caymens are nice cars. but not anywhere lambos or ferrari's. I agree with some of your facts but not this handling. sorry

 

+ 1 on that ..I think you nailed it right on.. I agree 100%

 

well lets see, maybe i was a little over the top...it def felt lighter and more nimble than the gallardo (2004) i drove and was def equally as good as the 355 and 360 in terms of feel and handling. its one of the best handling cars ever built, bar none...thats why the boxster does the slalom faster than an enzo (let alone a 355, 360 or 430) and i believe faster than the carrera GT (and GT2 and GT3 and 997's) as well. ive seen 73.6 mph as boxster slalom and the cayman S is right around there too.

 

Slalom times only tell so much... please do not compare a Boxster to any of the cars listed above. It is just foolish.

Nordschleife Lap Times:

2008 Boxster S:8:18
Ferrari Enzo: 7:25.21
2004 Gallardo: 7:52
Ferrari 355: 8:13
360: 8:09
430: 7:55
Carrera GT: 7:28
997 GT2: 7:31
997 GT3: 7:42
997 C2: 7:50
Cayman S: 8:11

Not quite my friend.

 

It depends on the track layout ... Boxsters have weight advantage, if it's a tight track it'll definitely beat some of the more powerful (and heavier) cars out there.

Take a super-tight track 1st gen Miatas will easily beat all other cars out there as well, same theory.

 

i've never had to regret the day i bought my 986. our 996 has actually had a few issues whereas my boxster hasn't had any (and it's a 2001). she's been drivin' hard, auto x'd, you name it! granted...i would love some more HP, but then again, i didn't buy the "s". i think she's a perfect car for the value and there is nothing i would exchange her for in the same price bracket. it's a great car on twisties, a convertible, and still be able to be included in your pcar clubs for the price?

 

Boxster/Cayman with Motons or even KW V3 and GT3 sway with an aggressive alignment on a short track and you will keep with almost any car and beat a stock lambo. They are definatly light and tossable. I could have purchased a 996TT for what I have in my Box but it just does not invoke the feeling you have when you hit a cornor just right in the box. Now the perfect track car would be a box/cayman with a GT3 motor, Motons and coilovers but that would not be fair to the 911 guy's.

 

Here's my take on why I bought my Boxster.

At first, I believed a Boxster was a "girlie man's" Porsche--I was also young and ignorant.

A Boxster isn't the fastest car. It's not the most aggressive looking car. I've actually been side-by-side from 0-110mph with the newer v6 Accords. Even the new Saturn Sky Turbo and Hyundai Genesis takes shots at the Boxster's 0-60. Now, corners are a different story.

But I think the statement, "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts" is true. I bought mine for the sheer enjoyment of having the top down, decent power, nimble and responsive handling, and what I find to be almost an instinctively ergonomic interior.

After I bought my Boxster, I test drove other cars in the category--the s2000, the 350z convertible, an m3 with smg, but the boxster still has an element of fun that I couldn't find in the other cars.

A good friend of mine was the lead Porsche tech at our local dealership. He is also Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati, Toyata, and GM certified. He was confident in Porsche's reliability. "Once the car is properly warmed up, you can hold it at red-line all day long." There have been some issues with the engines like the rear main seal, but it wasn't something Porsche ignored. The support is there, and that counts for a lot.

I saw my friend drop in a brand new motor under warranty in a 986 with 9000 miles on it. Porsche was unable to determine if metal shavings were throughout the engine or not, so they just replaced the whole thing. I don't think most manufacturers would do that under warranty at no cost to the customer.

 

slalom times are good for showing how balanced, how nimble a car is as well as showing its ability to grip and make manuevers and changes of directions. the only reason the boxster or cayman is slower than SOME, not all, the cars you listed is because of its power. if the boxster s or cayman S had 400+ hp...it would EASILY be in the low to mid 7:40's.
while porsche may have held back to power in them, they certainly did not hold back its handling prowess and balance.
So, not quite my friend.
and heres one more thing...the 360 which you listed above is only 2 seconds faster than the cayman S at 8:11 (and the cayman S is also faster than the 355) when the ferrari has 100+ more hp, more tq, and two more cylinders...that right there shows just how good the car is despite its relatively small hp output. again, most of the cars there are faster because they have more power, the ring is is quite good for cars with big power due to its large straight aways.

 

I got to agree with PorscheC4. The handling limits on the boxster is just incredible. The car just has catlike reflexes and no ways is it a straight line monster. Nor is it a hotrod. The boxster was and is my favorite car I have ever owned. I have probably owned over 15 cars in my short life of driving and man...how I miss my boxster...

 

Yeah and then out of warranty that motor goes splat too. Ouchhhh

 

I'd really doubt it. Almost any manufacturer wouldn't have that happen. Everyone has various degrees of quality control.

For every person that finds a certain marque bulletproof, there is a person that finds that marque a lemon. Luck of the draw sometimes.

The details on the 986 my friend told me about was somehow related to the camshaft and some of the shims/spacers/other metal piece that helps keep the cam in proper position. One of these pieces had a known defect that was to be examined. If the defect was under a certain limit and the oil looked clean, just the piece was replaced. If the defect was over a certain limit and the oil had shavings or some metal, then the engine was replaced. The oil was fine in this car, but due to the low mileage and the possibility of the shavings being few and not detected, Porsche elected to replace the entire engine under warranty.

To give another example, Honda wouldn't honor a recall that was on the same year and model as my vehicle because my VIN didn't fall in the range of the recall. They wouldn't even look at it as a defect. They told me I could pay for it and then submit a claim for "consideration".

I'll have to tell my friend to get on 6speed. He can tell you about the nightmares with Aston Martin clutch replacements.

 

I dont know but out of thousands of cars out there, I own a 987 Boxster S... :B

 

E46 M3, E60 M5, 996Turbo, 997 Carrera S

I had all, and ended up with a Cayman S. $ was no factor. if driving it doesn't help you make up your mind almost instantly, then you're better off buying any one of the fabulous cars mentioned above.

 

Until you drive it, you have no idea. You don't care how fast it goes compared to other cars. The engine screams! It's a beautiful sound, especially with the top down. The handling is intuitive. You can feel every crease in the road but it's never uncomfortable. The car is not a car for everyone - interior space, comfort, and if you look at this forum, there are so many things that you deal with and are like, WTF?!??! But like you were worried about at the beginning of this forum, all of us are saying: "until you drive it, you won't understand." So to me, the Boxster is purely for your own pleasure. No one will be amazed with the horsepower or the speed. I think Hyundai Sonatas make more horsepower now. The only thought I have for what others think about the care is the fact that my neighbors say is that all they ever see when I'm driving it is a huge grin.