Help me Decide

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by Dave S.

I'd wait for the car you really want with the options that are really important to you. Took me a year to find the right one and for me that had heated seats, windstop, manual trans and an "S", in any color other than black and with a light colored interior. Also a 2003 or 2004 because I had to have a glass rear window and wanted the glove box. I'm glad I waited and got the right car.
I'd say don't buy either car and wait for the right one. There are always tons of them for sale.

No truer words. That is my frustration. Waiting. Wait for the right car, with the color and options you want. That's what I am doing. Expand your search if you can to other cities within a reasonable driving distance. Only you can say what is more important to you. New possibilities pop up almost daily.

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

These guys are right. My 2 Boxsters taught me that too. We purchased our first car a "98 Base locally. When we decided to up grade to the 2K S we took our time and finally drove 1,000 miles to get the "right" car at the "right" price. Well worth it. Patience is a virtue when shopping for this car.

[jb92563]

I just bought my black 2001 S Boxster 3 weeks ago. 55K miles, w/heated seats.

It was listed by a private seller at $15k and I got another $500 off due to the rear tires needing replacement.

There were others similar S's available for 13.5k and up. I thinking 18k is too much except maybe for the extra set of good tires/wheels included

You will never have S envy if you buy the S now. If it will ever see a track, you'll be happier with the S.

Low miles on an old car is no guarantee of good condition as engines that don't run regularly may suffer from a lack of regular oil lubrication and in a moist state like MI some internal corrosion can cause accelerated engine wear.

A well maintained and regularly driven vehicle usually has a more predictable wear rate and lifespan. 60K is fine as the thing will likely go another 60k with no issues.

[Ghostrider 310]

An engine is not the only consideration in mileage, every other component has wear. In general I'd look for the car in the best documented condition, that may not always be the one with the lowest odometer but often is. Regarding base versus S, you can get plenty of tickets and already have a powerful Porsche car offered in a base. To me the true difference is acceleration and a wider power band with the S. If you keep the RPM's up and run a 986 hard you can carry plenty of speed and pace. With an S it's easier to execute "get away from me" acceleration at anytime, you don't need a track to feel a huge difference. You will be far less tempted to go on the "aftermarket search for the holy grail of additional hp" a trip that IMO will cost more over time than just getting the S up front, of course putting all that stuff on can be fun too. As others have said, with the S it may be more desirable to the next owner when you decide it's time to sell.

PS If it's important to you I think the base drinks less fuel even driven hard, although the Spyder was around 32 mpg on the highway and traffic was running "brisk" to say the least.