Please help me decide
 

I currently have an '03 Boxster S about to turn in for an '08 (Meteor Gray/Black)Boxster S of which I have on order and due to arrive in about 2-3 weeks

I have an opportunity to possibly aquire a '05 (Arctic silver/blue interior) Carrera S (~24k miles) for about the same money.

Both would be a 3 year lease. Also the '05 is Porsche certified so would still be under warranty.

Can I please have some objective opinions from you. I know this is a Boxster forum...and .... I'm pretty sure what all would say in the Carrera Forums, but thought I would get an opinion from you guys who drive boxsters like me.

THANK YOU

I would take the Boxster:

1) 3 years newer
2) top down driving
3) mid engine
4) the exact colors & options you wanted with the custom order

Are you sure you want a black interior in sunny Arizona?

I assume the Carrera S is the coupe? I think this is really a personal decision related to what works best for you. But since you asked for an opinion, I'll give mine. The Carrera for sure, here is why:

- Backseat, this is a huge benefit for me, could tote the kids with
- Power - 355HP would be sweet
- Love the 911, always have
- Coupe seems for flexible to me, could drive it year round

I guess the big question is can you do without a convertible. I say go for the 911 if it is in good condition.

I think this comes down to coupe versus convertible for me....the convertible would win.....

I'm not sure what maintenance you would have to cover on the carerra but wouldn't a brake job be in your very near future with 24K miles on the clock?

YOU GUYS ARE GREAT...thank you for your time and opinions.. you all bring up really good points (on both sides) and ...yes the Carrera S is a coupe

so..I would be missing the top down option which is a lot of fun esp. here in beautiful az which is really top down weather all year. Also a good point regarding the brakes...but not much of an issue to me.

bmussati: Don't mind black interior in Arizona... I love the heat/sun! also your points are well taken.

I just thought the 997 was really temping... tough decisions...

Let me also throw in one more thing for you to consider...

If you have a lot of twisty roads or plan to track the car (DE's are fun!) then the boxster is the car with or without that rag top to tempt you.

However, if straight line performance on empty, fairly straight roads is what you love to do, then the Carrera S will be a better choice.

Choosing between two pretty girls ain't easy for a fella, huh?

I just sold an 04 C4S rag top... I also have a 05 Box S and race GT 3's... I downsized from two homes to one... and frankly the C4 lost it's spot in the garage... The Box is more fun to drive... handles better and easy to maintain.

With the 08 Box S you've got more power... I like the 997 body style and power... but the Box is more fun....

Great/hard decision... enjoy it...

It's 70 & sunny on the Monterey bay... I'm gonna have fun with the Box S...

your so right....
Ha...choosing between two pretty girls is tough :~))

I guess there really isn't any 'right or wrong' decision... their both amazing cars

upkeep might be a little more on the 997?

In AZ, most certainly the Boxster S. Top-down driving all year round is for me!

My buddy with the C4S is still impressed by my 01 S.

Best of luck!!

Well I for one woud go for the Carrera. I am a coupe guy, I love our Boxster, and I find it a fun car, but the Carrera is just a better note for my taste.
In the end the choice is up to you. Drive both, with an open mind, and chose the one you feel the best in.

Thanks Joe,

yes..your right.. year round cruising: top down, backdrop of beautiful mountains, sun, hot babes everywhere...

Boxster S is a beautiful thing

think I'm answering my own question :>))))))

If you are TRULY a roadster guy... you will come back to a Boxster after your 997S lease is up. If you don't miss it that much then you made the right choice.

If you can afford either and already have significant seat time in a Boxster , I would say go for the 997S to get the total Porsche experience. You would be in rare company as far as car loving guys go.

Personally, I have driven all the Boxsters(except the 3.4), all the 996's (except for the GT's) and a standard 997. None really gave me the urge to dump my 986S until I drove a CaymanS...and that's coming from a die hard roadster-phile.
The point being that Sports Coupes have their own draws that pull you in.
I frankly didn't see a huge jump in peformance between my 986S and the 987S (3.2). I'm not sure I would pass up on the chance to try something new for a chance at something so similar to what you already know.

p.s.
What's a 2nd hand 997S 3 year lease going for in these recession-nearing days?
Please say no more than $750.
I can't believe they make you put a down payment on a lease, that's just a back door way of raising your monthly payment. Unless you use your car for work, leases are every financial advisers worst nightmare and buying new isn't much better. I wonder which would be more of a $$$ hit (leasing for 3 years vs buying), Boxsters aren't holding value as well as they used to. But that's true of all Porsches today, too much supply and the shrinking credit market is drying up the pool of buyers. Bust some balls at the dealership they need your biz more than you need them.

To me the key, like Perfectlap mentions, is the LEASE part..

If I were to lease, it would have to be a brand new car. I would never think to lease a 3 year old car.. and in this case, after your 3 year lease, you would have returned a 6 year old 911!

I think the 911 is the "better" car and yes, "better" is very subjective.

I drove an'06 Carrera S and an '08 Cayman S last week. They are two totally different cars. I liked the Cayman better even though the power in the Carrera was intoxicating. Purely a personal preference but you can't go wrong with either car.

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "intoxicating". I test drove the C2S and the 355hp was I have to say really exhilarating.. .. what a rush that was..

But in saying that, I also agree with those that say the Boxster is much more 'fun' to drive.. and the convertable is the big thing. I not crazy about the (oval/egg-like) shape look of the 997 convertables. But the lines of the coupe seems to be really sweet.

I think the Boxster S (as convertables go) is a nicer look (except for the turbo ....but we won't go there :~)...the Boxster is fun, sexy, sporty and...my wife actually likes the look of the boxster better..

3 years will go by pretty quick and we'll see what awaits us with the 2011 Porsches.

Regarding leasing... that was a good point you brought up about 3 years from now....I'll be driving (and leasing) a 7/8 year old car. Perhaps on that point alone...leasing makes more sense with the brand new '08. I lease through my business and for me it makes complete financial sense and I benefit greatly doing it this way versus buying. Regarding monthly payments..it will be about $750-800/mth. I only had to put down $1k to order the new car. It had nothing to do with the lease. Dealer gave me a very good bottom line selling price on Boxster S. When the car comes in, I can finance it or lease it or whatever.... thats up to me. I just know... leasing is best for my situation at this time.

What a great forum this is... I have a question and within minutes a bunch of great folks like yourselves chime in with your opinions and comments. I really appreciate it.... THANK YOU

The 05 997s lease is $750? if so seems steep for a car that's probably worth what $65K now? I could be completely wrong but I thought the point of leasing a used car was to have a rock bottom monthly payment.
Man I need to start my own biz, writing off a Porsche lease? Can't beat that.

$750 is actually a great price on a lease for that car. Not sure how you even managed that. According to LeaseCompare.com that car should demand a lease price of around $1200. Most cars in that $60-70k range have leases over $1000 regardless of age. Couple examples: new Lexus IS-f at $61k is just over $1000 lease. New M3 preliminary numbers are as much as $1200 if you option it up over $65k.

my buddy has a 911 and i LOVE It... but my car and his truly are VERY different...

backseat is WORTHLESS... sit in one... it's the most awkwardly uncomfortable thing and useless for anyone over 3'6" tall

the power issue is an option, but will yo uuse that difference?

the biggest tihng is the convertible... i drive my buddy's 911 and it's fun, sporty... but it's NO comparison to top-down driving...

Yea...I like the idea of writing off my nice ride too.

Actually the idea of leasing is yes.. the write offs, but also minimal to no down payments. Save the extra cash for other investments, bills, etc...

Actually $750 is the base payment... I will be putting about $3 or $4k down (cap cost reduction) ...that and with taxes will bring the monthly nut to about $850/month. Which as the other thread stated (sorry...forgot his name) is still a great deal.

I recieved a pretty good price on the car...that, and decent residuals from Porsche financial (you'll always get the best residual rate from them on a Porsche), as well as a really good money factor (% rate). I think I got a pretty good deal all around...

take care...

Just my two cents on leasing.

Putting money down to lower the payment (e.g. 3-4K) is risky. If you total the car, the insurance won't repay that down payment but gap insurance would cover you if you didn't put anything down.

Safer to take that DP and put it in the bank, parcel it out over the lease and you have the same effect but not the risk. :cheers:

Great point..

your absolutely correct....thanks

are you able to write off your gas costs as well?

You got a good deal from Mr. Porsche because of where our economy is and where its headed. I'm curious to see where luxury brands in general are headed, I'm guessing people are no longer buying his and hers Cayennes.

Porsche Leases

I took delivery of a new Boxster S this past Friday so you know which car I recommend. And I could have bought a 997 if I wanted but had a 930 Coupe years ago. I know, they are a lot different now but I never owned a 987 and wanted to experience it...you only live once. Thus far I am happy with my decision and I am partial to convertibles!

I went from an 06 987S to an 08 997S Cab
 

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.

Yes.. you can write off Gas, repairs, maintance, monthly payments...all expenses related to car...

if you purchase....you can right off milage... which actually is not bad either... I forgot what my CPA / accountant told me, but they recently up'd the cents/mile allowance....

but again.. for my situation... leasing is best for me...

Martin J
thank you for that great review... very well put!
I love you choice in color Meteor... thats what my '08S on order is....

Best of luck with your new car too!!!