Drove a 981 'S' tonight...

[kls]

I think in many ways I'm the type of guy Porsche is designing cars for. I'm in my 60's and I love cars as much as always, and can I afford a nicer car. I read all the reviews and lust over the best handling, most powerful model - even though I will probably never put it on a track. I know the 315 HP on the new Boxster S is completely wasted on me, but knowing it's there and being able to punch it occasionally may help to keep me young. The problem is that after a couple of hours driving in my 986 my back begins to ache a bit and the noise starts to get to me. Enter the 981 - quieter, plusher, luxury interior. Others understandably don't want that, but it works for me.

I apologize to everyone on the forum for being the demographic that drives these changes, but as a kid I had to walk 4 miles to school in 3' of snow....

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by kls

I think in many ways I'm the type of guy Porsche is designing cars for. I'm in my 60's and I love cars as much as always, and can I afford a nicer car. I read all the reviews and lust over the best handling, most powerful model - even though I will probably never put it on a track. I know the 315 HP on the new Boxster S is completely wasted on me, but knowing it's there and being able to punch it occasionally may help to keep me young. The problem is that after a couple of hours driving in my 986 my back begins to ache a bit and the noise starts to get to me. Enter the 981 - quieter, plusher, luxury interior. Others understandably don't want that, but it works for me.

I apologize to everyone on the forum for being the demographic that drives these changes, but as a kid I had to walk 4 miles to school in 3' of snow....

Don't take this the wrong way, because I'm genuinely curious. If you have all of the issues with a stiff ride and loud exhaust, why are you even bothering with a Porsche? There are some really nice GTs out there with the same speed as the Boxster but coddle the driver better. You can get alot of car for the price of a new Boxster. The SLK, XK and Z4, even a used SL or DB9 come to mind. All much better at being fast GTs than the Boxster.

[kls]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

Don't take this the wrong way, because I'm genuinely curious. If you have all of the issues with a stiff ride and loud exhaust, why are you even bothering with a Porsche? There are some really nice GTs out there with the same speed as the Boxster but coddle the driver better. You can get alot of car for the price of a new Boxster. The SLK, XK and Z4, even a used SL or DB9 come to mind. All much better at being fast GTs than the Boxster.

That makes perfect sense, but inexplicably I get sucked into the reviews on the Porsches and none of the other cars give me the same rush. I think a big part of that is mental, but I really like the way the Boxster drives - at least for a few hours. Also, although I can afford a sports car, a new 981 is not on the horizon.

[WhipE350]

Originally Posted by kls

I think in many ways I'm the type of guy Porsche is designing cars for. I'm in my 60's and I love cars as much as always, and can I afford a nicer car. I read all the reviews and lust over the best handling, most powerful model - even though I will probably never put it on a track. I know the 315 HP on the new Boxster S is completely wasted on me, but knowing it's there and being able to punch it occasionally may help to keep me young. The problem is that after a couple of hours driving in my 986 my back begins to ache a bit and the noise starts to get to me. Enter the 981 - quieter, plusher, luxury interior. Others understandably don't want that, but it works for me.

I apologize to everyone on the forum for being the demographic that drives these changes, but as a kid I had to walk 4 miles to school in 3' of snow....

I understand this too. I'm 52 and struggle on the longer trips. I have both a 986 and 987. I'm probably going to get better seats for the 986. As for noise, the 986 with the top up is louder and does get annoying but once I'm off the highway and on the twisties I don't care because the top is down. I love both cars, they both have many similarities and many differences. In the evenings when I get home after work I take one out into the country and drive for 30 mins, I alternate cars and never wish I was in the other. As for moving into a more GT style car...well I drive a 991 all the time and it is too big for me and not as much fun, I'll take a little discomfort to achieve the joy of driving my Boxsters. Don’t get me wrong the 991 ‘S’ is an amazing car. If I had a 3 car garage there might also be a Cayman, probably would commute to work in it a lot.