S and non S guage clusters

[Lordblood]

So I went up to LA 2 days ago and test drove a few Boxster S'. First off let me say I now realize, having driven these newer model Boxsters, that either a) early Boxsters were not as well built as post-2000 986's or b) my old car was in really bad shape. These Boxster S' felt much more stable through turns, but more importantly much more planted and stable through the rain and the bad LA roads (it was raining like crazy yesterday, as I'm sure you've seen on the news).

Anyway, onto the main point here. Although I didn't find one in LA that I felt comfortable buying, there is a 2000 Boxster S in Scottsdale, AZ that has low mileage and is worth having a look at. The only issue I see is that this Boxster in Scottsdale has the gauge cluster that looks like the one from my old Boxster (although it's white and not black), however the Boxster S' I saw in LA had updated gauge clusters that had a bigger screen in the middle for a computer, plus the digital speedometer was moved off to the left with the analog speedometer. I'm wondering if this is normal for a Boxster S to have the same gauge cluster as a non-S, or if this is a different cluster that has been installed.

Also, as a side note, do post 2000/Boxster S' have shorter throws than the older Boxsters? I certainly felt like it did when out test driving yesterday, I'm just not sure if it's because I haven't driven a manual in awhile or if there really is a difference.