Think about buying a Boxster or Corvette
 

I am thinking about buying an older/affordable sports car. Currently I have 1980 MGB that it stuffed a V8 into. Still not fast enough. I have always wanted a Porsche and I like the looks of the Boxster. Just looking for advice about the best year and engine. Also can you fit a set of golf clubs in the trunk? I also like the the 1997 and newer corvettes. Are the boxsters competative with the corvettes?
Any advice would be appreciated.
tx,

Sounds like you'd enjoy the Corvette more.

Drive them both and see which you like. Any other answer would bring up a useless argument.

Hi,

As said, drive them both and decide. Here's a related thread which may be helpful to you : http://www.theautobahn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20577 ...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

power wise if u drive a vette and then get into a boxster, u will get a vette.
if u go and test them both trough some twisties ull get a boxster.

i was in the same boat, test drove a few C5s, ehhh, power is there, but thats bout it, all cheap inside and whatever, but hauls ass tho in a str4aight line, but thats now that i was looking for. like everyone else said, test them both and see what u like, but a boxster has that charm and ull most likely end up getting one :)

I have owned 6 Vettes and if your thinking of owning anything less than a C5 than save your money( I know if any of my old Corvette buddies see this I will get an ear full) The Corvette name has been ingrained in most everyones mind as being the American sports car but in my opinion until the C5 the car has not lived up to its legend. I'm still not completely convinced that the C5 makes it ether but it might be close...I know nothing about the C6 but from what I have read the car finally may have caught up with the name.

In a straight line even an S model would be hard pressed to keep up with a C5 and we are not even talking about the Z06 model. the C5 does handle great but from my limited experiance with the Boxster(6 months) if you put equally skilled drivers in both cars on a twisting mountain road the Porsche wins hands down.

Also the Boxster has a more refined feel about it, everything just feels like its just a little bit better put together and to add to that as well the Boxster is the most fun I have ever had in a car...well almost ;)

Will I ever own a Corvette again? Don't know but for now I am having a lot of fun :D

dusty

Since I can add little technical advice compared to the other members let me lend you a hand in an area I am familiar with....Golf...

I can get my clubs in the trunk only if I take my driver and woods out of the bag and place them in separately. It is actually a pretty good fit unless you have one of those big leather cart bags. If all else fails put them in the passenger compartment. Wow! I feel helpful today....

Agreed. From a power/torque standpoint, you need to look at an S Boxster to come close to the corvette experience. C5's are cheap to buy now, but so are boxsters. They will probably cost you about the same to maintain from a routine maintenance standpoint-oil changes, tires, brakes, etc.


At least you are considering a car with the motor in the right place now...

Jeff

By the way, I drove my friends C5 which is realtively stock and from a power standpoint it blows my S out of the water. I will say the boxster is more fun to drive, better fit and finish and more balanced.

Golf!!!...Yep irons and bag in the back, woods on the passenger seat and a fold down cart in the front boot!!! Easy!! And they even make Porsche Golf Balls....and these are supposed to go very well in a straight line...although mine go bloody everywhere!! :cheers:

Keep in mind, the c6 corvette weighs about the SAME as the Boxster. The S model weighs almost 100 lbs MORE than the c6.


That being said, I think the difference between Porsches and high powered domestics is that Porsches are precision refined vehicles, whereas corvettes are raw, nasty and big.


The corvette has a much longer wheelbase than the Boxster, which is one of the reasons I didn't get one. I like a small car I guess.


But the corvette is no wimp in twisties either, like I said, it weighs just over 2800 lbs, just like the Boxster.



So I guess the answer is that these are different vehicles in different classes and you have to decide what you like :)

If you want pure horsepower... get the Vette. If you want pure joy... get the Box. There is nothing quite like a little spirited, top down canyon carving in a Boxter. I have driven many Corvettes but never owned one. They are formidable cars on both street and track but still feel like a Chevy.

I have owned numerous 911s, vettes of all stripes, and Boxsters.

Drive them and decide. Likely if the V8 powered MGB is not fast enough for you, you are going to like a C5, which you can modify to over 450HP for about $6K.

Think supercharger!

Let us know what you decide.

You have the priorities right . . . that's one of the first things I made sure of before I bought mine. My stand bag with driver, irons and all fit just fine in the rear trunk. :)

If you want real fast in a straight line: CORVETTE


If you like to actually TURN: BOXSTER



Remember, straight tracks are for fast cars. Twisty tracks are for fast drivers.

The Vette (Front engine)the pros:lots of torque and BPH. great for doing burnouts and donuts in your local mall parking lot.
con:Power without control.

Boxster (mid engine) pros:sticky grip and better brakes.
con:hard to drift on dry and can be addicted.



:cheers:

well put it this way,

if you offered me a C5 and BoxsterS for the track:

C5

if you offered me a BoxsterS to drive everyday (including beautiful summer days)

BoxsterS


I wasn't super impressed with the short drive I had in the C5 (are they all yellow?)
The z06 seems like quiet a step up. I took an advanced EVO driving course with a couple of other guys, one M5, Z06, STi, forget the other. Half the day it rained (hard) and half the day it was sunny. The car that most impressed me was teh STI but the car that most surprised me was the Corvette. The handling of the corvette was top notch, its driver was the quickest in every session by a healthy margin. I doubt I could live with that kind of potential for disaster on simple commutes. The Boxster makes me appreciate handling without the unrelenting urge to floor it. Boxsters save lives...

Hi,

My take:

• Boxster S vs C5 - tough choice, most likely the Boxster S
  
  Boxster S vs C6 - VERY tough choice
  
  Boxster S vs Z06 - Bye-bye Boxster

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

My entire golf bag ( irons and woods ) fits just fine in the rear trunk.

My fold down cart, however, doesn't even come close to fitting in the front trunk :confused: .

Any suggestions for a fold down cart that does fit ( not that I'll be playing anytime soon :( ).

Thanks,

Nick

I was wrong about corvettes' weight. It is actually 3179 for the coupe and 3199 for the convertible, still very lightweight. (not much heavier than a Carrera S)


But still, give it more credit. It's a fast, light-weight car that is inexpensive.


Yes, inexpensive means the interior sucks and some cheap building, but interiors are for couch potatoes if you ask me.

To hell w/ interiors.


If you offered me a 987 Boxster S or a corvette convertible, I will go Boxster, however.

are you talking about this thing with the three wheels?
gold cart
I had a birdautomotive.com rear mounted bike rack and I know the guy sold
a golf bag attachment. Maybe you could go that route.

Not to turn this into a golf thread, but do you guys seriously do the three wheel cart thing?...lol....just kidding to each their own... Better yet, leave your sticks at the club and only take them when you travel to another course...

Heck, if you want a car that will go fast just buy an 05 or 06 pontiac GTO. Those things are dirt cheap now (so ugly) and they have the corvette engine. You can fit clubs in that thing. There are tons of options, but if you go that route you could add another 100-200 HP by doing some lingenfelter mods. So all in all you could have a 560 HP car for well under 30,000. But if you want to be cool, buy a boxster.

I owned a C5 and traded my C6 for a Boxster S.
One reason I traded was poor dealer service. My experience with GM dealers are they are a constant source of frustration - I am hoping my Porsche dealer will be better - maybe naive, but I figured I had nothing to lose.

In terms of performance, the C6 is much better than the C5 and both are faster than my 2006 Boxster S. The C6 handles differently but probably on a track just as good as the Boxster.
For me, I like the Boxster being a roadster, and I think it is easier to drive fast - if that makes any sense.

You mean it's more stable at high speeds?

no, I mean that the Corvette generates so much torque it can be a handful when floored even with stability control, can be fun/scary. Downshifting out of a curve is interesting.
The Boxster feels more under control - it also shifts (up and down) easier.
The Corvette is very stable once at speed.

Exactly. With the Corvette the ride goes from kinda boring to kinda scary without much middle ground. In the Box I always feel like I am in control of the car instead of the other way around. It feels great at any speed... except stop and go freeway traffic. Ugh!

Hi,

I'm not speaking of you specifically, but that could be as much about the Driver than the Car. I mean you're talking about feeling...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Oh - I'll admit both cars could be driven by better than me!

We play a lot of 9 hole after work and my bag is pretty damn heavy !

Ever since I bought the Box, I have to rent a pull cart ( even though I have 2 in the garage ).

There has got to be a cart out there that fits in the front trunk ?

Help !

Nick

[QUOTE=Topless] With the Corvette the ride goes from kinda boring to kinda scary without much middle ground. [/QUOTE]

Well put and accurate. There's more of a progressive feel in the S. But if you're having problems deciding, do what I did...get both. :D

My 2CENT advise before you even step foot at a Porsche dealership is know 100% what you want done. Otherwise you will max out your credit card.
The #1 reason is everyone in the Porsche dealership gets a commision from your car.Yes the parts dept get %.

:cheers:

The only thing similar between a Vette and a Porsche is the number of seats and number of wheels. YOU must test drive them. Test drive them in the environment you will USE the car. Judge and compare everything good and bad. Then come to the "right" conclusion (a Boxster :cheers: )

I have a good friend in Maryland that was looking for a ZO6 this past summer. I told him about a dealer here in Charlotte that keeps a lot of nice Vettes as well as other cars. He drove down and checked out the cars and ended up with the beast pictured below. It's a heavily modified 2002 ZO6 with a supercharger and too many other mods to list. It makes 600+ horsepower and has had suspension and brake work. It is by far the fastest street car I've ever ridden in. The handling and braking is damn impressive as well.

Oddly enough, he's now getting ready to sale the ZO6 and an E55 Mercedes-Benz he has and plans on purchasing a 996. It isn't because he doesn't like the ZO6 or Benz, he just doesn't keep anything very long.

ddb

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...0529/ZO6Ba.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...0529/ZO6Aa.jpg
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...0529/ZO6Ca.jpg

That ZO6 is sweet!

"I have a good friend in Maryland that was looking for a ZO6 this past summer. I told him about a dealer here in Charlotte that keeps a lot of nice Vettes as well as other cars. He drove down and checked out the cars and ended up with the beast pictured below. It's a heavily modified 2002 ZO6 with a supercharger and too many other mods to list. It makes 600+ horsepower and has had suspension and brake work. It is by far the fastest street car I've ever ridden in. The handling and braking is damn impressive as well." Quote from ddb

Now That is a lot of sportscar! Any of you guys out there pineing for big horsepower... here you go!

I drove a similarly tricked out Dodge Viper for a couple of laps about 5 years ago. We voted that Viper "Most likely to get wrapped around a telephone pole." On the street I think it would be difficult to keep the rubber on the road in one of these. I have been upside down hanging from the straps before. I didn't really care for it.

Clint Eastwood said it best... "A man's gotta know his limitations." I'll stick with my little 2.5 Boxter.

dbth,

Thanks ! Nice cart, but $200 for a pull cart is a little excessive...

Appreciate the help, though...

Nick

winding road articel
 

i found an interesting little article matching the boxster and the C6 from 2005 in "the winding road" magazine. i don't know if the direct link will work:

http://windingroad.com/features-page/porsche-boxster-chevrolet-corvette/

if not, just go to windingroad.com, sign up for the free subscription and it's in the porsche section of reviews.

I have owned both cars, so coming from a American muscle car background, I can tell you the choice is hard. I love speed, but also love turning. I had my trans am and corvette running 9 seconds in the quarter mile. So yeah I dumped a ton of money into the cars. But I also did the suspension, everything shocks, springs, coilovers, rear end, tranny, anything you can think of. Actually the cars handled twice as good as my Boxster. But I had to dump a ton of money into it to get that kind of power plus handling. So all in all, if you plan on doing mods to your car, then get a Corvette and spend a few thousand on the suspension. It will kill all Porsches. But if you plan on not doing any mods, then get a Boxster S. Once again, do you plan on driving straight or around turns? Good luck!

i would take that corvette over any boxster any day, that engine is a work of art to any car guy. i'm still wiping my mouth....