Boxster vs 996 vs 911

[kgs365]

Guys

none of you may find this surprising but in 2001 i bought my first porsche a 2.7 Boxster..in 2007 i sold the car to buy a 2001 911 C4 996 with 18,000 miles. the Boxster was fun, but i always wanted more, the 996 C4 i never got comfortable in, i don't know if it was the cost of the car, or the fact that it was a basically a bigger Boxster, or something i just cant put my finger on, but it just never "fit". I always wanted a classic 911 and recently ended up buying a 1989 911 coupe with 77,000 miles. I immediately took it in for a check up, and replaced the shocks with koni's , fixed a few leaks, turbo tie ends, repainted the fuchs, new michelin pilots etc...( a once over update)....i have got to tell you this car "fits"...it just has that feel, the sound, the drive ...in short it is what i have been looking for and its a "porsche"...the new cars are nice have better radios, nicer designed interiors, but they seem to have lost what i think "makes a porsche a porsche".. the new cars don't have soul, or that raw sport car feeling! ....thanks for letting me share and be a small part of this board!

[petrolblue83911]

KGS,

welcome ! and congrats. No surprise at all, your'e among friends here!

-Adam

[petrolblue83911]

o- POST some pix!!

[Monza_dh]

Originally Posted by petrolblue83911

o- post some pix!!

+1!!

[RexNoctu]

Best comparison I ever heard about the Boxster / 911 was on Top Gear. Jeremy said that "the only problem with the Boxster was that it wasn't the 911, but only cost a little bit less. So basically what you said to people while drive it around was that your life hasn't quite worked out as well as you had hoped."
When I stopped laughing and started thinking I realized I am pretty happy with how my life was going and if I was going to be honest with myself I really wanted a 911.

[porschenut]

As an owner of a 1986 911 and a 2007 997S, I agree that the older one is more fun. However, I don't think it has anything to do with "soul", because in 86 people were saying the same thing about the new cars then.

It's you, not the car. The older car seems better simply because you prefer a car with some history. Most of us here just enjoy nostalgia, simple as that.

Those that prefer brand new ones, well, nostalgia just isn't what turns them on.

More and more I realize I'm in the former camp, and my 997S will be sold next year (I think).

[kgs365]

ill post some pics this weekend....Dave your probably right its me! ....

[livi]

Probably one reason why I prefer the quirky 915 box too.

[onemark]

I'll bet lot's of us go backwards....year wise that is.
When I was 911 shopping I really thought I wanted a 3.2 Carrera. While I was searching I test drove a Carrera 2 and hated it, felt like I was towing a little trailer. I tried a Boxter just because it was there, nice and modern, drove fine, but just didn't thrill me. Besides I have a nice vintage Fiat for when I want to do the 2 seat top down thing . Then I drove a good 80SC, and that was "it" for me. Stiffer, lower, louder, the smell, a car that needed to driven....just what I wanted.
Mark.

[4flyboy]

Welcome kgs365,

You're singing our song.

Scott

[bonkers]

I felt the same way after riding in my cousin's Boxster. It was a fun car and much more forgiving than my 911 would have been, the way he was chucking it into corners, but it just didn't sound right and it felt like a Subaru on steroids. (Not that that's a bad thing - I love Subarus too - just wasn't what I wanted)

I say go with whatever works for you and if that's the nostalgia of an air cooled flat six without all the mod cons so be it.

Sod it, I'm going for a drive this weekend, even if it is raining!

[bklyn]

My 87 Targa 3.2 is raw fun, my wifes 2002 Boxster is also fun but missing the feel, to refined for this driver!

[gregwils]

There was an article in Excellence a few years ago that debated the best way to spend 20k (give or take a few k) on a Porsche. They compared a 2.5 Boxster, a 3.2 911 and a 968. The article concluded that the Boxster might be more liveable for most people as a daily driver, but the 911 provided the most driving enjoyment. The 911 was considered to be more difficult to drive close to the limit and, as a result, was more draining on the driver. They were complementary of the 968, but was not considered the primary choice.

[Deschodt]

Meh... I've owned - over many years - 356s, early 911s and 912s, a mid year 911, a 996, 2 boxsters...

When all ihad was oldies I wanted a new one. And vice versa ;-)

When I drive the new car I'm blown away by the power, handling, and reliability. The not having to worry on track day, the zero overheating, the level of handling... When I drive the older ones, I love having to work for it, the smell, the sound, but I hate driving my mirrors on track days ;-)

Each time I drive one category (old or new) or the other for a few days, stepping into the "other" side is a revelation.... Works both ways, trust me! Give it time !

You gotta have one of each... I'm thinking of trading my current backdated 911SC + commuter GTI to get a used Cayman S... I'm still short a few pennies though ;-) That incredible handling cayman + my 1969 912 in the stable might be ideal.

At least you tried all those cars, what annoys me is people who have strong anti-water cooled opinions but have never driven a modern porsche in anger. Me, I'd take a 987/997 for track and commute any day, and a classic aircooled for small winding roads or just "fun"... Both is the answer ;-)

[Doug&Julie]

Originally Posted by RexNoctu

...on Top Gear. Jeremy said that "the only problem with the Boxster was that it wasn't the 911, but only cost a little bit less. So basically what you said to people while drive it around was that your life hasn't quite worked out as well as you had hoped."...

I drive a 911 because I can't (ok, couldn't) afford a Boxster. Not the one I wanted anyway. As you can tell by my sig, I've owned both. You can say what you want about "soul" and all that highly subjective stuff, but when it came down to it, guess which one left my garage more often?

I don't mean to sound anti-911, because I'm not by any means...I really love my ol' 74. But god help my 911 if I buy another Boxster (or 996) this year...

[450knotOffice]

The people on this board who know me know I have a slightly modded '84 Carrera, a 2000 996, and my wife has a 2007 Cayman. I love ALL of those cars and feel that they all have that totally subjective "soul" we all seem to yap on about. All three of them feel like Porsches! Yes they do. The water cooled Carreras can all be made to feel as or more connected to the road than any air cooled 911. It's simply a matter of fitting the proper suspension pieces on the car, which will stiffen it, lower it, and allow it to be corner balanced perfectly.

[efhughes3]

Ralphie on the Sopranos had a funny statement about Boxsters; "Porsches with panties"....

I've driven Boxsters, and they are great cars too. I almost got a Cayman when they first came out, but I really can't fit in the mid-engined cars. I need about another inch or so of legroom or I'd have one of them.

But, the older the P-car, it's safe to say there is "more soul". There are some who would think your '89 is too new, and lacks soul.

I think it's all good. Happy Holidays to all!

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by not what efhughes said 3

... There are some who would think 1964 911 is too new, and lacks soul.

...

[ToddM]

For the base price of a Boxster, you can have a modified 911 that will outperform it in every aspect.

[450knotOffice]

That would be true for a new base Boxster vs. a modded old school. But if one were to buy a used Boxster or Cayman and put the same amount of performance money and effort into it as was put into that hypothetical 911, the Boxster or Cayman would outperfom it in every respect - easily, which is what should happen when 35 to 40 years of engineering progress is considered.

So what though. They're all fun cars.