981, 987, or 986? Your choice.

[97 Boxster]

I will stick with my 986. Love the new Boxster but every time I wash mine I like it more and more.

[fatmike]

NoGABiker - Sounds like you have the bug. Something to keep in mind is the styling of the new Boxster is different enough that both of the older models will start to look dated. Especially the 986.

If you are going to upgrade, I think the new one is the way to go. It's certainly worth a test drive.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by fatmike

NoGABiker - Sounds like you have the bug. Something to keep in mind is the styling of the new Boxster is different enough that both of the older models will start to look dated. Especially the 986.

I'm not sure that's true.

I think the 986, at least the original pre facelift car with ambers is already past the point where it's looking more and more dated.

It's now looking more and more 'period' and the new 981 only accentuates that. It also helps underline the purity and simplicity of the 986. The 981 is very fussy by comparison.

I think the only Boxster the 981 really hurts is the 987.2. It's no longer the current body shape and for those who want that and will pay a premium for it, that's a major demotion.

[fatmike]

Originally Posted by pothole

I'm not sure that's true.

I think the 986, at least the original pre facelift car with ambers is already past the point where it's looking more and more dated.

It's now looking more and more 'period' and the new 981 only accentuates that. It also helps underline the purity and simplicity of the 986. The 981 is very fussy by comparison.

I think the only Boxster the 981 really hurts is the 987.2. It's no longer the current body shape and for those who want that and will pay a premium for it, that's a major demotion.

I think we agree. The 981 is not a minor style change. It's significant. By comparison, the 986 and 987 basically look the same, so the 987 will be lumped in with 986 and will be perceived as "dated" too.



/

[johnsimion]

Such decisions rarely are made on a purely rational basis. If you aren't taking the car to the track, ANY one of these cars provides performance FAR beyond the humdrum of daily transportation and would be fully capable of earning you frequent speeding tickets. It all comes down to how much you like the styling, how much you are itching to make a change, and how much cash you have burning a hole in your pocket.

If you have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket, and if you really like the new styling, get the 981. It's definitely cool to own the latest thing with a full warranty. It's a little uncool because you know darned well the dealer is going to gouge you for every cent they can. Who cares if you have the cash. You can always make more. So, do you have the cash sitting around to make it happen?

If you are just itching for a different car with a warranty, or if you like the older styling better, maybe the 987 would be a nice compromise. Getting a 2009 or 2010 might get you a vehicle with a warranty and no IMS to go bad, and ought to cost a lot less because the first owner took most of the hit on depreciation, and the depreciation will only get worse with a brand-new model out there on the streets.

Also I think it kind of matters who you hang out with. If they are all Porsche guys, then you'd want the latest thing in the "S" model to have some respect. If all your friends and family drive Hyundais and Buicks, then ANY of these cars will always be a "Porsch" and they will think you spent $100K whether you actually did or not.

Financially your best bet would be to keep your 986; however, if you are concerned at all about finances, spending a bunch of money for "upgrades" to your 986 would be throwing your money away. You would be better off financially to just do all proper maintenance and use your existing 986 as much as possible. The $10K in "upgrades" could be kept in the bank for a down payment on a new car in a couple of years.

But again, these decisions aren't made on rationality, it's whether you have the uncontrollable itch and the cash to make it happen.

[Ghostrider 310]

I don't think the 986 looks dated at all, I just saw a stock 986S ten minutes ago with TT wheels it still looks great. The simplicity of the lines of the 986 are beautiful in their own right. If there is anything I like to see updated on the 986 it's the jump to litronics. Otherwise the 986 headlamps called fried eggs don't look like eggs to me, they look like they designed them after this dude's eyes.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Ghostrider 310

I don't think the 986 looks dated at all, I just saw a stock 986S ten minutes ago with TT wheels it still looks great. The simplicity of the lines of the 986 are beautiful in their own right. If there is anything I like to see updated on the 986 it's the jump to litronics. Otherwise the 986 headlamps called fried eggs don't look like eggs to me, they look like they designed them after this dude's eyes.

I love the fried eggs.


http://www.automotorblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Porsche-911-GT1-3.jpg


Growing up I was never a fan of the VW beetle and to see those round lights on a 911 or 912 seemed really weird to me. The beetle was the car no one wanted to be seen in but the 911 was? confusing. In the early 80's I much preferred the more forward design of the 944 and 928s. When the GT1 came by with its fried eggs I had the same reaction as many people have when they see the new 918. A totally new direction. Someone in the design studio decided to start thinking about the future.

At any rate below is a 2000 986. Like any 996 or 997 the extra treatements like at least 18" wheels, aero, interior upgrades keep the car looking current and not no-frills dated. I think its really amazing that this design is pretty much the same thing that landed in Europe in 1996, some 16 years ago and still looks current.
Put it this way, if in 1993 when the Boxster ws unveiled you'd a parked a car from 16 years earlier, or 1977, next to it you couldn't say it looked current. Maybe a classic but not contemporary.

look how similar the height of the front hips are from concept to the 1996 production. The lines of the front bumper, door outline, the rear fender hips.





I mean if my car were parked next to the concept car in Porsche Museum you'd have to say they did pretty good job of both coming up with a design that would stand the test of time and one that was close to the production model. They just goofed in 1996 by offering in just too stripped down a trim.

[NoGaBiker]

Originally Posted by johnsimion

Such decisions rarely are made on a purely rational basis. If you aren't taking the car to the track, ANY one of these cars provides performance FAR beyond the humdrum of daily transportation and would be fully capable of earning you frequent speeding tickets. It all comes down to how much you like the styling, how much you are itching to make a change, and how much cash you have burning a hole in your pocket.

If you have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket, and if you really like the new styling, get the 981. It's definitely cool to own the latest thing with a full warranty. It's a little uncool because you know darned well the dealer is going to gouge you for every cent they can. Who cares if you have the cash. You can always make more. So, do you have the cash sitting around to make it happen?

If you are just itching for a different car with a warranty, or if you like the older styling better, maybe the 987 would be a nice compromise. Getting a 2009 or 2010 might get you a vehicle with a warranty and no IMS to go bad, and ought to cost a lot less because the first owner took most of the hit on depreciation, and the depreciation will only get worse with a brand-new model out there on the streets.

Also I think it kind of matters who you hang out with. If they are all Porsche guys, then you'd want the latest thing in the "S" model to have some respect. If all your friends and family drive Hyundais and Buicks, then ANY of these cars will always be a "Porsch" and they will think you spent $100K whether you actually did or not.

Financially your best bet would be to keep your 986; however, if you are concerned at all about finances, spending a bunch of money for "upgrades" to your 986 would be throwing your money away. You would be better off financially to just do all proper maintenance and use your existing 986 as much as possible. The $10K in "upgrades" could be kept in the bank for a down payment on a new car in a couple of years.

But again, these decisions aren't made on rationality, it's whether you have the uncontrollable itch and the cash to make it happen.

A well reasoned post. Your middle paragraph is a very true one; we tend to think in terms of how we're doing compared to the next guy. Fortunately, most of my friends are either car guys with Miatas or C6 or C5 Vettes, or they are not car people at all and drive the requisite SUV.

In my 'hood, however, everybody has a fancy car, i.e. F458, Bentley GT and GTC, AM DB9, SL63, SL550, and countless Benz and Bimmer sedans and SUVs are all living on my little cul-de-sac alone. But I don't hang out with any of them, so I don't care at all.

The reason I would keep the 986 and spend 10k on it is that, believe it or not, it's a sound financial decision. Sure, it's wasted money from a resale perspective, but if it gets me excited about the 986 again, excited enough to keep it another 3 or 4 years and really enjoy it, then it just prevented me from spending nearly 80k (including taxes) on a 981 out of unreasonable boredom with the old car. :ah:

Anyway, I'm glad I've got lots of time to chew on this. I bought my leftover SE550 in Feb 2005, 2 weeks after the 987 came out, so even though it was new, it was already a generation old! So I'm a little turned on by the thought of getting a Porsche that is actually at the front of it's model's age curve. I've never done that!

[Jager]

Keep the 986 and buy a new 981. Make the 986 your daily driver and save the 981 for the weekends!