Vote: Boxster or 'Vette -- which is better for Dad?
Since I posted the updated version of my Top Ten Cars for Dads list, some of you have cast aspersions on my choice of the Porsche Boxster. You said the Porsche roadster simply isn't manly enough for the all-American father, and that the Chevrolet Corvette would be a better choice. So I've decided to open this one up to a vote. (Let it never be said that we are not, at least occaisionally, democratic.) If you need a little refresher on the cars, you can check out Phlilip Powell's Boxster test drive and my Corvette test drive.
Vote below, and we'll see where the poll stands at 12:01 AM on Father's Day. If the Corvette wins, it goes on the list; if the Boxster wins, it stays right where it is.
Vote: Which is a better car for Dad, the Porsche Boxster or the Chevrolet Corvette?May the best Dadmobile win! -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
Comments
It would’ve been a much tougher choice if the Porsche was a Cayman (I just can’t get over feeling the Boxster is just too much of a chickie car; the profile of the Cayman just SEEMS a more traditional, purist Porsche offering to me). Of course, if it was any of the 911 series there would be no choice whatsoever.
Has to be the Corvette. I’ve driven a Boxster (admittedly, the non-’S’ 2.5 liter version) and while it was fun in the turns, I was disappointed by apparent lack of power. Aaron has his “top secret twisty road”, I have my “1/2 mile long uphill freeway on-ramp”. The Boxster was tepid at best. My Oldsmobile Intrigue accelerates better.
Plus, in the Boxster you have to put your golf bag in the passenger seat. It won’t fit in either front or rear storage space. You can’t really call either of them a trunk; they’re more like glorified glove-boxes.
I love the reviews here, but I have to go with the boys on top gear on this one. The Porsche is a precision instrument that just carves turns. It is always a favorite for them to test. They hate the corvette. I mean they simply hate it. They trully don’t enjoy driving it. The describe it as miserable. These guys get to drive the worlds best cars and some of the worst. There hatred of the vette is more than some anti american conspiracy. I have not driven the newest vette. But I have not liked the recent models I have driven. But considering the new vette pricing. You could get a base 911, or a tricked out cayman. Either would be better than the vette.
Neither is a worthwhile Dad’s car, unless Dad is divorced, doesn’t have a new girlfriend/wife/boyfriend, and only has one kid, and that kid is big enough to ride in the front seat. That doesn’t sound like a typical Dad to me.
Maybe for a Dad whose kids are grown and moved out - but that’s no different than recommending a car for a non-Dad.
Either way, they are really both chick cars. Real sports cars don’t have “Park” and “Drive” modes in their transmissions. Porsche ought to be ashamed of themselves for inventing Tiptronic, but then again, the Cayenne proves that they have no shame whatsoever any more. As for the Corvette, it’s been gleefully flogging automatic transmissions for years and they sell to many women.
(Yes, I know women are perfectly capable of driving stick shifts, I married one who’ll drive nothing but and have several friends who prefer manuals - but I don’t think that affects my point.)
I will agree with Sean, though - the Cayman is certainly a much better-looking car than the Boxster. Even though I love convertibles, it’d be tough choosing between them. But certainly either one would be a more attractive choice than the Corvette - but neither for a Dad.
Definitely the Corvette.
C
It all boils down to a personal question of power vs. refinement.
(Having owned both a Porsche 911 and a Vette…)
The premium materials, and precision fit and finish of the Porsche brand is superior the the creaky plastic of the Corvette, but the base Boxster’s engine (245 HP) is a bit lacking in power. On the other hand, if you are looking for 430 horsepower monster with heads-up-display (option), targa top, plus the best handling Corvette ever made, and the best value for the money, the base Corvette may be for you.
Personally, if I had to choose between a new Corvette and a new Boxster, I would take the Corvette. I enjoy the raw power, the HUD, removable top, and the handling is pretty damn good (good balance: trans is in the rear) - you just have to learn how to tame the beast. (that goes for any powerful car)
HOWEVER… If you proposed a choice based on performance instead of a ~$50k pricetag, and pinned a Z06 ‘Vette against the Porsche 911 Twin Turbo, the Twin Turbo would be my choice.
GARY, AARON,
If I am not mistaken, I believe that the 2008 Boxster (non-S) and 2008 Cayman (non-S) and 2008 Corvette (non-Z06) are about in the same price range - which is just over $50k, right AARON? (please verify)
A ‘tricked out’ 08 Cayman S would probably cost you somewhere in the $70k area (and still won’t hang with the 430 hp Vette’s raw power), and a new 08 Porsche 911 is priced starting over $80k (base).
Ultimately, the answer to this dilemma depends on the dad in question. In my opinion, the Boxster is a much better car and given these two options is the one I would choose for my dad. I would never consider purchasing a Corvette, although I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to drive one just once (assuming of course that it had a manual transmission).
Many who continue this belief that the Boxster remains a car for women have never had the opportunity to drive the latest incarnation of Porsche’s Boxster line. I personally own a 2007 Boxster S and am thoroughly impressed with the vehicle’s performance. Also note that the 2007 boxster S shares the same engine specs as a a Cayman with the added benefit of being a convertible.
2008 prices for the base models (including destination, no options) are as follows:
2008 Corvette Coupe: $46,950
2008 Corvette Convertible: $55,425
2008 Porsche Boxster Convertible: $46,660
2008 Porsche Cayman Coupe: $50,260
– Aaron
Both nice cars but having owned a couple vettes in the past and currently the owner of a 2002 (only 350HP)to me nothing beats the Vette’s ability to sink you back in the seat in any gear at any speed and the newer ones are also very comfortable and have handling capabilities far beyond my driving abilities.
Gotta be the Vette!
P.S.I sure would like a 911 to go along with my Vette for Fathers Day though.
Ask your kids if they’d want to be dropped off in a porsche or a corvette? If the vette wins does it come with gold chains a hairy chest and silky shirt missing the top three buttons? Is dad over 50? If so, I’d pick the vette. Is dad under 50? If so, I’d pick the porsche. People’s pre-conceived impressions of who the driver might be can ruin the thrill of the drive….if one were so inclined to let it. Still, I don’t know too many dads that would turn down either and I don’t know too many dads that don’t mind embarrassing their kids.
Makes no sense: The C6 beats the Boxster in all parameters except braking, in addition to being, imo, a much much more attractive car. Factor in the declining dollar/rising Euro and you’d have to be nuts to choose the cutsy wootsy overgrown German bug over the American classic.
If Dad wears a John Dere hat, still eats at Arby’s and thinks driving = going from light to light, and that professional driving = rednecks driving in circles, then he should of course opt for the Vette. If he doesn’t live in the midwest and is not having a midlife crisis, and can name three foreign countries other than Canada and Mexico, then the Boxster is for him.
I think it is worth repeating GM has an image problem. They’ve trying to re-brand their image - over and over and over and over and over again. It is not your father’s oldsmobile. Women and young men can drive Cadillacs. The Corvette could be the most wonderful car in the world - unfortunately it is still a corvett and it is not worth paying 50 grand and still have to justify your purchase of it who think you’d have been better off buying the porsche.
If the kids are at home, the Porsche won’t be as embarrassing as the Vette. The Vette says “I’m inadequate so I need this car to bolster my ego.” If they’re gone, the Vette says “I’m having fun spending my kids’ inheritance”
Vette or Boxster for Dad? The question is kind of an oxymoron. For a true Dad, it should be either Minivan or SUV. No Dad could fit kids, wife and all that family stuff in any sports car.
But if I had my pick, as a second car when the wife has the kids in the Minvan, I’d take the Vette. It looks cooler.
I stand corrected. GM must be giving these things away to list it at under 50k. I was under the impression that the price had jumbed near 65K to get into one. Still, it is not the car I want to be seen in. Frankly neither is the Boxster.
I am a Dad, I would take either one. For handling the Porsche. For pure American “machismo”, the ‘Vette. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
A Corvette for sure. Are you listening Kids!
As far as the ‘Vette versus Porsche issue, of course the Porsche is a different caliber of vehicle regarding image, history and build quality, but let’s face it, in cost to performance value, nothing can touch GM’s offering. Here is a car that can be serviced at any of literally hundreds of dealerships across the USA, whether you are in New York or Catfish Bottoms Arkansas, and run with any of the ubercar offerings from Maranello or Stuttgart, as well as offering exoticar performance options and technology.
I’d still pick a Cayman over a ‘Vette though.
The Corvette is probably the better choice if your father is bald and has a small penis, while the Boxter is better if your father looks younger than his actual age and is secure in his manhood.
I agree with the Caymen comment…but since we don’t have that choice it’s Corvette all the way. Did you see that episode of 2 1/2 men where the nerdy brother Alan buys a Boxster? The running gag thru that episode was everyone asking him why he bought the ‘Girl Porsche’?
This Dad can’t afford either of the two but I have driven both, (albeit 2002 or earlier models), and I am crazy about both of them.
The hang-up for me would be my wife, and the ridicule I would have to put up with forever after, if I were to make a wrong choice.
She has preconceived notions about everything automotive; in her view the Solstice is the cutest car ever, Maitas are driven by young girls and old men, only Larry the Lounge Lizard drives a Corvette, but really cool persons drive Boxsters.
For me it would be a tough choice. The Corvette (it would have to be the convertible), is probably the bigger bang for the buck and I have loved Vettes forever; but there is that Porsche mystic - and the wifely ridicule factor!
By the narrowest of margins, I would have to go with the Boxster - make mine silver with the red interior.
Reading the comments from those preferring the Porsche I find it sad that they choose to malign what they believe is the typical Corvette owner instead of extolling the virtues of their cars.
Narcissistic concern with image and status seems to dominate the above. From the point of view of pure function and performance, the C6 leaves the Boxster behind in the dust. The new Vette is simply a superb car, and getting better every year. As a matter of fact, the C6 Z06 is neck-in-neck with the 911 Turbo, at half the price. Euro-loving elitist snobs can have their crappy expensive status symbols, as they watch the Vettes whiz by.
Boris,
“Jan and Dean” woulda given you a ^5 and a surf’s up.
C
As an educated 31 year old father currently living on the east coast, I pick the Corvette. Not for image, not to bolster my manhood or ego, not because its cool to other people, but in part because its the one I’ve wanted since before Porsche had even conceived the Boxster. I don’t make choices to impress others. If I did I wouldn’t be driving an old Volvo wagon now. The Corvette has a history no other car can touch. Admittedly, I can’t afford either, and would not complain about being given the Porsche, but my vote goes to the ‘Vette. My wife would agree, especially with a clutch.
As long as we’re comparing a Boxster vs. a Vette, then the Vette would be my choice. However, I think the Boxster would be perfect for a Cool Mom car.But once you start moving up into the upper ranks of the Porsche hierarchy…then it gets really tough comparing a ZO6 vs a top line Porsche.
Aaron, you are comparing apples and oranges. A fine European sports car compared to US made Fire breathing piece of fancy plastic.
When is all said in done, in 10 years the Corvette it will be an old Chevy. But the Porshe will still be a European Sports car. I’ll take a Porsche over anything made in this country.
Comparing apples and watermelons:
Vette = Raw, untamed Powerful Beast!
Porsche = Refined, tamed, fun, Kitty-Cat!
What does your dad prefer?
My dad would have preferred a Vett, all day - everyday!