Hot in the Lot
Porsche Boxster Gets Fast and Furious After School
NEIRAD enilno edition
For this month’s hot in the lot we decided to check out a car not seen in the DHS parking lot, but rather in senior Michael Baresich’s driveway. This 2003 Porsche Boxster is Michael’s afterschool ride: a car he says is far more enjoyable than the 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan he schleps to school.
The silver two-seater convertible is Michael’s preferred ride, especially on sunny days. "This is not a car for the rain" Baresich said. "There’s no point in driving with the top up unless it’s raining." Even days when it’s not raining Michael has opted not to drive the Boxster to school due to the extra step of obtaining a temporary parking pass.
When he is home from after school Michael is allowed to take the car out, weather permitting, and enjoy the ride. The 2.7 liter six- cylinder engine is worthy of talking about because the pistons are horizontally aligned versus the traditional upright positioning.
The horizontal nature of the pistons looks like a pair of boxing gloves, which when combined with the word roadster is responsible for giving the car its name.
The 217-horsepower engine allows for a max speed of 149 miles an hour. According to the specifications of the car, it can go 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds. While Michael has yet to get the Boxster up to its full potential, the rear spoiler will activate when the vehicle tops 75 mph if he chooses to cruise.
These stats put his minivan to shame. “The Sienna is a lot slower, a lot less responsive, and a lot larger and thus harder to maneuver,” Mike said.
Some of this speed can be attributed to the two-passenger limit, which Michael says helps distribute the weight and keep it from getting too heavy with additional drag to bring down his speed.
While only having room for one other person in the car could be seen as a negative Michael disagrees. “It’s nice not having to drive friends around” he said and the lack of physical space in his car is the perfect excuse to get out of chauffeur duties on weekends.
With school coming nearer to a close and convertible weather finally here to stay Michael is “hoping to find an opportunity to swap my parking sticker to the Boxster provided it stops raining every two days.” This would allow him to be able to enjoy his fun ride…or at least until he heads to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in the fall where the Boxster and the Toyota Sienna minivan will not be joining him.
