent 'S' models will hold their value better. Keep in mind there seems to be a HP escalation in the auto industry the last couple of years and many of the standard economy sedans are getting larger engines. I have to think that when someone is shopping for a 'sports car' they are not going to want to buy one with less power than a Honda Accord. That has to hurt some of the older non 'S' boxsters.
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Hi,
You may be correct for a certain segment of the Market. But, the essence of a True Sports Car is that they do tend to be underpowered. Traditionally, because of their nimbleness, they usually felt faster than they actually were. That fact is somewhat skewed in the US Market for a couple of reasons. First, roads in Europe (the birthplace of the Sports Car) tend to be very twisty due to natural obstacles - Hills, Mountains, Rivers and Streams as well as man-made ones - farms, towns and villages which existed long before the motorcar - too much power here can be a hindrance. Whereas in America, roads tend to be straighter with gentle curves as most towns were designed to accomodate the motorcar, so nimbleness was suplanted by horsepower.
Also, Americans traditionally had to choose between American Cars with their massive engines and power and the underpowered Euro Cars. Detroit used this power advantage with great success in their Marketing campaigns of the past 50 years and we've all become swayed by it to one degree or another. But more, or bigger, is not always better.
I reject the notion that the S is rarer. Porsche produces it in batches that their research indicates is in demand. If people wanted more, Porsche would grind them out like link-sausages. With today's manufacturing, there's nothing to prevent them doing so. Meeting Market demand
is the name of the game. People have to realize that the Porsche of today is not the Porsche of yesteryear with limited production capacity and allowing quality to limit quantity - they're a
Big Boy now ruled as much by their closing share price as by any vision to be the ultimate in performance.
But, there is a small segment which takes a more encompassing look at performance and doesn't zero-in on power alone. This helps to explain the Miata's popularity, though admittedly price point and other factors were also important.
I drive a 2.5, I could have bought anything I wanted, including a 911TT. I chose the 2.5 because to me, it is more representative of the traditional Sports Car. I feel the power of the S is unecessary, especially when one considers that it too cannot be termed a
Giant Killer, it's still bringing up the rear in the HP wars - Porsche purposely saw to that.
There is a polarization between the S and Base model owners which is just stupid. Most people would be thrilled to own either one - we
are the fortunate few. If I were swayed by what others thought, I might be inclined to want the power of the S, but I don't. Nor do I feel my Boxster is inferior to the S in any way, in fact, quite the oppsite, get in the twistys and the HP is negated to a great degree. I feel it's truer to the Sports Car philosophy, and it's the original Boxster model. I wouldn't trade my 2.5 for an S, even straight-up - I have the car I want. In fact, I will never trade-up my Boxster, I'll never own another one. If I get rid of this one, I'll buy something else - so many cars - so little time. I have owned 39 cars in my lifetime and never once bought a repeat. In contrast, my Brother has owned a VW Jetta since 1985 (4 of them) and just traded his '02 in on a new '06 - I can't even imagine.
You S owners need to appreciate that not everyone feels as you do. Nor did we
settle for the Base because the S was out of reach, anyone who did made a mistake. Base or S, they both provide the Boxster experience...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99