The Boxster is not a drag racer, that's for sure, especially older base Boxsters which don't have a whole lot of horsepower (201hp for 98/99 IIRC). I do find it funny when people don't realize this I'm sure that Boxster would have handled far better than your civic on a road course, though, even with a horsepower disadvantage- better braking, better suspension, and all around better handling.

The latest Boxster S has 291hp and is definitely peppier, but it's still not a 600hp supercar, it's just a really fun little roadster. Also, it's not a pure-up performance car like many of the budget performance cars are- it races like a race car, but drives like a luxury car. I'm sure my Boxster S would be a little faster if I removed the subwoofer and spare tire and amplifier and heated automatic electric seats and a whole bunch of other stuff like that, but it's my DD as well as my track car and I want it to drive like a Porsche, not an S2000.