Went from Miata to Boxster

[KevinH1990]

I owned a 90 B package (crushed by a tree in a hurricane) and a 94 M Edition Miata. I still miss them, but I prefer the Boxster. I also think that we are safer in the Boxsters.

On the other hand, the Miata was almost as much fun as the Boxster, had a better shifter and was much less expensive to buy and maintain.

Enjoy your car.

[baxster]

I've owned a 96 Miata for 16 years. Love it; just wish it had a bit more power.

Test drove an 03 base 5MT Boxster a few years ago and decided I had to have one. Ended up buying an 04 6MT S. I regretted buying the S, not because of the power; I loved that. I didn't like the 6MT ratios for daily driving. 1st gear is too low unless you're shiven er git, or at an auto-x.

So while I'm getting the Miata ready to sell, I'm realizing that I still like driving my Miata more than my Boxster. The Miata had a nice coil-over suspension with Azenis 615s. My Boxster just started to feel numb next to my Miata. Otherwise, the S was very nice to drive, and it strokes the ego way more than a Miata.

So after having my Boxster for a little over a year, I sold it and kept the Miata; that was 3 years ago. I needed the money, but I may have sold it anyways.

Now, I'm looking at getting another Boxster instead of, like the OP said, putting $5k into a $3k Miata. I think a 5-speed Boxster would serve me fine. I'm surprised how the prices have come down. I'd like to find a 03 for $10k; put in a L&N IMSB, RMS, clutch (unless this stuff was recently done), coil-overs, and whatever other maintenance it may need.

Or should I consult a shrink?

[ugatha]

Loving the power (it's 14 pounds per horsepower compared to the Miata 18.25).
, but not too impressed with the shifter. In the Miata the shifting was shorter and crisper, but I had to do a lot more rowing with the gears compared to the Boxster.

I'm a little apprehensive about the Boxster maintenance, but the 1990 Miata had a short nose crank / engine destruction issue that also raised my maintenance anxiety level. I'm thinking that I just need to drive it and maintain it (as I did with the Miata) and enjoy it.

The Miata seemed more nimble but the Boxster feels more substantial and I haven't really done any spirited driving yet. I installed some rear speakers today that relieved my need for rear sound. The Miata had headrest speakers. The radio is better than the Mazda.

The interior of the Porsche is a lot nicer and I love the amenities of power windows, cruise, power top, etc. I was never a fan of leather in a sports car, but it's growing on me.

The Miata got 30 MPG so I'll spend a little more for fuel and insurance.

Overall, I am really pleased with the decision to buy a Boxster. I've only seen one other on the road since I bought mine. I really like the sounds of the engine and the exhaust note.

I'm still sneaking a peak back over my shoulder to look at it when I walk away from it. I think we're going to get along great together.