MX-5 vs. Boxster?

[jiggysubman]

has anyone test drove the new Mazda MX-5? With accel. times at par with the early boxsters, and slightly better skidpad ratings (depending on tires of course) it would seem to be a pretty smart roadster choice. I drove one last week; steering was dead on, i would contend it felt better than my 97. Low and mid range torque was also better than my box. Top speed is not as high in the MX-5, but I rarely go above 115.
I love roadsters, and the new MX-5 seems to be a smart choice. Thoughts? (ps, i am surprised this forum didn't talk about this already!)

[Adam]

I'd take a used 2.5L over a new miata anyday but maybe that's just me.

For me, it isn't jsut about numbers. It is also about style.


Drive into a gas station in a Miata...err...sorry, MX-5 and people might glance over. But probably not since Mia...MX-5's are common as dirt. Everyone and his brother owns one.

Drive into a gas station in a Porsche and heads will turn. People might even come up to you and say, "Nice Car", or , "How do you like your Boxster?"

I'm not talking about snob appeal. Especially since the Box costs about the same as most heavier-duty Pick Up trucks these days. I'm simply talking about a car that isn't seen every day like the MX-5, the S-2000, the TT Vert or the Z3/Z4's. I'm not knocking the cars; I've driven all of them, and i considered all of them when looking for my roadster.

But the Porsche is just a bit special, a purely subjective qualifier, but it is why I went with the Pooch.

[rteichman]

I just traded my 92 Miata for a 99 Boxster (and the dealer is making a killing on the sale of my Miata.... I should have sold it myself ) so I think I have a good feeling for the differences (yes I also looked at the new MX5).

The Miata is a fabulous car. Mine had 130,000 miles on it when I traded it and NEVER, EVER had a problem. It would sit under a bank of snow for months and then start as if I just drove it 5 minutes ago. Heck the original battery lasted 128,000 miles and 12 years! Get the picture? RELIABLE. It was also fun to drive. Whenever I was depressed or in a bad mood I would drive it and it put a smile on my face. One person described it as a grown-up's go-cart and thats the best description I ever heard about the car.

The Boxster, at least from my readings on this board, will not be anywhere near as reliable. BUT it has a beauty that the Miata does not. The lines (IMHO) of a Boxster are much more beautiful than those of a Miata. As far as fun to drive goes.....well this is a tough one since it almost like comparing apples and oranges. The Boxster is as fun to drive as the Miata, but it does not have that go-cart feel. To me this is good to others this is bad. You get the "performance feel" from the Boxster but it does it in a much more "elegant" and refined manner. So it boils down to "elegance" vs. kid type fun.

Also, ride in a Miata for a long trip and you will start avoiding it on long trips. The Boxster will make you yearn for more. Just imagine driving a go-cart for a few hundred miles..... it wears on you!

Rob

[Brucelee]

Great little car. Nothing at all bad to say about it.

Given the price differential, I would assert this is really an apples vs oranges issue.

[ford40]

I have to agree with the poster who said the Boxster is better on long drives. I regularly drive mine from Indianapolis to my house in the lake of the Ozarks...about 450 miles. I am always rested and enjoy 30 mpg on the road. As a matter of fact after I take my luggage in the house and do the bio-break thing I'm usaully back in the Boxster to go for a ride on the Ozark twistys...my wife thinks I'm crazy....

[longislander1]

[QUOTE=creseida]For me, it isn't jsut about numbers. It is also about style.


Drive into a gas station in a Porsche and heads will turn. People might even come up to you and say, "Nice Car", or , "How do you like your Boxster?"

[QUOTE]

Maybe I live among a bunch of jaded New Yorkers, but my seal grey 987S does not turn heads. People barely notice. By contract, I was always getting looks and comments when I had my 968 cab, right up until I sold it last June.

[Perfectlap]

That's a very subtle color, seal grey. If it were a yellow or even my arctic silver you would get more looks I think. I've yet to go a day without driving where I don't get at least one comment or stares at stop lights.
Lately I've been impressed with the numbers of under 12 year olds that know my car is a Porsche and how excited they get. A couple of kids on bikes chased after me and when they caught one looked at the trunk and said to the other tween "yeah its the S".

[wild1poet2]

I think Mazda has done a good job with the new MX-5. They're cool. Why am I getting the feeling that creseida would turn heads no matter what car she is in?