Porshce vs. Jag vs. Vette???

[R6MGS]

Well it time for a new car...Am getting my lisence in a few weeks so my dad has decided it's time to pass on the 84 Camaro to me as a winter car and get a new car.....We're debating between a Porshce Boxster, Jag XK8 and a Corvette(C5) any of these would be purchased a few years old...and although he will have a winter beater it will need to be able to handle the cold and must be pretty comfortable to drive daily as he has a pretty big commute to work! So my question is does anyone have any experience with any of the cars and what do you think of them??Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

Thanks
Zack
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/spam.gif

 

[78Z]

If he could swing a Boxster S that would be my pick. Sublime handling.

checked out your webpage - that is quite the family of cars you have!

 

[JBsZ06]

Having had two C5's...I'd recommend a 1999 C5 with active handling....

Great car.

 

[Steve_S]

Those are three very different cars! I would go for something practical since you already have five MGs. Go for the Jag! Class, good looks and plenty of space for passengers and cargo.

 

[R6MGS]

Lol Wow three deferent opinions! The Boxster S doesn't seam much more expensive than the regular one but......he only wants an automatic because of the traffic and distance he has to travel so it's been difficult finding any porshce with an auto(tiptronic). There are plenty of automatic Vette and almost all the Jags are auto. Steve does have a point about space in the jag...almost zero in the other cars....but the vettes fiberglass so no more spraying the whole body down with oil in the winter!
They all have their good points so I guess it comes down to more of a matter of opinion than anything else. Where going out to test drive them today so I'll post how it turns out.

Thanks
Zack

Thanks for the comment 78Z......the collection has kind a gotten out of hand in the past few years, but whoes to complain!

 

[R6MGS]

Went to look at the cars yesterday....not much help as they are all great cars, but eliminated the Jag because of all the reliablitity issues that everyone we talk to seams to bring up.....so that leaves the Porsche and the Vette any suggestions???

 

[Basil]

I've owned a 2000 C5 from new and absolutley love the car. I take it on cross country trips all the time and on the highway in 6th gear I manage 32-33 MPG. No, I'm not kidding. It is certainly not as refined as either the Jag or Porsche, but it rides like a dream and has brute force acceleration when you need it. The heads-up display is also a great feature - you never have to take your eyes off the road to see your speed, RPM, fuel level, etc. The coupe that I have has a removable top (not a T top) and has two different tops that you can put on - a solid top that is the same color as the car, and a smoked glass top. The hatch back provides access to a very large (for a sports car) storage area, making it almost practical. There is not a spare tire as the car is equipped with run flat tires (and sensors that allows you to see what the tire pressure of each wheel is). Dollar for dollar, I don't think you can possible beat the C5 for value.

Basil /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

My oldest son has a Z06 C5 which is only available as a hard top and cranks out a healthy 405 HP with no mods. The Z06 is much lighter than the C5 I have. They even shaved the windshield glass thinner to save weight. It is a scary-fast car:

 

[R6MGS]

Basil, thanks alot....we've been looking at a triple black convertible C5(2000)...but havent driven the car as it was in the showroom with no battery.One plus for the Corvette is that there are alot of automatic around....it's been very difficult to find a porsche with an auto(tiptronic) plus personally I like the look of the Vette alot better....I think the main issue here is practicality and even thou niether of those car are ment to be "practical" I believe they both do a pretty good job at it....I'll let ya know wat we decide.....and thanks again for the advice!

Zack

 

[bmurphy7369]

Normally, just from sheer blind loyalty (translation.. stupidity of some sort) I would say THE JAG. I saw a new one at a gas station the othere day and it was a beautiful, eye-catching car. I have my reservations, though, also regarding their reliability. Something about the Boxter doesn't keep my attention for long, don't know why, but still a beautiful car. I think it would get boring after a year or so... but the Vette! You can't go wrong if you're looking for a fun, fast, mid-range $ ride. Definitely a no-brainer, much as I hate to say pass on the XK8. I hope the new design for the XK will be as beefy and grab the emotions as much as the Corvette does. Let us know what you end up with. Drive the Jag, of course, but it's likely to be a let-down when compared to the others... different market target, different animal altogether. Enjoy the hunt!

Brian /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[R6MGS]

Thanks Brian, The Jag sure is very beautiful, but some of the stories I've heard about them are pretty scary...Dealerships are all closed this weekend so everything has come to a halt...Got a few cars we're interested in so We'll be driving those next weekend(hopefully).

Zack

 

[Guest]

Didn't the early 2000 (00, 01, 02) Jag V-8's have problems with the nikasil lining in the cylinder bores? Something about gas formulations with slightly higher sulfur content breaking down the lining material? Last year I was mildly entertaining the idea of a used S-type, and I was looking at 00's and 01's, and I remember alot of reviews and write-ups mentioning problems with the cylinder linings. I assumed this carried over to the V-8's in the other Jag models as well, like the XK8.

 

[Radford]

Well, I just drove the Jag in this morning (belong to my dad who is off to Libya for two weeks. I is a very different beast than an MG.

The XK8 is a BIG car. It's wide, stable, with tires that stick to the road like glue. The cockpit is clean simple, but not spartan. The leather and burlwood are excellent, and when you step on the gas - well, lets just say it goes.

There are some bad points. The engine was a lot of plastic and ceramic in it, and I don't think they are designed for much more than a hundred thousand on the clock. The truth is that there have been a lot of engine replacements. Oh, and the tires that stick like glue, well they are a soft compound tire that retails for about three hundred a tire.

I think I'd go with the Porshce. I like smallish cars that twitch a little on the road. I love driving more than touring.

 

[R6MGS]

Well the Jag is officially out of the running due to high insurance(compared to the others) and the question of reliability. We've made an offer on a Vette that has been accepted but we need to go and drive it before making the final decision...Also got a couple dealers looking for Automatic Prosche's in Florida as there are none here.

 

[R6MGS]

Ok, I know I said the Vette was out BUT a Silver(Yuk) 99` Convertible with only 50,000km came up at a very good price and we could not let it pass.....picking it up next friday......I am a little disappointed we didn't get a Vette but theres something about those LBC's you just can't escape from.....

Zack

 

[R6MGS]

How did this get bumped?? The last post is a year old.

 

[Sherlock]

I noticed that too from yesterday, just strange. Last post was in May 2005, but it showed up as current... ???

 

[Nunyas]

must be a variant of the y2k bug.... delayed 6 years.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

 

[DrEntropy]

That bug was asleep when the bell rang.

 

[jsneddon]

It's not a bug... it's a feature.

 

[DrEntropy]

"Feature ADDED"