which is better a porsche 911 or a Boxster?

[RaphaelPotts]

So for my graduation from college my parents are going to buy me a car of my choice, obviously the first car i mentioned was a Bentley (jokingly) but they said no. haha so anyway i chose a Porsche as the car that i want. But my beef is should i get a Boxster or 911? I am a tall guy (6 foot 5 inches) so would a Boxster be too small? I would be able to get a newer Boxster S or even a Boxster Spyder for the same price as a Porsche 911? Also should i be lame and get an automatic? I am moving to Los Angeles, so would a manual or an automatic be better for LA? Boxster or 911 you tell me.

 

[i_love_boys]

911

 

[Gamerpc]

No Brainer

911

Not auto. You want a car !!! Not wheel chair

Cheers from DOWNUNDER
.

 

[xendureeverythingx]

As much as I love the 911, the question is about what you think would be better for you. So phase out all the comments people may make about "that's a girls car" or "the only real car is" and put yourself in a place with no bias. I always try to keep an open mind on cars because some of the most critiqued cars are actually some of the most fun cars I have driven.

Hopefully "designergenes" will chime in. He is also a 911 owner and is quite a broad thinker and I always enjoy reading his input since he is also an owner and enjoys sharing.

In this case... we haven't identified if we're talking a base model 911, what year of 911 or what series (generation). 911 is a fairly broad term since the models go way way back. You've got the early aircooled generation which is now easily obtainable to get something like a 930 for the price of a newer Boxster, all the way up to the base model 996 which has dropped a lot in price over the last several years with the 997 having came out a while back etc.

You are somewhat specific about the Boxster model, however.

As much as people "hate on them" they really are quite pleasant to drive (the Boxster) and really are a nice car. I have driven the 1st and 2nd generation boxsters. While the 1st gen was not entirely a giant hoot to drive, the 2nd generation was really a LOT of fun. Good moderation of power, well balanced. As my friend said "It's like a 21st century 914 with all the creature comforts to go with it."

That said... the 911 is far more geared towards all the sporty side of it, goes far and between to say that the Boxster "is not sporty".... they most definitely are, and I have even seen a few of them at the track kicking the tar out of other cars. Think of the miata, well balanced, small, flickable, agile. Exactly how the Boxster is, even though people give people crap, say they're a girls car, etc etc... they are FANTASTIC cars.

I got a chance to drive a 996 (911) and really thoroughly enjoyed it. Although keep in mind there are also tiptronic transmissions, manual transmissions and such for the car. I really enjoyed driving a modern day 911 since I got to see how far they had come (mine is an 82' 911 SC, aircooled gen, different generation) so it was a lot of fun to compare and see how far technology has come. Lot of fun.

In terms of daily driving, in heavy traffic, especially bumper to bumper go go go traffic there is no doubt a manual can be tedious and can tend to drain you of patience and be quite frustrating. The Boxster has come a VERY long way in the ways of it's mechanics, reliability and so on in the past many years.

The 911 has as well. However, the 911 will cost you more to maintain. Parts on ANY Porsche will be expensive whether it's a 944, 911, 951, 986 or a 996 or any other 911 for that matter.

If you're very serious about being worried about your height my best possible response is going to be to go down to a dealership with your parents and drive both. Go drive a boxster that you'd like, see how you like it. Get a feel for it. Then go drive a 911 and see what you think. You may find out that you find one more comfortable than the other. You may be thrilled by the 911, you may be thrilled by the Boxster, or you may end up finding that neither of them suit your fancy afterall. However, most definitely go drive one before you buy one.

I got to borrow my friend's Boxster for a week while we worked on my 911. It was a real joy to see how insanely practical it was to take shopping, have fun, the heated seats in the morning were a nice surprise in freezing weather, it got fantastic gas mileage for what it was and I felt like I had a lot of room in the car. I did find the blind spots to be a bit annoying.

I'm a sucker for punishment. I've got an aircooled 911 with no air conditioning, a primitive heating system that needs constant attention but I wouldn't trade it for the world, even in the winter. On the other hand the newer 996 I drove was a great feeling. The Boxster I got to drive also completely changed my mind about the cars.

Again.. go drive one! See what YOU like. You'll enjoy it no matter WHICH way you go!

Calling Designergenes... designergenes.... (seriously hoping he chimes in, would love to see his comparison on the two)