Boxter or TVR .. what's best?
Discussion
I was hoping to tap into the collective Pistonheads wisdom here.
My girlfriend has decided that she wants either a Boxter or a TVR.
Her budget is 7 to 10k and open top TVR only. Colour choice is really her only other deselector with yellow/red/white/green being the only hues she will consider.
So does anyone here have any comments or advice on which or what version is likely to be best in this price range of open top motoring from these two marques?
My girlfriend has decided that she wants either a Boxter or a TVR.
Her budget is 7 to 10k and open top TVR only. Colour choice is really her only other deselector with yellow/red/white/green being the only hues she will consider.
So does anyone here have any comments or advice on which or what version is likely to be best in this price range of open top motoring from these two marques?
You're in the Porsche forum here, so not many TVR owners here to defend the marque...
I've owned a (later) BoxSter (note the 'S'
), and they're great - predictable, quick, well made... TVR are much much more raw. And much much much more likely to break. A good Boxster will serve you well - even a good TVR, at that budget especially, can be a bit of a labour of love. Are you buying to get around quickly, or are you buying a car purely for fun? If it's the former, it has to be the Porsche.
I've owned a (later) BoxSter (note the 'S'
), and they're great - predictable, quick, well made... TVR are much much more raw. And much much much more likely to break. A good Boxster will serve you well - even a good TVR, at that budget especially, can be a bit of a labour of love. Are you buying to get around quickly, or are you buying a car purely for fun? If it's the former, it has to be the Porsche.
Chalk and cheese really – Both open top sports cars but quite different. To answer the question you need to tell more about your girlfriend. Is she real car person, is she the least bit mechanically minded? What is she currently diving, why is she considering a TVR and which type in particular?
To be honest if all she wants is a modern sports car which looks good there are plenty to choose from and a Boxster is a good choice. A TVR is a rather specialist choice of car to be considering. Will it be garaged? TVRs need to be garaged and kept on an intelligent charger and loved. The more modern Boxster on the other hand can probably live outside in all weathers and still do what it says on the tin.
If on the other hand she's a real “petrolhead” and is already experienced with powerful rear wheel drive cars and is bored with BMWs and Mercs then yes a well looked after Tamora will blow a Boxster away in terms of overall grin factor
To be honest if all she wants is a modern sports car which looks good there are plenty to choose from and a Boxster is a good choice. A TVR is a rather specialist choice of car to be considering. Will it be garaged? TVRs need to be garaged and kept on an intelligent charger and loved. The more modern Boxster on the other hand can probably live outside in all weathers and still do what it says on the tin.
If on the other hand she's a real “petrolhead” and is already experienced with powerful rear wheel drive cars and is bored with BMWs and Mercs then yes a well looked after Tamora will blow a Boxster away in terms of overall grin factor
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Seriously ?. You make it sound like boxsters are exploding like fireworks around the circumference of the M25 every afternoon. Quite aside from the fact that the Z4 is styled to look like its been in an accident before it left the factory do you have any statistics to prove that the Z4 is "much, much less risk" ? I am quite sure there will have been engine failures on the BMW lump as there have been with every engine ever produced by any car manufacturer, ever.
This "engine fear" thing is getting beyond a joke on PH.
R.
Wow! I can hadly believe so many replies already.
To complete the picture my girfriend is a true fast driving car / bike fan. However several write offs in recent memory meant she was a touch ( massive understatement) expensive to insure.
But we are over that now ( fingers, toes etc. all crossed)and some race school and track days have improved skill levels dramatically.
I guess my main concern is that I will be responsible for any mechanical/ bodywork grief that comes our way and don`t want to burden myself avoidably.
So overall, she is fast and competent but less mechanically sympathetic than I would really be comfortable with
To complete the picture my girfriend is a true fast driving car / bike fan. However several write offs in recent memory meant she was a touch ( massive understatement) expensive to insure.
But we are over that now ( fingers, toes etc. all crossed)and some race school and track days have improved skill levels dramatically.
I guess my main concern is that I will be responsible for any mechanical/ bodywork grief that comes our way and don`t want to burden myself avoidably.
So overall, she is fast and competent but less mechanically sympathetic than I would really be comfortable with
M@verick said:
This "engine fear" thing is getting beyond a joke on PH.
Particularly if you look at recent(ish) 2.7. 987 2.7 at £10k is just a few months away I think. If indeed she can't drive then that might be a safer choice despite the engine location.
TVR traction with the high torque can be a little tricky to handle.
peterzoom said:
Wow! I can hadly believe so many replies already.
To complete the picture my girfriend is a true fast driving car / bike fan. However several write offs in recent memory meant she was a touch ( massive understatement) expensive to insure.
But we are over that now ( fingers, toes etc. all crossed)and some race school and track days have improved skill levels dramatically.
I guess my main concern is that I will be responsible for any mechanical/ bodywork grief that comes our way and don`t want to burden myself avoidably.
So overall, she is fast and competent but less mechanically sympathetic than I would really be comfortable with
No offence, but after reading this, you must be the most understanding boy friend on the planet.To complete the picture my girfriend is a true fast driving car / bike fan. However several write offs in recent memory meant she was a touch ( massive understatement) expensive to insure.
But we are over that now ( fingers, toes etc. all crossed)and some race school and track days have improved skill levels dramatically.
I guess my main concern is that I will be responsible for any mechanical/ bodywork grief that comes our way and don`t want to burden myself avoidably.
So overall, she is fast and competent but less mechanically sympathetic than I would really be comfortable with
I'd be thinking more along the lines of a Kia Cee'd........With free insurance.
nickfrog said:
If indeed she can't drive then that might be a safer choice despite the engine location. TVR traction with the high torque can be a little tricky to handle.
I don't know which TVR the lady is considering but lets assume Chimaera. Regarding handling the Porsche is much more balanced and benign, by which I mean you can drive it quickly but well with it's capabilities if that's what you fancy. The TVR is much more raw power and has oodles of torque pushing you along from low down right through the rev range. On a Sunday morning on a dry day it's a wonderful thing guaranteed to make me smile but if she has had a few "offs" already (wasn't sure if this was in cars or bikes) she may find the way a V8 TVR losses it's tail out a little off putting.To give you an idea, the Boxster is my wife's everyday car. It's a 2 year old GenII 2.9 Boxster, performance is, I understand, about the same as the older 3.2 Boxster S. I am happy for Denise to be driving that in all conditions whereas I would worry about her in the Griff 500
gsewell said:
If I was paranoid about the engine, I would look at a late model Honda S2000. Totally bomb proof and the VTEC sounds wonderful as you wind it up to 9000rpm.
Sadly they arent totally bomb proof, there were several engine failures reported on the www.s2ki.co.uk forums, I am not sure if this became less likely as revisions were made though since i stopped frequenting the forum after i sold mine. Also - i absolutely would not recommend one of these (to anyone) for your GF, unless its a later model with traction control. As I have described previously in inclement weather driving the S2000 is like trying to have sex with a tiger on wet rocks. I insured an ex of mine on my S2000 on the Friday, she shut the A10 southbound with it on the Sunday.
R.
madbadger said:
mollytherocker said:
I LOVE TVRs and a Griff would be a great shout BUT I would worry about my wife driving around in one for obvious reasons.
I would get her the best Boxster 2.7 you can find.
MTR
But the OP said she has a penchant for fast cars?I would get her the best Boxster 2.7 you can find.
MTR
MTR
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