986 S vs 996
 

So I have had my 01 996 cab for well over a month now and after many back to back drives with my 03 S i am really seeing the difference between the 2 . These 2 cars appear to be very similar but they have absolutely nothing in common. At first you notice the extra power of the 996 and the compactness of the boxster .
The boxster with the ROW suspension is tight but compliant , like a go kart you can attack corners and turns will little regard for your welfare. it feels light and steering feedback is more present . the 911 on the other hand does not feel nearly as fluid even with PSS9s you still feel the weight but it does give new meaning to "corners exits" . The 911 feels much larger than it is. the cockpit has a cozier feeling with all the tall glass that surrounds you . The 911 cab top is a complicated rattle box compared to the boxsters simple tight top. I can go on and on but my point is that both of these cars feel great and I think these 2 cars compliment each other . I was going to fork out the dough and get a 997 at the cost of losing the boxster. 996 prices have fallen to the point of boxster prices of a few years ago. so you can enjoy both for the cost of a single 997 . I highly recommend it !

I have really tried to like the 996. I test drove recently a 2001 996 but it did not come near the thrills of my Boxster 2001 base. It is somehow too smooth, too fluid. Obviously it has way more power than my Box. Other than having the occasional back seat it provides little advantage to me. If you can have both great. The stealership wanted my car plus $25k. Not a chance of that happening.

I more or less had the same impression when I first drove the 996 C2 and then the 996 Cab. I felt you were giving up a lot in the Cab. Then I drove the 986S and I was sold: if you want a drop top Porsche this is the car to drive, no contest. A bit too much understeer in the Boxster S but a hell of a lot better than the Cab and certainly better than C4S by a long way.
I later drove a 997.1 Cab and was really surprised how little it improved (front end lift on hard cross winds over a bridge). The 997.2 Cab however was a big improvement. much tigher all around but still felt like a grand touring car.

At any rate, anything 996 is a tremendous value today. This is a car that takes any weekend warrior within a couple of seconds of the same lap in a 996 Cup. That speaks for itself. And the car is not a leaky chore with expensive engine rebuilding as a regular part of long term maintenance like its predecessors. Take FloridaBill on this forum for example, he's probably up to 300K on his engine at this point with nothing more than oil changes, spark plugs and a couple of water pumps, surely there must be 996's out there with the same. The 996 is the Carrera you can drive without freaking out about how much the value has gone down with ever 10K added to the odometer, the workhorse 911.

I'm an expat in China (Shanghai). My 986 2.5 '97 with 47,000km is worth RMB225,000 on the market (US$35,714.28). Had many offer already and I keep getting them regularly. Dealer trade it at RMB150,000 (US$23,809.52).

996 here are on average RMB400,000 (US$63,492.06). Low mileage and excellent condition = MORE!

Have a go at ¡¾¶þÊÖ³µ_¶þÊÖ³µ½»Ò×Êг¡_¶þÊÖ³µ½»Ò×Íø¡¿ - 51Æû³µÍø and type the Pcar model in the to search engine. You US/CA based dudes should not complain too much ;)

For me, the reason to get a 996 was to experience a completely different viewpoint of what Porsche thinks a sports car should be. The 996 interior is larger, the engine is more powerful, and the unique balance and handling create a driving experience that is nothing like the Boxster. They really are completely different cars. Its not about which one is "better" (as if that could ever be decided!).

I want to live and feel the full range of the Porsche driving experience. This is also why I also bought the 944 Turbo - another completely different view of what a Porsche sports car could/should be. The Boxster is incredible but its just a single iteration of the Porsche viewpoint. Porsche front engine vs mid-engine vs rear engine - I can walk out to my garage and experience the difference daily. When one of my friends wants to debate some aspect of these designs, we pull out the car and go drive it! Of course, next on my list is to own an old 911 so I can experience the Porsche air-cooled viewpoint and everything that goes along with it.

Additionally, we are living in an age where decent examples of various generations of Porsche sports cars are well within reasonable financial reach ($10K-$15K each). For the price of a new 981 (or BMW or Merc), you can own your own personal Porsche collection. I like to call it the "High-Mileage DIY-Repaired Porsche Drivers Collection".

Last, there are some great deals on 996's out there (<$15K), you just have to look. Here is a link to my $10K 996: http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/44227-986-wrecked-got-996-today.html

The 911 is a harder car to drive faster . I think it takes quite a bit of time to figure out the rear engine nuances . The boxster is a car that you can just jump in and go . I must say I have been having a blast driving this 996 . You really need more than a 10 minute test drive. I find it amusing the different responses you get from boxster owners who never drove a 911 as I was one of them until recently and 996 owners who know very little about the boxster.

This. Both communities are highly biased (although I think the 911 crew moreso).

As a community, the 911 folks tend to modify their cars more. For example, a high percentage upgrades their suspensions.

How many old 911s are on their original suspension (very few).
What percentage of 986 Boxsters? Most.

Imagine how good a 986S can be if you were willing to upgrade a few things?




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^The bias of (some) 911 owners is one of the highest on a inter-brand basis. I'm really surprised how many times I've heard folks say "have you thought about upgrading to a Carrera?". My internal reaction to that has always been "why would I want a grand touring?". I'm after a roadster, a wholly different kind of car. It's amazing how Porsche's marketing department were able to get people to forget that sport car categories actually mean something. For instance I'll hear someone say "I upgraded to a GT3 from a Turbo Cab". Again, one is a track tool the other is plush highway cruiser. How is that an upgrade? An upgrade is a GT3 to RS, or a Cayenne base to Cayenne Turbo -- and not about crossing categories. I'm not sure if this 'blurring' of sports car classes exists with enthusiasts from other brands but it makes me wonder if the typical Porsche owner really is a sports car driver or more an image-chaser.

When I sold my old car the buyer from South Florida looked at my Boxster S and said "you know I considered a Porsche but down there people say 'oh you have that Porsche but you don't have this or that more expenisve version' so I didn't bother at all". LOL.

This is so true , after hanging around on the 911 forum I find they wrench much less on their own cars vs 986 forum members and this lack of knowledge really shows how little a lot of them know. I told a member that the 986 S has the same brakes as a 996 c2 and he thought that was not possible .

The air cooled guys do mostly their own wrenching and it is mainly suspension related, the guys I have gotten to know are great and would do anything to help another member out. I have yet to meet one who I would consider snobbish in any way.

From what I have seen over the past couple of years (and this isn't a jab, I know many are sensitive here) there is rarely a reason to get into the motor, not kidding. I had delved fairly deeply into both of the Porsches I have owned, my 1996 993 is built like a freakin tank compared to the '02 Boxster S I owned for 6 years, absolutely no comparison.

Regarding the upgrade it is simple (regardless of whether the car suits your needs); in Porsche terms, or any other make I can think of, when you spend more money you are upgrading.