Sharkie's Dilemma

[zbeasty]

For the haters

Porsche Boxster S Turbo System - TPC Racing

A lot less $$$'s than a 911 and better performance.

[Sharkie]

Yep, well aware of the turbo options out there for the Boxster/Caymans ..... its on my to do list when I get one .... and yes, its a when now .... at the moment that may only be in a year or 2's time .... want to get a bit more value out of the Tig 1st ....

And a drive today in clip's dad's MX5 was a relevation. Whilst it was an auto and only a 1.6 it was really fun to drive. It was raw and felt like a go-kart ... very basic in the fun it delivers ... a pure and direct drive ... I loved it ... so now want to get 1 of my own to hone my track skills on 1st before committing to a $80K+ Cayman.

So dilemma sorted ... Tiguan R+ & MX5 for the next year and Cayman S afterwards ... who knows, by then I may be able to get a new one ....

[Pullstarter]

MX5s are fun as, the new ones have a bit more poke too i think.

[jamesatfish]

Late to the thread but thought I'd throw in my opinion as a former Boxster owner (I had an 01 Boxster S for several years) and as someone with a Tiguan 147 in the garage at the moment.

As to tuning the Tig, there's definitely merit in that option. Certainly anything in SUV format won't ever handle as well as a hatch, coupe, sedan etc, but as SUVs go the Tig is a good base platform for some mods. There are plenty of easy gains to be made given the commonality of parts across the VAG range and the Tig actually handles pretty well in stock form. Had the chance to drive the 147 (dead stock) through my usual local mountain twisties and although setup for understeer at the limit it was very enjoyable to drive and fairly easy to push along quickly. I've been swapping between the Tig and my Cayenne Turbo the last few months and aside from the obvious gaping power difference the Tig feels like it would carry similar corner speeds to the Cayenne. With some suspension tweaks (or maybe the adaptive chassis option) and the K04 I reckon the Tig would be a pretty great car. Tiguan R - go for it!

As to the Boxster - sure it's not the quickest straight line weapon you can buy but as a complete car package there's not much that can touch it, especially at the price. If you're looking at a 3.2 or 3.4 then there will be plenty of grunt but the chassis is far more capable than the engine which means the car makes so much more sense on the track or twisty roads than the drag strip.

I ran my Boxster on the track for plenty of supersprint days, and aside from a set of R Spec tyres and a GT3 seat and harness the car was in stock condition yet was always competitive. Unlike pretty much everything else I've tracked the brakes are bullet proof, never fade and never needed replacement after only a few track days. As to comparisons with the 911 - if you look at the entry list for a Porsche Club track day you'll see a heap of Boxster and Cayman entries, with a glaring gap in the low-end 911 range until you get to a heap of Turbos, GT3/2s and the odd C4S. To me that's a big endorsement of the Boxster platform for someone who wants to drive the best car at a certain price point rather than buying a low-end Carrera over a top-spec Cayman S/R just because it's a 911.

If I had to choose between the Tig and the Cayman however - tough choice as it really depends on your personal situation, but as your garage already has the practical car aspect covered in the Transporter I'd buy the Cayman. When all is said and done I don't believe you won't ever regret owning a Porsche.

[clip]

And a drive today in clip's dad's MX5 ...

After talking to you yesterday sharkie, I'm hoping that Tony goes ahead with it....
no guesses where the proceeds will be going to

[jimbomort]

And a drive today in clip's dad's MX5 was a relevation.

So dilemma sorted ... Tiguan R+ & MX5 for the next year and Cayman S afterwards ... who knows, by then I may be able to get a new one ....

funny you should say that Sharkie, been looking (albeit not too seriously) at MX5's myself a bit lately. There was one for sale for ages on the way to work, and was just thinking seriously about it when it was no longer there! I hired one years ago and yes they are lots of fun, bit short on poke as you said, but heaps of fun nonetheless. In fact I liked it much more than a go kart - go karts are too much 'the kidney puncher' for my liking (except in the wet then they really are fun).

You'll be glad you didn't go the R. I say this having not driven one!, but if they are anything like the Golf, which is a great car, they are also a bit too clinical and seem to miss that fun element. Just my opinion, but I observe that I have got fairly non plussed about driving the Golf at work, but I still love getting into the Tig every time.