I have both.

If given the choice, and having to have one as a daily driver, I'd pick the Boxster.

I don't think there is anything my SC can do that the Boxster can't do better, with the exception of making that really cool noise that makes my girlfriend grin. :)

The SC has a cat bypass and sport muffler, and is lightened to about 2500ish. Even so, the Boxster seems just as quick, and handles better.

Getting A/C to work well in an SC or Carrera is going to add to the cost, you'll need a procooler and possibly underbody condenser depending on what the heat gets up to. Other than that a G50 Carrera would be a good daily driver, and an SC would be fine with a WEVO shifter and well adjusted clutch cable.

I drove my SC daily for almost two years, and it wasn't any big thing, but the Boxster is definately more comfortable, way better on gas, easier in traffic, etc. etc. etc.

Also, I have 80k on my Boxster and it runs great and doesn't leak or burn oil, I bought it with 69k in December. I've done a new top ($1700 for a glass window one, installed) and had some maintenance done when I drove it through a flooded street and it stalled out, but now that I have it back it runs great.

968 is a fabulous car. Have to agree.

I'd actually have a hard time deciding between a 968 Turbo S and a 993 given the choice. . .

Not bashing the Boxster (I'll probably pick one up eventually). It's a fine car. When I drove it, it brought that "P-car smile" to my face and I greatly enjoyed it. But when I drove the 911SC I was just like "day-UMM! I gotta' get me one of these!" That's the difference. The experiential quality of the 911 is unbeatable. Raw and mean. Just how I like it. The Boxster has too much "foo-foo" electronics crap in it for my personal taste, but (obviously) it IS newer. . . All in what you like I guess. I just prefer older, raw, manual, even carburated to new, digital this-and-that, touch screens and buttons all over the place.

The Boxster I test-drove was an '03 "S" for which the dealer was asking $40k. I loved it, but thought it was wickedly overpriced for that, considering I could get probably two early 911s (nice ones) for that same coin. Or a 968 and a 911. Or a 911 and a 928. Take your pick.

Oh yeah, another thing, I paid under $16k for my Boxster, FWIW.

Yea, they're coming down. Good for people like me that want to pick up one or two - bad for people that eat the rapid depreciation on 'em.

I honestly think the Boxsters are gonna' be the next generation of 944s - they'll be the ones that younger guys are picking up for under $10k in a couple of years, modding the crap out of and putting out on the track to whallop the crap out of all the Jap cars. There's a huge untapped market in Boxster mods. Yes there are some things available now, but given a choice between that or the currently over-saturated 944/951 market, I'd be much more interested in seeing what can be done with a 986 as a "tinker and thrash" kind of car. And they look good. And so on. Not all that different than the 944s/951s out there - they appeal to the same things in me.

Not quite cheap enough yet though. Another year or two. . .

I'd buy a 993 or a 996. Either would work for a driver, and would be a much better track car than the Boxster.

Yeah... Those weren't in the choices.
I haven't seen many of those cars in the price range I stated, except one I found on fleabay with a "salvage" title. If you know of some quality, relaible 993 or 996 cars for under $18k, point me to them please.

What's the point in buying a car with a salvage title if you don't intend to track the living hell out of it? The resale value is worthless and in many cases you can't even insure them for anything more than basic liability anyway.

Plus, do you really want to trust your wife to a car with unknown safety and frame integrity?

RRTFP
I never said I was buying or even considering the 996 with the salvage title. What I said was that the only 996 I had seen recently for under $18k was one with a salvage title - my point being that I do not believe there are any quality, reliable 996's to be had at my price point.

I voted Boxster just because it is for your wife and I would presume she will prefer the more modern creature comforts.

and I wanted to bump this thread. :p

It's called "thinking outside the box." ;) Perhaps having the 993 and 996 in the mix has not occured to him yet.

She really likes the "vroom" factor of my SC, and she's not one of those chicks who can't change the oil or fill the tank. But for a daily driver, you are correct - the modern creature comforts, I think, will be an important factor to her. She has already demanded AC. I see some people claim the SC system is inadequate and/or crappy. Others say that their SC system is fine. Whatever. I bet when I get her down to the stealership to actually drive a Boxster, the decision will be all but final - because of those creature comforts.

Hmm, not really. just because you can shift both transmissions manually with some amount of computer control doesn't mean that they are the same or similar.

Tiptronic is an auto tranny, torque converter, not clutch.

I'm pretty sure the race car trannies are clutch type trannies that are sequential which is completely different than a slushbox.

Less electronic crap in a car is a desirable trait, not an undesirable one - far as I'm concerned.

Unless you are talking about a new Turbo...

Okay, I'll give you that one - to a point. The variable-geometry turbo could probably be used with great effectiveness using mechanical control (it's been done for a while on diesel engines), but in this case the digital control enhances its performance.

FWIW I am using a ApecI EBC boost controller on my 951 project in lieu of a mechanical unit but that's after extensive research that convinced me that the EBC is far better suited to the task and will give me much greater flexibility and tuning options. I still hate the thought of being dependent on electronics stuff, but for certain applications I guess I can see it - occasionally.

You have to admit it's gotten to the point of ridiculous though. My friend's BMW 325 has SEVENTY-FIVE fuses in the block and none of them are "free" or extra ones. That's absurd. At some point cars stopped being cars and started being these digital Dilbert-ized things with engines and seats attached to them. I like something a tad more. . . honest.

The P-car of my dreams is a 930. Raw, mechanical, unrestrained power. Seat-of-your-pants. Like a P51 Mustang. No electronic ding-dongs and blips and bloops and flashing lights and crap. Leave that to the riced-out Honduh Civics.

Speaking of 930 power...
http://911carrera.free.fr/images/insolites/930.jpg

Gotta love oversteer!

Now the 924/944/968 line, with the engine in front and tranny in back, won't rotate that way...unless you want it to.