I test drove an STi today...
 

...and I have to say I was surprised. Before I bought my Box, I had an 02 WRX(the first year it came out) and loved it. But then we got a dog and the result was getting a Boxster and a Subaru Forester. I was always intrigued with the STi and it appears as if Subarus improvements made it more refined inside. It has leather seats, climate control, Nav, not to mention the ability to adjust power to the rear and a sport setting. BUT what I was disappointed about was the acceleration. I know on paper it is supposed to be faster than my 03 Box S, but it sure didn't feel like it. Not to mention comparing the sound of the boxster engine to the STi would be like comparing a symphony orchestra to a 3rd grade band recital. I'm sure the handling is superb as I didn't really get a chance to scare the crap out of the guy at the car dealership. Anyway, I'll keep my Box thank you very much....
Greg

Window
 

Does it still have that split window?

before buying my used base 2000 boxster - I test drove a brand new EVO X.

I was thoroughly UN-impressed. It was "sort of" fast, but felt cheap, and it wasn't all that fun to drive.

FUN and FAST are not always found in the same package. I have driven some cars that were not that fast, but were piles of fun and vice versa.

Boxsters are not the fastest cars on the road, my 2.7 for SURE is not *that* fast, but I'd be hard pressed to find many cars that can provide the FUN factor of my Boxster for even 2-3X the money I spent. Period.

In some ways, it's not really fair to compare a two seat mid engined roadster to a four door subcompact "rice rocket" car.... no matter what AWD system and big turbo systems you put on the EVO and STi, they are still subcompact econoboxes.

how's it go, you can put lipstick on a pig.... :)

now if I was 21, wore a baseball cap backwards, had a piercing in my face, and used words like "bro" "dawg" in most of my sentences - then I would probably think the STi and EVO were "********************en" and that the Boxster was "too slow".... eventually those morons grow up and realize the error of their ways... :D

Just cause people drive cars made in Japan doesn't mean they have to wear backwards caps and say "bro" and "dawg" in every sentence. I drive a 2007 Honda civic Si, it makes for a great daily driver and fast enough at the drag strip to smoke quite a few cars with all the things i've done to it.

I bought my wife a 1999 Boxster and i do all the work on it because it was her dream car so i thought i'd make her dream come true. Yea sure it's much more fun to drive however there are downsides to any car that anyone can find. For instance we can't take more than just us 2 in the car. If i have to take my guitar anywhere it's not going to fit in the Porsche Boxster. If i need to go to Costco to do some bulk grocery shopping i'm not going to be able to put all that in the boxster either. It's just what you want out of the car, personal preference. If you want a luxurious comfortable ride you could go with a benz, bmw, or lexus. If you want a sport roadster that handles like it's on rails porsche boxster or something of that sort might fit your needs best. If you're like me and you want a car that you can drive daily and not have to worry about too much AND be able to go fast and race at the dragstrip or auto x track once in a while, a 4cyl turbo car might be right up your alley. Like i said it's all in what your preferences are.

For some people FUN is FAST, for some it might not be. I really think my car is fun to drive not because it's the best handling car or is the most luxurious comfortable ride. I like it because I have fun driving it at the drag strip and it's just a nice little car to drive around. I think it's fun, to me personally you might not think so but that's alright too to each their own. Don't get me wrong the porsche is great if we went out for a night on the town I would be taking the porsche and not the honda. If i was going to vegas to cruise the strip i would take the porsche. If i wanted to impress people and get a lot of looks the porsche for sure. Personal preference :-p

:cheers:

I used to have an 05 STi. Fast car, and fun, but I always felt like I was driving a 375HP $12,000 car. The overall build quality of both the STi and Evo (STi is MUCH better, by the way) is atrocious compared to even a VW, and while fast, the car's are more appliances for speed, rather than drivers car. Due to very well balanced chassis and state of the art AWD, they are super easy to drive.

In short, I had fun with mine, but I've got no interest in buying one again.

What in the world?

Dude I go grocery shopping at Costco in my Boxster or Carrera weekly. It's never been an issue and I never have to use the rear trunk or passenger seat.

I've fit my Fender Esquire GT in my Boxster as well,how in the world does your axe not fit in your Boxster? Is it like a dual neck freak design or something?

I always get a laugh out of the maligning of "slow" Porsches. Sure, I'd like a bit more acceleration off the line, yet to characterize even my lowly 2.5 as slow seems silly. If you keep it in forth on the "in town" highway, it will run with everything else on the road.

I have a crafter (same company as breedlove) acoustic guitar in a freedom hard case. We tried to put it in front trunk one time and it wouldn't fit. I had to carry it on my lap in the passanger seat. The trunk space is big enough for your small grocery shopping but if you need to shop in bulk. Like shop for enough food for the whole month or so i could see the trunk running out of space quick. Especially since the rear is already full of my wifes shoes and bags that she keeps in the car for work, along with like blankets and pillows for our yorkie (dunno why she likes having the dog ride passanger with her)

Like i said i love the boxster it's a great car but when i need the trunk space or when i need to take more than me and 1 passenger to go somewhere i take the civic.

Oh and btw i know porsches are not slow at all, My wife can pull on my civic when i'm not spraying. She can also lose me really fast around corners i can't keep up at all. Porsche was made to turn hehe :-p never been in a car that feels like that around corners.

Wow, you hit the nail on the head. I love, "I was driving a 375 HP $12,000 car" and "appliances for speed". I had an '02 WRX which I modified to over 300 HP. Fast car and EVERYONE wanted to race me (and almost all lost). I don't regret having owned it, but I don't really look back. My Boxster and C4S are soooooooooooo much nicer inside, much sexier to look at, and better engineered overall. I could jump into either and drive across the country with a smile on my face the whole way! Like this... :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Kirk

I hope you meant material quaity as opposed to build quality. And just interior material at that. There's nothing wrong with the way they're put together. Mechanically they are tanks. I wish my Porsche could take the everyday abuse that my Impreza does.

Not sure how this turned into a Sub Box comparo. :confused:

These are very different cars in every way, other than the go fast.

If you're looking into Boxsters and you're turned off by the lack of trunk space, you shouldn't even be thinking about roadsters in general. Different cars serve different purposes. My daily driver is a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it's safe to say I use that a lot differently than I do the Box.

Anyway, I will give props to the Evo's and Sti's, it's pretty nuts how much performance you get for the price you're paying for it. But that's it. Outside of performance, they're just a couple cheap feeling, chintzy rice rockets that'll turn heads at the local high school or community college. If I went on track days daily, I'd love one of those. But I don't.

At the same time, I hate how when you buy those cars, you're tempted to slap on a bunch of ricer parts on it. It's unheard of to hear of someone driving an Evo or an Sti stock. Intakes, exhausts, different turbos, body kits seem almost feel like required spending for cars like that. And when you think about it, it feels more as if you're buying an unfinished car if you feel tempted to get stuff for it. That doesn't sit well with me.

When it comes to fast cars, I'm more interested in the driving experience over the number on my speedo. The Boxster's engine sounds better in my opinion, and the build quality(while obviously not the best) feels a lot better than the Evo's and Sti's that I've been in, It's also a lot more entertaining to drive on a road. And it looks a lot better too. I drive with my cousin who drives an Sti, and I prefer getting waves from cute girls over him getting waves from some acne-crusted fella on the JV Swim team.

I have a 2000 Box and an 08 STI (also had an 02 WRX and 05 STi). I dyno tuned it $400, added a larger RSB $180 and did an aggressive alignment $70. It's like a completely different car. It gained 40whp and 70wtq. If I add a downpipe for $500 I can pick up another 30whp and 40wtq. Try adding that kind of extra power in any Porsche for that little money. 08+ interior is much improved and very useful with the hatch and fold down back seats. Integrated mounts for roof rack. It's much less boy racer and fits 285's under the fenders all around with a little coaxing.

On the other hand, the 2000 Boxster sounds nicer and is more enjoyable to drive. It's also a beatiful car. But the performance is tepid, parts and labor outrageous, and an engine rebuild is insane.

But I challege any Boxster S to try to keep up with my STI from a standing start. It isn't going to happen.

This is exactly what i'm saying that's why i have 2 cars. My civic for daily driving, and the boxster (which is my wifes) for general merriment and cruising. I never said that i expected the boxster to be a grocery hauler, or be able to have tons of trunk space. I only said that i can't use the boxster when i need to do those things. I take the civic when i need to go to costco, or when i need to bring my acoustic and sometimes my bass and my practice amp to church because it just won't fit in the boxster. You have a Jeep as your daily driver because your boxster can't do the things that your Jeep can right? That's exactly what i'm saying. Different cars serve different purposes, i never said i was turned off in anyway by anything that the boxster had to offer. I got the boxster because well 1 it's my wifes dream car and 2 because i want a nice cruising roadster that we can drive hard once in a while at the auto x track. I didn't buy the boxster with the intention of hauling lots of cargo i knew beforehand that i wouldn't be able to use the car like that.

I was only saying that not all Japanese made cars are for the "homeboys" and the thugs that wear backwords caps and are still in highschool. The STI and EVO serve their own purposes too. Bang for the buck (speed for the dollar) right they are not the most comfortable or luxurious well built cars but they are what they are. To each their own, and they are what they are in the eye of their beholder. Some people might really like the STI and EVO because they are at the drag strip every week or they hang out in those circles. Like i said it's all personal preference

STI and EVO are not drag cars, if you want to drag a rear wheel drive car like a Mustang makes more sense. You'll go faster, cheaper. They make great autocross and track cars though.

My other car is a "Rice Rocket" as the term goes, but both of my cars serve two completely different purposes. My Soarer would spank the Boxster up and down the strip all day and probably on a track too. However the Boxster would own the day on tight curvy roads or an autocross course. Personally though I hold far more attachment to the "rice rocket".

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Buschur-Racing-RS-9s-on_183131.htm?Ref=Newsletter

I hadn't heard of a Soarer before so I looked it up. It looks like it's known as the Lexus SC300/400 in the US.

Ya same body but different motor/tranny/suspension/breaks ect. plus a couple of neat Japan only things like rear wiper, digital gauge cluster, couple other things.

EVO's eat clutches, Subarus break axles when drag raced. Like I said, you can go faster, cheaper, reliably in a Mustang.