The Boxster is a REAL Porsche!!

[Perfectlap]

^ It should not sting. Because the offical Porsche roadster being a "girl/hairdresser" car is nearly always, like 99.9% of the time, the perspective of a very uniformed Porsche person. Nothing more than Porsche marketing spin to upsell the more profitable build. Granted, HIGHLY effective spin, buyers of luxury nearly always insist that their car be better than some other offering in the line up. Its the very essence of luxury marketing, and Porsche for all intents and purposes has morphed into a global luxury brand. It would not surprise to some day hear people at the country club say "oh it's only a 991 and not a Panamera".

Boxster reality: Very few women drive Boxsters. And the only gay person I ever knew to own a Porsche (that wasn't a Cayenne) drove a 997 Cab. He said my Boxster S was too impractical. By and large the Boxster is a middle-aged guy's car, one whose kids have left the house. Few young people can afford a Boxster, and the few young family guys who can aren't allowed to do so by the wife unit because she thinks its a ploy to get out of driving with the kids in tow.
So the Carrera is deemed permissible by the missus since a Carrera can seat two young kids or two dwarfs in the back. It's the marital compromise Porsche. The Boxster is very selfish, it's all about the driver.
In Argentina they call it the "minus-the-mother-in-law-mobile".

[thstone]

@Perfectlap - More to your point, in the most recent issue of PCA's Panorama magazine, there is an interview with Horst Marchart who was responsible for leading the 986 and 996 development.

As he is discussing how the Boxster would launch before the 996, he says: "The next question was then, "How do we find the way for the second car (the 996) to give the image that it is a true Porsche?"

He then answers his own question by saying; "I'm not sure how many Porsche drivers are really sports car drivers. A lot of them are really image drivers."

Meaning that the Boxster was intended to be the core sports car model and the 996 was the image model.

[Johnny Danger]

Anyone who deigns to ridicule the Dangermobile will become the unfortunate recipient of a deadly judo chop.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Anyone who deigns to ridicule the Dangermobile will become the unfortunate recipient of a deadly judo chop.

is that the JD version of stand your ground?

[pothole]

Some harsh facts for everyone...

The Box is perceived by many as a bit of a girl's car.

Most people buying and driving Boxes are not car enthusiasts. They just want something flashy and convertible.

In that sense, all the criticisms are true.

And yet...

On the other hand, it just so happens that the Box is a wonderful driver's car. It's just that most people haven't got a clue what that means.

A sorted basic Box is more of a driver's car than, say, a McLaren 12C (yes, I have driven the McLaren). Most people will think that's a mad claim, but most people haven't actually got a clue about what makes a driver's car.

Even people who think they have a clue do not properly understand that a Box and a 911 are essentially the same car on the same platform.

There's no point trying to explain any of this to mainstream car drivers. We should just enjoy the fact that the Box's modest status makes them so accessible to those of us who understand and appreciate what they offer to a keen driver.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

is that the JD version of stand your ground?

There's no ground to begin with !

[southernstar]

If the Boxster had a reputation in certain, admittedly uninformed circles as a 'girl's car', or something less than a 'real Porsche', then that reputation seems to have come to a close with the 981 Boxster and its Cayman sibling. The reviews almost unanimously rave about them as being perhaps Porsche's best and one of the world's best sports cars.

What does that mean for the owners of 986 and 987 Boxsters? That this uneducated sort of remark will likely pass, just as the reputation of the Porsche 356 did in certain circles where they were originally viewed as nothing but a 'fancy VW'.

Brad

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by thstone

@Perfectlap - More to your point, in the most recent issue of PCA's Panorama magazine, there is an interview with Horst Marchart who was responsible for leading the 986 and 996 development.

As he is discussing how the Boxster would launch before the 996, he says: "The next question was then, "How do we find the way for the second car (the 996) to give the image that it is a true Porsche?"

He then answers his own question by saying; "I'm not sure how many Porsche drivers are really sports car drivers. A lot of them are really image drivers."

Meaning that the Boxster was intended to be the core sports car model and the 996 was the image model.

I love the honesty. But to be honest, I think many Boxster owners are also image drivers. The type that will choose this roadster over other very competent roadsters (S2000, Miata, Z4) because of the perceived brand exclusivity. Sure some people think of the 550 and LeMans, while many others have no idea what those things are and just know its the brand of car Tom Cruise drove off the pier and that its known to be expensive. And let's not even get into what the average Cayenne buyer knows about Porsche heritage, their big dilemma was which would impress their buddies more, that or a Range Rover.