My Dad let me borrow his car this weekend and I have to say it is a marvelous machine. It reminds me allot of the MR2 Spyder I used to have, only a bit nicer. If I did not have a baby I would think hard about getting one. I told my Dad if he got the itch to get a 911 to call me first. I might just buy it from him.

 

Very nice. What year is it?

Paul.

 

not much of a fan. It is porches attempt to cater to a less wealthy demographic, yet they left out everything that makes porsche a porsche

 

The Boxster seems like a true Porsche to me.....rear/mid engine, RWD, lightweight with crisp steering, flat 6 cylinder.
How isn't it a Porsche?

 

Very nice. Always on my short list of cars.

 

Yeah. This isnt a 924. Put a hard top on it (and add 20 hp or so) and you have a great track car.

 

well the particular car shown is a 986 which A. wasn't very powerful at all, B. had so many issues because porsche wanted it to be an affordable car, C. it used toyota parts

Now if we talk about their later models, that is a different story as they were more race inspired.

 

My Dad used to have a couple of 944s, one of which was a Turbo. I grew up around these type cars and is the reason I got into sports cars to begin with. He got the Boxster new in 1998. He has 135k miles on it and it still runs like new.

 

I think what defines a porsche is driving experience not about how much power it has. Even if you look at their current line up their cars don't put up the highest horsepower numbers compared to similar cars in their price point but they still manage to keep up and often beat their competition. Also the 986 boxster was pretty quick for 1996 when it first came out. I can't speak for reliability because I've never owned one. I don't see how using Toyota parts is such a huge issue a lot of manufacturers collaborate. Are Lotuses not true Lotuses because they use Toyota engines? Would that make the 356 not a porsche because it shared alot of parts with Volkswagen?

 

^
Good points, I concur.

 

What parts of Toyota did Porsche use?

 

I don't actually know. I tried looking myself. The only collaboration I saw between Porsche and Toyota were with new Lean Production methods to increase factory efficiency and also with Hybrid technology. Even if they did share parts though I still don't see why it would matter from everything I've heard its fun to drive and that's really what matters.

 

That's the biggest lie I've ever seen anyone post about a Boxster in my life.

I owned a '98 Boxster, and there wasn't a single non-Porsche/VW/Audi part on it, and trust me, I became very familiar with working on it.

And yes, it is a fantastic car to drive.
Very engaging, and fantastic to run wide open through the gears, top up or down, while tearing through the corners.

I'd buy a new one in a heartbeat, if the Cayman didn't exist.

BC.

 

I agree 100% about the Cayman. I love that car, and in a lot of ways, for the same reason I love the RX-8. Fantastic handling car that is incredibly engaging.

 

Don't forget to mention that it's (in my opinion) the best looking car in their lineup!

I can't say I'm a fan of the Boxster either. Maybe I would change my mind if I drove one more extensively, but I've always felt like there would be a car I'd prefer over the Boxster.

 

I agree with the posts above. The Cayman and Boxster are beautiful cars. The new ones are phenomenal but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford one of those.

 

That's an issue my gf and I are actively working on.

Well, sort of.

When the Alfa 4C hits the market, we're going to have to chose between it and the Cayman. Tough choice.

Should be a fun problem to choose the car we want.

BC.

 

Umm, well google: "porsche boxster ims failure". Lots are blowing up their $15000 engines.

 

My dad bought an 03 Boxster, and i like it, top goes down, it makes Porsche noises, what else do you need?

that being said the problem with Porsches is summed up in the quoted post;
you get stuck in this "my Porsche is better than your Porsche" game. its a game nobody wins. dad and I went to rennfest* last year, and saw the game on a grand scale, i don't care what Porsche you show up in, there is someone with a better one.

so to sum up. for some reason you buy a boxster and get labeled some kind of cheapskate by the Porsche people, even though its a perfectly nice car.

*after seeing 2,500 911's, i came to the conclusion that i don't even like them, and they were all done wrong/riced out or just tacky. it was refreshing to see the Rx8 pace car!

 

I rather have a Porsche GT, but a Boxster will do.

 

if you take the Boxster out of the 911's shadow, its actually a really well done car that is a lot of fun.

so you need to decide, are you buying the Boxster because its fun? or are you trying to impress people? if you're trying to impress people, you get the porsche key chain, which is all anyone without a porsche cares about, you can buy a 914 or a new GT3 RS, it doesn't matter.

if you're trying to impress porsche people, the Boxster won't cut it, but neither will a 911, unless its the first one ever made, and even then theres someone with a better one.

 

My Dad used to get the same crap with his 944 S2. We both loved that car so it doesn't matter.

 

You can get a decent used Boxster/Cayman for 30-40k. The new ones will depreciate just the same.

 

Thinking about getting a used Cayman for DD myself.
And keep the 8 for the track.
The shape of current cayman is gorgeous, don't like the design of 2013 model tho....

 

I might keep my Eight as a DD and buy a used Boxster to toy around in. You can get one for around the 10-15k range. My Dad has been talking 911s lately so I might be able to score his.