greek_philosophizer wrote:
Good point!

Actually it's not as unrealistic as you think - even for non-rich guys:
afterall don't forget that in America these cars are way cheaper
(anywhere up to 50% off, half price!) compared to the UK, Australia,
Europe, East Asia.....

Oh, please. Porsche has been building mid-engined cars for road and
track since the 1960s, most of them very succesful, at least as race
vehicles. The 914 was part Porsche, part Volkswagen, so many "purists"
claimed it wasn't a real Porsche (just like the 924). I can argue over
that, but I'm not going to waste the time. The point is that the
Boxster is just as much a "real" Porsche as has been any variant of the
911 - which isn't even a "real" 911 anymore if you ask the assholes who
think that the model must have an air-cooled engine to qualify.

I'll also point out that the four cylinder 914 vastly outsold the 911
during it's lifetime (as had the 912 before it) and that as much as I
love the 911, the Boxster would throw the 911 to the wind on track if
Porsche would stop dicking around with the engine lineup and start
putting the full blown 911 engine into the Boxster.

I'm willing to bet that either Porsche is going to go to 8-cylinder
power for the next 911, or they're going to break down and finally
admit that the model has probably gotten as good as it's ever going to
get - 52 years ain't a bad lifespan folks.

Filmophile wrote:

I'd love to get a Cayman. Too bad it's out of my league,
money-wise... 8(

Richard Sexton wrote:

Oh? How's the manual gearbox?

Filmophile wrote:
Ouch! That's last paragraph's harsh!

Off topic, but some (ahem, obviously biased) stats from 2003:
http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elis...getagrip2.html

"Filmophile" <Filmophilia (AT) aol (DOT) com> wrote

I think you'll see it with an 8, but I doubt they'll discontinue it.

Porsche and VW designed the chassis and body togethor, 914/4 models got
VW engines, transmissions and suspensions - 914/6 models got a de-tuned
911 motor, gearbox and suspension. In Europe, 914/4 models were sold as
VWs while Porsche sold the 6s under their own badge. Marketing B.S.
made them sell both versions as Porsches here in the states.

The price difference between the 914/4 and the 911 may have been bigger
than that. Also, keep in mind that in 1974 you could still buy a
domestic sedan for $3,000 dollars, it wasn't a small amount of money at
the time.

First of all, please read the part where I made a point of Porsche's
habit of giving the Boxster line less powerful engines than the 911
line - this is done intentionally to ensure that the 911 goes
unthreatened. If they planted a 360 Hp 911 motor into a Cayman and gave
it slight suspension tweaks it'd blow the doors off a 997 S. The Cayman
S is already as auick to 60 as the 996 was and it's about as fast as a
base 997 around the Nurburgring.

Secondly, Porsche has never developed a race prepped version of the
Boxster, nor have they ever entered it into competition, nor will they
ever because it's a convertible. However, if they built a Cayman GT3 it
would dominate in-class and would essentially end 911 sales except to
hardcore enthusiasts. Can you imagine a Cayman with the new 400 Hp GT3
motor? Giving that car a race-ready suspension and a 105 Hp boost in
power would make it a monster.

"Dori A Schmetterling" <ng (AT) nospam (DOT) co.uk> wrote

Really? What journalists?

The Boxster's mid-engine configuration is generally considered to offer
better handling characteristics than the rear-engine of the 911 (and I have
a 2002 Carrera) since the weight distribution is more equal. While it has
been largely engineered out of the 911, the car will still exhibit trailing
throttle oversteer if you get into a corner at 11/10ths and lift. If you
know what to do at the limit the Carrera is a formidable handler, but the
natural reaction of most drivers in this case is exactly wrong.

I had a Boxster as a loaner while the Carrera got tires, and the car is a
wonderful handling car. Not as fast as my Carrera, but a very nice ride and
hardly a consolation prize. Anybody who tells you so is just kidding
themself.

"Richard Sexton" <richard (AT) news (DOT) vrx.net> wrote

Right. That's like saying the only real Mercedes has gull wing doors.

"Richard Sexton" <richard (AT) news (DOT) vrx.net> wrote

The only areas MB outdoes Porsche is on the JD Power Initial Quality and
Reliability surveys, where Porsche leads or is near the top of the list on
both, while MB languishes well below the industry average - MB just racks up
so many more black marks. Hell, Ford and Chevrolet are doing better than MB.