Deep Singh

Always thought the Boxster was a hairdressers car,poor mans Porsche etc.
The new S though looks nice,has 276 BHP,designed to be an open top, midengined etc. At £38K does it make more sense than a used 3-4 year old 996?
ps is it a hairdressers car?

pete1977

996 everytime!

fatherpierre

996.

MJW

They're a nice car, definitely a pukka Porsche, but it will always suffer from the poor man's 911 tag as the above posts prove !

slim_boy_fat

But surely a poor mans 911 is better than a single bloke with some dosh taxi..AKA a scooby.

Deep Singh

I thought you might all say that.

Gutmann pug

Im led to believe its one hell of a driving experience. If I had the money and was looking for that kind of car I think I would be mad not to at least try it.

GCollier

I had the same dilemma 2 years ago. I'd ordered a boxster S, but thoughts of a 911 just kept gnawing away at me. In the end I decided that if I was spending 40k+ on a car, it had to be something I *really really* wanted. So I changed my order for a 996.

The boxster S is a great car - better in some ways than a 996 - but I just didn't grow up lusting after one. I guess that's what the decision between the two cars comes down to for a lot of people - fulfilling that childhood dream.

Gary.

Gutmann pug

I would imagine the boxter S would be a better driving experience and probably quicker than the base 996/7 though?

bloke

I think Porshce are gambling here. The original Boxster was always capable of handling more but was held back because it would be too close too the high end models.

Now it has its niche they can risk opening up a bit.

Interesting gamble, for example, as an S2000 owner, a 276 bhp Boxster now looks like an upgrade rather than an alternative, and much as I like the S2K, and believe me as an ex owner of some fairly decent cars including 2 scoobs, I'd love to own a Porsche.

As for the hairdresser thing, it goes with the territory with open sports car and is usually cited by rather pathetic people who are jealous that their life style doesn't allow them to drive one. I for one don't care much what such people think, do you?

KJD Mk1

iTrader: (3)

After a trip to le-mans in a 2.7 boxster last year my thoughts on them changed completely `What a nice fun sports car .

scoobyjimbo

Driven the standard non S version and i was very disapointed - no guts really.. As for the S version, well a guy at work has one and rates it very highly, he has taken me out a few times in it but wont let me have a drive.. He has agreed to let me have a go, once i let him have a go in my impending type 25.. so give it a few weeks and i will let you know my thoughts....:-)

I think i would prefer a proper porker though,but then wouldnt we all..!
J

Butkus

I am more into having a lower down brand new car than a second hand 'better' car. Some people might think that's nuts but I just don't like stuff that isn't perfect.

No miles, nothing worn out, perfect condition etc etc...

The 996 is nice, but it's old hat now. It's been around since about 1997. The new Boxster has moved everything on.

All that stuff about 'poor man's Porsche' is pure nonsense in my opinion. Forget what others think about you. Surely an 'R' or 'S' registered 996 is a poor man's Porsche then, if that's how you think? If you were rich enough, wouldn't you have a brand new one. All absolute nonsense.

I would definitely get a brand new Boxster opposed to a 5 year old 996. The Boxster S is plenty fast enough anyway.

Jim_B

iTrader: (1)

I never liked Porsche Boxsters - but then drove a Boxster S round Thruxton and must admit I was very impressed. Great handling, good feedback and a great snarl from the exhaust.

Brendan Hughes

Every time I see a new 911 I think "rich man's Beetle".

Just think of the car they could have had now if they'd started with the engine in the right place 40 years ago and developed it since then.

RUF boxster please.

Deep Singh

Agree with both sides really,thats the problem! Butkus is right,though I d'ont feel the need to have a brand new car,a 5 year old 911 may not feel that special just because of the age.
I seem to waste half my life pondering things like this. If I spent that time trying to make money I could probably afford a new 997!!!(LOL)

Deep Singh

Whats the spec of the RUF Boxster?

Brendan Hughes

From their website:

"With 3.6 litres of current Carrera engine and 345 horsepower, the RUF 3600S solves that problem. It´s the fastest production 986 yet - with nearly 100 more ponies than Porsche´s own hot-rod 986, the Boxster S. "

And for a review of the earlier 310bhp RUF 3400S:

http://www.realdriver.com/road_tests.../ruf_3400s.php



As they say: Are you a poser or a purist?

Brendan Hughes

You can find a similar article at evo > driven > archive, and look for RUF. The 3400S was apparently 55k new.

Gastro

Yeah - but the conversion alone costs nearly £20k - I got the spec from RUF - and your car is with them for about 3-4 weeks !

Forget a RUF Boxster - it would be a dreadful investment - if you want the power thing go for a 996, save yourself the some money, and live in the smugness of being able to say you own a 911

Gastro

Brendan Hughes

Ah. So you're saying the 911 is the poor man's RUF Boxster then?


Investment - on a Subaru site - PMSL...

Deep Singh

Though the RUF Boxster sounds great it would be an awful 'investment'. At 55k+ it would make more sense to buy a 3 yr old 996 turbo and have one of the fastest reliable supercars ever made. Depreciation would be minimal aswell ie,9 yr old 993tt selling for 40k.
Would more mild tuning sort the Boxster S out? DMS advertise tuning the old S to 276 BHP form standard 260,similarly they could tune the 276BHP new S to about 290 BHP(?) which should be enough as the car only weighs about 1300kgs. Never quite beleive these claims on NA cars though.

Rumplestiltskin!

When I had my Boxster S eveyone said "could't you afford a 996"
When I had my 996 Everyone said "Couldn't you afford a turbo - now thats a car"
Now I have my Turbo I get "couldn't you afford a GT2 or a GT3?"

What people fail to realise is that a Boxster S at £40k also buys you a 3 year old 996 and they cost a similar amount to run, so people opt for the Boxster not because they can't afford it, but because they choose to do so.

On a similar vein, for the same spend - around £73k - you can have a 2 year old Turbo, or a 3 year old GT2, or a year old GT3, or a 4 year old Ferrari 360 etc etc etc. All cost about the same to run, so whatever people choose they do so for a reason, probably other than money. I chose the turbo not because I couldn't afford a Ferrari (I can) but because the Turbo is more descreet, is safer in the wet/winter and is more practical (I use it every day) The GT2 will kill me (rear wheel drive, nearly 400bhp & no PSM or traction) & the GT3 is too hard suspension for everyday driving.

Everyone thinks decisions come down to money and in a lot of cases it does, but people choose cars for many reasons....

Old_Fart

Anyone writing off the Boxster because it's a hairdressers car is a numpty. The motoring press in unanimous in its praise for the car. It will *feel* as fast as a 997 C2S with the roof down.
I'm thinking of buying one when I get rid of the 996 C4S, and really don't care what a bunch of rice boys think of it
Anyway, the Reality couriers delivery bloke delivering my Hermitage La Chapelle '85 on Saturday said he preferred our 22B to the C4S...'nuff said.
Cman

Brendan Hughes

Ah yes, but imagine the discussion down the pub - yours does 0-60 in 5.8 and his does it in 5.0, so you're clearly lacking in the macho department...

Besides, isn't it true that people bought their Imprezas as they couldn't afford a Mitsi Evo?

"Poser or purist" - that's that answered then...

Deep Singh

I was'nt saying its a hairdressers car,quite the opposite,especially the new S.
Rumple,when you went from the Box to the 996 did you get much more in terms of driving thrill? I w'ont ask the same question about the 996 to 996tt as I presume thats a giant leap?

Squizz

Hmmmmm, interesting.

Currently We own a mildly modded Impreza, and a more heavily modded S13 200SX. My missus is keen on Boxsters and she's already driven an 'S around Mallory Park.

Trouble is we've both found the Impreza to have the measure of them (easily), and I don't fancy downgrading performance in that respect.

The other problem is that I prefer coupes to soft tops. (I'm ginger & pale-skinned and avoid sunlight like a vampire!! ).

So we're interested in the forthcoming Boxster Coupe to see how that pans out...

Squizz

Or talk her into a nice 993...

D'oh!

Type R

Didnt see this thread first so posted in the coupe one.

My thoughts;

I test drove the Boxter S yesterday, and its the first car Ive been really disappointed with, I was expecting to love it, as I have been yearning after a Porker for a few years. Its a great car, in fact its difficult to criticise it, so I won't, and thats my point I guess.

You have a car which is knocked together, seemingly inspected with the upmost attention to detail, the interior looks good, is comfortable with all the necessary controls within easy reach, an absolute peach of a Speedo cluster, big rev counter with a digetal speedo in the middle, excellent visability, and the roof works well, in fact upto 30mph you can remove the roof!!.

A sales man who was not pushy in a showroom that ozzed class, but not snobby, what I thought was an excellent brochure, and if you like variety, crikes there is so many options you wouldnt know where to start.

The car drives like you would expect it too, plenty of torque in all the gears, 6th Gear for cruising, manual gearbox that needs the faintest touch to move up or down a gear, perfectly space pedals, for that heel & toe, to hear what is a delightful but not intrusive exhaust note, chirp, the car negotiates roundabouts like its on rails, the chassis seems to eat into the tarmac, and the optional 19" wheels seem to work well with the dampers, and give you more and more confidence, the brakes seemed OK, I was expecting better, perhaps its due to the low mileage, but still gave you confidence.

For me PASM, PAS, ABS, Electric seats, Sat Nav, an Option list that takes 3 hours to read, and when you tick a few boxes you cruise nicely upto 45K. Its not what I want.

I guess I like a car with a few flaws (Not 2 x engine rebuilds in 500miles!!), it keeps me intrested, and well gives it a bit of dare I say it character, and this is the only thing the Boxster S doesnt have, the car blends in with the rest of metal driving on the roads. For me boredom would set in very quickly, fortunatly residuals on these are pretty good!!

Strip it bare, give it a wild look, and this could be the car !! Come on Porshce -"Where sport begins"