Too much customization?
 

I think some cars get customized so much that it doesn't even look like a Porsche anymore. Plus, when you go over the top, it makes your car look like a hooptie.

Does anyone else agree?

I definitely think there is a tipping point between "just enough" and "too much" customization. Yet, no rule of thumb for which is which. It has to be seen to be decided.

Cars are like women, we all have our tastes.

Poorly done mods cheapen a car. With high end cars, the newer models are usually tastefully done, but I notice that as a car ages and becomes more affordable to everyone, that the bargain hunters break out the JC Whitney catalog and go crazy.

When I had the Viper, very little modding was done even to the early cars. But even the old ones arent cheap.

But in the vette world, watch out. There are too many tasteless cars out there. Especially C4 vettes.

IMO even the factory goes too far at times, I don't want my $70,000 car to have Spider written on it's door in huge letters and orange krazy wheels like goodyear sold for kids bikes in my youth. Boxster Spider looks stupid written on the trunk too. There were so many 944's with the added plastic fill taillight panel with "Porsche" plastered on it that when I first started looking I thought it was from the factory. Every POS beater in my town has a poorly mounted, one pipe for all people, stainless muffler that on throttle sounds like those banned soccer noisemakers.

i get a chuckle when some folks get rain sensing wipers on a car that wont ever see foul weather and/or dynamic lighting for a car not driven at night. lets not forget the race mats,fire ext etc for people who only see a track under their xmass tree...BUT its their money and its not my place to say it to their face

I agree that there's a delicate balance between tasteful modifications, especially cosmetic ones, and "gilding the lilly". I concur with EightsandAces, in so far as Porsche needing a crash course in "style" when they start putting decals on their vehicles that say "spyder". Very garish indeed.

I do believe he meant "Spyder", not the araneae. :)

Modifications are all in the eye of the beholder...the simpler, the better, in my book.

To each his own, but IMO on a Porsche, less is more. Years back when shopping I would not even consider cars that had an aero package. :cheers:

Now, "spinne" would be cool. :)

550 S would have been nice for the Boxster Spyder as for the spelling my bad the Fiat I believe is Spider...

PS Large door decal = disco car unless said car is on a race track

Boxster is naturally beautiful... need very little makeup to look good. It doesn't need to whore it out like the million Hondas, G35s and BMWs.

Less is more. Sort of like Carla Bruni.

http://frillr.com/files/images/Carla...Sarkozy_0.jpg

maybe so .....but.....ya never forget yer first pig

Lol....In my day it was referred to as "Jumping on a grenade". ;)

It's all a matter of perspective. I'll tell you this if I had a time machine I wouldn't be talking on a celly at a Chaplin film opening, I'd be looking over the cast offs who didn't meet my young eye standards, then I'd buy some GE stock..

Here's an example of someone who knows the meaning of being understated and classy when it comes to everything . :)

I think it can be overdone, but as long as the owner is happy with it, nothing else matters.

If I ever see a Fartcan on the back of a Boxster I will personally tear it off with my own hands and leave a note on the car telling them to go buy a Honda or a Saturn.

well if you look at the Boxster concept car that made the big splash in 1993 and the "less is more" version that first came off the assembly line.....there was definitely a big difference.

to many, this would be considered "ricer" like:

http://www.carlustblog.com/images/20...erconcept2.jpg

I have to disagree there, perfectlap. You're right in that, to some, that may be considered "ricey", but that'd have to be a very small number of people. The term is usually reserved for when someone tacks on a bunch of unnecessary crap (like a shopping cart wing on any front wheel drive car) or does something outrageous like paint their Boxster pearlescent pink with lime green powdercoated wheels with a chrome lip. To me the concept is a very natural-looking, clean design, and quite fitting of the minimalist/purist "less is more" belief. The flair was penned in from the start, it didn't have to be bolted on, and it looked good just like that. The chromey bits and black wheels don't necessarily make the car ricey, and Porsche could have gone very crazy with this car, but didn't.

I do agree on the appearance of the new Spyder, though, no need to advertise with an Eat at Joe's vinyl splattered on the sides.

Now the 918 Spyder, on the other hand, while again not ricey, can be considered a bit much in some ways. ;)

You mean these door graphics? I don't really have a problem with these.
Ferry Porsche had a one-off custom built mint green 2.7 that had graphics on the doors too. Good enough for him good enough for me.
http://images.watoday.com.au/2009/11...00-600x400.jpg

Do you have any pictures of Ferry's mint green 2.7 with door graphics I would love to see it!

To me Porsche and door graphics go hand in hand,

I thought they had been doing them for years?

I thought I had seen one with a Spyder side graphic more like GT3 RS flavor...could be I was mistaken. Something like that is indeed pretty decent...I'm just not one for them in general...to me they're a 'cheap car' feel-good item (like you'd see on a v6 Mustang to give it flair but never on a GT, which has no need for additional flair), and this car is anything but cheap. On the contrary, it's the current cream of the crop for the model. Again, that's just my opinion on that, whether it's a nearly 40 year old 911 or a new model year Boxster.

I guess it just makes the point of differing tastes for people. Someone out there loves the fact that Porsche is written more than once on the car in spots where you can't miss it. In the case of the Spyder, I can appreciate its specs, improvements, and technological kickass factor, but I'm not a huge fan of its style. I'd rather have a Cayman. :D

Too much? :D

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/carrera-gt-bodykit-wearing-porsche-boxster-gt-for-sale-to-anyone-willing-to-buy-it-ar89384.html

That is the MAIN reason I didn't buy a 350Z, it look so ricey even in stock form; to top it all off you go looking for a used 350Z and it's hard to find a stock one, everyone at least gets the lights blackened or something.

I find the Audi RS4 shows enough "sportiness" without being overstated.
http://audi-for-sale.com/wp-content/...4/audi-rs4.jpg

The riceiest stock car has to be the new Impreza STI. Way over the top for me. Either that or the new versions of the C63 and E63 AMG. So ugly.

A4s eat up the autobahn
 

The only thing which routinely blows by me on the autobahn are the A4 (even the station wagons!) They are made for sustained high speeds, and perfect for Germany.

OD, In Ferry's defense, celluloid style stick on graphics were likely high tech items at that time.

The Boxster with SPYDER written down the door in large cursive looks too Pontiac Sunfire- GTish to me. The Boxster spyder was named best handling car in the line up, it deserves to look like it.


http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=280130282&dealer_id=54661771&c ar_year=2011&rdm=1288434916046&model=BOXSTE&num_re cords=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=& start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=& certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&lastBeginn ingStartYear=1981&search_type=both&distance=0&mark etZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&mak e=POR&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=finda car%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_s ort=newsortbyprice_DESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage= &sort_type=priceDESC&address=13057&advanced=&end_y ear=2011&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=1 75&standard=false&rdpage=thumb

That's because every kid on the block has one and you have to make yours look different. Not the case with Porsches unless you live in LA or Miami.

Another example, LED license plate lights = cop magnet (at least in my area).

Sticker is fine on this car. But I agree I wouldn't have that on the Spyder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_bQ0h85gY8

Didn't the RSR have that on the sides as well? Hey that sticker earned it's own brand of cool...