01-05-2010, 11:33 PM | #21 | |
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Ed |
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01-05-2010, 11:38 PM | #22 |
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That and the fact the engine sits out past the rear axle - outside the car's wheelbase That Porsche has been able to resolve many of the early 911's death-defying handling traits is a testament to the company's painstaking refinement of an antiquated idea and of course, electronics.
The Cayman and Boxster line is inherently superior to any 911, but that's not generally where the ego-compromised male mid-lifers live, so ... |
01-07-2010, 11:29 AM | #23 |
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So, here's a question--what about a 987 non-S?
There are lots of them around, so they're cheap and relatively easy to find. On paper, they look like a sad bet next to the S--no 6th gear, wimpy looking wheels, and only 240 hp from a 2.7L six. But I just took one for a spin, and I have to say the non-S may really be all you need. It's plenty quick, though certainly not terrifyingly fast, and it handles like you'd expect a Boxster to do. Hell, it's got as much power (though not as much torque) as the 986S did. You have to row the gearbox more than you would in a 987 S, but then again, if you didn't buy a Porsche to row the gearbox, why did you buy one? The lack of a 6th gear is irritating, but it's not a particularly big deal in the kind of driving you are likely to do in a car like this. How many long highway blasts is one likely to take? Finally, the 17" wheels look stupid but that's an easy fix. And the compelling logic is this--even at a dealer, a 2006 with less than 30K miles is in the mid to upper 20s. |
01-07-2010, 11:41 AM | #24 | |
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Some of the regular Boxsters were sold with decent looking wheels, too... they don't all have the wimpy ones.
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01-07-2010, 11:43 AM | #25 | |
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At the time, I felt it too pricey for what it was (3 years ago), but today, they're way cheaper than S's. Personally, I'd rather row through a gearbox and work the engine - it's more of a traditional sports car thing for me (it's the way all sports cars I grew up with were). What kept me from pulling the trigger was the noise and the cramped, narrow interior, and ultimately, the price (at the time). Also, Boxsters are pretty ugly IMO - I still can't get used to the push-me, pull-you styling and large overhangs, from some angles, it's downright weird looking. Says the man who loves Z4's |
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01-07-2010, 11:58 AM | #26 | |
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Anyway, I'd love an extra year of driving the 987S daily plus nanny help. That's worth something to me. By 2012, used M3's and my 987S may be cheap enough that I could even have both. Who knows. I'll wait and see. |
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01-07-2010, 12:01 PM | #27 |
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Vanilla 987's are great cars. They are also lighter by ~100lbs. Same brakes and suspension too. If on a budget, I'd really look at an early 987 over 986S'. They must be in the mid 20's by now.
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01-07-2010, 12:35 PM | #28 |
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Mental.
It's about not being happy with X because X+Y or Z is available...even if X would be suficcient to meet the objective criteria. Three items of note directly related: 1. A couple years ago when John and I were running his 986S, we talked a good bit about the 987 non-S. What we kept coming back to was that the non-S just wouldn't do it because the S was available and it was "better" even though what made it better also made it useless for a very narrow application. Move on to the next idea. 2. When I was looking hard at the G8, the GXP was the only choice. With the exception of transmission avialability, the GT should have been perfectly suitable. The GXP doesn't make *that* much more power than the GT, but you can't get the GT with a stick. The price difference between those trims made for a very difficult mental block to get over (IIRC, the premium was often in the 40% neighborhood). The other part on that car became clear to me in a conversation with Bren. For both of us, our fathers had never bought the top of the line bad ass motherfucker car. In the late 70s, my dad bought a 356B Coupe, not a speedster. In the early 80s, when looking for a GTO in the early 80s, bought a 1970 Olds Cutlass S, not a 442 (or GTO as originally intended). When he and I bought the '69 Vette, it was a 350, not a 427. The '89 Vette we bought was a non Z51 slushie. Etc. If buying a G8, anything other than the GXP would have failed to satsify a basic mental need that was purely subjective and without redeeming objective value that would have made mental satisfaction with the car impossible even if the GT could be had with a stick...although it would have been perfectly fine if the GXP did not exist. 3. My experiences with my dad's newly acquired 2005 C6 Corvette last week was eye opening in some ways and perhaps a confirmation of a shift I suspected was going on in my outlook on cars. I still have to write up what it was like with the car for a week, but the short version is this: It's not a Z06 (it's not even the improved 2008+ LS3), it's kind of numb, it's far from perfect...but so what? It's fucking good enough as it is. Surprisingly so, in fact (even before considering autocross). It also went a long way towards confirming for me that I'd likely be quite happy with a Camaro 2SS despite the improvents coming on the '11 Mustang GT.
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01-07-2010, 12:41 PM | #29 |
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01-07-2010, 01:01 PM | #30 |
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The mental thing is a good point. And the marketers, with their red brake calipers and so forth, are very good at stoking the "you don't really want to settle for the base model" feeling.
It is purely irrational, but that doesn't make it less real. I just wonder whether it's something I could work around. |
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