Went from Miata to Boxster

[ugatha]

I picked up a great looking great condition '98 today. 77 degrees, sunshine, and my new-to-me car had me grinning the whole way home. Owned four Miatas, thought I was going to buy a fifth, and came across this Boxster that changed my mind.

$_4 (1) by donh20001, on Flickr

2 by donh20001, on Flickr

[todds99]

Congrats! Nice looking car.

[schnellman]

Great looking car. Nice color combination. You made the right choice. Welcome.

[TeamOxford]

Arena Red Is SUCH a lovely color, don't you think?

Just sayin'.............

TO

[Giller]

Welcome! You won't regret this decision.

[randy7601]

I had a Miata too back in the day. Finest car I ever owned, until the Boxster!

[unibagel]

Curious to hear a comparison of the two from you ugatha!

[ugatha]

Originally Posted by unibagel

Curious to hear a comparison of the two from you ugatha!

I've had a 1990, a 1992, a 1999 and a second 1990 Miata in that order. The 1999 (first year of the NB model) did not impress me much. It threw codes constantly and the ergos were wrong for me. The two 1990s and the 1992 were great cars - well-balanced, nimble, trouble free, and fun. In the process to replace my last 1990. which I sold three days ago, I drove some 2007 Miatas, and was thinking of a power hard top model. They were a larger version of Miata that seemed to be a bit more refined.

My first time driving a 986 was yesterday, so I'll need more time to let the qualities soak in before I can do an informed comparison. For a 16 year old car, it is a lot tighter and quieter vehicle than the 25 year old Miata it replaces. Of course, I was looking at replacing tires, shocks and springs, needing a AC compressor, and a few other knick knacks in the Miata, which was one of the reasons, I decided to sell it rather than do $2000 of work on a $3000 car.

The 986 is almost 18" longer and 4" wider than the Miata, and when the accelerator is pressed in 1st or 2nd gear, you definitely know you're not in a Miata anymore. It sounds and accelerates like a Lear jet compared to a Cessna 172. Different beast for sure.

The Boxster is bone stock as was my Miata - I like stock, unmolested vehicles. As I drive the car more, I'll be back with more.

[BIGJake111]

That color is beyond outstanding!

[JayG]

Congrats, that is a beautiful Boxster

Generally I am not a big fan of red, but that is simply beautiful

See if you can find a local PDS or DE event and you will then find out how truly wonderful the Boxster is

[njbray]

I had 2 Miatas / Mx5. A 1999 & 2006. They were both great cars. The 99 had no abs and had a few suspension tweaks and a roll bar. It was so much fun to drive.
The 99 got hit by a truck so we then got a 2006. This was faster & in most ways better than the 99 - but not as visceral! Both cars had amazing brakes and the best transmissions in any car. (Mx5 trans. make old Porsche trans. feel like stirring paint! (I have B&M short shifter which helps).
Overall great cars - reliable, fun to drive and cheap.
But... the Boxster (2001) just seems more solid, a bit bigger inside & out but not too big.
It has a bit of a classic car feel to drive - but I like that, keeps things simple! The noise and power is much better and smoother than any Miata. The newer MX5's seem to have more body roll than Boxster. The Porsche just seems to have more character and more fun to drive and of course you get all the history and racing heritage!

[kk2002s]

My Boxster's PO traded to a newer 1 year old Miata w/folding hard top
But that was after 6 years owning the Boxster (2nd owner)
I have no contact, Id like to, but it would be interesting if they ever go back to a Boxster after the Miata.
Will never know unless they use this forum

[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.

[Ebell914]

I had a 1990 B package...put 300k pizza delivery miles over 10 years on that puppy back in the day. Replaced everything on it at least once, except for the actual transmission. We all fret about the IMS, but the '90 and early '91s had the damn crank nose issue like ugatha mentioned....no "quick fix" for that. My engine was done at 100k. I put a new one in, added high profile cams (couldn't do turbo with pizza delivery...too many short trips), Bilsteins (did not have to replace the springs since '90s had super stiff springs factory) and a bunch of other mods....that more led to replacing my weak-azz differential 3 times...4 clutches, 3 timing belts, etc, etc...easiest car in the world to work on, if you can get it high enough...taking the tranny out while on jack stands was an adventure....it was a nice, crisp shifting car and the extra power I had was great.......I loved that car.......

But no way was that car any comparison to the Box. The Miata felt like an economy car....was very technical, but no finesse. I do have an S, so maybe the Getrag is much better because I don't think the Miata synchros are any where near as good. The throw may be longer in the Porsche, but the shift is so much more pleasurable. We also have to remember, the Miata had the benefit of no linkage, so maybe njbray has some linkage issues in his Pcar...my Box shifts like a dream....

I thought of getting a brand new Miata before I got my Boxster. The thought of virtual no, cheap maintenance was very attractive. I drove many 1998-2006 Boxsters....and many of them drove like crap (even a 2005!!)....finding an unmolested one is key to enjoyment, or one that was never taken apart by a monkey indy mechanic...I am so glad I found one that drives, and most of all...shifts, like new. Even at 14 years old, the drive is so much better than any Miata, new or otherwise....

[Ebell914]

BTW - welcome to the Forum and your car is absolutely beautiful!!!

[flaps10]

I owned two Miatas in years past. I first had a really nice 96 M edition. What a go kart. I think one of the only cars I've ever owned that I never once thought "what this thing really needs is another 25hp".

Never had a stitch of trouble with that car. Only sold it because I needed a back seat.

A few years later my brother called me. He had been driving his 1990 model since new, and was in the process of buying a Z4 BMW. They only offered him $500 trade in, so he was calling to see if I wanted it for that amount. "Hells yes" I did.

I flew to San Diego and picked it up, then drove it home 1100 miles. It was no where near as fast as my 96 but still fun. It was also showing its age and needed PS pump, etc. I sold the car for $2800, so I did okay.

[coreseller]

First off, Ugatha, your car is absolutely beautiful. I was never a big fan of Arena Red but your photos have me coming around.

Secondly, I have owned both a Boxster S and 2 Miatas, completely different vehicles and IMO the Boxster is far superior in every regard in terms of handling, braking and power. Given the price differential it ought to be.

One thing I absolutely love about the Miata though, you can twist the nuts off of it without getting into stupid / unforgivable speed territory, to say that they are a hoot is an understatement. To be able to modify or fix them for a mere fraction of the cost of anything with a Porsche badge is an absolute bonus........

[BOOTLEG]

It seems I am better at buying sports cars than selling them. I had 2 Miatas before the Box, oh wait, I still have them, which reminds me that I also still have my old MGB.

I should probably see a shrink!