I'm thinking about purchasing a weekend car in a few months. I have narrowed it down to two cars. Porsche Boxster S or Lotus Elise/Exige S. Which one would you take and why? Thanks.

 

Have you driven, or been in an Elise/Exige before? Its great fun but a PITA to get in/out of especially if you're a giant and the stereo sucks... But as you said its a weekend car, I would get an Elise, the 190hp variant. Take the top off whenever you want to go cruising and you can track it.

This is cliche but drive both and see which one you like better. Since its a weekend car I'd be willing to overlook minor annoyances and inconveniences in exchange for pure fun

 

Will you be tracking it?

If not then get the Boxster S, its more comfy but still very nimble.

 

I would say Boxster. I'm not a fan of the Lotus.

 

Boxster if it's a cruiser, Lotus if its a track car...

 

I daily my elise in the summer on nice days and with the top off it is easy to get in and out of.....boxster is a girls car!

 

I have looked into both cars a lot myself, as others have said the Elise is difficult to live with, simple things can turn into complex problems, like picking up pizza for example. If the pizza place uses large pizza boxes it just may not fit period, just last weekend I went to pick up a pizza with a friend in my S2k and just to get the pizza into the car I had to put the top down, my friend in the car and the pizza on his lap, it wouldn't fit through the door opening between the dash while a person was sitting there and it was too large to fit in the trunk, this is just one example of what you may face. I love the elise, I think it is the best "drivers" car currently made, the steering is near perfect and it just feels right. If you can live with its shortcomings I feel it's a better car to drive. Keep in mind the Elise/exige is known to be fragile, more so then any car near its price range. A 3mph+ collision, front or rear, will do over $8k in damage, the chassis is very prone to damage and cannot be repaired, steering racks are common to go and battery leakage is a problem. You get all of the problems associated with exotics with the lotus, though as a whole most are not huge problems or expenses to fix(aside from the front and rear clam) if you can deal with all that, the lotus gets my 2

The 987 Boxster S is much more of a complete car. It's more refined, it's more powerful and it's more accommodating. It has received an unearned bad reputation based on the early 986 base boxster, it was a cheap feeling, slowish roadster with questionable durability, as the 986 developed they ironed out a lot of the problems and by the end of the 986, I feel the Boxster S is a very capable roadster, in particular for what they are selling for now. The 987 shares a large amount of parts with the 997, IIRC it is 45%, but don't quote me on that. The 987 boxster does not deserve the "porsche in panties" reputation that the early 986 has created for it, it is a brilliant car and in the S trim is a truly fantastic roadster. There is also a lot of easy power to be had from a 987S, basic bolt ons and ECU reflash can yield over 50bhp gain, while the mods are not cheap, they are also not expensive.

If you want more of a cruiser I think the boxster S is the obvious choice, if you want more of an exotic looking and feeling car the Lotus is the winner. Some people get p-cars, other's don't; I have always been and will continue to be a p-car fan. Chances are high when I replace my S2k in a few years it will be with a boxster S. At the end of the day there is no wrong choice, both are great cars to drive, it really boils down to what you want from it.

 

I think iTimmy pretty much covered it all. I would personally go for the 987 Boxster S simply because it is more comfortable, has basic features you normally wouldn't get in the Lotus.
The Boxster is also the better cruiser like already stated above simply because of the way it was made, I hardly see a long distance as-a couple trip in the Elise whereas it is almost natural to the Porsche. Add the horsepower and you will still have a pretty reliable ride.
If you're looking for a hardcore track dedicated machine then it's a whole different story.

I suggest you look at the S2k as well if you like it, maybe you could have discover a good driving experience at a cheaper cost.

 

Lotus Exige , flat black, done deal pal!

 

Boxster S FTW!


however having an Elise isn't a bad alternative.

not a fan for the Exige (hate those back window covers al-a 1986 Camaro)

 

no no no... Mitsubishi Eclipse, VW bugs those are chick cars.

a $60,000 Porsche (S or not) is no chick car in my opinion... but the older ones are kinda fugly... i wouldn't buy a 986 (04 and earlier) but the newer 987's are sweet

Plus if you can snag a Boxter S with the apperance package....


SO MONEY.

 

Boxster

 

Not to be a broken record but:

If you are honestly going to track the car more than 4-5 times a year (be honest) then the Elise/Exige will be a more rewarding car but will spoil you with its pureness at the track.

If you will only track occasionally or not at all get the Boxster, I am not saying the Boxster isn't a GREAT trackday car, but the Loti are special in that area. Forget the girlie car image, just an poor opinion voiced by those that likely have never put a hlemet on and turned a wheel in anger and likely if they did on a day with a Boxster on the track they might well be spending time inspecting the ceneter mounted exhaust.

In the end the P-car is probably the right choice for 90% of even enthusiasts. The Lotus isn't as well made is less comfortable and will be more expensive to own than the Elise and will give little away in the driving arena to the Boxster but will have a lot more going for it in the panache area, the same argument could be made for the Boxster vs S2K with the taking the place of the Lotus in the previous argument.

If you decide on the Lotus I would probably get the Elise not as proficient at the track but the top off cruising has a lot to be said for it plus the cheaper price.

 

Why not the best "middle ground" between the two- the Porsche Cayman??
I would never get an Elise (a newly divorced guy's car here in SoCal) for driving on weekends just because it has a rep as an inhospitable "cruising" vehicle, and I'm not a convertible fan when it comes to track cars due to body flex issues.
The Cayman neatly addresses those issues, and looks better than the Boxster IMO.

And you can't fit a large pizza box in the passenger footwell of an S2000, even with the seat cranked back??!

 

Cayman S is a sweet ride too but maybe if you are only tracking once or twice a year the "vert" would be more fun for going out for those Sunday drives.

 

this would be a tough choice for me. I love the look of the lotus, and grabs almost as much attention as any exotic at half the price. I really don't drive fast, and have never been to a track so I think a lotus would be a waste, and I might as well be more comfortable in the more luxurious porsche.

The boxster won't grab nearly as much attention, and I've never been much of a porche enthusiast. I always felt they were for people with little imagination and were all around pretty boring. Great cars, from an engineering standpoint, but don't really evoke any emotion. But I have to say the 987 boxster is the best looking one to date, even though it hasn't changed much at all.

as I've never been in an elise, I think if I could comfortably fit in and get out of it, I would have to go w/ my heart and take that over the porsche.

 

The chassis rigidity issues you're talking about just aren't a factor these days, unless your capable of pushing a vehicle to its absolute limits and most drivers aren't. Yes a Cayman is more rigid then a boxster, but the difference is not significant and only a very experienced driver would be able to benefit from slight difference. I like the Cayman, don't get me wrong, but I like the Boxster better, then again I am a fan of convertibles.

As to the pizza box debacle from the previous week, it was the single largest pizza box I've seen in my life, it was a HUGE 24 cut monster. It may have fit on the passenger footwell area, but then there would have been no room for my friend. We got the job done, but it was a bit of an inconvenience.

 

lol

 

Lotus Exige

 

Trunk rack and bungee cords ??

 

I personally would go for the Boxster if I had to choose between the two. This is because I like some modicum of comfort with my sport. Ultimately, as others have said, it's up to what you expect your weekend car to do for you.

 

LOL, this is actually the same decision I am going through. I likely will not be making a puchase until the end olf the year, so my plan is to just drive them both and see which one I like the best. Opinions are like assholes... everyone has one. You can ask 10 people and get 10 responses (especially on a car forum). So just go out and drive them both before you make a decision.

For us, it will be strictly a weekend getaway car, so when we test drive them... that will be what we have in mind. I have a feeling I'm going to love the Elise, but the wife will love the Boxster. We'll see when we drive them.

I recommend spending some time on elisetalk.com if you're really considering a lotus. TONS of great info on there. Just do a search and you'll find answers to all of your concerns.

Here is a question for you. Why have you narrowed it down to those two cars?

 

not a bad idea, I could get one of those old school MG trunk racks! Worst case scenario would have been to go back in to the pizza place and buy to smaller boxes and split the ultra large pizza in half.

 

^ I understand the point you are trying to make with your pizza story, however, I'm curious though how your experience relates to the OP's question (assuming it truly is a weekend car for him)?

I know that if I was going to pickup pizza, I would be taking the Audi. If I was taking a weekend trip to the mountains, I'd be taking the Elise (and a small duffle bag ). So I would never run into the problem you and your friend had.

Now, if the Elise was his ONLY car... different story... but that doesn't appear to be the case here...

 

elise hands down. One of thebest cars I have ever driven

 

Elise hands down... looks more exotic and will bring in the pussy

 

Of those to id pick the Porsche. But id get the vette. Much Larger trunk, faster, better mileage.

 

My life is a never ending weekend Coincidentally this happened on everyone else's weekend, I was enjoying some back roads when a friend called and asked if I wanted to hang out, I wasn't far away and ended up going to get the pizza in my car. My experience relates to the OP's question because you never know what life is going to throw at you, as much as I love to drive the Elise there are enough reasons that I wouldn't want to own one, and my pizza experience was a recent real life example of the type of things you don't think about until it's too late.

Keep in mind the Elise will attract a lot of attention and while that sounds like fun it wears thin real quickly. There is a great thread over at Elisetalk.com called "stupid things people said to you" after you read that, ask yourself if you want that much attention. I feel the S2k attracts more attention then I want, I like to keep a low profile and every time I fill the thing up someone says something to me about the car.

Using a car to attract girls is a terrible idea, if you can't get a girl without a fancy car, for what ever reason, the car won't do much. You may find a few gold diggers and it can be fun for a little action but I'd be very cautious getting seriously involved with a woman who approached me because of my car. Sadly, like with most nice cars, the most attention comes from teenage boys, and that's not something I would strive for.

 

have you thought about a Z4 M?
of the little drop top/hardtop numbers(S2K,350Z,SLK,Boxster,Elise,etc) the Z4 M is my favorite.

 

Makes sense



I love that thread. Did you read the Part 2 version? Just as funny.

As I mentioned, I'm going to drive them both, then see which one I like best. I'm not going to buy any car b/c it attracts attention, I'm going to buy it b/c I want it. If I end up in the Lotus, I'll just quick scan the thread they have of comebacks when people make comments before I take it out

I suggest the OP drive them both as well and form his own opinion... but he seems to have disappeared...

 

Yeah, we get it retard, you like the fucking M...you love mentioning it at least once in every thread.

But it wasnt one of the two cars he listed, so why dont you do us all a favor and crawl back in your cage. If you're lucky your handler might give you some tapioca tonight...

 

Lotus Elise/Exige S in a heart beat

 

honestly both look girly-ish to me. so i say no to both. another 10k and your close to a skyline.

 

Of course that is what I would do, whether I would track it or not. Your taste may be different after you've had a chance to do more research on the two cars.

 

Weekend car? Boxster.

Track star? Lotus.

Fixed.

 

the lotus looks like a toy - a really really nice one, but a toy nonetheless. porsche
is so much classier.

+1 for the porsche

 

Bunch of pussy's in here!

I daily drive the lotus in the summer!

 

You'd be amazed how many people admit to it, go look at my reunion tour poll in ramblings!

 

Boxter S FTW!

 

I was going to say, a lot of people who own and Elise/Exige daily drive it....