Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam
Slash, just curious how did the 04 boxster S feel compared to the NSX? Both being mid-engined and similar in power I was wanting to hear a comparison since I've never driven an NSX. Obvioulsy, you liked the boxster more, but I would like to hear some driving impressions.
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The NSX is a great car, there's no doubt about that. However, the thing that won me over about the Boxster is that when I drive a Boxster (or just about any other roadster), I feel like I "own" the car. The Boxster is very exploitable. Overall the NSX and Boxster have very similar capabilities, but I believe the NSX's platform was never meant to have so little power. The NSX feels like an underpowered supercar. The Boxster S feels like a complete package. If I had the money to supercharge an '02+ NSX, I would do it in a heartbeat. It would be a true Ferrari fighter at that point.
I don't know, I could go on and on about some of the "magical" NSX experiences like the 8000RPM redline and the superb jet-fighter like view of the road, but then I'd also have to mention that the car has about 30 ft.lb. less torque than the Boxster and weighs about 250lb more.
Mostly, my NSX was getting old and I was sick of having it in the shop for long periods of time. I wanted better brakes, more power, and a fresh 6-speed transmission. With that, the car would have been a true supercar, without it, I'd rather have a roadster with similar capabilities.
I'm under the impression that the Boxster, in my hands, will be more fun on the road and on the track than my NSX was.
My NSX was a Targa (well T since Porsche holds the trademark for Targa) and it was never quite as solid as I thought it could be. The Boxster feels like a piece of iron forged by Thor himself. Then again, I prefer my Colnago Italian steel bike to the Litespeed titanium I used to ride.
It's funny, two cars with such similar capabilities seem to be totally different beasts. That happens a lot. Think M3 vs Evo. Which one would you drive? Well, I'd drive the EVO, it suits my driving style more. Viper vs. Z06, I'll take the Z06. Ferrari 575M vs. Ford GT, I'll take the Ferrari. 911 Turbo vs. Ferrari 360, Ferrari again. I've driven all of these cars on pretty much the same roads outside west Houston. Cars really are really a matter of suiting your taste to your budget.
I could have gotten an '06 Evo, '04 M3, '05 Corvette, '00 911, '98 Viper or kept my '95 NSX (plus a ton of other options). My sports car is not my only car, so I've got a lot of leeway in my decision making. I guess I'm just a sucker for roadsters. The only times, since I started buying sports cars, that I strayed was when I bought the C55 AMG and the NSX. The C55 didn't seem like a worthy NSX replacement, so I sold it before the NSX was sold. We'll see how the Boxster does...
I think it will do very well. As I said before, this specific car is a "best of breed" dream car and I'm looking forward to a nice long run with it. I know I've had an NSX and an AMG Benz, but I honestly believe this Boxster will be the nicest car I've ever owned.
By the way, I will and do miss owning an NSX, the NSX community is very solid and I have a lot of great contacts and buddies that'll probably think I'm insane now.