Nostatic:

Just to clarify, and you have made that distinction too - this car was right with mine in the straight line, where skill isn't an issue. I found that skill is the main difference between speed (aside of tires) on the rest of the road course.

I went and compared 0-60 times after remembering this track eperience with the Boxter S. It is listed at 5.9s. Best I have done with my car was 6.9, I may get it to 6.5, if I'd be really mean to it.

Curb weight is 2855lb for the boxter S. I am sure my SC isn't more than 200 lb less - on a good day.

http://www.thecollection.com/cars/porsche/Boxter/boxters.asp

It has to be a freak experience or the gearing between 60 and 120 mph. The other thing that may play in is the driver in the S may have short shifted or he may have up-badged his regular boxter, who knows!

George

A fellow at the last PCA mtg was talking about a new "Track Edition" Boxter coming out. Has anyone seen any info on one of these? This guy is a diehard 911 Autocrosser so I'm thinking this thing must border on a cross between a 914-6 and an SC.

I think he just wasn't pushing very hard. In the skip pad turn I never heard the tires complaining. But maybe Boxsters don't work the same? Plus it wasn't an S, but a regular Boxster.

Nostatic:

At AX the boxters do really well. They have the enigne in the right spot ... it was the straight line that I was surprised about it. Maybe the car got hot and the guy was taking it easy on it. Also, often the people that show up in a boxter to an AX are newbies. If someone that knows their driving gets into a Boxter, they are capable of TTOD without major upgrades.

Cheers, George

TTOD=?

Michael

Top Time of The Day?

It's not just Boxsters, it's all cars coming off lease. They are all (relatively) cheap.

$32K is a lot of money for a 4-5 Model Year old car these days. There are a LOT of different choices out there for that kind of coin.

Sorry, Top Time Of the Day. Generally the fastest car that day on that course independant of car model or class.

Cheers, George

You've just about ruled out almost every used car out there. I guess I'm alone, but I've treated every leased car I had the same way as the ones I've owned.

Just check the data on that Corolla engined Toyota Matrix and Boxter...
Got to be able to see that the Boxter driver was not pushing at all... \ Matrix is no match for a mid engined Boxter on any day.

George - The Boxster S should have easily pulled away from you. They were caught in the wrong gear or not pushing it.

I sold my Boxster S a couple of months ago for $32.5. It had 25K miles, new SO-3s, and nicely optioned. Its a wonderful car and a bargain at this price. I might pick one up again in a few years once they have sunk even more. Basic supply and demand, Porsche manufactured way too many and sold way too many through lease deals. Now that the Boxster fever and the economy have cooled, there is lots to choose from.

Car was extrememly reliable in the time I owned it. Only issue was the RMS, replaced twice under warranty. The second fix used a redesigned seal that seems to have fixed the problem. Some engines have had more serious problems were the engine is out of spec and won't seal correctly no matter what kind of seal is used. In these cases Porsche replaces the engines.

For those on the Board who haven't driven a Boxster, go out and drive one. A lot of people bash them until they drive them.

And, yes, there are some great deals on Boxsters and Boxster Ss. I talked with some Porsche techs a few weeks ago - they said that they were actually seeing more RMS problems on the post-2000 cars than on the pre-2000 cars. The procedure for this is that they will check whether your crank shaft is "concentric" within the seal. If not, you get a new engine. If so, you get a new seal. I have not heard of anyone within the last year (since the new seal was designed) who passed the "concentric" test and had one of the new seals fail. I think Porsche finally has the issue fixed. So, you figure that your biggest expense as far as an RMS on a used car is a one-time, $800 charge.

My 1998 Boxster has been extremely reliable. Not one thing has gone wrong in the time I've owned it, and the only things that were fixed when it was new were a defective gas cap (which would cause a check engine light) and a seatbelt switch (which would cause an airbag warning light). Both were fixed under warranty.

A Boxster S has about the same power to weight ratio as a euro 3.2 Carrera - so it shouldn't be any real surprise that it is not "much" faster than an SC. Also carrying a little more speed on to the straight makes a huge difference. Example, at Silverstone 2 years ago I got a ride with a 996TT on r-compounds and was surprised to see he was only pulling around 10mph more than me at the end of the Hangar Straight, but I watched a little more closer and realised he was starting to accelerate much later than me. Doesn't change the fact that he can wipe the floor with me in a straight line just shows how important corner exit speed is.

The last time I followed a Boxster S was 2 years ago but on that occasion the S nearly spun in front of me after a couple of laps trying to stay ahead. LOL It had nothing on a 3.2 in a straight line up to about 120mph. Still, I wouldn't claim the S was the best driver in the world - but then neither am I...

Richard

Its all about depreciation.
My Mercedes S was $137k new and worth of original 1/3 now. Mostly because people are scared of the v-12 maintanence.
Probably the same issue of maintaining ....any porsche!

The power/weight ratio is very misleading in this case. While about the same at the peak, the power curve on a Boxster S is larger than that on a Euro 3.2. The Boxster S will be able to stay closer to peak HP more often than the 911. When the 911 is shifting at 6K-6.5K rpms, the Boxster S will be pulling away.

Having simultaneously owned and tracked a Boxster S and a Euro 3.2, I always felt faster in the Boxster S. Besides the broader power curve, the suspension is significantly more advanced. Plus, the advantages of a mid-engine layout are obvious. On corner entry, there were some corners I could take with the Boxster S on the throttle that I needed to tap the brakes with the 911 so that I could set the car properly. Result is faster exit speeds, higher rpms, and more time in the power band.

You are definately the minority. There are a lot of fine used P-cars that weren't leased first.

I saw this thread after searching.... you guys have the same idea as me! Im shopping now for a Boxster S. Looking for a very nice, reasonably low miles (under 25K preferred) 2001 model with some warranty left. I prefer to buy from an individual to avoid sales taxes. If I have to buy from a dealer, Ill probably lease it through my company.

So... anyone know of a very nice privately owned 2001 S for sale on the east coast?

There are always 1 or 2/ week in the paper here. If you know of any reputable used car dealers (there's an oxymoron!), they can actually find the car you want at auction.

This month's issue of Excellence has the used price index of the Boxster. I was just telling a coworker today what a good value a used Boxster really is right now.

Mike

Mike:

I think the bottom will fall out on the plain boxters, like the z3 roadster does / did. The S may be better off. So, it's relative. If you always wanted a Boxter, now's the time to buy. If you want a car that keeps it's value well, get an air cooled 911. :D

George