Poor porsche, Rich porsche
 

Hello

Do we buy the Porsche boxter because we are poor? Or we can’t afford carerra or turbo and other Porsche designs? And do we buy it because our passion to this car? And if the Porsche needs a tremendous budget to maintain, why don’t we be more realistic and buy a car which is more economical that saves money and does the same purpose which was invented for “transportation”?

*Wish that everyone reply me with an honest answer.

911 cabrio was out of my price range and overpriced when I compared it to a Boxster S. I just don't see where the extra 25k or so is going...except in Porsche's pocket.

I bought my 986 S because I love the balance of the car, mid engine design, and overall physical aesthetics.

Additionally, I have always wanted to see if Porsche engineering was all that....well, IT IS and the car performs like no other I have ever driven.

Having said that, I purchased preowned to save myself the agony of serious depreciation, especially in this economic climate, but to also explore the Porsche brand with a little more conservative attitude.

You just have to know that even though these boxsters are less expensive than the 911's of same vintage, alot of the parts in 996 and 986 are interchangable.

Maybe someday I will get a 911, but it would be a cabrio as I love open air. They are hard to justify the expense though, and not just the initial purchase price, but also you need to factor in monthly insurance and the general maintenance, which unfortunately, is not like owning a Honda.

The boxtser is what got Porsche out of certain financial death too back in the 90's....so people should think twice about throwing up a nose at the car.

The boxster model is why Porschophiles can still purchase a 911 today. If they hadn't created the 986 series, then Porsche as a company might have become a thing of the past....and tell me how much that would suck???

I don't know if I completely understand your question, but I don't think poor people buy Porsches.

If it bothers you what other people think of a car you enjoy, you've got the issue not them.

I'm only 22 years old and I'm really new to the workforce. So obviously, I bought the Boxster because there wasn't any other Porsche that I could afford. That's not a bad thing though, I've always liked the design and looks of the Boxster. Handles like a dream too. I remember looking at them when I was a teen and I knew I wanted a car like that when I could get one. Honestly, even if I had more money to spend, I more likely would have stuck with a Boxster(might have bought an S though).

Sure it was the only thing that I can afford at the moment, but that's not really a bad thing on my end considering that was what I wanted in the first place.

Not exactly. The 911 is too mature of a car for young guy like me. I didn't care about Porsches or Boxsters before. I like cars, a self-proclaimed car enthusiast. I just knew I can't go wrong with a mid-engine car.

Going to local PCA meet is a strange experience for me, meeting all these 911 guys in mid-life crisis. They must be wondering how I got the car, maybe my parents let me borrow it for a drive.

Buying a 911 to most people is an event in itself. It means you got money, you want other people to know it and don't care about paying for one. It's the ultimate status symbol & prestige.

I hate to sound shallow, but this is what the general public perceive you driving in that car.

Just like some guy said in another forum, "I bought it just so when people ask me what car I drive, I tell them I drive a 911." At least he was honest.

Then again there's a whole flock of people who couldn't afford a Porsche before, but now they can due to the suffering car market. I guess I'd fit in that group since I just got mine about a year ago.

Then again what do I know, my last car was a Toyota Camry.

I bought mine after I sat in one (it was a perfect fit) besides I have a thing for roadsters.

If I wanted a backseat i'd buy a stationwagon :cheers:

I would not consider myself "rich" upper middle class maybe, mostly because I have no kids. I always wanted a Porsche, I was not completely aware of the ridiculous stigma between the model owners. My boxster was essentially an impulse buy, right car, right time, rms or ims be dammed I bought me a Porsche and I love it. I still want a 911 model some day though, in addition to my boxster of course :-)
I am rich in so many other ways :cool:

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.

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.

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.

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!

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:

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.

Poor Man's Porsche?
 

I bought my Boxster because I was looking for a roadster. I couln't find any I liked and hubby suggested a Boxster. Once I took one out on a test drive, I was hooked! It was exactly what I was looking for. Is it a substitute for a Rich Man's Porsche? Not at all. I love the other Porsches but the Boxster is the one for me! :D < Permagrin rules!

DinNJ

I can only speak for myself.

I've owned a 911, a C6 Corvette and a e46 M3...hands down, the boxster is my my favorite track car. The corvette was a sloppy joke, the M3 was much to hard for everyday driving, and it was heavy. The 911 didn't have the balance the Boxster does.

btw, it's a boxster

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.

Rich or Poor
 

Bought mine to cure a bad case of the fever. (new-different car) Good friend has had many Porsches and although I have admired them I never realy looked to own one. Ran across a 1999 Boxster on my way home from work one day drove it the next. Lucky for me it sold before I got sick. (New car fever) That lead to a few months of serious research and driving friends Boxster S. I looked at a great number of cars. The cure came by the way of a 2002 Seal Gray CPO Boxster W/hardtop. It almost wasn't a Boxster. When we were looking at the Boxster my wife almost bought a CPO Carrea. So it is not if your rich or poor it is what cures you. We are having fun with our new toy. Idaho is thawed out enough to put the top down now!
flyfisch

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.

I sold my box for a 911. I just recently sold my 911.

When my newest toy gets old, my next will be a 987s or CaymanS... Unless the 997 Cab turbo value plummets and I can swing that one.

I enyoy the heck out of the mid engined roadster and consider it the most fun car I have owned to date.

For me there are two types of people who buy a Boxster or Porsche in general...

A) The person that wants to buy into the lifestyle, the luxury, the prestige that comes with owning and driving a porsche

B) The enthusiast that is all about what the product can deliver, irrespective of whether it is a Porsche or a Kia

My Boxster is a 3rd car behind my Brand new Mercedes C300 4matic and a work cargo van. It was bought as a 'toy' and as such i would fall into category 'B'. When you think of 2 seater sports cars as 'toys' you see the usual suspects, Z3, Z4, S2K, Miata, SLK etc... all of which are good in their own right, but none offer the balance of a Mid Engined Sports car... the only other car i can remember that offers similar handling for a modest price was the old school Toyota MR2 (square boxy one and the newer one), these get used alot for track purposes in the UK and the newer style Turbo versions can be made to push out over 400BHP!? crazy figures.... but they lack the finesse and poise of Boxster the on track or on the street. If i wanted to throw a large amount of money at a 911 could i? sure i could, but just because you can doesn't always mean you should...

If you could work out a 'pleasure - $' ratio for the car, in my opinion the boxster would win hands down over almost all competitors.. does it help that it is a prestigious brand? yeah of course, but is it the only thing? no. I'm sure many Ferrari owners clubs have similar discussions regarding the older cheaper 308's, 355's etc.... however, what still remains is that they are all true thoroughbreds and were all built with the same passion and engineering precision as the other... the price points a personal thing, the core ingredients are the same.

People who worry about their image in a Boxster quite clearly are in group 'A' lol

For me I have my Boxster because I love the car. I have gone through many 911's from an 85 Cab, to an over the top 930, 993's, and a 996.

I just love how the Boxster drives. The car just works... on the street, on the track it is fun to drive and that is the most important factor to me.

Given an unlimited budget I would probably have a Carrera GT in the garage... but with a little less money I would have a gt3 motor in a Boxster over a new 911 gt3.

Its a personal choice for each, but I don't see the Boxster as a lesser alternative to a 911, unless you are judging a car by how much it costs.

Marc

I'm neither rich or poor
 

though by someone else's standards I could be either.

I buy used..2 prior owners for both my Boxsters. Maybe a life habit of buying good enough is why I can buy the car I want and be satisfied with one that is perhaps 90%, not really needing or wanting the last 10% because I'll never use it. I can buy a 500 HP car yet I found the 201 HP 99 Boxster more than adequate (and lots more than the 85 HP 914 I had owned 30+ years earlier).

I sampled about a dozen brands and models of roadsters in the weeks before buying my first Boxster. I knew I wanted the Boxster about a mile into my first drive. I bought the first one I drove. I didn't want nor drive any 911...even though that had been my introduction to the Porsche marque.

My 2 Boxsters have cost me ~$12 per month in unscheduled maintenance costs and I don't do all my work.

I enjoy the heck out of the car ...its practicality and its balance. It's got my golf clubs in it, been to the trash dump with a dozen bags (where, 8 years old it still draws admiring comments), been off for a week with luggage for 2, been to the track to watch the big boys play, and is the reason I take the long way for any errand my wife sends me on. And my granddaughter considers it a place to play with her dolls.

Enjoy your car..if you don't, sell it. It isn't worth not having fun.

I like that it's a mid engine vehicle. A lot better handling. . I had to get a convertible too. It also costs less, but at 250hp, I'm happy.

Rich man's car.....poor man's car.....hair dressers ride.....girls car........

I'm non of the above. I've been poor and without that winning Powerball number, I don't expect to be rich. My wife and I have worked very hard for many years for what we have. Neither of us is a hair dresser but she is a girl.
My wife has wanted a Boxster for years. Together, we have owned many sports cars, several with a greater power to weight ratio than the Boxster and all would turn heads when we drove by but none that we enjoyed as much as our RS-60.
We went to the Porsche dealer to look around and I first saw a beautiful black 911 Turbo Cab. Next I saw the RS-60 and read the specs. I was interested enough to take a test drive. I drove first, then my wife....we were sold.
We could have bought the 911 but there was not enough difference in the performance and handling of the two cars IMO to warrant the extra cost.
We love our little Boxster, we have driven it on a couple of long trips and many runs on the Tail of the Dragon and I don't think we would be having any more fun in that black 911.
As for a rich man/poor man's car...we paid cash for the RS-60.....this increases the fun factor for us.....would have had to finance the 911.

A 911 Turbo is a different breed than the boxster.... not even in the same realm. Like I said above, I loved my boxster and had more fun in it than my (much much faster) 911... Performance wise, the cars are night and day, especially in the far superior turbo.

I think the 911 you drove was broken, or missing an engine. 3.7 0-60 warrants that price tag.

My 2000 Boxster S is an evening/weekend car. I bought it after deciding that club racing (I had an SCCA Showroom Stock C car) is not the right hobby for my family at this time. I was able to convince my wife that selling the racecar and buying another sports car would be a good move. I have been a Porsche fan since I was a boy, and I have admired the Boxster since it was introduced. Thanks to the downtrodden economy, Boxsters are now surprisingly affordable. With some money in the bank and the sales proceeds from the racecar, I pulled the trigger on a nice (but not perfect) local Boxster. Once I get it set up the way it needs to be, I will probably take it to a few autocrosses and track days. Because that's what it's for.

Am i rich or poor? I'll put it this way: doing my own maintenence and repair is the only way the Boxster can fit my leisure budget. That's OK, because I enjoy working on the car. Would I buy a 911 if I could? Probably not. I have driven my step-father's 2003 Targa Tiptronic, and I like my Boxster S better. For one thing, the 911 engine is in the wrong place! There's a reason why the RS racecar, the 911 GT1 and Carrera GT are mid-engined. It's a shame that Porsche insists on limiting the Boxster and racing only the 911. With equal prep, the Boxster would be faster than a 911 with the same powertrain.

I bought a Hyundai Tiburon "sport compact" for about $20K and dumped about $10K in parts (supercharger, exhaust, intake, fuel tuner, larger injectors, strut bars, clutch mods, intercooler, brake upgrades, etc.), and wound up with a car that (a) still didn't perform as well as an "entry-level" Porsche, and (b) I was afraid to drive the hell out of because my warranty was voided many times over and I didn't want to buy a new motor.

I sold my Tib to another Hyundai enthusiast, and for $5K less than I spent on my Tib plus parts bought a CPO '03 Boxster which out-of-the-box does far more than my Tiburon could, even with 50% more horsepower than Hyundai shipped it with.

I still get crap from some of the Tib guys who like to point out that I own a "poor man's" Porsche. Having driven both a poor man's Porsche and a rich man's Tiburon, I can tell you with absolute certainty which one is better.

The Boxster may not be the most expensive car on the road, but I seldom see a car I'd rather own.

I didn't buy a Boxster to buy a Porsche, I bought a Boxster to buy a Boxster.

My budget was set, and that was the range I was looking at. Out of the selection, I found the Boxster had the best all around traits, that's why I bought it.

If I had been going for a 911, I'd get another car instead. I really don't like how the 911 looks, and it's rear engine layout and what not. There are better cars on the market for that much money (M5's and Jaguar XJ's and what not).

I don't love the Boxster, I don't hate the Boxster, and that's OK.

It's just another car in a long, but far from complete, line of cars I've owned.

The Boxster is better than some, worse than some others I've owned.

No car is the perfect car, at least I hope I never find one because then there would be no point in ever buying anything else.

It's my 9th drop-top 2-seater, and while it lives near the top of my list, it doesn't top the list.

It's my 3rd Porsche. More refined than the other 2, but less fun - perhaps because of it's refinement.

I'm about done with it and am eyeing my next ride whatever that may turn out to be.

Like all my previous cars, it's firmly programmed into my memory banks. I still remember tossing the tail out in my Z-car, feeling each 'snick' of the 4-speed in my old 308, the sound of the straight six in my E-type. All these things stay with you long after you sell the car, and the Boxster will be no exception.

Imagine going to 31 Flavors and never sampling anything but Vanilla - no matter how good it may be.

:cheers:

we can’t handle the fact that we buy the boxter because we can’t afford the 911, and we convince ourselves of the joinable driving and great exterior, that’s why we buy the cheapest Porsche and the ugliest, with an expensive parts, and all that is for pleasing people and hearing them say “ look! He is driving a Porsche”!

@e7lew

You pose a question and then ask people for their honest response, which I assume everyone responding did.

Then you go on and tell us, in essence, that we're all liars and only bought the Boxster because it was the only model we could afford and allowed us to say we 'drove a Porsche'. IMHO, that seems very disingenuous of you, a setup if you will.

Perhaps if your country repaid the $7B we spent prying you out from under Saddam's fist back in GW I, many of us might now be driving 911's.

:cheers:

You are correct...the 911 is in a different class.
The point is that while the 911 is faster and a beautiful car, IMO being 1.3 seconds 0-60 faster and 23 mph top end difference is not enough for an additional $70,000.00 for me. My boxster does 0-60 in 5.0 and 170 top end. I rarely get to drive the Boxster to it's limit so I don't think I would be any happier with a car that cost twice as much.....and I know my pocket is happier.

It's spelled BOXSTER. I guess if you can't even spell it,, well,,,, nevermind.

My Boxster is my Porsche
 

I am retired, theoretically. That doesn't mean I am not looking for a job that I was recently trained in at my local community college. When I TSD Rallied with a 911 owner I had my heart set on that car to own but I was a poor grad student.

For the last 5 years I have been driving a Nissan 240 SX SE and had planed to upgrade it with a Silvia turbo JDM engine. However when I discovered by accident that for a few thousand more I could get a used Boxster it was a no brainer.

The new home we are moving to is a golf community that I noticed has a LOT of Porsches in the driveways including more boxsters I've seen in one neighborhood.

So Porsche + Boxsters + neighborhood + retirement time = fun + maybe will return to TSD Rallys again + lots of time to do my own maintainance and upgrades.

Would I buy a 911? Frankly Scarlet I don't give a damn. They all look so ancient to me. (Sorry but it's true!)

e7lew - your original question is a bit odd given that this is a forum for people who are enthusiasts about Boxsters.

However, here is my honest answer:

I have been preoccupied with driving a Porsche since I was 7 years old and took a ride in a neighbor's 911 RS. That was because it was the most exciting car I had even been in - perhaps the "passion" for them started then.

For years after I looked at various Porsches both new and used. In 1998 I test drove a Boxster and bought one. More recently I bought a 911 Carrera 4S.

Why did I buy the Boxster? Simple - it's a great car that drives wonderfully and I enjoy it too much not to have it. The same goes for the 911 which I bought because I also enjoyed it so much it made sense for me to have one. I don't get into the pointless debate over which model is "better," they are different cars and I enjoy them both.

If you are "poor" by your own measure, then you buy the cheapest car you can find that suits your needs. If you consider yourself "rich" then you buy a car which displays your wealth as you want others to see you.

I'm neither poor nor rich, I am just an enthusiast who enjoys driving and Porsche cars are the most fun to drive as far as I am concerned!

eylew, I'm going to have to agree with a poster above. You wouldn't be driving anything if we hadn't of bailed your country out from under Iraq in '91. Your line of questioning is a bit odd, if not a little pretentious.

Which one do you drive?

sean

How appropriate... a Rag Head buying a Rag Top... lol

I think it's pretty obvious he is just a Troll so i wouldn't bother taking him seriously.

USA! USA! USA!





(sorry.)

Looks like we're gonna be calling 'em Freedom fries again....

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!