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[longislander1]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

"And the only thing you can do with 400hp or 505hp today is brag about it, unless you track the car. "

Huh? The same thing can be said for 258HP.

And we all love the Box. It is simply that Porsche should hear the footsteps coming.

And don't get us started on Porsche build quality, you see there are these RMS issues ..............................

Maybe I travel in different circles, but I don't see anyone bragging about horsepower in the 200s, nor would I want less than the 276 in the 987S. The horsepower race is getting out of hand and unless you live in Montana or track the car, anything in the 400-500 or more range is simply ridiculous, unless you get off boasting to other people that yours is bigger than theirs.

I think Porsche should be more worried at the bottom end than the top, because the Boxster and Cayenne are the volume cars that pay the bills. There are plenty of other carmakers capable of replicating the performance of both of these models for less money.

As far as RMS goes, I can't comment because I haven't had any such problems with the two that I've owned. I do think that Porsche stinks at addressing those issues and their dealer service is spotty at best. Again, that's going to hurt them more at the bottom end because that's where they get their newer customers -- the ones who may be surprised to learn that -- for the same or more money -- they're not treated as well as they were at Lexus, etc.

[Perfectlap]

I think Bruce's point is that it matters not how much HP a car has as long as its enough for its weight. Take a trip to your local track and you'll se a ton of 150 HP Miatas.
500 HP is just as practical for the track as it is for streets.
You are aware that the VAST majority of Porsche owners never go near a track with their 250-400 HP cars? For street use that's more than enough power.

So a free breathing Boxster/911 is just as impractical as z06.

even if it feels funny cruising on the highway in 2nd gear

Believe me if these cars didn't run a $3 a gallon 93 octane I'd drive one everyday to the 7-11 or Starbucks.

[98Boxster98]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Believe me if these cars didn't run a $3 a gallon 93 octane I'd drive one everyday to the 7-11 or Starbucks.

All things considered, $3/gal gas is a cheap expense compared with my other Porsche ownership costs!

[Perfectlap]

that's too bad. Since buying this Boxster nearly two years/15K miles ago I haven't had to make a single repair. All maintenance.

[Brucelee]

"Yeah yeah yeah, the Z06 is almost half as much. But I reiterate my contention that people that buy 911s aren't considering a Corvette as an alterternative option."
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As a 911 re-seller, I can tell you that you are dead wrong on this score.

[Jeph]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

As a 911 re-seller, I can tell you that you are dead wrong on this score.

I'm talking about cars being purchased from the showroom. Used cars are a different ballgame Brucelee. Neither Porsche nor Chevy directly benefits from used car transactions. (Like buying a CD from Walmart vs. buying a cd from a used CD store. The artist doesn't make any money one the latter.)

Sure, there will be people out there debating between an 02 911 Turbo and an 06 Z06. But I'm trying to keep things "apples to apples" by comparing new cars to new cars.

[Brucelee]

I will expand. Since I deal in very late model used cars and am in constant contact with the local Porsche dealer, I can tell you that cars like the new Corvette (both the regular C6 and the ZO6) ARE attracting potential buyers who would be looking at new Boxsters and 911s.

Look at the value prop of the base C6 at about $45K out the door vs. a 911 coupe at say $75K.

Frankly, the base C6 is faster, handles better, is safer, and has more "options" as standard equipment vs the 911. Oh, and I can drop some golf bags in the hatch of the C6.

The Porsche management types will ignore this type of value issue at their own peril.

IMHO!

Originally Posted by Jeph

I'm talking about cars being purchased from the showroom. Used cars are a different ballgame Brucelee. Neither Porsche nor Chevy directly benefits from used car transactions. (Like buying a CD from Walmart vs. buying a cd from a used CD store. The artist doesn't make any money one the latter.)

Sure, there will be people out there debating between an 02 911 Turbo and an 06 Z06. But I'm trying to keep things "apples to apples" by comparing new cars to new cars.

[JackG]

Before I bought my Boxster, I considered some other cars, including the Corvette. I just couldn't get over the notion of paying that much for a Chevy.

Corvettes may have good performance, but they are a dime-a-dozen, and seemingly driven mostly by women in this area. No thanks.