Car and Driver rating the 987

[Pilot2519j]

First Place
Porsche Boxster S
Spend your whole life studying Eastern religions, and you won’t achieve the inner balance of a Boxster S. It’s yin and yang on 19-inch rims, a solid chunk of pure chi backed by a 10-year corrosion warranty. Mr. Buddha, your car is waiting.


For the naysayers read it, Though not superpowerful it offers the complete package and then some.


http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=9157&page_number=6

[IceBox]

But...I already know this... Still has a wonky interior though...

[Shortbus]

Me shtill likes the 986 interiors bester too.

[RandallNeighbour]

oh, come on!

No one likes the new exteriors and interiors of cars we already own and have grown to love.

Give it a year or two and you'll be drooling to trade up to a certified pre-owned model of the car.

I went to sit in one on a very rainy day and the salesman asked me if I was in the market to trade my 1997 in on one. I replied:

"Yes! In 2009, I will be more than happy to buy a used 2006 S with some warranty on it. Take down my name and number and call me in January, four years from now."

I'll give Porsche a year to work out the bugs in the new model, then wait three more years for someone else to take the depreciation hit on the car I want. The older I get, the more patient and strategic I become with purchasing cars!

[Adam]

Car&Driver rating a boxster s ahead of a Z51 equipped vette? I must be dreaming.

[Perfectlap]

[QUOTE=RandallNeighbour]oh, come on!
"Yes! In 2009, I will be more than happy to buy a used 2006 S [QUOTE]

Hopefully By 2006 Porsche will have redesigned the front to actually match the Corvette beating performance. The 986 is a tough act to follow and most car companies usually fail to top a company saving design success.

I'm sure this was a very controversial debate at Porsche to revert to what I feel is the outdated design of older 911's instead of continuing to develop the "New 911" look of the 996 and 986. When I saw the Boxster and 911 Turbo I thought Fantastic Porsches no longer look like glorified Volks Wagon.
I'm sure the aftermarket industry will have a go at beefing up the 997/987 look.


make it better not just different!

[Lux]

All the magazines drool on the latest cars. Then slam them when the model is about to be replaced. Sometimes they're right. Sometimes they're wrong. Remember, they cater to their advertisers. The only interesting thing coming out of Porsche is the Boxster Coupe. Rumours of it having a 3.4L motor makes me think that Porsche is almost ready to not make the Box play second fiddle to the 911. The hp bump isn't all that much if it comes in at 296hp, but the increase in torque from the 3.4L motor will be significant.

[Brucelee]

"Hopefully By 2006 Porsche will have redesigned the front to actually match the Corvette beating performance"

I don't see the two cars as really competing. If I want pure blinding speed with great handling, I can buy a new ZO6 vette with 500 HP.

If I want a more sophisticated car with even better handling and with very good power, I am going Boxster S. I love both cars but don't really see them competing.

And the Vette will get you near 200 mph, which of course is useless but fun.

Let the good times roll!

[Perfectlap]

I hate to disagree with you but
the corvette C5 is a world class racing car and winner of the 24 Hours of LeMans
for several years now. Its not just a horsepower monster. During the 24 HLM the French crowds line up near the C5 just to hear the engines start up. I always find it funny how in Europe many people who I've met think the Corvette is exotic while here in America it has a certain stigma.

[Brucelee]

As I said, the C5 is a great handling car. I don't think the stock version handles as well as the Boxster but it handles wonderfully just the same. Remember the Lemans C5 is not the street C5. Anyway, I think you and I are in agreement.

And yes, the LS engine is a world class marvel, has been for some time now. Even better is the current LS engine.

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I hate to disagree with you but
the corvette C5 is a world class racing car and winner of the 24 Hours of LeMans
for several years now. Its not just a horsepower monster. During the 24 HLM the French crowds line up near the C5 just to hear the engines start up. I always find it funny how in Europe many people who I've met think the Corvette is exotic while here in America it has a certain stigma.

[Pilot2519j]

Originally Posted by Adam

Car&Driver rating a boxster s ahead of a Z51 equipped vette? I must be dreaming.

I am of the opinion that we are comparing apples vs. grapes here. The C-5 is a more powerful car and I think we can all agree on that. Our car the Porsche Boxster S is a better handling car. From those facts we can then compare the interiors of the cars and I believe that our car is less cheezy than the C-5. The interior is nicer and of better quality. Rides are totally different nod goes to the Porsche Boxster, but if you are looking for power the C-5 is top dog no questions asked.
I am happy that Corvette has gained racing car fame because of the factory teams which in the long run will pay off and make the Corvette much better car than it is today. Just in a few years the progress has been staggering. The Porsche marque has a history rich in racing heritage and of cars eventhough they dont't have the horses they still come in first in races. This comparison reminds me of the GT-40 which was a 7 liter monster vs the Ferrari 330 P which was about 3.3 liter. Ferrari was crushed but later adapted and kicked the GT40 butt. Guys we are not racing in Le Mans are we? What's the point. I love my car . It is freaky fast and handles like no other car I've ever had.

[Jeannot]

The Corvette IS indeed exotic for us. Here you probably see 1 for 100 Porsches...
Such a big engine with $5 a gallon fuel is REALLY EXOTIC.
Also, don't forget these cars don't come cheap here and they loose what seems to be therse second main advantage after HP: their price...
Too bad we don't see more of these.
Same goes for the Viper. You probably see 1 for 100 Ferraris...
Too bad really, I'd love to race something else that Subarus :-)

[Perfectlap]

so you must 100 corvette's for every Lamborghini Mucielago!
I think it gets 9 miles to the gallon.
I think they make one Murcielago for every 200 Ferraris bulit.

[Jeannot]

No no, Lambos are quite frequent here....Italy is just around the corner and the happy few buys these expensive Italian things more happily than the vettes. Don't know why...
Think about it, Schumi himself lives around (Tax reasons)...
So I'd say 2 lambos for 1 vette

[Adam]

Here's just alittle additional mag info. The latest R&T has a best sports car comparo that includes the box s, c6, elise, viper, Carrera S, Z4,SLK, among others. The C6 won the shootout by 1 point and the Boxster got 2nd, but 5 out of the 8 editors chose the boxster as the best which says more to me than subjective #'s on the last page.

P.S. The boxster S recorded the highest slalom mph of any car to date at 73.9mph and also a very respectable .98G on the pad. It is a slalom beast!

[Brucelee]

"The boxster S recorded the highest slalom mph of any car to date at 73.9mph and also a very respectable .98G on the pad. It is a slalom beast"

This is the Boxster strongpoint, ie the mid engine, finely balanced chasis tied to a very nice drive train.