My only other thought is for a Boxter(S) or the Honda S2000 (if that's what it's called).

thoughts...
ideas...
suggestions...

Dave

 

How about a Delfino? Scooby innards, crazy body.

 

Haven't driven either but used to have a Honda CRX V-TEC.

Amazing engine...redlined at 8K! I think the S2000 is 9K!!!

You'd have to get used to a completely different way of driving. The power just keeps on coming.

Oh and I had it 4 years and it never missed a beat.

Cheers

Bas

 

Mate's got an S2000, loves it (and he has access to nicer cars too) what you may not realise is that the S2000 weighs more than the scoob, *shock*

But it is very quick redlines at stupid rpm, (9k) and totally reliable, handles very well too, but requires a more commited driving style than magazine hacks generally have so it did not get the best reviews. My advice would be to drive one that has been run in for a day or so.

 

Mark

Porsche confirmed that they were going to produce a Boxter turbo with more than 300BHP. Even though they initially said that the Boxter would never be more powerful than the standard 911 (297BHP) they have decided that with the BMW M Roadster, forthcoming Audi TT with 300+BHP, Jaguar roadster etc. that they need to make the Boxter more powerful.


Gary

I thought that Tiff raved about the M Coupe not the M roadster? The M coupe is a lot stiffer and is meant to handle better than the M roadster.

The 993 cabrio is a nice car (and second hand costs less than a new Boxter S) but is not a roadster. It is more of a grand tourer soft-top.

 

I drove my Cousins Boxter S a couple of weeks ago, I was very impressed indeed. It was faster than my Impreza in a straight line and felt much nicer round corners, less body roll.

The engine is very torquey, it's not a peaky thrashy thing that you have to redline to get moving and of course there's no bleedin turbo lag.

Have no idea if it's better on the limit as there's no way I was going anywhere near that.

You can get a full set of golf clubs in the back which is pretty good too.

I would swap my Impreza for one in an instant, only thing is they are a little pricey

Oh Interior is *Very* nice lots of cool Aluminium bits and it all seemed very well screwed together. Electric hood is very posy and fast but you have to be stopped to operate it.

Ignore any 'It's a hairdressers car' comments, what a load of rubbish - it's a cracking drivers car.

Oh and it's faster than my friends 911 too (OK 88' Carrera 3.2 but still ).

Gary

 

Well I have a ten year old Alfa Romeo Spider.
Hard and soft tops and its lovely.
If I was allowed to buy a new one it would be an S2000 or MX5.

 

The class leader for build quality, driver feedback and handling is the Boxter. The only thing they say that they don't like about it is that it does not have enough power with just over 200BHP. Boxter S addressed this issue with 250BHP - but is considerably more in cost. The Boxter is a lovely car and you can drive it hard or softly.

The S2000 has to be revved to get the most out of it (VTEC) and this does not appeal to everyone. The driver feedback is meant to be ok on the S2000 but nowhere near as good as in the Boxter.

Take them both for a few testdrives and see what you think.

 

I'd wait for the Boxster Turbo that is on it's way!


I thought those S2000's are alot bigger than they look on the telly, V nice tho'..


But for the ultimate cool - Porsche 356 Speedster, not quite an everyday car tho'!


Scott!

 

The best man at my wedding has just bought a fully loaded Boxster 'S' and is NEVER in when I call him..wife considering getting a Porsche nightdress to keep him at home a bit more

I also had the pleasure of driving an S2000 a while ago. Stunning car but a bit wierd as it really does seem to have 2 engines in it. Keep the revs under 6k and it poodles around town very nicely, but open it up out of town and the car transforms into a lovely open top roadster with a not bad turn of speed.

Best you go and drive both of them back to back to see what you think.

Happy shopping

Yex

 

Scott where did you hear about the Boxster Turbo? I can't see Porsche making that. Although there are a few nice aftermarket twin turbo conversions you can get.

Mark

 

Hi David,

When considering a car change a year or so ago, I took a test drive of the (then) 2.5L boxster, and came away disappointed. I certainly wouldn't have swapped the MY99 I had at the time for one. I'd love to try the later 'S' though, and will be arranging a test drive of one myself in the coming months.

I've read about the Boxster Turbo too - it may have been in the 911 and Porsche World maagzine. Although porsche have said in the past that the boxster will always be slower than the 911, I believe it is a change of heart induced by the likes of up and coming cars such as a 300bhp Audi TT.

I've taken a TT Roadster for an extended test drive recently, and although a beautiful and well engineered car in a lot of ways, I found the driving experience lacking, so this wouldn't be on my shortlist.

With regard to the S2000, I've no first hand experience, but a friend of mine has recently ordered one through Virgin cars (£22,500 delivery in 6 months). He said that after the test drive he couldn't stop grinning insanely for ages. Definitely one to try I think.

Other rag tops I might consider would be a 911 Carrera (993 style), and I'd be tempted to give the M-Roadster a try because Tiff Needell seems to think highly of it.

Regards,

Gary.

 

well having just gone from an STI to a soft top 2 seater I guess I can say a few things. I test drove them all, here is my opinion:
1) boxter - great all rounder, very livable, but way too slow in a straight line, too "soft" (not a true hard sports car, more a cruiser)
2) boxter S - still a great all rounder and very livable, much better performance, but too expensive
and still not a race car feel (certainly less than the STI)
3) S2000 - mad mad addictive engine, but too heavy for my liking, which detracts from it's agility. Also quite edgy on the limit, perhaps due to the weight. Very livable but a little drab looking too.
4) MR2 - looks ugly (IMHO), and it's a fun little cruiser but nothing more. It's also a Toyota.
5) Audi TT - beautiful inside, a little showy outside in a "hairdresser" sort of way, again nice sporty cruiser and very livable but not any race car feel, and lacks performance.
6) Elise 111S - fastest accelleration of all (5.3s 0-60 standard), best handling of all, best brakes (cross drilled 4-pots on a 700kg car), very sensitive to all inputs (700kg)....the closest thing to a race car for the road. Doesn't have the luxuries, but I wanted race car not luxo. It's quite reliable (nothing much to break) and with the hard top on I've been in monsoon type rain without a drop inside (the leak stories are from old models). Be aware however, if you want comfort don't even go near the 111S, or if your driving is less than very sharp (particoularly in the wet - no TractContr, no ABS, etc), but if you want the closest thing to a race car for the road this is the one.
I drive it every day to work, and it makes the most boring of commutes feel like qualifying for the Monaco gp.

wall


[This message has been edited by wall (edited 06 October 2000).]

 

One of the motoring programs on TV, TopGear I think, ran a review on a scooby based kit car. (D'oh, just read first link)
Personally I would have a TVR aswell.
I had to choose only one (TVR/Scooby), I have had a TVR and loved it but the scooby won.
You could get a bike for sunny days and the scooby for rainy/cold ones.

 

Nice to be able to choose!

my mate with a Boxster loves it, and "Car" had it winning against TT and SLK. Quite practical too - you can get a roofrack that bolts to the windscreen pillar - I've seen one with 2 mountainbikes on top.

For true street cred and performance, however, it HAS to be the Cavalier cabriolet.... :-D :-D

 

Boxter? Hairdresser's car? Surely that's the RAV-4, Suzuki Cappuccino or MGF...

 

S2000

I can source a new one for under 25k for tommorow, sooo nice..

 

I'm finding this thread very interesting and informative, because I'm shortly going to be in a similar position where I buy either another impreza or something different - and the something different would probably be a convertible, or maybe a halfway house such as a porsche 993 targa.

AWD -
The original question was for ragtops not roadsters, hence my suggestion of a 993 cabrio. I've only ever been a passenger in a 993 (and a coupe at that), but the cabrio would have to be a LOT softer before I'd consider it a grand-tourer. Oh, and with regard to the Z3-M, I think Tiff liked the roadster and loved the coupe even more, but I may be wrong.

David -
When I recently enquired about waiting lists for the boxster and boxster-S, I was told 5-6 and 6-7 months respectively. Worth bearing in mind if you want one now, and don't want to pay over list for a second hand one.

Gary.

PS: A bit off-thread I know, but does anyone have any real in-depth experience of comparing scoobs and 993 model 911's?

 

Gary

The 993 is a lot more enclosed than the Scooby for a start. Feels smaller and more cosy, handles very well but is RWD so you do have to be more careful in the wet.

It is pretty fast, very well built, has an offset clutch which can take some getting used to.

It is a 2 seater car (unless you have a couple of dwarves or under 8's to take along in the car), unlike the Scooby of course.

The driver feedback from the 993 is extremely good - in fact far better than most cars. That is one thing that Porsche do well - this of course adds a lot to the driving experience.

There is also that air cooled rumble eminating from behind you. They just don't make 'em like that any more.

Very good residuals on Porsches even in spite of the price cuts of the new models.

The inside feels a lot more classy than the Scooby but then it ought to as the car costs almost 3 times as much.

Go and test drive a few - you know you want to.

 

AWD -
Thanks for the info on the 993. You're right, I DO want to take some test drives, but I'm moving house in 2 weeks, so it's going to be, hmmmm....at least another 3 before I can get around to it

The styling, cozy cabin, build quality and flat-six rumble (mmmmmm) from behind are all part of the appeal. Practicality isn't really an issue - that's what the girlfriends car's for

How extensively have you driven these cars? Any insights you can give me into their on road behaviour, especially if you've driven them for a length of time and got used to them would be very much appreciated. In a lot of test drives, it's just not possible to get a complete feel for the car, especially if a salesman is sitting next to you.

And David, sorry for this diversion from your original thread - I was going to email AWD, but there's no email address in his profile.

Gary.

 

My next door neighbour has just come home in a brand new Aston Martin DB7 Convertible!

Now that would be an everday car! NOT!

 

Went through the same thing recently and ended up with Porsche 996, test drove loads of stuff(see below). Needed to have small rear seat for kid so most cabriolet's out for me since they are only 2 seaters(Still tested them). Merc Couple Conv very nice(refined) to drive but its no sports car, Audi TT looks great, feels nice but only 2 seats. SLK nice too but again only 2 seats.
Porsche inside very good, test drove the cab and coupe and ended up with coupe with sunroof, its very big sunroof in a smallish cabin so feels pretty airy.
Feels as safe as a scooby roadholding(its C4) but very different feel, more refined so its not for everyone, still miss somethings from my Sti like the turbo shorter sharper powerband where as 996 much smoother and wider powerband so not quite same feeling of whoosh(you know what I mean).
Its a lot of money but cars like most things giving diminishing returns on higher costs so probably 30ish grand mark gives best value after that its less and less sensible.

 

GCollier

If you want I'll dig out some old copies of 911 and Porsche World I'm sure there was a few articles in there and maybe a buyers guide. It also maybe worth buying it yourself as the have running reports on readers cars and a large classified section

 

Gary

I'm sure there are others with much more 993 experience than me as I only have about 150 hours of driving experience with them (on a friend's). I based my comments on what I learnt in those 150 hours but also on his 4 years of ownership. He's a good friend - as you can probably guess from the fact that I got to drive the car a fair bit.

I know what you mean about test drives with the salesman next to you. Best thing is to go with a friend. That way they sometimes let just the two of you go for the test drive (as long as they trust you - you can maximise the chances of this by both of you wearing suits, look like bankers, and leaving a fairly decent car in their carpark)