Thursday 15th November 2001
RUF 3400S
RUF have given the Boxster the power it deserves - does it remain a pose-mobile or has it been elevated to supercar status? Robert Farago gives us the verdict.
Discussion
If anyone wants a cheaper version of this, Autofarm have done a conversion of a Boxster with a 3.4 L 911 engine, and are currently selling it for 27k.
A ruf 3400 at half the price...
http://freespace.virgin.net/auto.farm/car.php3/Boxst.html
Domster
Edited by domster on Thursday 15th November 13:24
A ruf 3400 at half the price...
http://freespace.virgin.net/auto.farm/car.php3/Boxst.html
Domster
Edited by domster on Thursday 15th November 13:24
Hmmmm. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
I'd be dollars to donuts the Autofarm conversion doesn't include the car. And even if it did, remember that RUF is a certified manufacturer-- not a conversion or tuning outfit. That means that their cars must meet all crash, emissions, electrical and other regs.
And no, I'm not on commission.
making friends wherever I go
I'd be dollars to donuts the Autofarm conversion doesn't include the car. And even if it did, remember that RUF is a certified manufacturer-- not a conversion or tuning outfit. That means that their cars must meet all crash, emissions, electrical and other regs.
And no, I'm not on commission.
making friends wherever I go
The price for the autofarm car is complete, engine, body, fluffy dice and all. As Ted says, it is a conversion of a four year old car, hence the price (27 grand).
If you gave them a new one, they'd want 20 grand for the mods or something.
And whilst Ruf may be a 'manufacturer' in their own right, if you believe all you see on GT3!, they are still tuners/modifiers, albeit very good ones. Not a million miles from the people at Autofarm, even if Ruf comply with all sorts of legislation. Let's face it, Porsche have kindly crash tested the 911/Boxster for them, so complying with regs is a bit easier when someone's been there before you!
Let's not lose sight here. Noble made the M12 from scratch. Ruf happen to be very good at stripping down 911s and filling them with their own useful kit. There is a difference.
I love Ruf cars and have a lot of respect for the company, but they are not a 'certified manufacturer' in practice, even if you think they are in theory.
Domster
Edited by domster on Thursday 15th November 17:42
If you gave them a new one, they'd want 20 grand for the mods or something.
And whilst Ruf may be a 'manufacturer' in their own right, if you believe all you see on GT3!, they are still tuners/modifiers, albeit very good ones. Not a million miles from the people at Autofarm, even if Ruf comply with all sorts of legislation. Let's face it, Porsche have kindly crash tested the 911/Boxster for them, so complying with regs is a bit easier when someone's been there before you!
Let's not lose sight here. Noble made the M12 from scratch. Ruf happen to be very good at stripping down 911s and filling them with their own useful kit. There is a difference.
I love Ruf cars and have a lot of respect for the company, but they are not a 'certified manufacturer' in practice, even if you think they are in theory.
Domster
Edited by domster on Thursday 15th November 17:42
quote:
I love Ruf cars and have a lot of respect for the company, but they are not a 'certified manufacturer' in practice, even if you think they are in theory.
Domster
Ruf is a tuner, agreed. But Germany being what it is, the rules they have to follow to get a tuned car on the road are so stiff that Ruf & Co. can with a certain justification be called manufacturers. The costs to get a car as heavily modified as the Ruf 3400S past the TÜV are 30,000.00 to 40,000.00
pounds sterling.
I'm half german, half english. I live here, and earn my money in Germany, so I spend a lot of time on german motorways
One of the reasons I prefer living here are that the rules and regulations in Germany were giving me the willies. But at times you can't help thinking they have a point. They are partly the reason for the quality of german goods. Rgds WalterU
911's, what's got into you, posting something as offensive as that? I bought a 911 a month ago, and here you are implying that I bought it out of sheer ignorance. Thanks.
Whichever way up, neither my bathtub nor yours bears the slightest resemblance to a 911 or any other car. Unless of course you indulge in kinky bathtubs.
Re Boxsters, you say they handle better than 911s. Presumably you have driven both, extensively? And what is this weird notion that being rich makes anyone 'better' than anyone else?
Then you say that TVR owners are either ugly or 'hairdressers' - you aren't very clear on that point, so maybe it's best ignored.
Finally the best laugh of all; 911s are cars for 'thick poor people done good' by which I suppose you mean stupid people who've made a lot of money?
If a 911 driver smiled at you you'd probably drop dead. Good!
Whichever way up, neither my bathtub nor yours bears the slightest resemblance to a 911 or any other car. Unless of course you indulge in kinky bathtubs.
Re Boxsters, you say they handle better than 911s. Presumably you have driven both, extensively? And what is this weird notion that being rich makes anyone 'better' than anyone else?
Then you say that TVR owners are either ugly or 'hairdressers' - you aren't very clear on that point, so maybe it's best ignored.
Finally the best laugh of all; 911s are cars for 'thick poor people done good' by which I suppose you mean stupid people who've made a lot of money?
If a 911 driver smiled at you you'd probably drop dead. Good!
911's, you obviously don't know much about sports cars if you slag off the 911.
If anything, it is a car bought by those sports car buyers with more intelligence and wisdom than average.
The Boxster is a good car, and doesn't deserve the drubbing it sometimes gets for not being a proper sports car. And yes, you could argue that the 911 has the engine in the 'wrong' place.
However, the 911 is one of the most amazing sports cars ever invented, and until you've actually driven one - and a few other proper sports cars for comparison - I suggest you shut up.
And no, I don't own a 911, before you ask. This is from a completely rational, independent perspective, after having arsed around with fast cars for years.
If anything, it is a car bought by those sports car buyers with more intelligence and wisdom than average.
The Boxster is a good car, and doesn't deserve the drubbing it sometimes gets for not being a proper sports car. And yes, you could argue that the 911 has the engine in the 'wrong' place.
However, the 911 is one of the most amazing sports cars ever invented, and until you've actually driven one - and a few other proper sports cars for comparison - I suggest you shut up.
And no, I don't own a 911, before you ask. This is from a completely rational, independent perspective, after having arsed around with fast cars for years.
I have been mooching around this forum for quite a while now.
There is an alarming tendency to categorise people, slag them off, not treat people with the respect they surely deserve.
The 911 is definitely a sports car, I would love to have one.
I drive what everyone here calls a hairdressers car which I bought recently.
After 15 years of "top fuel" luxury limousines (the last one being an A8 4.2) I desperately wanted a convertible, for once in my life, before I kick the bucket.
A 911, Ferrari, or anything of that ilk was out of the question. I cannot go to customers in cars my customers cannot afford themselves. Also, in Germany there is something of an austerity drive at present. It had to be something reasonably affordable, or something unknown in Germany.
I hired a Boyster for a weekend. I hired TVR Centre's Chim 4.5 demo for a weekend.
Both were very pleasurable drives. But on the Chim the boot catch broke. This reminded me of the possible reliability issues of TVR, although the same happened on the A8. The difference is that as I drive all over Europe (not much in UK), I can get an Audi sorted at every corner, whereas there are only 1-2 TVR dealers in each mainland european country. The boot catch problem was particulary embarassing as I regularly drive around with 5K to 10K pounds sterling worth of kit in the boot.
Tuscan was out of the question. The speed six engine is not really supported on the continent.
Buying a convertible privately for the weekend was not an issue either. Tax breaks for company cars in Germany are still so attractive that running a car privately is still financial lunacy, and I am not prepared to throw money away. I have to run it on the (german) company, and then be able to use it all over Europe on an everyday basis.
In the end, with considerable misgivings, I bought - a Mercedes SLK 320. Why? Because of the steel roof. It was the only sensibly priced convertible I could find quiet enough to hold a handsfree telephone conversation at 130 mph. The steel roof is also a security boon. Noise is an issue for me because my normals stints involve driving 500-600 miles per day at high speeds, mostly on german motorways.
I genuinely wanted to buy a convertible sports car. But real life means compromises. The compromises lead to me buying a "hairdressers car". As a petrolhead I would take considerable offence to being called a hairdresser.
Sp please in future don't slag people off for their choice of car until you know the motives for their choice.
Sorry this got to be so long - and I would still love to own a Chim.
Rgds, WalterU
P.S.: the high-speed stability of the SLK 320 leaves much to be desired. Too light at the back, and this in spite of my gear in the boot. I get sweaty palms at 140 mph - something that never happened to me at 155 mph in the Audi.
My driving credentials? 1.2 - 1.5 million miles accident-free, most of it driven at 130 mph or more.
Edited by WalterU on Friday 16th November 12:22
There is an alarming tendency to categorise people, slag them off, not treat people with the respect they surely deserve.
The 911 is definitely a sports car, I would love to have one.
I drive what everyone here calls a hairdressers car which I bought recently.
After 15 years of "top fuel" luxury limousines (the last one being an A8 4.2) I desperately wanted a convertible, for once in my life, before I kick the bucket.
A 911, Ferrari, or anything of that ilk was out of the question. I cannot go to customers in cars my customers cannot afford themselves. Also, in Germany there is something of an austerity drive at present. It had to be something reasonably affordable, or something unknown in Germany.
I hired a Boyster for a weekend. I hired TVR Centre's Chim 4.5 demo for a weekend.
Both were very pleasurable drives. But on the Chim the boot catch broke. This reminded me of the possible reliability issues of TVR, although the same happened on the A8. The difference is that as I drive all over Europe (not much in UK), I can get an Audi sorted at every corner, whereas there are only 1-2 TVR dealers in each mainland european country. The boot catch problem was particulary embarassing as I regularly drive around with 5K to 10K pounds sterling worth of kit in the boot.
Tuscan was out of the question. The speed six engine is not really supported on the continent.
Buying a convertible privately for the weekend was not an issue either. Tax breaks for company cars in Germany are still so attractive that running a car privately is still financial lunacy, and I am not prepared to throw money away. I have to run it on the (german) company, and then be able to use it all over Europe on an everyday basis.
In the end, with considerable misgivings, I bought - a Mercedes SLK 320. Why? Because of the steel roof. It was the only sensibly priced convertible I could find quiet enough to hold a handsfree telephone conversation at 130 mph. The steel roof is also a security boon. Noise is an issue for me because my normals stints involve driving 500-600 miles per day at high speeds, mostly on german motorways.
I genuinely wanted to buy a convertible sports car. But real life means compromises. The compromises lead to me buying a "hairdressers car". As a petrolhead I would take considerable offence to being called a hairdresser.
Sp please in future don't slag people off for their choice of car until you know the motives for their choice.
Sorry this got to be so long - and I would still love to own a Chim.
Rgds, WalterU
P.S.: the high-speed stability of the SLK 320 leaves much to be desired. Too light at the back, and this in spite of my gear in the boot. I get sweaty palms at 140 mph - something that never happened to me at 155 mph in the Audi.
My driving credentials? 1.2 - 1.5 million miles accident-free, most of it driven at 130 mph or more.
Edited by WalterU on Friday 16th November 12:22
quote:
Walter, I appreciate what you say and I hope that most of the postings on here could be classified as good humoured 'banter' rather than serious slagging off. Probably a nuance of bizarre British humour.
bosshog, thank you for the compliment!!
PetrolTed, I hope you're right. Reading some of the reactions leads me to believe that others are having problems with the humour
after being an expat for 25 years, I came back 6 years ago. I didn't recognise the country, so much had changed - and most of the changes were not positive
First thing I saw were repeats of Ab Fab and "Men behaving badly" and nearly pissed myself laughing.As for Victor Meldrew - he should get a monument. Although very very funny, sadly he mostly has a point ...
Rgds, WalterU
P.S.: sorry, this is getting a bit off topic.
I like Walter's SLK... it just needs a Brabus V12 engine in it to be perfect ;-)
These forums can be fantastic for rational debate - I have had thoughts clarified and opinions questioned over my many visits. However, there is no call for people slagging off cars with sweeping statements if they don't know much about the subject. A poster said recently that the 993 was the first good 911, which just shows how little they know. The 993 is a close evolution of the 964, and Evo recently voted the 1973 2.7RS as their favourite 911 ever. Uninformed, ill-thought comment from someone who should either shut up or put their comments in proper context.
Whenever I discuss a point about Tuscan ownership on the TVR forum, like engine reliability, I always do so carefully and with respect. I am interested in people's answers, not causing a riot.
These forums can be fantastic for rational debate - I have had thoughts clarified and opinions questioned over my many visits. However, there is no call for people slagging off cars with sweeping statements if they don't know much about the subject. A poster said recently that the 993 was the first good 911, which just shows how little they know. The 993 is a close evolution of the 964, and Evo recently voted the 1973 2.7RS as their favourite 911 ever. Uninformed, ill-thought comment from someone who should either shut up or put their comments in proper context.
Whenever I discuss a point about Tuscan ownership on the TVR forum, like engine reliability, I always do so carefully and with respect. I am interested in people's answers, not causing a riot.
Walter,
Thanks for such an interesting post. Can't let you get away without a postscript though! Could you give your views on Germany's speed limit policy? My limited experience of autobahn driving has been pure joy - OK, there are occasional hold-ups, but the lane-discipline and high standard of driving generally are an eye-opener, and I wonder why on earth we can't do better in Britain.
Your SLK320 is a very desirable device, and I was surprised to read of your aerodynamic problem. Maybe one of the German 'super-tuners' could offer a tweak to cure it - e.g. a replacement bootlid with an aerofoil, or something else which would do the job?
Thanks for such an interesting post. Can't let you get away without a postscript though! Could you give your views on Germany's speed limit policy? My limited experience of autobahn driving has been pure joy - OK, there are occasional hold-ups, but the lane-discipline and high standard of driving generally are an eye-opener, and I wonder why on earth we can't do better in Britain.
Your SLK320 is a very desirable device, and I was surprised to read of your aerodynamic problem. Maybe one of the German 'super-tuners' could offer a tweak to cure it - e.g. a replacement bootlid with an aerofoil, or something else which would do the job?
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