Why did you buy your Boxster?

[patssle]

Because due to anal-retentive Porsche owners...you can buy a $75,000 car for $15,000 with low miles and in mint condition!

That and the fact that its counter-parts (Mercedes, BMW, etc) from 15 years ago look like '90s cars inside and out. The 986 with leather interior still looks fantastic aside from the headlights and climate display.

[RedTele58]

Interesting to read opinions on the cars when they were still new.

I was especially interested in their comments on the 5-speed vs 6-speed transmission and the S engine vs the base engine.

Several weeks ago here we had a discussion on S vs base and I said I prefer my base cars over my S cars as daily drivers. I didn't really think much why I prefer the 5-speeds and less horsepower over the S cars, it was just my initial gut reaction, but the comments above got me to thinking.

I took my '01S out of hibernation Saturday and had a very enjoyable afternoon driving it in the hills about 20 miles from here. It is a beautiful car, and at 36k miles is the cleanest in my fleet of six Boxsters. I drove it for the afternoon, then put it away and got one of my '99s out yesterday and drove it for the afternoon on the same roads.

Comparing the two cars, I think the 5-speed really was the more enjoyable to drive as I would find the 6-speed often a half gear high or low from where I wanted to be. The 5-speed allowed me easier access to that sweet spot between 3,500 rpm and 5,000 rpm where both engines seem to come alive. While the S car had the added 50 horses over the base car, I wasn't able to use it to my advantage on the roads I was on.

Sitting here thinking while typing, I realize similar thoughts about driving the S vs the base cars in DE events. Last year I drove the '02S car, this year I'm driving the '99's. The added 50 horses is fun on the straights, but again, I like the feel of the 5-speed over the 6-speed when I have to really start driving the car in the corners and the added horses are not that much of an advantage. (It's been kinda fun to have the 996/997 cars pull away from me on the straights only to be able to catch them and hang on their bumpers in the corners. It only sucks when coming out of the corners they wave you past them only to have them blow back by as soon as they get their extra horses spun up! )

[healthservices]

Why is DonV's avatar so big on my screen?

[dbear61]

Originally Posted by RedTele58

Interesting to read opinions on the cars when they were still new.

I was especially interested in their comments on the 5-speed vs 6-speed transmission and the S engine vs the base engine.

Several weeks ago here we had a discussion on S vs base and I said I prefer my base cars over my S cars as daily drivers. I didn't really think much why I prefer the 5-speeds and less horsepower over the S cars, it was just my initial gut reaction, but the comments above got me to thinking.

I took my '01S out of hibernation Saturday and had a very enjoyable afternoon driving it in the hills about 20 miles from here. It is a beautiful car, and at 36k miles is the cleanest in my fleet of six Boxsters. I drove it for the afternoon, then put it away and got one of my '99s out yesterday and drove it for the afternoon on the same roads.

Comparing the two cars, I think the 5-speed really was the more enjoyable to drive as I would find the 6-speed often a half gear high or low from where I wanted to be. The 5-speed allowed me easier access to that sweet spot between 3,500 rpm and 5,000 rpm where both engines seem to come alive. While the S car had the added 50 horses over the base car, I wasn't able to use it to my advantage on the roads I was on.

Sitting here thinking while typing, I realize similar thoughts about driving the S vs the base cars in DE events. Last year I drove the '02S car, this year I'm driving the '99's. The added 50 horses is fun on the straights, but again, I like the feel of the 5-speed over the 6-speed when I have to really start driving the car in the corners and the added horses are not that much of an advantage. (It's been kinda fun to have the 996/997 cars pull away from me on the straights only to be able to catch them and hang on their bumpers in the corners. It only sucks when coming out of the corners they wave you past them only to have them blow back by as soon as they get their extra horses spun up! )

I haven't owned a "slushbox" since 1985. Three years ago I was looking to replace my 99 Acura 2.3 CL, and I started out looking at a manual Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Infiniti G30/35, Nissan Z and Lexus IS.

A good friend at work and supplier of my C&D and R&T mags for 12 years (RIP MPN) suggested I look at the Boxster. C&D comparison tests for the early aughts clearly favor this over the BMW, Audi, Nissan, Honda and even Vette droptops when in S trim. Price, value, grin factor and relative exclusivity made the decision.

Interested in RT58's experiences. Everything I've read prior and subsequent to my purchase had the base version as middle of the pack, rating the body as quivering and the five speed as "having throws that are long and ropy".

That clinched me on getting the S (which as great on my 5K+ mile, 17 day road trip two years ago) but crossed off the base as a great DD and highway cruiser.

But I love my 01s and believe its overall Summer utility beats out its contemporaries for handling and UTILITY (trunk + frunk) on road trips.

DBear

[Redboxs]

I bought mine for a few reasons. Loved them as a kid. And as an adult with a passion for cars. There is nothing like a Porsche. I love it! And why is that avatar so big lol

[clickman]

Mid life crisis.

[paulofto]

Originally Posted by clickman

Mid life crisis.

Me too. I turn 61 in a month but i plan to live to 122.

[Mark_T]

Well, to tell the truth, I bought the Boxster because I couldn't afford the Elise that I wanted. In hindsight, it was an excellent decision. I don't think I would have been as happy with the Lotus in the long run.

[Bruce Wayne]

Originally Posted by Mark_T

Well, to tell the truth, I bought the Boxster because I couldn't afford the Elise that I wanted. In hindsight, it was an excellent decision. I don't think I would have been as happy with the Lotus in the long run.

Lotus

L oads
O f
T rouble
U sually
S erious

[Mark_T]

Originally Posted by Bruce Wayne

Lotus

L oads
O f
T rouble
U sually
S erious

Yeah, I've seen that before but, it's a Toyota engine. How much trouble could it be, really?

[Dave S.]

The sports car I had been driving was a 1980 Triumph TR8. I'd had it for about 25 years and it was a great car....until I drove it back to back with a neighbors 993. I couldn't believe how bad my car handled compared to the Porsche. After that I knew I had to have a Porsche and it was just a matter of finding the right one. I picked a slightly used (14k miles) 2003 Boxster S in 2008 because it was designed to be a convertible, it had plenty of power and it handled better than anything I'd ever driven and the one I found, after a full year searching, still smelled like a new car but had already lost 50% of it's value, so it was truly a bargain. I limited my search to 2003 and 2004 cars because they had the glass back window which was something I really wanted after having a plastic one for so long.
In my search, I also looked at BMW Z4's and Honda S2000's. The Boxster S handled better and also had a more comfortable ride than the either of the other cars I was evaluating. It was an easy decision to go with the Boxster S. The only challenge was finding the right one.

[Squozen]

I rented one for a week in Tasmania and loved it so much that I bought my own a year later.

[CoBeerToad]

I drove disposable vehicles. <$1000. Drove them for a few years, then threw them away. I did that out of high school. Then I finally bought a "nice" car. Blew the motor after paying on it for a year. Made the next two years of payments with the car sitting in the yard. Vowed to never do that again. So for the next decade, I went back to disposable cars again. Then I got a bug to spend a little extra on my next car. I had a Ford Probe stick once and it was a solid car. (I drove it though a flooded street and that is how that car met it's demise.) I liked those little stick shift cars, so I went through cars dot com looking for a little stick shift.

Finally decided on a year old Cobalt. Went to take it for a test drive and discovered I did not have my driver's license. I don't know how how long I had been driving thinking my state ID was my license or what happened to it in the first place, but I was sent home.

The next day I was bored at work and I opened up the year parameter on the website and spotted an Audi TT with 100k miles on it. It looked neat. I didn't have too many friends anyway so a back seat was just a place for my empty McDonald's bags. I scrolled down further and found two 1997 986s. I did some basic research on them (never heard of the bearing issue, thankfully or I would have moved on). Then I asked my friends at work, "Why should I not buy this car?" Then I moved on to anybody I could find trying to get someone to talk me out of it. After two weeks, and the only issue anybody could come up with was repairs are expensive, I went to visit one of the cars. I think everybody knows what happened next. I fell in love. Even the test drive seemed like a waste of time that I could be using to make this car mine.

In retrospect, I should have pressed on getting the wind screen that he had "somewhere" in his garage. I also probably could have knocked 500-1000 off the price. Other than that, I was very lucky and very happy with my little stick shift.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by CoBeerToad

... I didn't have too many friends anyway so a back seat was just a place for my empty McDonald's bags.

ROFL.
I love that statement.

[JayG]

I wanted to attract hairdressers

[dbear61]

Originally Posted by JayG

I wanted to attract hairdressers

LOL! How are things going in that effort? Are these hairdressers to teh rich and famous, or Cost Cutters?

DBear

[antny]

I have loved Porsche ' s forever, I am a convertible lover and I was in the market for a new car and it fell below my budget. Not even close to the fastest car I have owned but probably the most fun to drive everyday. Makes me smile every time I turn the key.

[Top_Ramen]

..I wanted something to cruise in during the summer time while listening to my Katy Perry cds!

[Toppy986]

A couple of years ago I was looking for a week end convertible, actually I was close to purchasing a 1964 Impala, when a friend of mine in a wheelchair who owns a 2000 996 convertible finally talked me into taking him for a drive. After 4 hours of driving I was hooked. I had to have a Porsche. I always liked the Boxster, and after all from where the driver sits a 996 & 986 are pretty much the same car. 3 weeks later I had mine own. I know it is not as powerful as my friends 996, but just as much fun, at least for me.

[Bruce Wayne]

Some good answers.

Why did i get my 986 ? well i was looking for a Porsche convertible. the 911's are nice and i've toyed with one, but the boxster.. engine is where it should be. it handles.. no it really does handle.. when i push it down twisty roads, it just amazes me at how balanced and how grip it has..

It's not drag car, it's not the quickest off the lights but the balance makes up for 0-60 time ( i know some who tracks a 3.2 and he regularly pas bigger engine 911's with more power due to the balance of the Boxster.

It's drivable. it can be used every day. even with the 928 GTS's and 944 TC i've had while owning the boxster, it still stays in the drive.

It simply is a driving machine