When you go to the Porsche Driving school like I did, you'll understand what I mean. The Boxster is a mid-engine car which inherently is a much more balanced car than a rear engine car even one as good as the 911.

 

Jason
It all depends on what level of driving we are talking about. Go and ask any 911 cup racer why they love the snap oversteering rear engine of the 911 so much. You have to keep mind the Boxster is easier to drive fast. But with a good driver the 911 will humiliate any Boxster/Cayman on most track. Ask PJ.

 

You nailed it right on the head, Vince. The Boxster is easier to drive fast.

 

That said I do love the mid-engine layout on my CS. Very balanced and safe at any speed thus easy in and easy out of the corners. That's why I also love the R8 so much. And probably more so with the new V10 mid-engine,AWD and 500HP. Oh man..

 

Only due to power!

"One of the best reads is a Road and Track comparison in 05 with 9 cars, BMW Z4, Corvette C6, Lotus Elise, Mercedes SLK350, Nissan 350, Dodge Viper, Honda S2000, Porsche 911S and Porsche Boxster. Price dependant, Boxster was 2nd behind only the C6. This was a fully loaded $67K Boxster. Price independant 2nd behind the 911S. 5 out of 8 testers said the Boxster was their favorite. Wayne Corley of Ruf Autocentre in Dallas has stated "The Ruf Boxster is the most fun car we make". This is a 385 hp Boxster with a 3.8 motor. You can get 350-380 hp with $10K bolt-ons, ECU tuning, intake and exhaust. Moreover the VP at Porsche has stated, "Of course if the Boxster is given equal horsepower, it would out perform the 911". Mid-engine > rear-engine. Of course. Regarding engine failures, the intermediary shaft bolts have been replaced/retro-fitted. Rear main seals are problematic. As others have stated, only hp keeps the Boxster from Ferrari type performance. It is a F430 equal as far as slalom, skidpad and braking."

Cayman cab S

 

I wasn't just talking about the new 911 with more power but even the earlier models with less power than the Boxster.
The statement you pasted above reiterate exactly what I meant about the Boxster being easier to drive fast by just about any average driver. Not only because it's a mid-engine but also because it's a weak engine that's very forgiven. You will soon find that out with your new built motor that more hp means more difficult to drive fast.

 

lol ken! i bet you didn't know your thread would turn into a 911 vs boxster handling debate huh? i say...get one of each! =D

 

All I will say, the Boxters are constantly 1-2 sec in front of the 911's on the Auto-X. Really, they are better when it comes to this, GT 2/3 & turbo are different, & faster.

On the track, my 911 will beat a Boxter. I'm sure mine will be faster through all the corners & higher exit speeds.

There both great cars, & have their purpose, I would not mind having a Boxter S for sunny days to meet up with the hairdresser.....

 

haha its ok jody, im learning from this.. besides with the way everyone is talking about the boxster i guess there not so bad after all.. i never really thought about tracking cause im originally a "JDM" guy growing up with honda/acura's going fast in a straight line and wanting more power for drag racing...

ill have to take my boxster out to the tracks one day and put it to the test and maybe then ill see your guys point of view and just drop more money into my suspension work and worry about the power later.. i knew i should have just waited for the S atleast haha i was to anxious to get a p-car at the moment and snagged up the first one i saw! stupid me.. haha

 

ken,
i'm always headed out to autox. any time you want to go, let me know! we can always go down together and i can show you the ropes. i think you'll love it!

 

It wasn't until I drove the Boxster at the Skip Barber Driving School at Laguna Seca that I realized what a fun car it is. Vince is right, a below average driver like me can drive that car at very near its' limits with no sweat. It's extremely tossable. My previous experience in the Boxster was on skid pads (wet and dry) and autoX at the Porsche Driving School, which didn't really exhibit its' true capabilities. Needless to say I have fallen in love with the car.

 

WOWzer... now now boyz and girlz...
The BOSXTER is sick!!!! its like driving a JR size C.GT >> putting a turbo would be cool.. but wair are you going to put them or it..??? I think the cost would not be worth it.. Josh has the right thing going with his car.. Im not sher if he is putting a 3.6 or 3.4 in it, im sher its a 3.6 tho... Josh is lucky.. he has a small hair dryer in it.. even sicker.. nice work!!!! in your case i would think of a few, little better ways to invest my car $... If you have some nice PSS9erz and swayz just leave it..you can find 993s in the high 20s and 996s about the same....sounds like a bigger bang for my buck.. but good luck we'll all see you back hear after 7.5 10G latter and the thing go's BANG..

 

Vincent the 2.5/2.7/3.2/3.4/3.6 and the 3.8 are all based on the M96 engine that are prone to Intermediate shaft failure. The 3.4 in the 911 was one of the worst for Intermediate shaft failure followed by the 2.5. This is the reason I went for the 3.6 vs the 3.4 all though there is not much power difference. Of course with a higher liter displacement the more HP you can pull from these motors. Porsche has done a very good marketing job with these cars but did a horrible job of giving their customer the best of what they can provide. In a perfect world the Cayman would come with the motor from the GT3 but that erode the GT3 and 911 sales.

I am doing this because I got a decent deal on the 3.6 and already have the SC, if I did not already have those I would have built my motor. In the long run I think I will be happy but I still see a Z06 in my future no matter how much I hate the 1lz and 2lz interior package. The 7GT3 is still on the realistic list if they ever hit 80K.

Ken if you want I can put you in touch with my guy who is doing the work on my car. This guy knows more about the internal workings of these motors then anyone else I have met. I will 2nd H20 on his comment of planning on never recouping money for mods but if you are like the rest of us money is only the means to the dreams. Like I told you in PM it is all about what you are trying to do with the car. Once you figure that out the rest will fall in line.

 

Spot on Josh.

 

i have very little experience in the boxsters. i've only seen auto x twice and the only car faster than the gt3's present were the highly modded 914's.

boxsters run 1 and 2 in the production class i believe because once you bolt a roll cage in a gt3 its a modded car. the fastest times are in the partially modded groups, gt3's rs america's etc.

mid engine or rear engine it doesn't matter. if you don't know how to drive it than you really won't know the difference between good and bad cars. rear or front engine. it's a reality most guys don't care to know.

my suggestion stands. keep it stock (no one except you will know the difference) spend some cash running through those little orange cones and enjoy the car the way the german's designed it. once you've spun out 6 or 7 times on the track and have had a 55 year old lady in her boxster prove to you that you can't drive as well as you think because she's beating you by 2-4 seconds around the cones only then will you realize the modded engine does you no good.

the fun is in the corners it's not in the straights have fun with your car save your money for your girlfriends and wife and pickup a 2002 996 turbo for 30k in about 6 months because that's what they will be worth when this recession finally hits reality