CD Article: 2006 Porsche Boxster S

[CD_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
Test Drive:

The 2006 Porsche Boxster S is a good all-around sports car that's comfortable, safe, easy to drive, and relatively practical (it has two small trunks), says editor Greg Wilson. "The Boxster S is a clever blend of high performance and everyday driveability," he says.    More...

[tpl]

In Canada, is any car that could leave stuck  1/2 way around Lake Superior for a week waiting for a new tire to be trucked in really practical?  I wonder if the folks at Porsche and BMW both really understand how empty bits of North America are.

I think I would still want one...with the hard top please.

[msian]

I think I would still want one...with the hard top please.

The Cayman S or the Boxster S with a "detachable hardtop"? 

[The Mighty Duck]

Boxster is a beautiful car...  and just common enough not to be too too snobby (out here anyway).

[a4_tom]

The best roadster just got even better with the evolution from 986 to 987.

[mdxtasy]

The Boxster is a fantastic car.  Is it better than an S2000, SLK or a Z4?  Them three offer similar performance and style...and panache....or does it?  What about a Miata?  Can the same fun be had at a fraction of the price?  Corvette?  Is the Porsche Boxster still the same fantastic car we all think it is when you go head to head with the competition?

[Giant Dwarf]

  Where's the "slap-the-Porschephile-upside-the-head" smilie?!  The answer, dumbass, is YES. 

(though I wouldn't be disappointed with ANY of the cars in the list you mentioned... just remember this:  Porsche:  There is no substitute.)

[davidm]

I've driven my 91 BRG  back to back with a 2000 Boxster on the Sea to Sky Hwy north of Whistler.  Other than the obvious, the main theme of the differences is - Porsche is more capable, Miata is more "fun".  Another way of saying it, Porsche feels in control all the time, in the Miata you feel the speed/road/sense of danger.

Funny enough, the Boxster holds significantly more cargo.

[mdxtasy]

Just trying to generate some discussion in a thread that as spooky quiet.  Of course a Porsche is a Porsche.  All other appliances are toasters and wafflemakers.  All.

[a4_tom]

SLK is the most comfortable of all roadsters. SLK350 is as capable as anything else in the roadster segment with typical Mercedes comfort.

Z4 doesn't seem to drive as nicely as Z3, IMO. It just feels somewhat cumbersome compares to the rest of the segment.

S2k is a F1 roadcar. High rev engine, spartan interior and track-ready handling.

Nothing comes as hardcore as Elise for a roadster. Its basically a road-going track car with super spartan interior and nearly nil cargo space.

Boxster combines the virtunes of Porsche chassis magic, daily drivability, track-ready performance with excellent powerplant.

[wing]

Well from a fellow S2k owner he said, he tried the Boxster, then tried the S2k back to back.  He wanted the porsche but they were so similar he could not justify the extra expense for the porsche initial price or service costs.  So he got the S.

[mdxtasy]

So what you're saying wing is that if price was not a factor, the Porsche would have won out?  That would be true for a lot of people I'm guessing.  European cars are never known for their bang for buck....and their owners know that.  If  you want value, you don't go across the Atlantic for the fancy badges.  They build fantastic cars that are often imitated by the other automakers, but you have to pay for the price of admission.  It's worth it to some, and not to others.  Some don't feel the need to compromise, some do to save dough.

[safristi]

...Man that Boxster rear end is FUGLY....looks like a BEETLE!!! a dung beetle's  hind end...light colours just show up the poor design...If you are playin' in the $80K's might as werk anuffer MONTH and get a CAY-MAN!!!!! ......the internal egonomics (bath tub seating and rear vision with no side windows in soft-top and roll bars!! man a mess)

[The Mighty Duck]

Miata, S200, and we can probably through Solstice/Sky in there too now, all have a four banger.  Nothing wrong with the four cylinder engine, but there are people out there who believe that more cylinders = better, period.  So that alone eliminates half the competition for the Boxster.

Between S2000 and Boxster, I certainly think the Porsche is more attractive and would rather have it...  but I'd be happy with either. 

[safristi]

...Hey DEMO ..Wing never knew he drove a "4 BANGER!!".....now he'll never beat 60 seconds @ the Solo Game.....
    You are comparing Bananas & Pomegranates....a BIG DIFF in PRICE...might as well say I prefer an Aston Martin to a Boxster S.......they are the Modern 914's wif the requisite power and great suspension but DESIGN and Functionality is out the REAR!!! the fugly rear...I'd be em_bare_assed ta have spent $70,000 fer a Snob_Mobile unless it was a  REAL LOOKER.....there are several around here...young Lawyers etc.....doesn't turn a HEAD....show up in a SOLSTICE if ya WANT GAWKS...yup the Boxster is a Matrix  in WRX  clothing fer 4 times &( twice) the Price

[wing]

Well he felt the boxster was very similar, although the boxster is slower, the newer one I think is better, but the old one was slow.  Until this year, the Boxster S was required to keep up with an S2000 and that's A LOT more money.

[a4_tom]

Boxster 2.7 is "slow" compares to its similary priced competitors but its MR configuration's balance is amazing.

[mdxtasy]

Like I said, value and bang for buck isn't the Porsche's strong suit.  If you want value, you supersize at McDonalds and buy a Honda.     The balance and the sounds.....the badge....all play a role in the cars success. 

Sure the S2000 can spank the Boxster from here to Stuttgart....but sometimes I like to be spanked. 

[a4_tom]

That explains why you got an E30 318iS. Not a particularly fast car but a delightfully balanced one.

[mdxtasy]

That explains why you got an E30 318iS. Not a particularly fast car but a delightfully balanced one.

Yup.  It's a great car...even though it's not fast nor flashy.  For a 15 year old car, it still dances in the corners.  At the stoplight, I can be dusted by Hyundai Accents and Toyota Echo's......but that's really not a concern for me. 


The real reason is because I can't afford a 911.