In reality, hardly anything. But it depends on your perspective though. Some people believe that a Porsche Boxster is a female Porsche, others believe that a Porsche Boxster is a hair-dressers car.
Some 911 owners believe that a Boxster is a poor mans 911, some Cayman owners believe that a Boxster is a Cayman for showing off purposes. Hardly any of these actually have any sense, but a stereotype is a stereotype, and you can never live a stereotype-free life.
What is certain is the fact that the Porsche Boxster can cost upwards of $100k these days, and that it is a tremendously capable 2-seater sports car with great reliability results. With Porsches, you usually get what you pay for, and the Boxster is no different.
All these stereotypes are mostly associated with people which have no experience driving a Boxster. When they eventually do experience a higher-end Boxster model, pretty much everyone changes their mind, even the salty 911 owners do.
Porsche Boxster costs
The newest Porsche Boxster Spyder costs upwards of $100k. If you opt for a well-equipped car, the price might go up to $120k, which kinda makes no sense at first glance. Why would you pay $120k for a Boxster if you can buy a 911, or even a Lambo, or a Ferrari for such a price?
A 911 991 GT3 can be bought for as low as $100k. The GT3 is larger, faster, better handling, and more iconic than a Boxster Spyder is. The GT3 uses a sonorous flat-6 engine which is basically the same as the one found in the 992 GT3.
For a spot of context, the Boxster Spyder uses a flat-6 from a more regular 911 model. The Boxster is slower, arguably less desirable, and definitely less popular. But, even so, a Boxster Spyder is a different story.
Thanks to its mid-engined configuration the Boxster offers a completely different driving experience. You also have the option of top-down driving, and there is no convertible GT3.
A little about Porsche Boxster hardtops.
Porsche Boxster is a ‘’chick’’ or a ‘’hair-dressers’’ car
A fairly consistent criticism of the Boxster model is the one associated with the ‘’chick’’ car designation. Some people believe that the compact size, and 4-cylinder engines are built for women, especially if you consider that even a senior executive Panamera engine is twice the size of the Boxster engine.
And the compact stylish sports car segment including the Audi TT, Porsche Boxster, Mazda Miata, BMW Z4, and Mercedes SLC/SLK is somewhat of a hair-dressers cup of tea. All these stereotypes are fairly old, and nowadays, they are as relevant as ever.
But this is mostly coming from people that have not had the proper Boxster experience because these cars are extremely fun to drive, and a bunch of online car enthusiast sites are praising a bunch of GTS and Boxster Spyder models.
You have to experience a Boxster if you truly do believe these to be true. Boxsters are fairly lightweight, and they don’t need a V8 as a Panamera does. A Panamera is a lot heavier than a Boxster, so the power to weight ratio is fairly comparable, even though the handling is not.
Porsche Boxster vs Porsche Cayman
Many people also believe that there is hardly any reason to opt for a Boxster instead of a Cayman. The Porsche Cayman is less expensive, holds better value, is more practical, and arguably more athletic and more fun to drive.
While these might be true to some extent, the differences are slim to none except for the practicality factor. Cayman models usually offer about 5-20hp more than a comparable Boxster model, but these are only incremental increases which are not really all that noticeable.
Value-wise they are not the same, but the differences are also so slim that they are not worth mentioning. But what is worth mentioning is the fact that you can enjoy a top-down experience with a Boxster, and the Cayman is a strict coupe.
In almost all regards the Cayman and Boxster models are the same, the differences between the two are so small that there is no reason for someone to think that one is drastically better than the other.
FAQ Section
Is the Porsche Boxster worth the price?
718 Boxster prices range from $60k-100k. For such a price you are getting a unique unreplicated driving experience that can not be achieved with any other car currently for sale.
Many car enthusiasts believe that the top-end Boxster Spyder models are way too expensive, that a GT3 is a better $100-120k option. And maybe it is, but the Boxster Sypder is not losing any value, quite the contrary, the Boxster Spyder costs more as time goes on.
So obviously the price is well-justified, even though it is kinda inflated. But the market does what the market wishes, and there is lots of interest in these cars.
What is good about a Porsche Boxster?
It is a lot easier to answer this question because a Porsche Boxster offers a completely unique experience. A 2-seater convertible mid-engined sports car that offers great reliability and handling characteristics.
It’s really hard to go wrong with a Boxster to be exact. If you buy one of the more limited, higher-end models, you are also not going to lose any value whatsoever. So there is literally nothing truly bad about the Cayman/Boxster platform. They are indeed amazing cars.
Does the Porsche Boxster increase in value?
If a car increases in value in value, that means that the car in question is rather special. And developing such a car is fairly difficult. But some Boxster models certainly do increase in value, and some of them are destined to become future classics.
Boxster Spyder and some GTS models, and maybe a few limited-edition anniversary models are seeing a steady rise in value, and this rise is likely going to continue as time goes on. Porsche Boxsters are being recognized by 911 collectors, this only means a more expensive car.
It’s worth mentioning though that a regular Boxster model is likely not going to increase in value, only the more limited edition models will.
