Is Porsche overhyped?

What would you change in the Boxster? Less TC, more hp, sharper styling?

The sound, ok it's a little quiet/ soft but that can't put you off an entire car.

As for the cornering issue, that's what it does. It's the most defining benefit of the car. That in essence is the soul and lifeblood of the car. If it couldn't corner like it does it would be a 2 seater with more hp than a miata and that's it.

Handling = Boxster.

 

With so much time on my hands a Boxster is most likely the second next car I'll get. It's odd for me to hear such a drab response in regards to the Boxster. I like the Honda S2000 i many ways but I don't quite like the body or Honda interior.

 

LOL...............When I was in University I had a buddy just like you. We could go to the wildest party stacked with the hottest girls on campus and 20 minutes after we arrived he would say "this is boring".

No matter what party or club we went to he would say "this is boring".

I guess my point is its not the cars you mentioned that are boring......more likely its the drivers who are boring, typically when you drive a modern car at 7 or 8 tenths of its limit they tend to be predictable and some may say boring.

I've also owned many high horsepower modern cars and I assure you that I made sure none of them were "boring" when I drove them!

Are modern cars being dumbed down?? Absolutely but thats why we buy High-po cars from the 80's and early 90's.

 

One of my cars is a 04 M3. very capable seems heavy for the motor. A freind has a new cayman, while the specs make it seem faster than the M3
the motor somehow feels lazy. I find the cayman cabin a bit clustrophbic.
The steering reaction seems race car like but the power system robs it of true connectivity. The chassis seems capable but a bit loose at speed and a bit hard at low speed. On a track a cayman might be a lot of fun but then it would need some real tires. Basicaly it seems like a race car type chassis not fully buttoned down because its erring too strongly on the street side of the equation and the street tires coupled with a motor that reaaly needs to be pushed to make go means its real easy on the street to get in over the top quickly. Essentialy this is a car that does not perform untill pushed hard thereby leading one into serious speed for any sensation which is quicly eclipsed by the fact that street tires dont really stick that great given the chassis, and a steering that does not really talk.

The M3 with its lusty motor and roughr edges "feels" faster. Both are however sanitary and ultimatly boring unless being really pushed and even then they are a bit too isolated. Ferraris are fun at most speeds, a ferrari is an experience, like a fine wine opened to breathe and then savored, a porche is like a beer pull the tab and drink.

Unfortunatly ferraris are overhyped, they are great performers but most these days seem to be purchased for their image and the marque is becomming more and more of a pose for hedge fund managers to prove they have bucks.

Additionaly unless you are prepared to toady to a dealer for the honor of paying 250k forget about even buying a new ferrari. Two years ago a dealer would not even take a 50k deposit, seems they want to "sell" to people who will resell to them 6 mos later so the dealer can make more profit.

Ferraris are art, they are jewlery and they should be used as thoroughbreds most sadly are not.

A prorche is not art, the 911 design is its franchise, it is a mass produced car, just look at all the plastic bits on the body amd most are designed to be driven to and from the office, thats why there is a c4 c2 tiptronic targa etc.

Then there is the GT3 an enthusiasts special, raw and apparently with a real screamer of a motor. Yes the body still has tacky plastic add on's, just look at the radiator vents on the hood or the plastic intakes on the engine lid, but it is a real goer. So I am keeping my boxer and have a GT3 on order for track and general driving fun. Yes I would rather have a 430cs but apparently more than desire and money is required to get one and I think the GT3 is going to be more than enough on the track.

Too bad there is not high performance gt3 am vantage v8, style class and performance.

The M3 like a cayman, like it cant really love it.

 

I would change the styling and add more power, but those were complaints I didn't even mention in my other posts (as I recall). I also didn't think the sound was too quiet. It was actually annoying during regular driving. I don't like the tone until the engine is revving very high. That's with a 2nd gen Boxster S at least. Sound is a huge component of a car for me. It can put me off all on its own.

But anyway, there's a difference between a car's ability to go around a corner (as measured by stopwatches and accelerometers) and how it feels to the driver. Two cars could do exactly the same maneuver while feeling completely different. So I don't think Boxsters handle well in this subjective sense. Of course they have excellent handling in terms of objective measurements. I realize that many people disagree on that first statement, but there's nothing either of us can say to change the other's views.

Having said that, I realize that there are a lot of conflicting requirements in modern sports car design. Their performance has to keep increasing in order to make everyone happy, yet they should remain fun at speeds that aren't completely reckless. They also have to be safe and comfortable up to their limits. I really appreciate the stability of modern cars to keep me out of trouble. I also like that they can reasonably quiet and smooth, but these things take away from the fun. I'm sure engineers will figure out ways to improve the balance over time.

 

I don`t know how you get away with it. If I drove any of those cars I mentioned at 7 or 8 tenths of there ability on the street I would be locked up forever. My point is a good driver can`t use these cars more than half there potential on the street. BTW anyone can lay rubber and go fast in a strait line but that is not what these cars are about.

 

I almost forgot. I NEVER got bored at parties. Especially ones with hot girls at them.

 

Well it seems like you need to step up from the entry level Porsche or get a Corvette, that raw fist of power in the throat may be what you would look for.

Now I understand your dislike of the Boxster.

 

Then we have the rumored zo7 vette. 650+hp and below 3000lbs suddenly enzo/carrera gt performance that is buyable, might blow all categories away.

 

Which categories?

Interior quality?
Fit and finish?
Steering feel?
Ergonomics?

Ooops. I believe I just named a few categories for which all past, present and future Corvettes will suck.

 

What do you expect from an American car company?????????

 

Ferrari owner?




i cant speak for autocar....

but out of the cars ive driven
E46 m3 (smg), clk55 (03, 235/275 19in PS2's), E36 M3 (3.2l, H&R race spr, Yoko A032r's, some power mods), e55k (stock), gallardo (e gear), evo (> 400hp)

out of all those, only the gallardo, e36 m3 (dot legal slicks, pretty much) and evo are in the same ballpark grip wise. driver feedback/satisfaction, the p is way ahead of the lambo and evo (4wd sucks) w/ the m3 somewhere in the middle

the only thing the porsche lacks compared to evo (>400hp), lambo and e55 is speed, but its not much slower, i raced numerous 55k cars and my cousins cls63 and they beat me by about a car and a half to 110. and im not an expert at launching a 911.

if you care about looks then i dunno what to tell you, for me, performance comes 1st, looks dont really matter (as in im not trying to stand out/showoff, "ugly" but light hre's should give you a clue to that one).


i see youre in san diego, if you do drive a sports car, what ever it may be, why dont you come out to palomar, im gonna come down for a run w/ a few friends who live in sd sometime in the near future.... pm me if youre interested/able

 

^all IMO, of course^

 

this is someone w/ a f40 in their avatar... WTF????

no disrespect to the f40, if i can only have on ferrari , thats the one i would be, but you shouldnt be talking about interiors.....

the Z06 is a performance car, not a grand tourer/luxury.... car

anyways, for $15,000 you can get an interior done that would match anything from porsche..... thats still 1/4 of the price of cars w/ same performance

 

the vantage and r8 arent pure sports cars, they cannot be compared w/ 2wd 911's

 

^
have you driven a 911?

i remember reading you drove a cayman, but thats it...



as for the sound.....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPKeyOQvAO4

 

Interesting, I love the "BMW feel," from the old 6s (had 2) right up to the pre-bangle cars. I definitely agree with the "custom-made shotgun" feeling, if you synced well with the car, it was magical.

 

i agree, i had a few "magical" moments in my e36 m that ill never forget

 

Bullfighter,

Because the car was not as eye-catching as the Gallardo or the 360 (a matter of personal opinion), then you think that as an "all around car" it is "overhyped"??? Come on man. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, true, but the fact that this little "ugly" Porsche "quite easily" ran with the all-mighty Gallardo & 360 says something about what kind of car it is overall. (BTW, how did the GT3 measure up on the track???)

Sure, if you lined all three up on the street (360, G, and GT3) and asked people which one they wanted, the Porsche would loose...that is because the 360 & the G are promoted as dream cars. Would I take one, sure! I would LOVE to own a G or a 360 if all I wanted to do with my sportscars was drive around, look cool, and pick up chicks. At this point in my life, there is more to owning a sportscar than just exotic looks or an elite badge...that's just me.

Personally, the major selling point for me is that if I want to load up my stuff, take a high speed run over to the next state, do a track day and "run with Gs & 360s" all day long, pack up my crap in the rain, and blast home, clean the car up, take my GF out to a nice resturant in it, and have THE SAME car parked next to the G's and 360s out front, make mine a GT3 please. All day everyday supercar performance with Toyota reliability, and for those who give a damn, still cool enough to get a spot out front. (For me, the thought of having to spend thousands of dollars everytime I take a G or 360 to the track is NOT appealing, and for this reason, most of the guys in my local Porsche club RACE their Porsches while their Ferraris sit at home...I think this speaks volumes about the "overhyped" little cars from Germany).

 

+1

And it doesn't take a GT3. I have seen well driven Boxsters run right with (or right past) very high dollar metal. They may lose a bit of gound on long straights, but they always seem to make it up in the corners. Obviously 90% of that is driver, but when you see it time and again...

The fact valet selection is a criteria in this discussion is hilarious in and of itself.

 

Aww c'mon man! You KNOW that valet selection helps some people get their rocks off!

 

I really wonder why people even compare complete cars that are so vastly different.

I read that the new Pontiac Solstice {GXP or whatever racing name they gave it} has a lot of hp for the car's light weight. The interior is still total **** and the parts to make it are still total ****. I'm not saying it's a poor car but compare the quality to a Ferrari/ BMW/ Porsche and you'll see the difference like night and day.

 

Read up. The F40 was left a skin and bone car for performance, not because the materials available were total ****.

And in no way in hell can you even buy the quality materials that are found in a porsche for $15,000 leave alone the fact of having them fit and paying many many hours of installation. The interior quality of the higher brands are in large part why they cost more. You spend 99% of your time inside cars, that's where most of the "work" should be done. In the case of Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, BMW it shows.

 

I wouldn't call 986/996 interiors works of art, unless you dropped some serious coin on upgrading them (in terms of materials used). It has been pretty much unanimously agreed that the 987/997 interiors are a HUGE improvement. But Porsche has never really made very fancy interiors, have they? Older Porsches I have been in have always been pretty spartan (which was the intention).