986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Here are my observations:

- Quality fit/finish - Both the 987 and the 997 are excellent on this, some complain about the cheap materials but I tend to disagree, these cars are meant to be driven - drive em. I like the 997 dash a little better but either is fine. The interior of the 997 feels more spacious I really like that. I do simple DIYs on my cars and the 987 is put together really well, I have not done anything to the 997 yet but it looks the same from a “put together” point of view. Really not much to choose here.

- Fun to drive – Either is a blast! I really feel that the 997 is a bit more edgy, and for a pure toy that is a bit more fun for me. From a pure balance point of view the 987 wins, but you have to push real hard in either car to find the limits, this is a matter of taste. The power and torque of the 987S is amazing and definitely quite noticeable, on paper the cars don’t look much different but they drive quite differently – you have to drive each one to figure it out. Porsche has tweaked the chassis and suspension on the 997 to produce under steer if you push it a little too far, I spun my 987 when I AutoXed it and I expect to do the same in the 997. The sport setting on the PASM with the remapped throttle changes the character of the car if you buy a 997S get one with Sport Chrono Plus. I have not pushed the 997 real hard yet (still in the break in period) but the little “Sport” button is fun in the twisties (even keeping the revs bellow 4200).

- Practicality – Neither car is practical LOL! The 997 is a bit simpler to go shopping with since you can throw things in the back without opening the trunk or trunks. The back seats in the 997 are a joke but they can be used on short drives if needed – not recommended for long drives. The interior of the 997 is quieter with the top up (I have a 997S Cab) so long drives will be a little less tiresome – not really an issue for me but it helps on the days I have a copilot! The BOSE in the 997 is a bit better with woofer in the passenger footwell. I like to blast my music from time to time and I did not like the BOSE bass unit right behind me. The radio works better in the 997 (more antennas!). You can pack a lot of stuff in the two trunks of the 987 and still keep the interior tidy – yes I am an engineer and I like to keep the interior tidy.

- Other? I bought the 997 on emotion, my son tried to persuade me to buy an R8 but I wanted a classic, I really debated buying a used F360 but the P Car is so bullet proof (and has a nice warrantee) I could not part with my $ on the F Car. If I had F430 money I would buy one, but there are limits! The 911 is an icon and that is part of the reason I bought it. I looked at some really nice used 996s when I bought the Boxster but I did not think they were quite as classic, the 997 is much closer to the original 911 gene pool and for me that was a significant factor in my purchase.
The 987 looks better with the top down, the 997 looks better with the top up – drive both and pick.