New Or Used

[faterikcartman]

I've never been a Collins fan but to each his own. I should point out, however, that if you like girls you should lose the Kenny G. Sade is, of course, a great choice whatever your persuasion.

[MikenOH]

Sounds like a well thought-out decision.
You're dead on regarding the attributes of the car; there are faster cars , but none that are as much fun to drive and communicate so well with the driver, IMHO, besides being a drop-top.
Best of luck with it.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

As I've always said - The Boxster is the Most Miata for the Money! That's not a Slight or a Bad Thing because the Miata set the Standard and Led the 2nd Generation 2-Seat, Drop-Top Revolution waay back in 1989. It was the Japanese Engineers' closest imitation of the Lotus Elan (they actually purchased 3 Lotus Elans and Reverse Engineered them resulting in the Miata, right down to Weight Distribution, Turning Radius and the Twin-Cam Engine, while adding many Modern Advances as well). The Lotus Elan has long been considered by most Automotive Engineers to be the Pinnacle in Suspension Design and Handling. I owned a '69SE and have yet to find ANY Car which handles better (except maybe a Seven), even the Boxster.

I am not at all surprised by the Mix New/Used displayed here. I suspect those Buying New are either well-enough Heeled to pay for the Dealer to maintain their Cars, are under Warranty (New and Extended) or are actually driving Lease Cars and so do not consider their ownership long-term. Used Buyers, on the other hand are not so well Heeled, have longer Term Ownership Plans and wish to perform much of their own work as doing this puts the Car within their reach. Consequently, these Used Owners tend to participate in Forums like these to learn and help flatten that Learning Curve. I suspect that with Greater Participation, we'll see the number favor Used Cars even more...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Used Buyers, on the other hand are not so well Heeled...

Probably true in many cases, but not all. Jim, you're quite observant, but don't forget about that book, The Millionaire Next Door and what it said about hundreds of thousands of Americans who are worth a lot more than they show others.

While I'm not a millionaire, I could have easily purchased a brand new Boxster and I can also easily afford to pay the dealer to repair non-warranty items. I just choose not to do it because I have other priorities in life, as well as the desire to retire very, very comfortably and at a young age.

I do wish I had enough income to justify owning a brand new boxster every four years though... the smell of a new Porsche in one's own garage is very hard to get past, isn't it?

Oh, and I think your saying should be the other way around. The Miata is the most boxster you can buy for the money!

[MNBoxster]

@RandallNeighbor,

You're right! I meant to say "Generally Speaking, Used Buyers, on the other hand are not so well Heeled..." never meant to slight you or others.. I too can handle a New one, but I choose to let another take the depreciation... I was actually looking for a Miata when I came across my Boxster. When I negotiated it down to Miata Money, the decision was easy...

So far as my addage about the Boxster being the Most Miata one can buy, I stick to it.

The Boxster certainly betters the Miata in many ways. But, I doubt that there would even be a Boxster had not the Miata started the whole thing off and brought Automakers into the light (Remember that 20 year period when there were virtually NO Convertibles?). I'm sure that the Miata's success was what motivated Porsche to both Design and Produce the Boxster...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Ronzi]

I didn't think of mine as "used". Just modestly experienced.

[TriGem2k]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

@RandallNeighbor,

You're right! I meant to say "Generally Speaking, Used Buyers, on the other hand are not so well Heeled..." never meant to slight you or others.. I too can handle a New one, but I choose to let another take the depreciation... I was actually looking for a Miata when I came across my Boxster. When I negotiated it down to Miata Money, the decision was easy...

So far as my addage about the Boxster being the Most Miata one can buy, I stick to it.

The Boxster certainly betters the Miata in many ways. But, I doubt that there would even be a Boxster had not the Miata started the whole thing off and brought Automakers into the light (Remember that 20 year period when there were virtually NO Convertibles?). I'm sure that the Miata's success was what motivated Porsche to both Design and Produce the Boxster...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Although it is possible the Miata influenced the production of more convertibles, I don’t think anyone doubts that the Boxster is based on the 1954 production of the 550 sypder. It just might be my ignorance but I hate to say Miata and Boxster in the same sentence.

[Ronzi]

The Miata and the Boxster share the fact that they both have four wheels, two seats, and a rag top.
That's about the end of the similarity.

The Miata was intended to be an updated Lotus Elan, and kudos to Mazda. They did a lot better job of it than Chapman's crew did with the original. Time and technology had both marched on in the interim, to be sure.

No disagreement with the 550 heritage, but there were other mid-engine road Porsches in the mix, including Porsche No. 1 in '47 (a mid-engine roadster), the 904, and the lowly 914.