Which one is faster in straight line? and which one is faster on the track?

 

if you go to a s200 board then s2000
if you go to a boxster board then boxster

 

This is like comparing apples and oranges. If you had enough money to buy a Boxster S you wouldn't consider a S2000, and if you had just enough money for a S2000 you wouldn't be looking into a Boxster S. Two totally different cars with two totally different missions, not worth comparing.

 

S2000 0-60 5.5 quarter 14.1@99.2
Boxter S 0-60 5.7 quarter 14.2@99.8


S2000 is $19K cheaper, but would almost certainly lose on most tracks imo despite the raw numbers.

 

Many such people are on s2ki.com and are glad they saeved the ~ $20K.

 

The point I was making is, if you could afford a Porsche and were considering a Porsche, would you rather say "I own a Porsche" or "I own a Honda" - Owning a Porsche is also a status thing, where owning a Honda is definitely not, even my grandma owns a Honda.

 

True, some are badge snobs, but some are not. That's why I said that SOME people would cross-shop the two cars.

 

A Porsche Boxster S is $51,600 with NO options. If you ever look at an options sheet to a Porsche, it is endless and ultra expensive. For a couple of options on the Boxster S, you'd be looking close to $60K, which is double the price of a S2000. If you didn't want to spend that much, but wanted something similar, I believe the BMW Z4 is the closest competitor. Also an Audi TT 3.2 V6. Also for the price of the Boxster S could get you a BMW M3. As for the S2000, I feel that is a loooooong strech to compare the two. That is JMHO

 

Well, that may be YOUR opinion, but many HAVE compared the two. Specificly, those who want only performance and don't care about badge appeal pick the S2K. Go over to S2ki.com and you will see a few that have.

As for the Z4, the 03 S2K beat it(and the Base Boxter) in Car and Driver's convertible comparison last summer. With an arguably all around better, 04 s2k, I expect the comparison to be even more valid.

 

Yeah, that true. But personally i would go with the car that i liked the best, which would depend on how dependable it is...

So i would say the honda.

 

Personally, I would perfer the Porsche. I am not saying the Honda sucks or any stupid crap like that, it is a great car with great performance, but given a choice between the two, I'd have to go with the Porsche. If I was given $60K and a choice of whatever car(s) I'd want, it wouldn't be either of these two, I'd go with the 2004 Audi TT 3.2 coupe and a 2004 Ford Mustang Mach 1, whatever extra it would cost I'd foot the bill myself.

 

I don't know about the Boxster S which I have never driven, but two years back when I seriously wanted an S2000 I did test drive a regular Boxster with serious intentions of buying it.

The base Boxster cost $42k, but of course you need to add money for unusual luxuries like cruise control ($600), trip computer ($300), trunk CD changer ($700 - no standard CD player), full leather seats ($2000), power seat adjustment ($1500), 17" wheel/tire package ($2600) or 18" wheel/tire package ($4400), floor mats ($320), metallic paint ($800-$3000) and so on.

I just chose a few of the above options (including 18" wheels/tires, metallic paint and leather power seats) and my fairly basic car cost over $52k (for a Boxster, not an S).

I then test drove the car - what a let down. The gearshift was like a 2' tall knitting needle stirring porridge, the steering was slow and very heavy, the car did not dance like the S2000 and it was SLOW in everything it did. The build quality was OK however (shutlines, fitting, materials), but still not as good as the Honda. I told the sales guy how unimpressed I was with the test-drive so the dealership had their expert driver take me in the car through a short autocross course setup behind the dealership - sadly I was yawning through it it was so unimpressive.

In short if the $52k Boxster was even cheaper than the $32k S2000 I would have definitely gone with the Stook. But I have heard that the Boxster S is a much, much better vehicle than the regular Boxster, but then it is a $60k car lightly equipped (almost twice the price of the S2000). I would rather spend $60k on an S2000 for good weather or track and an RX-8 or EVO for daily driving.


Oh - and to answer your questions the Boxster S is slightly quicker in a straight line than the Stook (unless you are really crazy brutal with the Honda) and they are very evenly matched on the track (always down to driver). The guys at S2ki have very high regard for the Boxster S, but none for the regular Boxster.

 

Great post, Preclucidor! This mirrors my impression of the view from most of the S2k guys.