Why do I need an S and what year

[johnsimion]

Originally Posted by Stephan Silverman

I want a used Boxster and am on a limited budget. I would like to spend around $20,000.

I was told to absolutely get the S for the performance and absolutely get a 2003 or later. What do you experienced owners think? Are these important? I do like as much performance I can get from a stock car. But does the S matter that much and why a 2003?
Steve

++++++

1) If you are mostly driving to the mall on city streets and at semi-legal speeds on the interstate, or if you're out in the twisties behind an old pickup truck driving 45 mph, the base model is just as fast as an "S." In fact, an old Toyota Corolla is nearly as fast, costs less, and probably is more reliable.

2) If your wife insists on riding with you and then gets after you to slow down all the time, the base model is a better choice ... unless of course you are actively seeking divorce.

3) The dude in the next lane in the Corvette at the stop light is still going to outrace you when the light turns green, no matter which model you buy -- unless you are committed to spending several thousand dollars more to buy a bunch of speed equipment, that will void your warranty and probably make your car blow up.

4) The general public doesn't know the difference between an "S" and a base model. The base model lets you have the prestige of driving a "Porsh" for a much lower cost. Within this community, the base is the Rodney Dangerfield of Porsches.

5) If you never drive an "S," you can't miss what you never had. Ignorance is bliss.

[yelojkt]

Judging from the list of cars you have owned and your statement that the Miata was perfect just boring (which to me says underpowered) than you should go with an S. You could not mod a base to the level of an S for anywhere near the extra couple thousand you would have to pay to get an S over a base. More HP, better suspension, better brakes and more tire.

[extanker]

Originally Posted by johnsimion

++++++

1) If you are mostly driving to the mall on city streets and at semi-legal speeds on the interstate, or if you're out in the twisties behind an old pickup truck driving 45 mph, the base model is just as fast as an "S." In fact, an old Toyota Corolla is nearly as fast, costs less, and probably is more reliable.

2) If your wife insists on riding with you and then gets after you to slow down all the time, the base model is a better choice ... unless of course you are actively seeking divorce.

3) The dude in the next lane in the Corvette at the stop light is still going to outrace you when the light turns green, no matter which model you buy -- unless you are committed to spending several thousand dollars more to buy a bunch of speed equipment, that will void your warranty and probably make your car blow up.

4) The general public doesn't know the difference between an "S" and a base model. The base model lets you have the prestige of driving a "Porsh" for a much lower cost. Within this community, the base is the Rodney Dangerfield of Porsches.

5) If you never drive an "S," you can't miss what you never had. Ignorance is bliss.

very well said

[BerneseMtnDog]

For some people the extra HP with the "S" is important (although mostly psychological). I've driven both and for normal daily driving either would be fine. It's just not that big of a difference in most driving cases. IMO the biggie is to find a car with a good service history and about 50k to 60k miles or so. Whether "S" or base I wouldn't care but it needs to have a history of responsible ownership. At my age collecting horsepower isn't as much a priority as it had been 20 years ago.

As for years to look at, I personally like the looks of the 986 better than 987 but that's me. I would stay away from the 99's and older. They seem to have more problems.

Steve

[sasha055]

I did a car swap with one of my friends and here what I felt:
Cars: Mine is 2000 Base, 70K, has 18" wheels and 997 shifter
Friends car: 2001 S 55K, has a factory package with PSE (not sure what it includes) 18" wheels

We swapped cars for 2 days, both cars are daily drivers, no performance upgrades.
My impressions:
First day I was impressed! S has more low end torque (under 3k rpm) and is getting speed faster, It's noticeable stiffer which was really nice on Highway ramps, 1st gear is shorter so I didn't have to downshift to 1st when traffic was slowing down to 10mph. (with 5 speed 10mph is about 1.2Krpm which is bad for IMS)

The not so good:
- S is stiffer and it get's annoying after 1st day especially with "smooth" seattle roads.
- Maybe I'm used to 5 speed but it seems that I had to shift a lot between 2-3-4th gears it's easier with 5 speed
- S still "feels like a porsche" only after 3.5-4K RPMs, and after 4K RPMs base feels just the same (I didn't feel any difference)
- S is speeding faster and I missed that "I'm accelerating" feeling
- PSE is LOUD, and S in general is feeling louder (even tire noise)
- 997 shifter is a MUST!
- starting from a green light is kinda the same unless you rev the engine, which is fun but you cann't do it every time, clutch costs a lot.
- White gauges are very distracting

Again it's my daily driver, I don't track it so after driving S for 2 days I'm over "should've bought ans S" feeling.
My friend paid almost twice the price for his car (mine was 9k, his 17k)
Would I buy an "S" if I had the chance? YES because I'm still young and I want anything faster bigger better... would I pay more then a couple of grands for it.. definetely NO

Funny thing: my friend told me that he hates how stiff his car is after driving my base

Thanks
Sasha

[yelojkt]

Thanks sasha very well stated. You have now solidified that I will get an S. I will live with days on end of getting bounced around on city streets to enjoy the performance of the stiffer suspension on the open road, on-ramps and the track.

[ekam]

According to Mikefocke's website...

Under 2003 changes:
Base model gets same suspension as 2002 S model.

[Steve Tinker]

Regarding suspension "harshness", I found that tyre type and pressure are critical to comfort & roadholding - more so than the technical differences between base & S suspension.
Top quality tyres like Michelin Pilot PP2's with relatively soft sidewalls ride far superior on a Boxster compared to cheaper stiffer walled tyres like Khumo or Goodyear.
On the technical side of the S equation, don't rule out the value of the bigger brakes (Brembo monoblocks) and cross drilled rotors, coupled with an extra coolant radiator in the nose plus a bigger water/oil heat exchanger.
These mods alone are worth a lot of kudus & smack of upgraded "sports car" type performance above the base model......