Quote:
Originally Posted by jmitro
only downside is the lack of power (at least with the early base models)
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It's all relative. There certainly is a "lack of power" compared to lets say -- a 911 of similar age or a Boxster S. But if you compare it to other non-Porsches, it doesn't look that bad at all.
- Miata: The Boxster 2.7 easily trumps it.
- BMW Z3: The Bimmer has a little more hp, but the Boxster handles better
- Mercedes SLK: Similar acceleration, but I don't think that the SLK offered a manual. Plus the Boxster handled better.
- Honda S2000: OK. Even the 2.0 liter engine makes more HP than the Boxster's 2.5 -- if you want to rev it to 9000 RPM the Honda has 25% more HP. Across the rest of the rev range, not so much. In day-to-day use, I suspect that the Boxster's slightly more relaxed engine, as well as additional storage space will make a more pleasant driver.
- Pontiac Solstice: Similar to the Mazda
- Audi TT: Interesting option, but really a Golf convertable hot-rod. So you're dealing with a FWD or 4WD car, with the handling compromises that these architectures bring.
But at the end of the day, if the lack of HP from the 2.5 is a hurdle, you can get a 2.7 for not much more money, which pretty well addresses the engine performance issue compared to the above cars.
Now that it's almost 20 years since many of these cars have been made, many of the competitors are going to fade away (except for the BMW and the Audi). This is because those two cars, and the Boxster are the only galvanized cars on the list. So many of the rest are going to develop rust issues unless you get one from a desert climate.