2003 Porsche Twin Turbo or CSX 4000

[REAL 1]

Just curious. If given the choice which would you rather have. Both cars are in the same price range.

[pderouss]

Depends on what other cars you have. If it were your only car then it has to be the Porche. If you have something else that is great for day to day then it has to be the Cobra every time. As it is I would go for the Cobra.. Main reason is that it creates such a friendly reaction from most people you meet and can really bite if you don't treat it right. The Porche tends to create envy in people and is so sophisticated that any idiot can drive it

[cobradriver]

Nice to have choices in this world. I am extremely fortunate to be in the enviable position of owning both. (he who dies with the most toys wins!). Actually a 2002 996TT.


I have owned a '66 427 corvette roadster for 20 years. It perennially retains a yowza factor which trancends generations of appreciation. It is an icon of the muscle car age and from comments made around the car it seems everyone seems to have a brother-in-law who first "got lucky" in a stingray. (Who is this omnipresent gal-Lucky?) Anyway, it is a joy to drive and repair; has constantly increased in value and is always a head turner. Over the last two decades, I have observed last years' latest and greatest _________ fill in the blank, become a has been. While every year the vette continued to draw appreciation and provides me with great joy.

That all said, the answer really depends upon what other cars you have, where you live (weather and traffic) and what you love about cars.

I don't believe there is another car which accomplishes what Porsche provides in the latest iteration of it's supercar. There is nothing wrong and a whole lot right with it. Extremely quick and fast. The most dramatic feature of it's acceleration is demonstrated by standing on the middle pedal and the brembos haul the car down from tripple-digit-cruising to a dead stop; a feat it can perform 100 times sequentially and you may rely upon it doing it on the 101st., just as reliably. Ask that of most other supercars and your in the shop asking when the parts are due to be shipped from Milano. The car is very quiet and easy to drive well. Porsche's dynamic stability control systems keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down even though the driver has already "gone-over-the-bars" and the car recovers on it's own. It is spooky. It is one of the finest supercars of the world not because it is fastest or stops best, or masters the skid pad better than the competition; but because it does everything extremely well in unison (and better than any other car). Additionally, Porsche stands behind the product. I developed a coolant leak after 3,000 miles and nine days later it was returned with a new engine! In my mind it is the latest and the greatest; a wonderful example of Tutonic engineering. However, the folks in Zuffenhausen are already planning it's successor.

The CSX 4000. See comments above regarding '67 vette roadster. Add the following adjectives:
Loud - nope, not enough, how about rude.
Quick, oh yeah, the right tires and the car hooks up. Make certain you don't skimp on the brakes Willwood Grand Nationals or Brembos. It is very important to be able to stop a Cobra. Driving the car is the antithesis of riding in the Porsche. 60's technology (no ABS, Dynamic Stability Control, etc). It is a car which can be driven very competetively, but it is not easy to do so. The short wheel base makes the back end constantly want to race with the front end. A handful to keep properly alligned. It is a weekend, get yer ya ya's out, way too much fun car. Over 45 the car is really loud; over 70 requires ear plugs. The driver sits tall in the car; much taller then the vette. Until I bolted the seat to the floor the windline over the windshield caught me just above the dark glasses. Wind buffeting is significant. Now that I've covered the good points......

There is no other car which provides the visceral, raw emotion of a 60's muscle car than a cobra. It will still be doing that in 20 years; long after the Porsche has become as exciting as an '83 turbo.

Two great cars; remarkably similar while remarkable different.


p.s. I took my son to lunch last weekend; he's headed off for his senior year at college...........we took the cobra.

[Dirt Cowboy]

No competition. The P car wins every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[HIQ]

CSX - appeals to my emotions
911 - appeals to my brains

I take the CSX every time!

[Gordon Claunch]

I'll keep my poor boy B&B and take the porsche too!!

[Buzz]

The Porsche is a remarkable car, no doubt about it - I admire it and I respect it as a current icon of high performance automotive engineering but it does not really stir the emotions the way a Cobra does. In 10 years time the Porsche will be a has been overshadowed by the latest whizbang machines while the Cobra will still - and always- be a Cobra. This is not a practical assessment of the relative virtues of the two cars...just a personal, subjective opinion.

[Mark Roe]

I to am blessed with both (996 Cab and 40th Ann Shelby 427).

They are two completly different cars. If I want to go on a golfing trip with one of my buddies, the Porsche is the car (fits two sets of clubs).

If I want to cruise, the CSX is my choice.

I have great confidence in the Porsche's cornering capabilities--the CSX goes straight VERY FAST--it's a beast.

The CSX turns more heads than ANY OTHER car I've driven--period.

The CSX will be in my garage forever--the Porsche will change--into one of it's newer brothers.

[Chaplin]

Evan are you thinking about joining one of those Porsche clubs again?

I'd vote for the Cobra everytime for the reasons listed above. Nothing is quite like a Cobra. But a Porsche (although a marvel of modern automotive engineering and a great performance car) is just a Porsche.

[Jamo]

Evan

Look at this way...in a couple of years, the Porsche will be dated and surpassed. One of the reasons I like having the Cobra as my "exotic" is that it stays the same...a classic. There are certainly other cars with the same appeal, such a Cdriver's Vette.

Same price range, I'd go find a used Challange 360 Modena. I like Porsches. They are extremely competent, but they are a bit, shall we say, sterile from a passion standpoint.

[KobraKarl]

Evan,...................Get the Porsche...........it's you !

KK

[SPEEDEAMON]

A Porsche is exciting, fast and civilized. You can take it to work and drive it while talking on your phone and it will be reliable and trustworthy just like your wife. You get used to it and the excitement diminishes over a period of time. On the other hand a Cobra, like a Ferrari is a sexy beast. It requires a lot of attention while driving or it will bite back and let you know you're not paying attention, just like a mistress. Besides, you may have a smile after driving a Porsche but a smirk you can't seem to erase stays on long after driving a Cobra or a Ferrari.

Shin

[Sizzler]

No "neither" choice?

The CSX would be too valuable to be fun, I'd always worry about damaging it, which makes (relatively) cheaper replicas such a good choice (but not one of yours).

The Porsche leaves me cold. Sorry.

My write-in choice would be the new Bentley coupe. Elegant, powerful, and projects the right image to the rest of the world (or at least a better image than a Porshe)...in my opinion anyway.

[ToyCollector]

Evan,

To me the Cobra is truly timeless, and a classic. If you had said a 993 Twin Turbo it would get me thinking a bit more. I am slowly starting to get a fondness for the new watercooled 996s, but they are more GT cars than raw sportscars. People do need to note that 911s have aged very well and many of the 911s from the 60s and 70s are valued by collectors. Even the 80s era 930 Turbos are nice raw cars to drive and have quite the following, as do the last of the air cooled 911s (993). If I could only have one 2 seater car in the garage and it was my primary vehicle, it would be a 911, likely a 996 Cab, or the new upcoming 996TT Cab. For a true toy, the Cobra wins hands down. Plus the tinker factor is there for the common backyard mechanic that you lose with the 996.

Jamo, stay away from those 360s. After 20,000 miles of your driving or my driving, it would be broken, instead of broken-in. I love looking at them, listening to them, but I'd hate to own one.

Porsche's are like scalpels, Cobra's are like butcher knives .

[Excaliber]

For many reasons I'd take the Cobra. But I can think of ONE good reason immediatly.

Maintainence costs! When the Porsche breaks (and I WILL break it) it's gonna cost me big bucks to fix it!

I WILL also break the Cobra in some way, but it won't cost near as much!

Ernie

[mikiec]

The CSX4000

[Super-Snake]

Either one would make an excellent trailer queen for you.

[Hal Copple]

i suspect one would get very different replys if this question were posted on one of the Porsche forums. They are too different driving experiences to really compare. Some CC members are indeed fortunate to own both, and can post their experiences and opinions. I personally am not into the CSX thing, and the Porsche cars (my son loves his daily driver and only car, a Boxster), so i doubt i would spend the money for a turbo Porsche either; i see the former as way too costly, and the latter as so perfect and technical, and i am neither.

My guess is that Porsche guys and Replica drivers don't really "cross shop" the two automobiles. If i "had" to spend this much money for a car, i would unquestionably get one of the Turbo V8 Lotus Esprit cars. They too are getting rather timeless, and have incredible road appeal. But again, my guess is that if you asked this of Porsche owners, virtually zero would opt for a CSX. But occasionally reading the Porsche forums, they have pretty tight control over outsiders, and would not permit such a post anyway.

I guess one is either a CSX fan, or not. On the other hand, i have always liked the Lotus cars, even tried many years ago to find a way to get an Elan.

[decooney]

Cobra + 125cc Shifter Kart = Much more fun


An old school friend (hard worker, paid his dues) has a Turbo Porsche, 328 Ferrari, Acura NSX, AMG Mercedes, and a 1965 Shelby Fastback with ALL total Control mods; now looking at Cobras. Guess what his favorite car to drive is and what gets the most thumbs up? > 1965 Shelby Fastback. Now he wants to upgrade to a nice Cobra.

IMHO: The buy it / drive it / no-wrench / wax it / types seem to prefer the newer Porsches, Vipers, etc. People that enjoy to work with their hands, create things, and build things (e.g. loved driving lawn tractors as a kid) seem prefer the Cobras more...

I would never compare a newer newer Porsche to a 427 Cobra. Like comparing a raspy 60s electric rock guitar to a violin or something. Completely different cars and feel. The optimum solution would be to own both, with a Shifter Kart.

[cobradriver]

Duane's right, go for the shifter cart........more luggage room too!