981, 987, or 986? Your choice.
 

I have a perfect condition, 39,000 mile 2004 SE550. Had it since new. No issues.

I got a little restless last summer and spent time driving and considering strongly a Spyder, but decided I really wasn't ready to deal with the bikini top, since I choose to drive the 986 fairly often, at least if the weather is decent, and when I do I don't want to deal with assembling the top out in the parking lot, and I won't be tracking this particular car, I finally nixed the Spyder and decided to just content myself with my car for awhile.

In photos the 981 really grabs me visually, plumping up its rear to look a little more wedge-like, and less like the front and rear are interchangeable. Of course, I've not seen one in the aluminum.

So I'm thinking about this summer, when the 981S is readily available.

Would you:

1) Buy a 981S, assuming it drives like current 987, only a little better;

2) Buy a 987S, 09 or later, and pocket around $20k in savings;

3) Keep 986S and spend around 8-10k on it, but still save around $40k over the 981 purchase. (PSS9s, IMSb/Clutch/Guardian, possibly HRE 560C wheels.)

I would never say "money is no object," but none of these choices would be a hardship in any way.

I rarely like the looks of a new design from pics or even when the car 1st debuts & I still don't like 987 Box's, but that 981 looks really good to me so If you want to be 1st in your 'hood to sport that jump on it, but if you like your 986 just as much take a drive up Raby mountain in Cleveland & see what they can do for you! :dance:

If I had the money? 981 without a doubt.

If I still enjoyed my 986? Well... upgrade it, pocket the rest. Could always swap in a 996 engine and have fun with that. :D

After reading the latest Excellence (Seinfeld cover) where they talk about the Kline Boxster Spyder out-lapping a 997 GT3 in a Street Class event at Laguna Seca I would choose to skip the 981. By the way, they didn't do a darn thing to the 987 BS engine or exhaust. Unless there is a 981 Spyder on the way I have zero interest in the third generation Boxster if a 987 Boxster Spyder is on the table. The value is going to be very hard to beat once the resale comes down.

........981

I'd probably vote for a 987.2 base 2.9-litre and modest spec. Simple, pure, no nonsense Porsche.

The new 981 is rather vulgar and tinselly.

I thought about it long and hard. I love the way the spyder looks, it's uniqueness and it's capabilities. The options my car has are exactly what I would have ordered and would not be affordable for me even on a new base car.

I think the 986 is still the most fun to drive and lightest Boxster so I would still choose the 986.

Having owned a 986 and currently drive a 987--if money were no object--I'd go with the 981.
The looks make the same kind of splash the 986 did in the late 90's but it's a bigger car. I thought the 987 was an improvement on the 986 but it fell short in a few areas--side vents, rear fascia; the 981 styling looks like a well thought out package from the front bumper to the tail--no styling flubs because they ran out of time or ideas.
All that combined with bigger brakes, a better top and less weight means a big winner. I only wish they would have dolled out a bit more HP and TQ with the base car.

The brakes are huge on the 981!

http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/2...rDrive03-L.jpg

The newest Porsche is always the best Porsche . 981 for sure ! if they do a spyder or Gt variant of this car it will make the current spyder a distant memory. A current spyder owner would never even consider a 986 ?

You're absolutely right.

In terms of the most cutting edge technology I think you guys are right. As far as "the best" Porsche. If you have a CGT, or a GT2 I'm thinking you are satiated beyond the payoff period if not then go for it, myself I'm sure to be happy a long time, years from now. I liked the 986 every spring like it was the first drive.

For me (OP), I have to be honest: I no longer track the car, and I find the 986S to be absolutely delightul for 7/10s or 8/10s street driving in the mountains. When I spent a good bit of time driving the BS last summer I found it to be slightly evolutionary, but not at all a "revolution" in terms of driving dynamics. I'm sure it must be at 9/10s or 10/10s, in the proper setting where that difference can be exploited. But for my purposes, I didn't find enough difference to prompt me to change. Plus the bikini top was a deal breaker.

So the only real reasons I would upgrade to a 987S would be:

-- appx 2" more legroom. When I set the seat up where I like it in my car, I have knees brushing the knee bolsters. In 987, the same setting has knees 2" from dash. This is a very good thing for me on longer trips.

-- 9A1 with no IMS. (Of course, who knows what HPFP or other issues will develop because of new DI tech, but at least right now they seem to be pretty bulletproof.)

-- Could change color inside and out. I love mine, but it's been almost 8 years. :)

-- Probably some warranty left.

-- Better stereo with iPod in.

Reasons to go to 981S:

-- On screen so far it has looked really gorgeous to my eye. I think I love the new design.

-- 9A1

-- Color/interior change

-- More leg room, possible more trunk room (don't know if that's true.)

-- Probably about the same weight as 986S.

-- Long warranty period before I start thinking about expenses again.

-- Better stereo that has iPod in.

Wait until the tuner companies like Techart start to make aero parts for the new car. The thing is going to look exotic !

Fixed it for you. :p



I don't know about you guys but I'm actually doing better now financially speaking than I was five years ago, yet I don't see the sticker price on a new Porsche quiet the same anymore. I don't know if the value of other things have gotten so much better like depressed home prices and cars like Hyundais that cover all the bases that your run of the mill 3 series BMW used to, but dropping $70 to $120K on a new Porsche that is sure to lose enough value to buy an older Carrera outright make me see the newest Porsche car in a totally different way. There are just too many other things you can do with your hard-earned caysh that you couldn't think of doing five years ago.

Financially, I also can still buy whatever car that I really want and unless you really want more luxury and/or some newer car snob appeal, then I'd say staying with the 986 (and adding whatever upgrades you like) is the best move.

Money is still money and $20,000 for the small list of upgrades for the 987 seems hard to justify as does the $40,000 for the 981. They just aren't THAT much more car for the money as compared to your existing 986.

My greatest temptation isn't a newer Boxster but to move up to a 996 or 997 model. THAT seems to be worth $20K-$50K.

True, but remember, the differences between a brand new 986S and 987S and 981S may not be all that great, but in this case there are other factors.

With the 987S I'd be getting 45hp and 30-ish lbs-ft torque (to slightly more than offset the extra 1xx pounds of weight). I'd also be buying a five-year reprieve from all the things that happen to a car because of age, regardless of mileage. And I'd be getting a 30,000 mile reprieve from the things that happen due to mileage, whenever that might happen (assuming I bought a 10,000 mile 2009 or 2010.) And for me that 30,000 miles translates to about 5years also.

And of course with the 981 those parameters become 9 years and 40,000 miles.

Maybe not worth 20k and 40k dollars respectively, but still it's not as simple as just comparing the relative merits of each car when new.

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

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.

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.

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

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.



/

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.

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.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1331822964.jpg

I love the fried eggs.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cLWqMZQ1CP...6fa4d84e21.jpg
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.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1325572324.jpg

http://media.caranddriver.com/images...s-1280x782.jpg

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.

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!

Are we complaining about these headlights again?

http://www.transgressive.ca/images/elena/_DSC8424.jpg

without question, 987s, since you already have a 986s.

A base 981 seems like a downgrade

I never mentioned the base 981. Would only consider S.

[QUOTE=Perfectlap;282697]I love the fried eggs.


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.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1325572324.jpg

Just imagine this car with a bullet proof Raby 3.6 or 3.8 engine installed & a set of quality coilover's - why would you want to replace it....?
I think I would be a very happy owner, especially when I see the $$ savings against a newer model.
But perhaps I'm just old and doddery, looking through rose tinted lenses........

Nothing wrong with your eyes that is a great looking car and the turbo wheels look phenomenal on it. There are a lot of nice cars on this blog that anyone would be privileged to drive.

Ok... Make the 981 your daily driver and save the 986 for the weekends!

I'd wait for the gen 2 981 for all the new car niggles to be ironed out and a significant power increase (350 hp from the carrera engine?) or the spyder version as others have said. Currently Id still opt for a spyder 987 gen2 , its the only boxster that drives as well if not better than a cayman and looks so different to the usual "anniversary" or "design edition" badging exercises.

I can't disagree if the design is already 20 years old and still looks this good I find it hard to justify plunking down $30-40K in lost resale on a new Pcar.
Not the way the stock market is performing. Seen Apple lately from $200 to $600 in less time than my last wheel alignment.

But here's the one bad thing about upgrading the engine. It's expensive and the car will not feel THAT much faster or capable. Even if it is 350 hp, you get used to it.
And the other thing that worries after two minor parking lot incidents that still resulted in expensive repairs: in the event an actual serious accident the insurance company would only write a check for the current value. I've already have more invested in the car than I could sell it for by a good measure. If some jerk off plowed into me I'd take a $12K bath instantly and I'd be back at a strip down Boxster S needing LN IMS, clutch and other upgrades -- doing it all over again. That worries me.
I should look into supplemental insurance.

986 is and will always be the original Boxster. Decade or two and collectors/enthusiasts are chancing amber parts back to the very early Boxsters and laughing to facelifted/tuned ones.

That's just my 0,02€...

P.S. If money is not a object, of course 981 would be a real awesome daily driver :cool:

350hp...How'd you predict that?

981, 987, or 986? Your choice.
 

981 spyder, followed by 04 SE, followed by my current car, followed by a 987 spyder.

Personally now that the 982 (718) is out the 981 non spyder looks dated, and the 987 rim designs and interior just don't agree with me.

One thing is for sure though is I wouldn't make the mistake of bumping up for a 987 or 981 even in exchange for A base model over an S, I never realized but a 981 base is little more car than a 986 S. So if you're going to get a base model I'd suggest a 986 to save some money and get the most barebones experience you can to create value from the lack of power.

I think the 986 can still look fresh depending on a few things- I've had people come to my house to repair things and they think my 986 is brand new until I told em it I've had it for 15 yrs. The things that stand out the most to date the car I think are the plastic rear window, small 16 or 17" standard factory wheels and amber lights. Adding side skirting I also think helps make the car look more aggressive and modern. Put on the 03 factory top with glass, 18" wheels, litronic headlamps and clear lighting all around, and skirts, and I think it looks less dated against the 987 and even newer models. Oh, and paint those bumperettes! That being said, if I were to spend more money, I'd forgo the new 981, and get a preowned 997 cab for a different experience.

When I first got her:
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...psu95fkjsm.jpg

And later:
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...psjonbpbz7.jpg

http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...psnpltntli.jpg

Have to agree with thstone. Keep the 986 and don't succumb to the chase mentality. Unless you have ample means on the money front they are all losing propositions. As you mature in life you will discover much more important things that will require your resources over a car. Any car. If you enjoy your 986, upgrade what it needs and continue to enjoy as you pocket substantial savings that will grow. Trust me, your future self will be thanking you.