As said below image Doc, fair point re I will just be another subaru driver, I guess that is something that comes with owning a make of car and knowing what is limited edition and what isn't. With regards to the 22b, I was not able to buy the 22B when buying the P1 due to the fact there weren't any!

I'm not trying to get anyone's back up on here, just my personal opinion of driving a car i'd always wonder if there was something better...

I have 2 friends with boxsters, and we had more looks and comments in the P1 than in their boxsters...


You have a special edition P1, the poor mans 22b I think it is

You are comparing a special edition of an Impreza to a standard Boxster - If you are comparing like for like, just how many Boxster Anniversaries do you see?

An WR1 will make you no different, to a Boxster owner for instance, it will be just another Impreza.

 

Each to their own, but I don't really buy a car for this. I changed my E46 M3 cab for a 996 C4, and I have to say the M3 attracted more looks and comments than the Porsche, but I prefer it that way!

I think this silly thing about Boxter owners not being able to afford a 911 was started by some sillycomemnt Clarkson made on Top Gear a while back... everyone jumped on the band wagon after that.

It is a silly comment because you can say that about anything... cars, houses, clothes.

I got a 911 C4 becuase I can't afford a Turbo. This 'logic' can go on and on, but its stupid.

Why can't people start thinking of their own reasons rather then repeating what Clarkson said?

 

... and if Subaru came out with a new impreza "WR2" with 400BHP and a few extra toys but a price tag of £60k, you could count the owners on one hand. They'd be the ones who would have to have "the ultimate Impreza" so that they were not seen buying anything other than the best of the marque.

When you see a WR2 owner, you couldn't possibly call them a poor man because they would have the best that subaru could offer. You could however call them a lot of other things.

 

Impreza, poor mans rally car Ahh dear, can't afford the real thing, pity

 

Like image doctor said, you're comparing a special edition impreza to a std boxster.

Or put another way, you're saying you don't see many imprezas in that colour, with that wing/lip. But it's still an impreza. I never saw ONE impreza that looked like mine - but it was still an impreza.

I used to deal with TVR, when the Chimaera/Griffith were relatively new and the "S" was in its last days. I think the V8S was about £23k, the Griffith about £30k, both using the same 4litre. Cost of both was identical to TVR. Why was the Griffith more? Because they could sell it for more.

A 911 won't cost "much" more to produce than a Bosxter, but they sell it for more, because they can and because the market is there to support it. Anyone would do it if they could. It applies to all car models doesn't it. How much more would a std STi cost to produce than an impreza sport? Not £10k.....

You can argue the case for cars like the WR1 though, when specialists are involved to individualise it.

 

I guess it's down to individual tastes and opinions, again why you buy a car... Maybe I delude myself when I drive the P1 as it's been drummed into me that it was the best (UK) impreza available at the time... I have no more or less respect for someone because of the car they drive. I also accept i'm still learning things as I get older all part of growing up... I don't profess to know everything like certain people on this BBS and accept a lot of the comments made.

As previously stated if everyone thought the same we'd all buy the same car... house... clothes... not sure I've put my reasons over very well for what I think and it's based on a minority rather than a majority..

 

I'd rather have a Boxster S, great performance platform with all its usable power for my driving, rather than a gutless, tacky, fussy styled, turbocharged, four-wheel drive, rally-novelty that has zero importance on the road.

Just my personal opinion...

 

That must be an Escort Cossie you're on about then

 

If people value a Porsche 911 based on straight-line speed, then they are basically a fool and not fully appreciating the all-round package a 911 is. Looks, size, ride, build quality, and usable performance. Which is more I could say for *any* Impreza.

 

Imprezas have looks, ride and build quality. It's just that they're all bad

 

That too, if you need to mention it.

 

Cossie, not often we agree, but we agree!

Unfortunately people do put there pounds directly where the performance is....well they do on this site anyway.

A good point made earlier though, that if Suabru made a £60k/£80k/£90k Impreza would you take that over a C2/GT3/Turbo?

 

I think MG will be able to answer a similar question for you shortly ID.

 

This thread now comes full circle to a point i was trying to make before image doctor tried to assassinate me........10 years ago what new porsche was new subaru money?
or vice versa...now porsches have COME DOWN to subaru money hence why the Boxster is the "cheap porsche" hence its image of a "poor mans" porsche if it was THAT good surely ALL 911 drivers would drive a boxster

HOnestly who if money was NO object would drive a 2.0 gl imprezza when they could have a WR1???

seriously!"!!!

hawk

 

If money were no object, who'd consider a WR1 when they could have a Porsche, Aston, Ferrari, Lambo etc.

Have Porsche prices come down (ignore retail price, no boxster owners buy without adding some bits so add £4k at least, few boxsters go for less than £35k) or have other cars gone up? For £30k, an impreza is overpriced imo no matter how good it is.

Anyway £35k for a 'poor mans porsche' - I wish I was that 'poor'

 

What was the most expensive car Subaru made in 1994? How much was a WRX Sti in Japan? You could buy a 968 Club Sport in the UK for £30k.

Today a "poor mans" Porsche still costs more than the most expensive Impreza though.

id

 

sorry i should have clarified my post i was relating to money no object within a car brand i.e if you could afford and wanted a WR1 why get a 2.0gl base model.......... if you could afford a 911 turbo why get a boxster.....

 

I know what you mean

It just odd to include the term 'poor' when referring to a £35,000 sports car.

 

agreed again maybe i should have clarified that I was mean poor in relation to the cost of a 911 not in relation to wages or what people can afford

 

because hitherto there's been no 911 Turbo Cabriolet.. the only comparison Boxster vs 911 has been with a non-turbo Cabriolet 911.. and I would choose the Boxster over the 911 easily (and I can afford either)

 

HMMMMMM mister brown me thinks you should do your homework a bit!!!!

please look at this page

http://content2.eu.porsche.com/prod/...ighlight_intro


THEN EAT HUMBLE PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dont really understand the need for you to sprout about which or both you could afford especially when youre slightly mis informed

And if you'd still have the boxster then ........ then there's no hope for you is there

 

Your point is ? I said "hitherto", meaning "until now/recently".

Fool

 

LOL

 

Muppet!

 

If money was absolutely no object, and you really had to have the most iconic sports car of our generation, then off course you'd take a 996 over a Boxster.

Anyway, back on earth, there are plenty of people out there who could afford a 996 but rather have a Boxster. And as I said before, there are plenty of people who rate a correctly specced Boxster S as a better drivers car than a 996 Coupe. Most people I have spoken to (and I have not driven a Cab) would say the Boxster is a better drivers car than the 996 Cab.

The point is - is the Boxster such a shambolic piece of kit, that the people who buy them are vacuuous badge snobs really only half way towards scratching their 911 itch, or is it that it is actually a fantastic 2 seater mid engined sports car capable enough to stand scrutiny on its own?

If the Boxster was an Audi (ie at the top of their sports car range) we'd be having a debate about the most amazingly good value, fantastically well balanced, sharp handling, wailing flat-6 supercar bargain of the decade!

 

So you tested the components all independantly to get the before & after figures. I have to question if you can simply add up the individual gains per mod to get a cumulative figure for the increased bhp? I'm just not conviced you can say, as an example +5bhp for sports exhaust and +8bhp for decat = 13bhp overall gain.

Back to the original point I made about people claiming that simply chipping a NA can give substantial bhp increases. Did you do have any RR figures on "chipped" VR6s that would suggest my original point was invalid on the VR6?

IMHO I don't see anything you've said that disagrees with my original statement. No I'm not an authority on the Porsche engine, just realistic and genuinely curious as to how you can cheaply and easily gain 30bhp from the Boxster S engine.

There are always exeptions to the rule, but unless there is good evidence of how it has been acheived I think you have to remain a little sceptical of such claims. I hear you can get +15bhp by simply "chipping" the E46 M3, however from what you've said this is highly unlikely. On the other hand, the mods you've done on the VR6 suggests significant gains can be had by changing cam profiles and using the Shrik inlet manifold. But I'd be interested to know how much all your mods you did would retail for? >£2.5K?


Now, can you tell me how I can *cheaply* get 30bhp from the Boxster engine?



Andy

 

I wouldn't be sure about "cheaply" increasing power from a high-end German sports car, but the 3.2 litre 6 cylinder was de-tuned by Porsche deliberately.

So it won't take much work to gain extra HP (even 30 HP) since you already have a capable displacement to begin with.

 

I guess nothing is ever going to be cheap on a Porsche . But I was thinking cheaply means easily (time is money, etc), as in not changing engine internals. Maybe a cam change?

Was just looking for more specific examples of tuned Boxster engines,

Andy

 

[QUOTE=P1Fanatic]If a Boxster S is a poor mans car, I sure wish I was poor as I cant afford a 2nd hand one let alone a new one. Does that make a 360 a poor mans ferrari compared to an Enzo, F40/50, 575m etc etc????
QUOTE]

Totally agree!

About 6 months ago I was trying to decide if I should go for a second-hand Boxster or a new Scooby. Then a mate with a 911 (996) Convertible told me how much a service was.... and I thought Scoobies were expensive to run!! He once called into his local dealer for a funny noise, and left £2,500 poorer for wear and tear items they noticed whilst fixing the original problem.

My point is that although they are "relatively" cheap to buy, you still have to use a Porsche dealer!!

Plus, I have room for luggage (yes, I went for the Scooby!).