What is your next car up from a Boxster?
 

Dear enthusiasts,

When I started out as a school kid - my first car was a miata...was always a sucker for drop-tops. Then when I got my first job, I went for the Boxster - 99 Guards red which I purchased in 2001 and believe me, still makes my heart skip a beat. I'm currently looking for a 360 Modena and am waiting for the 4th quarter of this year or 1st of next year to get one (when the prices tend to be softer).

Was talking to a friend the other day and he made a blanket statement that ALL porsche owners tend to gravitate toward Ferrari's as their next (and perhaps ultimate) ride.

As awesome as the 911 Turbo is, this would not be my next car and I can't afford the Carrera GT...

What's yours?

well I would like to go a little bit more green than my boxster so I guess this would be my choice...


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-SZWSEns8Z...918_spyder.jpg

I pass a 360 every day (silver). The more I think about it the more I think I'm more likey to find a Porsche that's higher up the performance category than going with another brand. For one thing Ferraris are beautiful but its simply not a car for someone who will drive it in its natural habitats (track/autocross/DE) unless they've got some serious cash to blow on weekend warrior pursuits. One guy in my local club has a Scuderia (my "dream" car), he took it in for the first time for brake pads and they told him no dice the whole $10K rotor has to go. :eek: what's Italian for Fragile?
Now granted their not carbon rotors but contrast that to just about any Boxster, Cayman or Carrera with traditional brakes (more than plenty) that you can service or swap for track use in your garage in oh...20 minutes. Not to mention the redesigned IMS on 2009 and newer P-cars makes me a lot more confident to spend big dollars. It's hard to beat the dry sump engine block in the GT's and Turbos too. They were meant to be pounded.

I guess my point is that unless your Fissichella driving for Risi Ferrari the Porsche is just the best of both worlds practical on the street and made for racing.

p.s.
I'd rather have a CaymanS on motons, r-comps and maybe even a big engine upgrade than a rear engine Carrera, a big heavy Carrera Turbo or an impractical in cold/wet weather GT3.

Since my Boxster is my daily driver as well as my track car, I would guess my next next car up will either be a Cayman or a Corvette.

LOL - I wish the Miata was out when I was just a school kid :D

Anyhow, don't discount the 911s. I currently have a 997 C2S cab and it is fantastic! I absolutely miss my Boxster as it was a great vehicle, but the 997 is a great car as well. Similar vehicles yet much much different. Having driven and considered a 997 TT instead of my C2S, I can say the TTs are absolute beasts... but not practical enough for my purposes. Would love one but as a limited use 3rd vehicle I couldn't justify to myself let alone my wife :cool: . Not sure how well a 360 Modena c/would handle daily driver status if that's your intent but think it's safe to say it'd be no where near P-cars in that regard.

Having said that, you can ask all you want but it's really a personal choice you need or should make alone.

Incidentally, I've never heard ALL (or any) Porsche owners categorically gravitate for Ferrari's as next car. Sure some have, others would never consider and even more go a completely different route (bulls, Audi, Lotus, nothing or you name it).

Good luck in your decision :)

my next car
 

I want a Cayenne to plow through the snow in style! If money was no object it would be in this order:

1.) The new 918
2.) Carrera GT
3.) Lambo Mercilago

p.s.s.
I don't think there is another car "up" from a Boxster S unless you move out of the roadster for under $100K category . Then you're into sports coupes, track toys (Boxster Spyer, Lotus, etc) and GT's which is something all together different and is not at all the same driving experience.


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Safe autocross drivers make for safe track drivers

(switch to at least 720p)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-btgmYDgwI&feature=player_embedded

shot in hi def
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2-pRaYk7EA&feature=player_embedded

Since i sold my boxster, i would get a 911 or turbo as the next car. I am not as fond of the convertible and want a coupe as the next one. I may miss the boxster characteristics if i buy a 911.

F Cars are just too sissy looking for my tastes. 911 looks better with rally bars and driving lights too.

There are problems with Ferraris.

First, they're really heavy. They come from a mindset of GT Cruisers, can't really manuever well, but can run at 140MPH all day. Be sure you know what you want the car to do before buying.

Second, relatively few people can afford to buy a Ferrari, but even fewer can afford to keep a Ferrari. Don't plan on putting anywhere near the mileage on a Ferrari as you did your Boxster.

Their timing belts need to be swapped every 6,000 miles at a cost of some $6,000 - that's $1/mi. just for timing belts, and that's not the end of it. Ferrari's are real China Dolls. Compared to them, the Boxster is a Mack Truck!

Sure, they're the pinnacle of the breed, and just like a thoroughbred horse, they cost as much to keep. This is one reason why it's rare to find a high-mileage Ferrari. A high mileage Ferrari has been bought many times over by it's owner.

I have moved on from my Boxster, but chose to go 'Old School' with the ride below.

Cheers!

Speaking of Ferrari, just heard my friend's buddy who has a 355 Spyder...

Took it to his mechanic to fix the world's worst designed drop top. It needs lubrication and a new motor which costs $1k new.

Then the mechanic found out the header (on one side) is cracked...$4k from Ferrari. Head gasket also done - $20k job.

He was furious... he bought it new and it only has 5000km (3000miles) ... car is worth nothing now and he needs to dump $20k on it all of a sudden.

F355 is my dream car, but like I said before, all cars have its problems...

Didn't make me feel so bad about my new engine after hearing that.

F355 was a real head turner in the 90's. I once watched a woman in South Beach go into convulsions after a guy pulled up in one outside this restaurant on Washington. That had to be the first time I ever saw a non-male get that excited about a car. A buddy of mine sent some pictures of work being done on a 360 or 355, can't remember which. But what a mess underneath. NOTHING like a tidy German Porsche.
by the way I find the latest news out of Ferrari regarding their little private test track interesting. They sent Schumacher to the N-ring on private test in a car that they'd tested extensively and figured it was ready for some new bragging rights lap times. Unfortunately the F1 driver promptly put the car up in the trees as did another test driver. No more relying on the tiny track.

I've been strongly considering an F355 to replace my Boxster. I only put about 3000 miles on my Porsche every year and would do the same with an F-car.

The price is very attractive and the performance and sound is phenomenal. LB, it's the same weight as a Boxster S, I'm not sure where you're coming from with the weight comment.

The car feels much more special than a Boxster. Driving it around is an occasion and you don't see several of them every day. I'm just not excited about the $10k timing belt replacement/service every 5 years in addition to all the little things that fail along the way.

The key, of course, is picking the right one, just like with a Porsche. It needs to have an aftermarket exhaust system as the stock one cracks and the cats disintegrate, and it needs to have enough miles on it to ensure that the valve guides are robust. As with any car, research and service history is your friend. These cars are like any other and need to have a history of regular use. Just like with Porsches, the main failure modes are well documented and solutions are available, but not cheap.

I don't really see the Boxster as a gateway drug :) When I started looking for a nice weekend toy 5 years ago I thought I would get a nice 996TT or Ferrari. I drove quite a few but in reality the TT was just too much car (rarely out of 2nd gear in town) and I didn't want to blow $100k over 5 years maintaining the Ferrari. I just wanted a great, fun car to drive for kicks and grins.

I have since driven or been in the right seat of nearly every Porsche model built in the last 30 years. I still love my Boxster but admit to having a sweet tooth for a 987 Cay S. If a really clean one came along for about $25K I may have to have it.

cayman S is a realistic move from a 986 boxster

Hi,

Only a dream but here is my choice.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...italdesign.jpg

2003 BMW m5 in oxford green with extended caramel leather interior, running 275/35/18 all around (they fit, stock, and are the stock rear tire size), and with about 200 pounds removed from it via exhaust modification and minor other touches (easy to do).

My pic would be the Ferrari 550 MARANELLO. V12, 6 speed, about 500 hp and I like the front engine. Keep the Boxster as a daily driver. :cheers:

I think perhaps my 03 Box is as high up the ladder as I'm going to get. But I'm very happy to be this high! My wife wants to retire to a little beach town in central California soon, and that won't be cheap. But if I hit the lotto tomorrow, I will be going over Cayman S options the next day!

I'm afraid your friend doesn't have a clue. Ferraris and Porsches are very and different and tend to draw a very different crowd in terms of enthusiasts. Sure, there are enthusiasts who own both. But no well informed enthusiast would view Ferrari as necessarily a step up. If you wanted to by an out and out driver's car, for instance, you take a manual 997.2 GT3 RS over a semi-auto 458.

For wealthy non-enthusiasts, they may well see a Ferrari as the next logical step because they tend to be more expensive.