Carrera v.s. Boxster Which is the real entry level Porsche?

I know it's a stupid question. But my wife asked me this weekend what's the entry level Porsche and I answered without thinking: The Carrera Coupe.

I consider myself an automotive enthusiast. I buy four car magazines every month and have read about every review on every car. I certainly know that the Boxster is the cheapest Porsche, so why did I give that response.

After thinking about it for a few minutes I realised, I've never considered the Boxster to be a real Porsche. It's a cheap, almost mass produced car with a lot of Toyota imput. A shameless cash in of the Porsche name.

I understand the reality of the Boxster project and that Porsche may no longer exist without the Boxster and the Cayenne. But that still doesnt' mean I can accept it as a real Porsche.

That's just my opinion though. I know many motoring journalists disagree with me. What do you guys think?

you know, i used to think the same about the boxter but i figured why wouldn't it be considered a porche? everything about it screams porche, just like any other porche model. i have my own reservations about a porche SUV, but as far as the boxter is concerned, the boxter is just as much a porche as a 911 turbo gt2, for example. jus coz it's cheaper and slower doesn't make it any less of a porche. it's certainly not my favorite car, nor favorite porche for that matter, but i've accepted it as a porche. will i ever accept the cayenne as a porche??? hmmm, i'll work on it. haha.

but i do think the boxter is the "real entry level" porche, if there is such a thing.

anyway, jus coz you buy 4 magazines every month doesn't make you an enthusiast. :rolleyes: and if you believe every single thing those magazines tell you makes you become everything but a real enthusiast. a car fan? definately, but the definition of automotive enthusiast is NOT, "i buy four magazines every month and read about every review on every car". just some food for thought.

I have always thought that totally agree.

The boxter is the entry level porsche in my opinion. Sure it's a little slow and underpowered. However it came out of stuttgart. The cayenne is a great vehicle as well.

If we want to talk fake porsches we can always reference the 924.

I know it's a stupid question. But my wife asked me this weekend what's the entry level Porsche and I answered without thinking: The Carrera Coupe.

I consider myself an automotive enthusiast. I buy four car magazines every month and have read about every review on every car. I certainly know that the Boxster is the cheapest Porsche, so why did I give that response.

After thinking about it for a few minutes I realised, I've never considered the Boxster to be a real Porsche. It's a cheap, almost mass produced car with a lot of Toyota imput. A shameless cash in of the Porsche name.

I understand the reality of the Boxster project and that Porsche may no longer exist without the Boxster and the Cayenne. But that still doesnt' mean I can accept it as a real Porsche.

That's just my opinion though. I know many motoring journalists disagree with me. What do you guys think?
What Toyota influence??? There is none.

The car is a Porsche- add to that, it's perfection.. It's quick car (Especially in S form), it's handling is sublime, it's practical (260 Liters of luggage space aint bad for a Sports car), the build quality and reliability are without fault, the price is just about right for a Porsche and it's ALL Porsche (Unlike the VW.. I mean Porsche 924)

hey now the 924 may not be the best looking porsche but it still has great handling. the boxter still for some reason isnt the entry level for me still a little to high class. the entry level in my opinion is the 944

del

I came here to share an opinion and find out other people's view. Not to be lectured by some pompous idiot.

The reason I mentioned the magazines and reviews is to say I should know there a cheaper Porsche than the Carrera. You'll notice most reviews rave about the Boxster while I give it no respect. So much for believing everything the magazines tell me. Try learning how to read before lecturing me. And let's just stick to the subject matter from now on.


Jimster

My local Porsche salesman told me that the Boxster was developed with Toyota as consultants. Is that not true? Not technical consultants but business consultants. Toyota was teaching Porsche how to extract the maximum profit from each car made and sold. In fact he said that's why the MK I 996 has the same headlamps as the Boxster.

whoa buddy you mite wanna check who ur talkin to before you call out a mod

i feel that porsche went kinda cheap by using the inferior strut type suspension design for the rear over the double wishbone or multilink setup.

i feel that porsche went kinda cheap by using the inferior strut type suspension design for the rear over the double wishbone or multilink setup.

perhaps, but then double wishbone setups generally take up more space and given where the 911 and boxter engines sit, i would say the double wishbone design wouldn't be very feasible. that'd be my guess.

but what do i know? i'm just a pompous idiot. haha

del

I came here to share an opinion and find out other people's view. Not to be lectured by some pompous idiot.

The reason I mentioned the magazines and reviews is to say I should know there a cheaper Porsche than the Carrera. You'll notice most reviews rave about the Boxster while I give it no respect. So much for believing everything the magazines tell me. Try learning how to read before lecturing me. And let's just stick to the subject matter from now on.


Jimster

My local Porsche salesman told me that the Boxster was developed with Toyota as consultants. Is that not true? Not technical consultants but business consultants. Toyota was teaching Porsche how to extract the maximum profit from each car made and sold. In fact he said that's why the MK I 996 has the same headlamps as the Boxster.
That doesn't mean Toyota developed anything.

Consultants from Toyota also re-structured Ferrari in the early 90's, so is the F355 or the 456GT, or the 360 Modena or the 550 Maranello not a real Ferrari?

Well I can accept that. So the Toyota arguement is moot.

I guess I think that elitism is something some car companies should aspire to. And while 70,000 vehicles a year isn't exactly Ford or GM, it also does the EXCLUSIVE boundaries a little. Ulrich Bez has recently critisized Porsche for that. Although that comment was directed more at the Cayenne than the Boxster.

I would have liked it better if Porsche had sub-branded the Boxster. Sort of like the reverse of what Toyota did with Lexus.

BTW, am I the only one who thinks the 1999 Toyota MR2's head lights are very Porsche like? That's another reason I thought there must have been some parts or tech sharing. Oh well.

Hey come to think of it, how many of you think the 924 and the RX-7 FC look the same?

i think the boxter (s) has all the qualities required to qualify as a true porsche.

enough power
amazing mid engined handling
good sports car looks
well made
beautiful and well made interior

around a twisty course its very quick

I guess I think that elitism is something some car companies should aspire to.


So they can go bankrupt?

Car manufactors should aspire to build and sell as many of the best cars they are capable of. The pinciles of Automotive success are GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda etc. Manufactors that are able to cater to a wide range of market tastes.



The Carrera was designed with the intention of being an entry level Porsche. Having only one model in the range was starting to give them concern. While it was shown a market no longer existed for cars like the 944 and 924, they did set a precident and provide a market accpetance for an entry level model.
Remember that Porsche started life selling a car based on the VW bettle, one of the worlds most un-sporting cars, and even today the 911 is considered a bargin given its performance levels vs the compition.



And please not that Automotive Jouralists often don't actualy know a lot about cars. They may know facts and figures, but a car is not just numbers on a page, or what perks the manufactor gave away at thier last model launch.

Obviously, the entry model is the Boxster. However I think I would take the 911 Carrera.

I'm completely fed up of the "Boxster isnt a true Porsche" argument. It usually indicates automotive ignorance, though i know that isnt the case with you, slayer. All i can say is that the Boxster is one of the best handling cars on the planet and simply sublime to drive. If you havent had a go i strongly recommend it.

And to prove his point jay will now be offering free porsche boxters to try for a few months to all you nonbelievers.







:biggrin:

Get your facts straight.

One week, money back guarantee :D

Get your facts straight.

One week, money back guarantee :D


Oh yes I forgot that.





But call now this is a limited offer and only on AF. Free porche.* Call now!












*Caller must pay 60,000 USD shipping and handling

actually, the Boxster was designed to rescue Porsche.
Porsche was almost bankrupt, their last chance was the Boxster.

If it weren't a bestseller, they would've been ruined - It sold especially good for women.
So thank women's flavour and the Boxster for rescuing Porsche. The Cayenne is also not a real Porsche imho - but it's taken away like warm bread.

cu

There goes another one... sheesh

are u serious? porsche was never going to go bankrupt. its one of the best selleing cars in history. they just made the boxter to fit everyones style, much like they did the the cheyenne. i like it i want one, does that mean im a woman? and yes the mr-s does have similar headlights. that means nothing. have you ever noticed that the original mr2 looks like a ferrari? no coincidence at all. porsche going bankrupt HA!

Porsche did indeed need the Boxster to rescue it, but the notion that the Boxster isnt a real Porsche is idiotic, at best.

have you ever noticed that the original mr2 looks like a ferrari? no coincidence at all. porsche going bankrupt HA!

the original mr2 looked more like a box on wheels imo

http://www.mr2s.co.uk/MR2_MK1_DarkBlue_Small.jpg

the 2nd gen looked like a ferrari :smile:

http://www.mr2s.co.uk/MR2_MkII_Small.jpg
http://www.mr2-toyota.com/res/img/mr2-c.jpg

I'm completely fed up of the "Boxster isnt a true Porsche" argument. It usually indicates automotive ignorance, though i know that isnt the case with you, slayer. All i can say is that the Boxster is one of the best handling cars on the planet and simply sublime to drive. If you havent had a go i strongly recommend it.

i second that. just becuase the boxster isn't as fast as other porsche's, doesn't make it a non-porsche. i drove one a few weeks ago and all i have to say is damn. it wasn't as cool as the 911 i drove, but it was still awesome.

the original mr2 looked more like a box on wheels imo

http://www.mr2s.co.uk/MR2_MK1_DarkBlue_Small.jpg

the 2nd gen looked like a ferrari :smile:

http://www.mr2s.co.uk/MR2_MkII_Small.jpg
http://www.mr2-toyota.com/res/img/mr2-c.jpg

haha no i meant the mk2 looked like the ferrari that what i meant by original my bad i was referencing the mr-s as the new model

I have no idea why people would would consider the boxster not to be a real Porsche. Is it because it only costs an arm sans the leg like the carrera? I own a 2003 Boxster "S" and I love that thing like nothing else. I did an autocross with it last summer and that thing is simply incredible. It makes a shitty driver like me look like (place your favorite driver here). It looks like a porsche, it is made in Stuttgart and also Finland . It has 260hp and does 0-60 in 5.3 sec and the 1/4 in 13.7 sec. It holds the road better than a carrera and it has better road manners and it costs 20k less. What's not to like?

well, thanks for the 6 month old confirmation that a boxster should and is considered a "real" porsche. :thumbsup:



BTW: sorry mods, you guys always get to have all the fun...i just wanted a little piece of the action before it got closed :D

Oops, yeah, I guess I did resurrect the dead here.

just a little...:D

Welcome to AF Porsche_Daddy. Enjoy the forums and please dont bring back any old threads ;)