So what don't you like about the Boxster? Options

[96conv]

I can't understand what folks don't like about the Boxster. Even the base 1997, 2.5L model is way quick and handles like a sports car should. I've had the hots for a 993 for a while now but the 2005 Boxster S has taken its place in my dreams. So, besides the stigma that it's a hairdresser's car, is there any other reason to dislike the Boxster? I wish I could afford it now but I'll have to settle for an '03 S next year.

[Jake Raby]

It's got a radiator (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/happy11.gif)

[Trekkor]

My good friend has one. He let's me drive it.
I like it. Just wish it was air cooled, with carbs...That's music. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wub.gif)

KT

[96conv]

QUOTE (trekkor @ Feb 2 2005, 10:22 PM)

My good friend has one. He let's me drive it. I like it. Just wish it was air cooled, with carbs...That's music. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wub.gif) KT

OK, gotta admit, I am partial to aircooled engines. So, besides that, any other reasons?

[MattR]

Its not a 914. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

I like the boxster. Its one of my favorite "new" cars. I dont like the 987 much, but the 986 is nice. I still wouldnt buy one though. For the money I'd get a 993.

[Brett W]

It is heavy. Looks OK but has no nuts to back it up. Needs a twin turbo 3.8 motor to really make it nice. Can't hear the engine so that needs to be fixed. Maybe sawzall the exhaust in front of the mufflers.

[vortrex]

for $50k or whatever they are you could get a very nice 993 C2S and look cool instead of like a girl.

[skline]

You know what, you guys sound like a bunch of pinky lifters. The Boxster is just a new 914. I like the Boxster and if I ever get the chance I will buy one. The new 05 has 280 horse and is beating the 911's in almost every class. I can assure you it will beat our little shoe box 914's in all the events as well. Open those minds, remember the 914 was a bastard all those years and nobody liked them either.

[fiid]

I don't like the Boxster for a few reasons - although it is a very competent car.

1. They are bloody everywhere (around here at least). Every bugger has one. Noone is going to look at your car and be like - wow - cool. A trait shared IMHO by the 911.

2. The 911 happened to it. It will always have to take a back seat to the 911 because the 911 is the flagship. Same as the 914. As a result it will always be heavier, and have less power. It will always have a 6 because Porsche think that that is their DNA, even though the Toureg , sorry Laramie, Jackson Hole, Cowboy Ranch, oh Cheyenne... doesn't have a 6 in it.

3. It's too heavy for what it is.

IMHO the Boxster ought to be powered by a flat 4, and the S ought to have a turbo on it. They ought to put it on a diet, and they ought to make the styling a little more radical. In fact - it ought to be almost exactly like the MotorTrend (or whatever it was) 914-STi.

Having said that - the boxster is still an amazingly capable and practical car. I could get over the other stuff if there were just a few less of them on the roads. It ought to be an elise killer. Excellence was expected, but Wall St didn't go for it.

[MattR]

QUOTE (fiid @ Feb 2 2005, 10:48 PM)

1. They are bloody everywhere (around here at least). Every bugger has one. Noone is going to look at your car and be like - wow - cool. A trait shared IMHO by the 911.

I trait shared with the 996, I agree. I still drool when I see a 993 and earlier. There arent many on the road now.

[VegasRacer]

I like the boxster. The S is much better than the base model. I seriously considered it when I was looking for a new daily driver. The main reason I didn't buy one is price. I didn't see it as a good value compared to some of the other competing makes and models. If I didn't already have a 3 liter 914 I might have thought differently. The Boxster just didn't do anything that much better.

[ConeDodger]

Hmmmm... Speaking as both a Boxster and 914 owner I don't understand why any of you would dis' the Boxster. I has been said the 914 is the first generation and the Boxster the latest of Porsche's rear-midengined roadster cars. I can certainly attest to that. My Boxster car cover fits my 914 almost too well. It is spooky! What isn't to like? My wife says the Boxster is so sexy she wants to lick it! It never fails to draw the guys out to parking lot to bench race at work. It handles. Now, with some slight mods it goes like stink. It is my daily driver and I would never subject my 914 to that abuse. There are +70K Boxsters on the streets now. That sounds like a success story to me. In fact I am pretty sure Porsche exists today because of the Boxster. Sales have slowed and the 987 is perhaps a year overdue but there is nothing to dis' about the car.
What the hell does Wall Street have to do with it? That statement doesn't make much sense. When 70K people line up to buy a $50-60K car with only 2 seats from a car company known for expensive repairs and maintainance believe me the car is a freakin' success. Hairdressers car? Are you thinking of the Miata? Anyone who owns a 914 would only need to drive a Boxster once to realize that this is your cousin the athlete...

[fiid]

70K+ is definately a success story - from a bottom line perspective. If you are appealing to mass audience - you have a good product that will make a lot of money.

I don't want a good product. I want something fast, and just tad too uncomfortable for the mass market. Something that people maybe a few people haven't seen before. A Pagani Zonda would do nicely if the DOT could be persuaded and I had that much cash sitting around.

I don't subscribe to the hairdresser car thing - and I actually think the Boxster is a great car, but the thread is titled "So what DONT you like about he boxster?". It's great, but not great enough that I have even for a moment entertained the idea of buying one. The Elise however does meet my criteria - just not my budget.

[ArtechnikA]

mostly, the drivers, although the ones i know (which means they are invariably PCA members and car people) are pretty cool. mostly, it's the stereotype - the (leased) car to be seen driving, with the top down so one's gold chains and Rolex can be seen glinting in the sun.

from a -car- standpoint, i dislike the (lack of) service accessibility and the wet sump flat-6. the stage was set for some dissatisfaction easly when they had so many engine failures which they eventually fixed but here in the US we got the feeling the car was rushed to market too early (instead of letting Europe beta-test the cars like usual :-) ...)

the other thing we as 914 owners don't like was the way Porsche (possibly just PCNA, which is all most of us see of Porsche) marketed the car, as a direct descendent of the 550 calling it "Porsche's first production mid-engined car." HELLO !!?!

When Ross-Tech does a Porsche product we will probably start with the Boxster, and i will probably be driving the "test mule" car. it could be worse.

(first, we have a long line of BMW cars to support...)

[ChrisFoley]

What I don't like about the Boxster is that I don't own one and I don't foresee it in my budget for years to come. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/sad.gif)

[Qarl]

My 2001 Boxster (non S) was a major PITA. I had many mechanical issues that could never satisfactorily be resolved (but not enough to qualify for lemon laws).

Most regular Boxsters (non S) are made in Finland,not Germany.

I had 3 oil leaks due to cam cover bolts leaking
Main seal went bad
Litronic headlights would burn out
Eternal wheel vibration and balancing issue that could never be fixed
A/C expansion chamber go bad requiring entire dashboard to be reassembled.
Other misc electrical issues
Stereo problems (besides, it sucked)

Other little stuff besides this. I realize it's a Porsche and not a Honda, but this was unacceptable in my book for a $50K car (optioned out).

If you get a Boxster, get an S.

[ClayPerrine]

Here's my .02 on the Boxster.

It's definitely the direct decendent of the 914. It's mid engined with the assoicated handling benifits.

What I don't like about it.

#1. It has anti-freeze and a radiator. I happen to LIKE air cooled engines.
#2. It is way to heavy for the size and displacement. It could have been soo much lighter.
#3 It has way too many bells and whistles for a sports car.

The last one is my big bitch.... I feel that someone should build a real sports car for people who are NOT posers. Meaning a car with no abs, traction control, automatic transmission, power seats, power windows, power top, etc... But with a real dry sumped motor with a louder, more open exhaust. I feel that the car should have heat, AC, and a radio. And make the AC optional. Porsche doesn't offer the Boxster in that configuration. If they did, I would actually buy one.

[ClayPerrine]

Here's an idea for someone out there with more money than sense.

Get a Boxster. Strip it down so that it is a basic sports car (no bells and whistles shit). Then take the engine out and put a 3.8RSR varioram air cooled motor from a 993 in it. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wub.gif)

Instant modern 914.

[IronHillRestorations]

At least Zois hasn't chimed in with his usual response (didn't you know he's actually the secret universal concience of all things Porsche).

I've had a standard 2000 Boxster for over four years, and have very little to complain about.

I'll dispell most of the aruguements given.

Engine accessibility, not really a problem, especially considering you don't have to do anything to it! It's no 914, so it's not on jackstands two out of five years (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif). All I've done to my Boxster is change the oil and brake fluid, and do some minor upgrades to convienence items. The oil change proceedure could be the easiest on any car I've owned. From a service standpoint it's really not any more difficult to work on than a 914.

The marketing issue has nothing to do with how the car drives and performs. Sure it pissed me off too, but after owning the car and living with it, I've let it go.

I live in rural TN, so I've only seen other Boxsters in Nashville, Memphis, and there's a couple in the closest (70k pop) town of any size. Quite honestly though I don't care about the "you see them all the time" thing. We had a Explorer and now have a family minivan, of which there are millions. So on one hand you are a snob if you've got a Pooorsh, but on the other hand you want a car that everyone covets? I got the car because I like it, I really don't care what anyone else thinks.

I too think the Boxster front clip on the 911 cheapend both cars and did nothing but "Japanese" Porsche. The Boxster was first though. Remember the hoopla when the first introduced the concept car? How many of us saw that car the first time and thought "woah, they are going to make a updated 914, cool I can't wait to get my hands on one, or my foot in one"??? Then (once again) the crack Porsche marketing staff stepped in it and dissed all 914 owners. So in a instant some of those guys who were foaming at the mouth over this car, got pissed at the car, for something the ad guys didn't do. The car is still the new 914.

The production model was really close to the concept car, not like most concept cars we see. That look is the appeal of the Boxster, Porsche just took the thing too far by sticking the Boxster nose on the 911. Side by side the Boxster is still a better looking car than the 996, or the 996 cabriolet for that matter.

I've never had a car that's got enough power. I built a 3.0 914 and it was scary fast with loads of torque and power, but more power would have been better. I also know that a Boxster with too much power is an easier drive than a 914 with too much power. Just like a 2.0 914-4 it's a excellent package, just alot better, newer, more refined package. Most of the people that gripe about the Boxster not having enough power don't own one.

If all the people that gripe about the Boxster would live with one for a week, they would change thier opinion. I wonder too, how many of those who gripe the loudest, secretly wish they had the resources to own one.

The only gripe I've got is probably valuation, which isn't a real issue anyway, as I plan to keep my Boxster for a very long time, and at some point in the future will do to it what I do with 914's (put a 911 engine in it). As we all know newer cars aren't the best "investment" if you are looking for a monetary return. Again I didn't buy my Boxster with any thought about future resale value.

Some of the arguments about the "raw sports car"? Try and find a new car that doesn't have alot of bells and whistles. They just aren't out there in mass produced cars. We have all come to expect certain things in new cars. If a $40k plus car didn't have some of these things, the detractors would be saying "it doesn't even have blah, blah blah". There isn't one mass produced sports car that doesn't have all the little "bells and whistles". Sure you can get a Elise in "raw form", try and live with one of those for a week on the road - HAH!!

If you are looking to get a Boxster, run don't walk to your nearest dealer and get the newest highest power Boxster you can afford. You'll love it. It has great heat, great A/C, doesn't leak, and has two trunks that (like a 914) hold alot of stuff. The more you live with it the more you'll think "this is a new 914". Don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

Sorry for the BW, end of rant!

[Gustl]

in general I do like the Boxster, especially the 987

what I don't like is
* the center exhaust pipe
* little space for the driver (I'm about 6ft10" and 225lbs)