Poor porsche, Rich porsche

[impboy]

Honestly?...

I love the 550 Spyder inspired design much more than the 911. A Boxster has beautiful curves unlike just about every car produced that has hard edges in the body (i.e. BMW Z3).

Yes, a 911 is a better performing car in stock form (and probably modified too). Yes, you can get a 911 in a cabriolet. Yes, I only paid $18k for an '01 Boxster with 27k miles. But if I had my choice between a 911 and a Box with everything else being equal, I'd take a Box any day.

I like my Box because I sit about 4 inches off the ground and I feel like I'm in a kart on steroids. I like my Box because it's small and not a big GT type car. I LOVE how easy most repairs are on this car and I can do them myself. In the nearly 2 years I've had this car, it's been anything buy a money pit and hasn't required a "tremendous budget" to maintain. This is my daily driver too.

I've heard how the Box is the poor man's Porsche or a chick car, though I've seen very few women driving them. Don't care....don't care....don't care. It's a great car with great lines and it gives a great driving experience.

But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[vath2001]

I wanted a convertible.... a rag top.
The other convertibles just were too plain or too common. Like the boxster look, the ride the feel and plenty of luggage room for a week of vacation for two.

I'm not rich, that's why the car is ten years old. Its my second car. Since I grew up wrenching on everything (Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Benz, Audi, Evinrude, Yanmar) I was not afraid to get a ten year old car.

[23109VC]

I bought mine for various reasons. I was in the market for a fun/toy car. The boxster was one of many cars I considered. I test drove a lot of sporty cars - includeing the Z, the S2000, the RX8, the EVO X, etc etc.

I bought my car from my dad - and the reason I was looking at the boxster among the other cars, was that after borrowing his car a handful of times - I honestly felt it was the most fun car I had ever driven. The combination of the handling and the top down experience made it so much fun.

I actually got a chance to drive my brother in law's 996 Carrera before I ended up buying my dad's boxster from him. I was expecting to LOVE it even more than the boxster - mostly because I assumed that the bigger/more expensive 911 must be "better". Well it was faster, but I honestly didn't think it was as fun to drive. It clearly is the more prestigious of the two cars - and if i was trying to impress someone, or wanted to roll up to a fancy hotel/restaurant and impress total strangers - I'd take the 911. If I was going out for a fun drive on a nice sunny day - I'd take the boxster every time.

My dad eventually decided to sell his car. I considered the S2000 and RX8, but ultimately, went for the boxster. I wanted a drop top and the S2000 was too buzzy/loud and unrefined. I accepted that the boxster would be more $$ to maintain - but I bought this car for fun not to be practical and rational.

The 911 is a great looking car and if I won the lotto tomorrow I think I'd buy a 911 turbo or GT3 - hell I'd buy both! But for a guy like me who is married, has kids, has a budget - the boxster is a great car.

No 911 envy here. Although I'd glady own/drive one!! I just don't lust after one or feel like I had to "settle" for a boxster.

[jmatta]

I've owned and driven 911s since I was in my late twenties, though I started with a 914 and moved "up" to 944s. My 911s have included everything from basic 3.2 Carreras, up to the pinnacle (at the time) 930 S turbo slantnose. I sold a nicely modified RS America to purchase my latest 911, a 1973 RS clone track car.

I bought my '02 Boxster S (pre-driven) because I instruct through several different car clubs and found the cars to be a blast to drive, plus they're topless.

My ultimate at the moment would be a GT3RS, but with two college age children, that isn't going to happen.

For what it's worth, my older brother got me hooked when I was just 16 and he bought a 1969 911S...wish I had that car today!

[crios]

This is an odd topic, it's like saying, do you rent a house because you are poor? And if you own a house, does that make you rich?

Like anything else, it's about your budget and how much you are willing to spend on a car...new or used. I love Porsche and would enjoying owning just about any one of them. If I could, I would own a 550, 911, and even a Panamera. I don't, so I guess I'm poor :ah:

[E Kaplan]

My Boxster is a second car for me. My primary car is a Jaguar XJR. Even though the Jag is more expensive, I drive my Boxster whenever I get the chance. (when not driving my kids). It's not about money or status. It's about what I like. I could buy a 911 if I wanted, but I like the looks, handling and fit of my Boxster more than a 911. Hard to explain, but sometimes when I am driving I just feel like this car is exactly how I want a car to behave. I know other people on the forum feel the way I do.

Eric
P.S. I like the question. Makes one think about why we make the choices we make.

[Frank M]

I bought my Box over the 911 because I did not want a back seat.

I have owned many sports cars such as Corvettes, Mercedes and other cars, mostly German. Never owned an Asian car though.

[RandallNeighbour]

I bought an old, high mileage Boxster because I wanted a Porsche and that's all I could afford. Had I been able to spring for a 911 turbo, I would have done it in a heartbeat.

I love the Boxster, but if I inherit a pile of cash I will put most of it in the bank for retirement and buy a 2 year old 997 TT with a 100k CPO warranty and drive the piss out of it every chance I get.

I'm loyal to the brand, not the model.

[Motobob]

Wow, I had to go back and read this whole thread before I posted. First my answer and then a thought for E7LEW...

I have only been in the Porsche scene since Oct 08 when I bought my first one (2001 Boxster S - prsitine, low miles, red...had to be red). Up to the point of purchase I knew I wanted a sports car and it was narrowed down between a vette and a porsche.

I looked at 911's and Boxsters and then fell in love with the one a friend had that I subsequently bought. I'll admit that 8 months ago I did not know THAt MUCH about porsches...my knowledge today is about 1000% more. And what do I think about perhaps buying in 3 years? ..... a 2009/10 BOXSTER to replace this car. I expect to be with Porsche now until I quite driving someday and my car of choice will probably be the 987.

The 987 is THE SPORTSCAR from Porsche...look at the reviews on the 2009, they say it is becoming the Porsche to own if you want a true sports car made by porsche.

The comments about it is the poor man porsche is started by 911+ owners who for some reason feel a need to look down. Owners of GT porsches probably say that about 911 drivers. I disregard those comments.

Look at any Porsche gathering photo and you will see perhaps the highest percentage of Boxsters in any photo. I just helped at a PCA rally and 1/2 the field was Boxsters over 911's.

Now my comment to you, E7LEW... I think your comments are echoing someone's else and as Bruce Lee stated, they do not represent me. Suggest you speak for your self on this issue...not us. Bob

[sd_boxster]

There are two groups of people who chant the "Boxster is the poor man's Porsche" mantra: A small subset of high-end Porsche owners who have a superiority complex, and people who don't own a Porsche at all and feel the need to diminish the Boxster.

It's VERY infrequent that I hear anyone malign my Boxster, and I personally have never had another Porsche owner give me anything but props. As for the non-Porsche owners, I ask anyone who makes the "poor man's Porsche" comment if they've ever driven one. The answer is always no - and in my estimation, ignorance and jealously aren't the two best cornerstones for an informed opinion.

[Perfectlap]

e7lew,

I appears you have a very limited knowledge of Porsche. But welcome aboard just the same. The BoxSter was the first design by Porsche designed from the start to be a convertible sports car. So obviously it was going to be popular. All other convertibles before Boxster were coupes that had their tin tops cut off to satisfy the consumer demand for convertible fun. That resulted in a car that shook too much and wasn't rigid enough. The design of Boxster addressed those big complaints of the 911 Cabriolet. More importantly it allowed Porsche to make up for another big demand from the public: a mid engine 911. From the doors to the front bumper the Boxster was EXACTLY the same car as the MK1 996 Carrera. By simply giving it a new name "Boxster" they avoided the embarrasment of having to acknowledge that mid engine sports and LMP cars are superior to front or rear engine sports cars in sprint racing.
Why didn't they put a bigger engine in it? No need. Boxster is a combination of the words Boxer and Roadster. So obviously it's a roadster with a boxer engine.
A Roadster is intended to be light in weight, small and perfectly balanced. Going fast in this car is up to driver skill.... and not relying on the engine to do the work for you. But despite this the 2.7 and 3.2 engines have more power than most of the 911's every built. The Carrera only recently passed the 300 HP mark in standard form. It has never been a powerful car. If you wanted one of the fast 911's you had to pay $$$ and you were already over paying to begin with. But lucky for Porsche they rely on customers who have more money than knowledge, most Porsches never make it to the track or even an autocross. But I guess you can certainly say the same of Lamborghini and Ferrari. They want the most expensive car to satisfy whatever non-driving related goals they want to achieve with their car. Obtaining the Porsche that does the most for your money (Boxster/Cayman) is of no concern to this type of of sports car owner since they won't really be testing that value in the habitat it was designed to perform in.

e7lew,
Now that you have a better understadning of what the Boxster is and of Porsche I can share with you my motivation. I watched Top Gear one night and a former F1 driver was testing the Boxster on a track and was having a great time sliding the car all over. Top Gear proclaimed the Boxster as the best sports car, not just convertible, but best overall pure sports car you could buy new. So the next week I drove one and bought it.

p.s.
I have never understood the idea that the Boxster "is the Porsche I could afford".
If you can't afford a 911 buy an old 911! There are tons of old well maintained 911's in every color and power combination you can imagine. They don't handle as well as a Boxster or are as reliable but you can still buy a 911 if you don't have much money.

[Immortal1520]

I probably would consider the Boxster to be a Poormans 911 had it actually been like a 911. If it looked similar, which it doesn't. If it was rear-engined, which it isn't. If it had backseats, which it doesn't. If it drove like a 911, which it clearly doesn't.

They're two completely different cars and if you're under that mantra that "you only bought a Boxster because you couldn't afford a 911", then you clearly don't know what you're talking about or you're about as ignorant as you can possibly get.

Failing that, you probably drive some lame car that can't compare to the heavily praised Boxster and have an immense feeling of jealousy for it. Pick up any car magazine that says anything about the Boxster, I'll bet you the keys to mine that they're going to say nothing but great things about it.

Porsche made a stellar car in the 911 years ago, and that car is pretty much the brilliant genius amongst its competitors in its range. The same can be said about the Boxster and it's peers. I still think that mantra is stupid, that it's for people who can't afford 911's. You don't hear people with SLK's get flak for their cars because they can't afford SLR's. They're different. Just like the Boxster and the 911.