Lotus Exige - 54,995 msrp
Boxster S - 60,000 (with options) msrp

I love both cars but I would have to go for a black Exige as a weekend/track car.

Which would you choose and why?

 

I love the Exige. There both amazing cars. My dad had a reg boxter years back and thats the car I learned stick on. Nice piece of machinery. Nice drive. No first hand experience with the Exige... but just put the two side by side. Driving a Boxter S down the road is awsome and will turn some heads. But driving that Lotus down the road will def. get a lot of attention. Beautiful car.

 

Exige's are nasty. They seem like they drive like go carts from what I saw on a special about Lotus on Speed.

 

I don't know that a Boxster is going to turn any heads, but maybe that's just my view because here, they're everywhere. They're like the Ford Taurus of Vegas. Here, Boxsters are driven by trophy wives and fat businessmen who don't fit in genuine sports cars, and that's pretty much it, but there are enough of both of those categories that you still see them at every other stoplight (or so it seems).

Plus consider the Top Gear clips of the Boxster. They say (and I wholeheartedly agree with this assesment), that the only reason you buy a Boxster is because you can't afford a 911, so all you're doing while driving around in a Boxster is advertising that your life hasn't gone quite as well as you'd hoped.

And because of Porsche's lovely options pricing, a $60k Boxster S isn't going to have much equipment. Throw sat nav and wheels on a base S model and you're pushing over $60k MSRP. If you have a dealer hook-up, you might not get totally screwed though.

Besides, the Cayman S is a much closer competitor to the Exige, both being hardtop, hardcore versions of their light-roofed siblings.


Just buy an E46 M-car (sans SMG), and quit wasting everyone's time with these "what car do I buy?" posts.

 

I would definatly go with the Exige. Based simply on the fact that the Exige is only about 1700 lbs. I have a feeling that it would just be like a go cart to drive. But on the other hand the Boxter S's engine would have significantly more umph to it. I think I would have to go with the Exige, and i mean how often do you see one of those...

 

B5 S4!

Forget everything else.

Pay 20grandish and dump 30grand or so into the B5 S4.

Stage 3+
suspension
brakes
take off about 500lbs from the interior

Exige what?
E46 what?
Porche what?
Anything what...

You'll be in the low 11s and pull more g's than almost anything else and still be driving the real "ultimate driving machine".

Well, ok, maybe this is just my dream.

 

Go with the Exige. Boxsters are chick cars.

Whatever happen to your "I'm gonna simplify my life and renounce all worldly possessions" take?

 

Just because you simplify your life and renounce all worldly possessions does not mean that they are not in your life.

 

Smart ***. I can't afford either at the moment. I can barely afford to gas up my Vespa!

I didn't say I was planning to buy one, I just wanted to know what people's preference was and why. I am still trying to unload my 2.0T for a truck but can't decide on which truck. So, what do you prefer the Honda Ridgeline or......................j/k

 

I
'd go with the exige, purely on looks, never mind the handling!