Our 2004 Porsche 911 cabriolet was our daily driver car. With the birth of our grandson we decided we needed a sedan as well but couldn't afford one while keeping the 911. So we bought the sedan and downgraded from the 911 to a basic used 2005 Boxster. What a downgrade.
I loved the 911 but I had a few mild complaints with the car. The 911 rode somewhat harshly on its 18 inch, very low profile tires. Its steering was not quite quick enough to complete a 90 degree turn in town without shifting one's grip on the wheel. Its clutch pedal had an over-center feel to it that gave a nonlinear clutch engagement. Its gearshift lever had a tad too long a throw to engage the next gear with wrist action only. Both these latter traits made smooth gearshifts more elusive, and smoothness in driving technique is very important to me. Lastly, the 911's exhaust note was a bit flat. All mild complaints, all very livable.
The Boxster is better in all these areas. It has a much better ride with the same 18 inch wheels as the 911. The Boxster tires have a higher profile and the springs feel softer than those on the 911. The car is therefore more comfortable on a 1000 mile trip, which we often take. The Boxster also handles in a more balanced fashion and sticks to the road better than did the 911. Dunno why. Maybe it's the better chassis balance of the mid-engine configuration.
The Boxster has quicker steering; that 90 degree turn in town is in one motion now.
The Boxster has a linear clutch engagement. The Boxster has a shorter gearshift lever throw. The car is easy to drive smoothly and feels much more an extension of your body than does the 911.
The Boxster has a wonderful, throaty exhaust note that is enhanced by its basic 5-speed transmission. You stay in each gear longer with the 5-speed than you would with the upgraded 6-speed. You can run the engine up and down its rpm range more naturally. You get a luscious aural treat during the ebb and flow of driving through town or the accelerate-and-brake along a sharp curvy road. No, the 245 horse Boxster engine doesn't give the same wide eyed kick in the back as does the 3.6 liter 911 engine, but by no measurement is this a slow or underpowered car. You're still outrunning a lot of everything you see on the road, and it sounds and feels like it. We're also averaging 28.5 mpg over the last 9000 miles with the Boxster.
The Boxster has a very quiet, calm cabin with the top down. Convertible owners know that the wind-in-hair romance of a drop top is countered by the real life roar of wind and traffic noise and eye-drying draftiness. Not fun! The Boxster, with its optional, nearly invisible and highly recommended wind blocker panel in place, is a car you could drive top down in most any environment. Hardly any exterior wind enters the cabin. With the heated seats turned on we have driven our car top down comfortably in near freezing weather. This is lots of fun and very cozy! The 911 cabriolet has a much draftier cabin. It's a byproduct of the 911's roomy, four seat interior. Exterior wind simply is harder to keep out of the 911's larger space.
The capper to the Boxster is that it has enormous trunk space for a 2 seater. Week long trips are easy in the car. You can pack everything you need. We even use the car for our grocery shopping. A full cart of grocery bags, including the bag of potatoes and box of soda pop, will easily fit in the 2 trunks.
Great car.
Amount Paid (US$): 38000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: Boxster