Boxster S vs Air-cooled 911?

[maj75]

I have owned a bunch of sports cars, but I never had a Porsche. I recently purchased a 2000 Boxster S, that I daily drive about 100 miles. It is very nice, refined sports car and I love the AC and cruise on my commute. Only complaint is lack of legroom. The problem is, I still lust after an air-cooled 911.

I could have bought a early 80s 911sc for what I paid for the Boxster. Looking for some advice from Boxster/911 owners on whether I made the right choice. Would the 911 be a poor choice for a DD? I really don't want to sell/trade my Boxster only to find I regret the 911. I have never driven a 911 and don't know anybody who has one. To me, they are the quintessential Porsche and might be the Porsche to own if you only have one in the garage...

[Pat]

I love the SCs. That said, if you're looking for a comfortable commuter you made the right choice. The SC doesn't have the performance or comfort of the Boxster. Not even close.
If your priority is style, get the SC. But based on what you are using the car for you easily made the right choice.

[thstone]

I drove quite a few older 911's when I was looking for my first Porsche last year. I didn't "think" that I wanted a Boxster because it was:

(1) not a 911
(2) the poor man's Porsche
(3) a girlie car
(4) not a 911

During my 911 search, I happened to drive a Boxster at a dealer who had one on the lot (along with the 911 that I was interested in), so I drove it and I immediately changed my mind and started looking for a Boxster.

The Boxster is everything that an older 911 should be - except that it doesn't have that classic 911 styling. Otherwise, the Boxster is better in almost every regard.

I'd suggest that you go out and test drive several older 911's and see what you think.

(Of course, I still yearn for a 911 and even test drove a 2004 996 Carerra S about two weeks ago.)

[Topless]

If you live in Florida and want an A/C that actually works, stick with a water buffalo. The A/C in an SC is beyond useless... same for the 80s Carreras. A 964 is better but not up to Florida DD demands. The A/C in a 993 is really pretty good but still a long way from the excellent 986 climate control.

This is what killed my search for a classic 911. I don't DD my Boxster but I do appreciate modern A/C on hot days a lot. A classic Porsche is a great car to own and drive but don't ever confuse it with a modern car with excellent A/C, ABS, airbag safety, modern crumple zones etc. A classic 911 would have to be strictly a fair weather weekender for me.

[Perfectlap]

Buy the 911 as restorations/investments. They will be worth a lot more in a few decades when they become hard to find or really expensive to restore. We discuss this in another thread but I see collector cars that were limited in production rocketing in value in the future. Heck American muscle cars did incredibly well during the credit bubble although I'm not sure how that market works as far as supply and deep-pocket buyers. I'm guessing they made a lot of muscle cars and they're a lot cheaper to restore than vintage Porsches.

Buy the Boxster to drive or drive hard.

two wholly different purposes and investments.

[san rensho]

Don't forget the dreaded trail throttle oversteer of the 911. Get into a corner too hot, lift off the gas and watch as the back end is now pointed forward.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by maj75

Would the 911 be a poor choice for a DD?

Yes it would be.

[morgal48]

If your DD involves heavy traffic and the possibility of rain, lean toward the Boxster. Weight transfer in a pre-nanny 911 is unlike any other car. Things happen very quickly, and with a slick road full of other drivers, you know why there are no cup holders in those cars. They are fairly easy to steer backwards, but the mud and grass that collects underneath is hard to remove. It took the dealer 3 months to sort out all the issues.

[ltusler]

Buy a Boxster roller and a 914 6 engine and trans....

[10/10ths]

...the choice is between a mid-engined, liquid cooled, roadster with ABS, Traction Control, Stability Control, two trunks, air bags, and HID lights versus an old, air cooled, non ABS, no traction control, zero stability control, zero air bags, fixed roof, rear engined, one trunk and four seats, halogen lit time machine?

Better interior on the 911?

Have you seen an '04 SE interior?

Boxster, Baby!

[DWBOX2000]

Well having sold a 77 euro carrerA 3.0 and now a boxster S, if you want performance the S would swallow the c3. I do get the sound and feel argument though. The older ones just seem to have a lot more soul. The S motor sounds great, just not loud enough. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think if you lower the 986, throw a different muffler on it and drop some weight, it probably would go a long way to adding some soul. Racing seats would be a nice touch too. If you prefer the 911 look, well there is nothing that you could do about that. Not a bad choice either way.

[10/10ths]

...oh, yeah!!!

[Chuck W.]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

...oh, yeah!!!

That is so cool....

[jdraupp]

Originally Posted by Chuck W.

That is so cool....

Chuck, do you still have your 993? Or did you cash in on the air cooled craze?

[Chuck W.]

Originally Posted by jdraupp

Chuck, do you still have your 993? Or did you cash in on the air cooled craze?

Sold it just before they took off ... I figure I lost $75,000 by not holding on to it.

[thstone]

Why choose? Just buy both.

[Deserion]

Originally Posted by thstone

Why choose? Just buy both.

I wholeheartedly agree.




If going air-cooled, a 964 or 993 would be the preferable daily driver due to the improved HVAC, power steering, ABS, and power. Even then, doing an HVAC upgrade with Griffiths parts (condenser and evaporator) or OE/OEM would be advisable along with new front blowers. Servos do fail (mainly defrost and left/right mixing chambers) and can get expensive in a hurry. Same goes for the front blowers (OE is $950, aftermarket Chinese ~$180).

That said, my 964 converted to R134a is doing a decent job of keeping me comfortable at present. No, not nearly as much as my 986, but it's tolerable. If the blowers were stronger and the evap/condenser/compressor all new, I'm sure it would do even better than it is now.

[Robert993TT]

I recently bought a Boxster S 550 Spyder as a complement to my 993 turbo. The 993 turbo is a rawer more intense experience. It´s not fair to compare the two. The mid engined Boxster is nice to use on daily basis. Easier to live with. More forgiving and relaxing behind the wheels.

[Smallblock454]

Question was asked on 08-17-2011, 06:52 AM
Answer was given on 06-28-2016, 04:29 AM

Yes, your're late, ovrTHhill.

Regards, Markus

[Frontpage]

911 vs 986....hmmmm...two very different animals. I have had my 930 since 1994 and have really enjoyed it. I purchased my '02 BS in February of this year. Reason for the purchase was because I found myself driving my 930 less and less. I wanted a more "modern" car to drive all summer long.

The 930/911 feels like a classic. The engine roars, exhaust sounds great and you truly feel like you are driving a sports car. What it lacks in creature comforts, it more than makes up form in overall driving experience.

The Boxster feels more modern and is much “smoother” to drive. I recently made some upgrades, including a top speed muffler with cat delete pipes, custom steering wheel, new wheels/tires and it feels like a different car.

My vote – Boxster for your daily driver