The Boxster is a REAL Porsche!!

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Jager

I disagree... If the writers/producers were going to take that angle a Carrera would have been the better choice.

exactly. That joke would not go over the heads of 99% of movie goers.

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by thstone

Did anyone read this month's Excellence magazine? In it, a letter writer says; "The Boxster, which as a convertible will always be a girly/hairdresser car ..." Funny, but no mention of the 911 Cab.

The Boxster gets no respect, I tell ya, no respect.

Yes, I read that also, and I must admit, it did sting for a second.

I'd like to know the age of the OP of the letter, as he makes several references to over-50 Porsche buyers. If he is indeed part of this group, I would think he would appreciate the heritage of the roadster in sport car culture. The MGTC, Jag XK120, Porsche Speedster, Bugeye Sprite, MGA, TR3, MGB, and the Miata were all highly enjoyable kinesthetic machines.

But then again, he could just be another Porcshe a$$h0l3 who gives us Boxster owners a bad name.

Just sayin'...............

TO

[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 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.

[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.

[kk2002s]

Saw her in Bridesmaid and did find her pretty funny (I surprised my self)
I think that joke is spot on and that the whole scene is specifically written as 'it's only a Boxster, not a real Porsche... you Porsche want-a-be'
May hurt but clever

[KRAM36]

What's with this girl car stuff? I have yet to see a female driving a Boxster in person. When I look at the Boxster I see it as a Brad Pitt type car.

Perfectlap hit the nail on the head for my purchase. I have wanted one of these cars for a while, but it wasn't the right time for me, nor were the prices in line with what I was willing to pay.

I have no kids at home, I'm single and this car is a babe magnet. Love this car.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

is that the JD version of stand your ground?

There's no ground to begin with !

[particlewave]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

What's with this girl car stuff? I have yet to see a female driving a Boxster in person. When I look at the Boxster I see it as a Brad Pitt type car.

Perfectlap hit the nail on the head for my purchase. I have wanted one of these cars for a while, but it wasn't the right time for me, nor were the prices in line with what I was willing to pay.

I have no kids at home, I'm single and this car is a babe magnet. Love this car.

It's a combination of jealous people trying to make themselves feel better and/or Carrera owners with a superiority complex.

Not to sound sexist, but 95% of the women I know would prefer a large SUV that never transports anything more than their tiny 5'2" frame.

JD, can you judo chop this thread so it dies?

[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 particlewave

It's a combination of jealous people trying to make themselves feel better and/or Carrera owners with a superiority complex.

Not to sound sexist, but 95% of the women I know would prefer a large SUV that never transports anything more than their tiny 5'2" frame.

JD, can you judo chop this thread so it dies?

You can include Porsche the company in this camp as well. Porsche have been very insecure about their Carrera, a well-documented and accepted fact evidenced by the engine allocation choices. Can't upstage the car you're always upselling!

One better, when Patrick Long was a brand-spanking new face at Porsche and not yet a full-time factory driver, Porsche would not issue him a Carrera for personal use. He revealed that he and the other rookies were given "only" Boxsters. LOL.. They even tried to indoctrinate their own drivers with the marketing "stepping stone car" spin.

[ekam]

Can we please just have some meaningful discussion - Boxster_S_girl, tell us what kind of shoes did you buy recently?

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by particlewave

It's a combination of jealous people trying to make themselves feel better and/or Carrera owners with a superiority complex.

Not to sound sexist, but 95% of the women I know would prefer a large SUV that never transports anything more than their tiny 5'2" frame.

JD, can you judo chop this thread so it dies?

The Life Force in me won't allow it !

[MK_Hatter]

I get the girl car / hairdresser jibe every day from my clients. The only woman I knew who drove a Boxster was a company director of the business next door to mine. She had a yellow 986 and I hated her for it!

The other girls around here and the hairdresser types tend to want the MX5 or MR2. Interestingly in the "what do you do for a living thread" I cannot remember there being one hairdresser, but loads of engineers and IT consultants.

The thing most wives and partners hate about us getting a Boxster is the babe magnet factor. It is a selfish "me" car and is all about our pleasure and impressing the girls. There is one place for the pretty blonde next to us and that is it!

I don't care what anyone says, the 986 is a fabulous and no other car comes close. If I had enough money to buy a 911 I still wouldn't and would go for a new 981 any day.

[ChrisZang]

ROFL

[Perfectlap]

I have looked by I haven't seen one of these for our chick car.





EDIT:


Spoke too soon.

[pothole]

Have to be honest. when I see a 986 here in the UK, it's usually a chic driving it. But so what?

I kind of like the fact that most people see it as a girl's car, but it's actually more of a feelsome driver's car than something like a brand new M3.