Good point C; I think it's a mistake to own any roadster (or muscle car, for that matter) as one's sole transportation. I have a different vehicle for daily commuting and most errand-running. "Drivers cars" like the RX-8 and Boxster are meant to be enjoyed for their own sake, for the experience of driving itself. That's where any sports car is in it's element- not dropping the kid off at soccer practice, taking the dog to the groomer, or stuck in gridlock on the daily commute.

 

Don't tell me that - I've been driving a Miata or an RX-8 daily for the last 13 years, and enjoyed every day of it. Nothing like tossing the roof down and romping through the local roads at lunch to blow off some of that work-day stress.

But then I do have a short commute.

 

Ah, but what you describe is exactly what I was talking about- driving for FUN! A lunchtime drive is not a commute! Ah, the wind in your hair (assuming you have hair), and a burrito in the seat next to you for company.

I thoroughly approve, GH.

 

I've got a 2000 Boxster S. It's more torquey than an RX-8, understandably. I like the 8 more because it's not as gruff and the transmission is smooth, the Porsche's is pretty rough. As far as power delivery, the Porsche is like a jackhammer compared to the RX-8 which would be like a chisel. It depends what you want in a car. I love both.

120k miles - dyno of the porsche:


Pretty much exactly what the whp it had from the factory. Reliability > *.

The 968 has a full M030 suspension and it runs DE's faster than the RX-8 stock, but only marginally. When I threw on my RPF1's and KDW's, the Boxster S is nowhere near the RX-8 when driven at the limit. This is with Kumho Victoracers on track wheels for the Porsche. The Boxster can't hang with the 8 in an autocross.

Overall, they're very comparable cars. But the 8 can do many more things for me at this point in my life so I'd say buy a used one with 15k miles for 10k or 15k under what it sold for new.

Or buy a high-miles Porsche. You should be able to buy a Boxster S for <20k if it's got 100k miles or more. DO NOT buy a regular trim Boxster, you will be very unsatisfied, unless you can get one of the 2005ish newer ones.

If you don't wanna deal with a finicky car, don't buy an 8. At the last PCA DE I had dinner with a bunch of Porsche guys and was talking to another 8 guy that had never tracked his car before, the Porsche guys had an appreciation for how we cared for our cars, but couldn't believe that we put up with the bullshit that we do, owning an 8.

And if the Boxster S is a poor-man's Porsche, what is the RX-8? I can answer the question, though I feel I won't make many friends being realistic.

 

The RX-8 is the RX-8.

Boxter is what, 40k? Whereas any good Porsche (sans Cayman) is maybe 80k+. When I see a Boxter I imagine someone who bought it just because they want to be able to say they drive a Porsche. Maybe that's just me though, I dunno.

 

For the non S model:
MSRP: $41,430-49,930
Invoice: $36,261-43,700

Perhaps they wanted a convertible...

LMAO at "any good Porsche" - a Porsche is a Porsche.

Even the Cayenne blows the doors off the 8 on a track. Ask me how I know.

 

I've never understood those who say 'it's a poor man's _'. Every brand has a entry-level car, should we look down on Mazda 3 owners? The Boxster generally looks like a Porsche, is the most reliable Porsche (CR), generally gets excellent scores (every mag, even CR), has excellent resale value & owner satisfaction (CR).

In terms of handling & braking, it's every bit a Porsche. Don't confuse price w/ handling/braking prowess. It's also comfortable (for a sports car), the only legit criticism is the base isn't fast (last time I checked, neither is the RX-8 yet we love it for all its other qualities).

To be clear, I'd take the new RX-8 over the used Boxster.

 

I'm just not a fan of the "entry level" cars I guess. The difference between the Mazda 3 and the Boxster is that Porsche is a sports car company, and Mazda is not.

 

Think of it this way:

This isn't the difference between a V6 Camaro and an SS, or a V6 Mustang and a Cobra, it's the difference between a Corvette and a Z06 or an Elise and an Exige S.

Incidentally, the Boxster S is a direct competitor for the C6, as illustrated by the multitude of comparo's by the major car magazines.

 

The Boxster is a sports car, even in base form. It handles & brakes every bit a Porsche, it may not be very fast but it's not slow. Handling prowess is a better indicator of a true sports car than HP. The RX-8 has excellent handling but isn't very fast, yet everyone here loves it.

 

I'd take a Boxster or Cayman over a 911.

I don't think of it as an "entry level" Porsche. It's a totally different design—and a better one, IMHO. If you were designing a sports car on a clean sheet of paper, it would be more like a mid-engined Boxster/Cayman—not a rear-engine 911. It's a testament to Porsche engineering that the 911 is as good as it is, considering the physics it's up against, but if you put things like image, status and price aside, I think the mid-engined Porsche is the better sports car. Even if it isn't as fast.

(And no, I've never seen a Boxster and thought "this poor slob's not "successful" and can't afford a real Porsche". That's just silly. All Porsches are good.)

 

Honestly I like them both..the boxster is a fun car on "another level" that the 8 can be compared too. I have been side by side with a boxster and it felt good too know i didnt spend half as much on my car as to what the person in the boxster paid and I was still able to be up close and personal throughout our full rpm ranges and into top speed. I wouldnt trade my 8 for the boxster. And wouldnt get a car just because it said Prosche on the trunk.

 

I must say tho, they are damn sexy!

 

Exactly!

That's why I'm wedging a 3.6 or 3.8 in my Boxster S instead of just "upgrading" to a CS or C4S. It'd be cheaper to "upgrade," but then I wouldn't have the MR aspect that I love so.

 

Looks like a merchant banker's car!

 

The boxter, there is no substitute...

 

No there isn't ... but don't you think they're a bit boring?

 

Boxters are great as a weekend car but the interrior is way to cheap and plasticky for a daily driver.

 

PRACTICALITY...................................... ..........FUN TO DRIVE
<----------------------------------------------------------------------->
RX-8 ............................................ Boxter .................. S2000



(Measured in Bang-per-buck)

 

If you were given the option of a RX-8 or a Boxter S for free which one would you pick?

 

I'd take the Boxster

 

I'd take the Boxter S, sell it, then use the money to buy an EVO and a beater.

 

Take Boxster S ($56k), sell it, buy a new white RX-8 ($24k) and also a used (out-of-warranty) black one ($15k). Use the remaining ~$15k to soup up the used black RX-8.

White is called Dr. Jekyll and Black is Mr. Hyde. >:-)

 

^ I approve of this man's thinking

 

If both for free that's still tough for me. I'd love to have to boxster but I need 4 seats and I like not having to pay $100 for an oil change.

OBTW maintenence on porsches are friggin expensive.