is the boxster still a poor man's porsche?
its been 21 years since the boxster was released but has it shaken off its tarnished reputation?
Once upon a time, you would only buy a Porsche Boxster for two reasons:
1. You couldn’t afford a Carrera
2. You were of the female origin
Why would anybody want a car with less power, less of a pedigree and less exciting? The answer was price. A mid-engine, convertible with a Porsche badge that wasn’t as expensive as a Carrera sounded like a great deal, and still does. For this reason, the Boxster was nicknamed the ‘poor man’s Porsche’ because only those who couldn’t afford a Carrera bought one.
The second camp of Boxster owners were females. It’s difficult to say this without sounding like a d*ck or too stereotypical but the reason why SOME women bought Boxsters was because they had less power, was softer and hence more manageable. But what about now…? Are Boxsters still considered to be a poor man’s Porsche and still hold that dreaded image?
I’ll be the first one to admit that the new Boxster 718 looks sensational. If someone who knew nothing about Porsche saw the Boxster for the first time they would be gobsmacked to learn that the Boxster has the image of a poor man. Apologies for the cliché, but it looks a ‘million dollars’.
But if we look at the current Porsche price list you may be even more gobsmacked to learn the Boxster isn’t even the cheapest model – it’s the Cayman. The 718 Boxster starts at £44,758 whereas the 718 Cayman starts at £42,897. The Cayman S is £51,853 but the Boxster S is £53,714. I don’t care who you are, but you’d have to be a wealthy ‘poor man’ to afford those sorts of prices.
If anything, the Cayman is the poor man’s Porsche as it’s the least expensive. But what we also have to remember is the Boxster is essentially a convertible Cayman and manufacturers also price their convertibles slightly higher.
The Carrera is still top of the food chain with prices beginning at £77,891.
But, the question still remains… do you buy a Boxster or even a Cayman because you can’t afford a Carrera? This is a non-issue. There is no reason for the Boxster to have the image of a ‘poor man’s Porsche’ but rather have the image of an entry level sports car. The Ferrari California doesn’t have the same image because owners may not be able to afford the more expensive 488GTB or F12. Nobody comments on Lamborghini owners being poor for buying the less expensive Huracan over the Aventador. The models are completely different and unique and the same goes for the Boxster and Carrera.
Yes, the Boxster possesses less power compared to the Carrera but power isn’t everything. The personality and attributes of the Boxster make it more easy-going. Who wouldn’t want a mid-engine, two seat sports car where the roof comes down? As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing about the Boxster which demonstrates ‘poor’. It’s just not as ‘hard-core’ as some of Porsche’s other models.
Maybe once upon a time the Boxster deserved that title due to its dreary looks and lacklustre power but not now. 100%, definitely and unequivocally not now.
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Comments (17)
I have owned two Boxster's and last time I checked I have a penis. The Boxster is better to drive than a 911 and the fact it's cheaper is a bonus.
What about the tall gears? I read you have to run up to 6000rpm to get proper shift points.
Boxster is a better convertible than 911 cabriolet, even starting with gen 986 vs 996 and so on.
One could argue the Boxster/Cayman (GT4/Spyder even more so) is the more pure sports car while the 911 has bloated itself into a grand tourer. An exceptional grand tourer at that, unless you want to pay 160k (+your dealer markup) for a GT3.
The Boxster has always had one of the best chassis available at ANY price. Porsche knew this and intentionally made sure that the Boxster's power to weight ratio was down on the 911 just enough to keep it in its proper place. That said, the first S model 986 was near enough to the 996 Cab in straight line performance as to make it a wash. The Boxster is a better and more useable convertible. Only a douche bag of epic proportions would've opted to pay 30K+ or more to get into a 911 and then state that the only reason anyone else wouldn't is because they couldn't afford to.
The mid engined cars are lighter and dynamically superior to the rear engined cars. However, I am very sad that they have lopped off two cylinders. I'm sure they're still great, but Subaru noises piped into the cockpit via speaker are not what I want in a Porsche.
What a load of clueless crap - (1) whether you are male or female has nothing to do with anything (2) the Cayman/Boxster in S form (R/GTS/Spyder/GT4) is far better to drive than the 997 base/S 991.1base/S. (3) The 911 in Cab form is a heavyweight monster and has been for a considerable time.
(1) Gender has nothing to do with anything? Then why do Porsche report that females have purchased more Boxster models than any other Porsche? I haven't said anything sexist, merely mentioned fact. (2) I don't argue the 911 is better to...
Read moreMore females purchased more Boxsters than any other model because women are much smarter than the average small dick, 911 buying man. Mid engine is the only way to go. The 911 has been around because Porsche is afraid to drop the model because...
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