Why does Boxster get a lukewarm reception?

[Christien]

Originally Posted by javadog

Anybody that buys a car and thinks, at all, about how his purchase will impress anybody, is an idiot.

Which is one reason cars like the Boxster don't get the respect they deserve. Too few people that have actually driven one, too many that care what other people think about them...

JR

This. 100%.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by pavulon

People want a car that stirs things inside of them when they look at it. IMO, the Boxster is so ovoid in almost every dimension that it fails to make many neurons squirt much of their stuff and I think the 996 has a similar issue. Of course, driving them is a totally different thing. As always, YMMV.

This is the answer.

For most cars, and esp. sports cars, visual appeal is the No. 1 selling point.

And while the Boxster sold well as a new car, for older car enthusiasts, the looks (both exterior and interior) just don't stir a lot of passion or emotion.

Which actually for most people makes sense. 99% of the time with a car is spent looking at it, sitting at a stoplight or in traffic or driving to work. How fast a car can lap a track is meaningless in those situations.

For used porsche enthusiasts, the RMS/IMS issue doesn't help much, either.

Finally, it's a convertible. Some people like/love convertibles. Statistically, most don't.

[Z-man]

McLovin: It's all about perspective. For you, the appeal of a sports car is it's looks. For me, it is how it performs on the track. Porsche's heritage is how well their cars perform in racing, not how visually appealing they look on the boulevard. And frankly, if you are buying a sports car for it's looks, there are far more visually stunning cars like the Ferraris and Mercedes SL's to pick from.

A spec Boxster will never outperform a 911 Cup car. But it will give a racer 75% of the experience at less than half the price of a Cup. When you factor in the total cost of ownership, the Boxster starts looking better and better in my book.

Porsche was known as the "Giant Killer" in the golden days of racing. A 911 Cup and a 918 Racer are not Giant killers - they are Giants in racing! So in that respect, a Boxster is also more aligned with the original, true mystique of Porsche racing - it is a little girly car that when put in the right hands will reel in Giants that have no business losing to a Boxster!

Getting off my sopabox,
-Z-man

[onewhippedpuppy]

I also love how a $10k 986 is always compared to an air cooled 911 on this forum. For the price of a driver SC you could have 3 986s, two 986S, or a minty 987S that will wipe the floor with any similarly priced air cooled 911.

[stomachmonkey]

I bet they both handle the same when taken for a spirited drive but be honest, which one is going to get your attention first.

[MMiller]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I bet they both handle the same when taken for a spirited drive but be honest, which one is going to get your attention first.
g]

Im sorry but I bet they don't.....handle .....the same!

YMMV

[Tervuren]

My daily 944 has body damage that was hammered out and spray painted. Its my observation, that if you keep the car clean inside and out, keep the wheels shiny, and keep the tires blacked, the feminen sex will not notice/comment on the type of car, or the dammage, but instead freak out at how clean it is. You can drive a stock 90's Honda Civic, keep it looking nice, and impress the ladies. Women will go "Oh shiny, are those raceing tires?", and miss the rough details of the front fender panel entirely.





The Boxster has a bad rep with insecure males.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Panerai

Im sorry but I bet they don't.....handle .....the same!

YMMV

Same woman.

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by javadog

Anybody that buys a car and thinks, at all, about how his purchase will impress anybody, is an idiot.

Which is one reason cars like the Boxster don't get the respect they deserve. Too few people that have actually driven one, too many that care what other people think about them...

JR

exactly.

as stupid as buy or picking cars (or do anything) is to impressing women, buying cars (or doing anything) to impress men, is just mind-boggling. who gives one rats ass what dudes think of your car? how pathetic is trying to impress a dude with your car? insecure bunch are we?

i didnt think this would require clarification on a forum such as this, but thats what you get for assuming.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I bet they both handle the same when taken for a spirited drive but be honest, which one is going to get your attention first.

[mmassey0125]

I think the boxster gets more respect than we realize. After all it did help save the company. While 911 drivers may be thankful... and some acknowledge the car does have its merits, we boxster drivers are foolish if we expect 911 owners to drool all over our 986's. They own 911 because that is the car they love. I bought/ drive a 986 because that is the car I love. I wouldn't trade it for a 911 if someone offered. Do you love the car you drive? You should. And who cares what the rest of the world thinks. Hell mustang owners think their cars are better.

[intakexhaust]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I bet they both handle the same when taken for a spirited drive but be honest, which one is going to get your attention first.

They said 'boxster'.....

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Z-man

McLovin: It's all about perspective. For you, the appeal of a sports car is it's looks. For me, it is how it performs on the track.

You've proven my point.

You are in the 1% of car buyers. Thus the lukewarm reception of used boxsters. 99% of car buyers couldn't care less how a car performs on a track, which makes perfect sense since 99.99% of people never take their car within 100 miles of a track.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by mmassey0125

I think the boxster gets more respect than we realize. After all it did help save the company.

Actually, in the end the boxster didn't save anything.

Porsche ended up losing its independence and being acquired by a humungous conglomorate car company anyways.


So it didn't really do anything, maybe delayed the inevitable for a few years, but that's it.

(And arguably made the company a more attractive target, so arguably helped to NOT save the company)

[Flieger]

Porsche could have continued on their own but they tried to buy Volkswagen through some sort of financial thing that I don't understand. Basically they were playing with money they didn't have (even though they had a lot). The economy tanked around that time I believe and VW ended up buying Porsche AG.

But... Porsche SE, which as I understand is a financial company controlled by the Porsche/Piech families still has a lot of stock in VW so Porsche gets treated special.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by McLovin

Actually, in the end the boxster didn't save anything.

Porsche ended up losing its independence and being acquired by a humungous conglomorate car company anyways.


So it didn't really do anything, maybe delayed the inevitable for a few years, but that's it.

(And arguably made the company a more attractive target, so arguably helped to NOT save the company)

No, actually the incredible corporate arrogance of the Porsche senior leadership team and their failed attempt to take over VAG was what cost them their independence. At that point they were hugely profitable, I believe their unit profits are still the best in the industry.

Some of you don't like the Boxster's appearance, which is fine. But I'll ask the question again, apples to apples: for $10k, what do you like better? Because the point of comparison isn't a 911 or a Cayman. If you are 986 Boxster shopping your other options are a 914, 928 (not S4), and maybe a 951 if you want to stay with Porsche. Otherwise it's a Miata, MR-Spyder, ragged out S2000, ragged out 350Z, older Mustang, etc. So let's be realistic here.

I sold this one for $7500 last year:

[LEAKYSEALS951]

^ That's a nice car for $7500.

This thread has made me realize something - I must be an insecure male. Not because I need a flashy red porsche to make me feel like a man, it's because I need the car NOT flashy so I don't appear like I'm trying to "be that guy."

There is a limit to my security. Here it is:


I wouldn't mind driving it to work in a pinch, or driving it to take my wife to a hospital in an emergency, but I could NOT bring myself to actually write a check for it and drive it off a lot as an elective purchase.

I like the cars for what they are, and don't want the attention that driving a "porsche" or convertible, or guards red car brings.

I grew up in the 80's when red was king. Heck, I even had a ragged out red 944, just like Jake from 16 candles. Worse than that, my father had a custom plate that spelled "por5che". Guess who got to drive it? Me... If you think that's bad, I also drove a 924 with the plate "porsche" - yes- spelled correctly while my father was going to restore his 65 911 to eventually put it on. The plate should have been on a 4-cam 356 or something. Not a martini edition 924.

God... the travesty!!

I was embarrassed to drive it. -So yes, I am insecure in the fact that I don't want people assuming I'm trying to "be all that" by driving an aging car that never was all that great to begin with compounded by a vanity plate shouting out all the wrong things.

Me, I like the flat 6 mid engine layout of the boxster, but for 10,000 or less, there's going to be a project of some sort involved even if it's a preventative IMS replacement, clutch, water pump/ radiator/ thermostat, or something. A quick ebay search and I'd go with:

Porsche 914 Targa | eBay

or better yet:

Porsche 914 1911 Type 4 Engine | eBay

Much bigger projects, much more work, but something I could start from the ground up building it into what I want, bondo and all...
I'd even keep the primer on the blue 914- just so everyone would know- I'm not in it for the attention.

I also saw a ragged out S2000 going in for paint the other day. With it's mismatched panels and primer It was beautiful. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

.So yes, there I've said it. I'm insecure.

[sugarwood]

^^ LOL, that's a great post. The reverse insecurity. You're right. The guy with gold chains and chest hair exposed and his tacky mid life crisis car? He's actually totally secure enough to be "that guy", b/c everyone knows what "that guy" looks like by now, including the offender himself. He's actually the opposite of "insecure and trying to be flashy". It's the insecure understated guy who is petrified of what others think, in his fear of ever being "that guy".

As your fear factor remedy, it's time for you to go buy the most over the top supercar you can afford.

[sugarwood]

Can someone do a quick summary of "Boxster vs. 996" ?

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

As your fear factor remedy, it's time for you to go buy the most over the top supercar you can afford.

Ha! - I do wear Hawaiian shirts, jorts, and black dress socks pulled knee high with impunity. Sometimes shorts, dress loafers and no socks. Small steps.... Small steps!!!

Edit: After all my boxster bashing in this thread- I'm willing to bet my next car will infact be a boxster!