Porsche Boxster or Lotus Elise?

[deevergote]

Someday in the future, I'd like to get something small and sporty to offset the CTS-V. The Boxster and the Elise are the two cars that interest me the most.
As with my Cadillac, I want cars that are "fancy" without totally breaking the bank. I know I could get similar performance for less money out of a Miata, MR2, FR-S/BRZ (in a few years, anyway), etc... but I like the exclusivity of Porsche and Lotus, as well as the relative sport purity of the brands. I know both cars are slow. I'm ok with that.

I'm not looking to buy anything anytime soon, and it's possible I never will (priorities change, and I have school and other important things ahead of me...) At the moment, though, I'm entertaining myself with thoughts of one or the other.

So, just for the sake of conversation, I'd like to hear what you guys and gals think about the pros and cons of each.

I like the Porsche because it's more common. Common cars are easier to find parts for, and there are more mechanics around that know how to work on them. Also, there will be a larger online community to turn to for support. The Boxster is also the more suitable daily driver. It's less of a toy than the Lotus. The Porsche brand is known to pretty much everyone, and the average person doesn't know one Porsche from another... so I can feel like a baller driving my budget Porsche, even if I got it for $10,000 The old Boxster doesn't look all that much different from the newer ones in the eyes of the average person.
Also, in terms of price, the Porsche is the cheaper purchase. An older model can be had for under $10,000 even now.

I like the Lotus because it looks exotic. It's a fascinating little toy. Most people have NO idea what it is, and that makes it cool. It's such an alien looking vehicle, unlike anything else on the road. Compared to the Porsche, it really is a toy. It's smaller, lighter, and dartier. It's thoroughly impractical. One step away from a motorcycle. Although, it seems more "special" than the Porsche. You can see old ladies driving the Boxster, but you'll probably never see one driving an Elise. Owning an Elise puts you in a much more exclusive club, so to speak.
The 4 cylinder engine is both appealing and unappealing. The models I could likely afford would have Rover engines in them. Rover engines, of course, are not available in the US in anything other than a Lotus, making engine repairs just as pricey as in the Porsche. The later models have Toyota engines, but those models still carry a high price tag. (edit: after further research, I discovered that the Rover-powered Elise models were not sold in the US. We just got the Toyota-powered versions starting in 2005.)



Anyway, I just wanted to put my thoughts down and see what others thought. Which would you choose, if given the option?

[cloudasc]

If I were given the option, I would choose neither (my heart is in a 3rd Generation Rx7, and that's not going to be a $10k car without major work required) but for arguments sake it comes down to do you want to blend in with everyone else, a Porsche doesn't make people turn their heads, as most likely as a Lotus would. I bet the Lotus would also have people pulling out their phones and taking pictures versus the Porsche.

[deevergote]

I have a love for the RX7 as well, but I'm going for the more "impressive" brands. I'll admit, part of the draw is in having a brand that will impress people. I'm shallow like that

Agreed, people will see the Lotus and think it's cool, even if they have no idea what it is. I still give myself whiplash whenever I pass one on the highway!
The Porsche is the more "normal" car. The Lotus is more like a factory-made kit-car.

I can't figure out if I'm favoring the Porsche, or trying talk myself out of the Lotus. I definitely think the Lotus is the cooler car...

[cloudasc]

Porsche to me equals snobby, while the Lotus seems more connoisseur.

[Tippey764]

I see those ugly Porsches everywhere. I hate them. I've driven one and worked on one an hated every part of it.

[KpoweredCB7]

Frankly the Lotus hands down, from what I have heard and read, it is excellent and nimble which completely makes up for the "relatively" little horsepower. Plus I just love them and the way they look is just tops.

[Bongo]

Lotus.

[SOHC-FTW]

Lotus 110% better perfomer, engine is cheap to fix an maintain you can likely find 95% of what you need at a local parts store for the engine, the car looks better than the porsche. I could go on and on, it's a no brainer to me.

The porsche has no pro's compared to the lotus in my opinion it's a shit car.

[RyanD]

lotuss hands down. its sexy, fast, and you dont see them everywhere.



i mean look at this sexy baby. you will turn far more heads and get more poon-tang in this baby than any Porsche will ever do

dont lie to yourself deev. what man doesn't want more poon-tang?

[deevergote]

It'll attract the poontang... until they ride in it. There's a reason chicks don't drive those cars! (I learned that the hard way with the first girl I took out in the CTS-V... "is the ride so rough because of your shifting?"... she did not get a second ride in that car.)

Though it does look badass in white...

[GeoffM]

I agree with everyone else here. Lotus because rare.

[Sordz]

Pretty sure the boxster's have major engine problems, forget exactly what fails but its expensive to fix. At least there was back when I was looking into getting one, maybe it was only in early models. My vote is lotus hands down.

[wed3k]

boxsters are hunks of crap.

[deevergote]

Pretty sure the boxster's have major engine problems, forget exactly what fails but its expensive to fix. At least there was back when I was looking into getting one, maybe it was only in early models. My vote is lotus hands down.

That's something to consider... since I'd be looking at an older one if I actually decide to buy. It would be a weekend toy, so it wouldn't be driven THAT much... but yeah, it'd suck having to fix that engine! Fixing a Toyota I4 would be much cheaper than fixing a Porsche flat 6!



All I've read about the Boxster in various magazines has been nothing but positive. The magazines love how they handle, and often say it's more fun to drive than the 911, even.

[Joey GT-R]

I am biased to Porsche since I sell them. But the only reason I go for the Lotus is because you're considering the Boxster. Had it been a Cayman or 911 I'd be going the other way.

Why not get a newer Lotus shell? I'm sure we've all seen Elise/Exige chassis' fit with F22C or K24A swaps. I'm sure a J-Series will probably eventually come into the works as well. Or if you wanted to cheap out, I'm sure a F/H would work(although it might not be street legal.)