986 vs 987 Appearance

[drburton]

I have noticed that in several previous posts, many of the 986 owners are very vocal about the fact they don't like the look of the 987 or at least prefer the look of the 986. I find this interesting, since most car magazines etc.. prefer the new look even though the changes are subtle - more aggressive, bigger wheel wells etc...

So, I would just be curious to get some insight on why the 986 is better looking than the 987. I realize this is largely subjective, but am still interested in a response.

For me, I love both models, but if I have to make a choice I'd go with the 987.

[Finallygottaporsche]

its just personal opinion. i bet most people that prefer the 986 drive one too. to me the 987 looks better in person than in pictures. i have a 986 but I like both. if i had to say wich style looked better, i would say 986 but by a small margin. i definately do not see anything wrong with the 987 design.

by the way...

who cares what someone else thinks about your car!

[Porschekid]

I'm not a big fan of the smaller taillights or the new side intakes but I think they did a better job on the retractable spoiler and i'm on the fence about the headlights. I think the 987 does look newer... but i'm just a little partial to the 986 lines and curves. It's not exactly a dramatic change either way.

[Brucelee]

I dont like the wheels on the 987. I think the body changes made the car look fatter and not in a good way.

IMHO.

[nastyboxster]

I parked right beside a 987 the other day. The lines and curves on the 986 stands out more than the 987. Haven't driven one and don't want to since I might have to get one if I drive it. From what I've heard, the 987 drives a lot better.

[markk]

987 lines are indeed more aggresive. Put a 986 en 987 next to eachother and the difference is clear.

I personnaly like the exterior of the 987 better.

Interior is a different ballgame. To me the 987 interior is very ugly, even in full-leather trim. Don't like it at all. Please provide me with a 986 interior with some nice alu or carbon trims and its great.

Standard 987 default (S) exhaust is great compared to the standard exhaust on the 986. Engine is better pulling as well but not as much as I expected. 987 PASM and sportsetting for pedalresponse is very nice too.

So please give me a 987S with 986S interior, PSE and PASM :-)

I drive a 986S with PSE, sportsuspension and 18" GT3 (sportdesign) wheels by the way....

Mark.

[mach schnell]

from the front or slightly angled side/front, the 987 has a more aggressive appearance. there's a lot of wheel well though and that never makes a car look good! a lowered 987, especially with Techart sideskirts is very spaceman spif!

the rear end of the 987 looks thin (girly, maybe) - especially with the top up - whereas, the 986 has a thicker overall appearance. the cayman, with the sloping hard top seems to fill out the rear end (especially on side view) much better.

i agree that the sidevents need some help - especially as a mid engine car, i might think that air intake and aggressiveness would be greatly improved if the airvents stuck out more - like they do on the new 911 turbo!

i like the interior of all the new Porsche's - very refined, pure and streamlined. things previously - 911 or 986 were bulky and GM ish!!!!

as has been the discussion here before - the rear wing is just strange - but then again, german's have always had greater innate sense of function over form! it'd be great to see somebody like Techart or RUF attempt a retractable whaletale design in the place of the existing "mini-wall" that pops up

at the risk of offending some out here (which is not my intent - this is only mere observation) - i think the 987 line achieves a positioning point for Porsche that the Boxster is a comparable and competitive beast (maybe this is aided by the now existence of the Cayman with similar lines...), whereas the public may view the previous boxster as - oh boy, here we go - the poor man's porsche.

[eslai]

It's almost always the case that owners of a certain make of car dislike the way the new model looks. My second-gen eclipse is 10000% better-looking than a third-gen eclipse. Ask any second-gen owner!

Since I took the F360 on as my dream car, the F430 will never live up to its perfection, in my head at least. Not to mention that the F430 is ugly, of course.

The more I look at the 986 interior in different shades, the more I think it looks less cheap. I saw a picture of one with cocoa leather and faux-aluminum trim inside and was quite impressed. The 987 interior is a big step up in my opinion, other than the jarring oval vents.

But honestly, the reason I like the 987 the most is the curving exterior and the fact that I really just never could get used to the 996 and 986 headlights.

[Porschekid]

Now, I WOULD take the looks of a 987 RK Spyder over a 986...

[70Sixter]

I had thought and hoped the 997 would diverge from Boxster headlites. Just as many 911ers wanted a difference, so did I. I like the fried egg look and would have been happy to keep it.

The side vents are not right yet. Too small on the 986, too pointy on the 987. And I'd have to paint them body color.

Wheel well lines on the 987 don't do it for me either.

And I thought I was the only person in the world not to like the 987 interior better. The vents and steering wheel are off-putting to me.

That said, I'd buy one were I in the market. It is a wonderful car and truly beautiful in person (as someone already said) and better in sooo many ways under the skin.

There are 356, 356A, B,C, and SC fans and 901, 964, 993, 996 and 997 fans. I'm glad for the differences in the cars and in the people who love them.

[Perfectlap]

Yeah I was hoping for a more aggresive front end for the 997 and 987.
The turbo headlights would have been spectacular for the 987 or some progression of that look intstead of going retro with 997 and Japanese-like with the 987.
Now the 997 looks like it would have come before the 2002-2004 911.
Really wimpy I think. But then again before the 996 I was never a fan of the 911
I was thought the 928 and 944 were futuristic while the 911 looked a glorified VW.

As for as the Boxstoro
I would go with everything else on the 987 exterior except for the side intakes that look a bit MR2 like. Would have prefered something like on the 996 Turbo.

But its performance that matters and the 987S is definitely a step in the right direction.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Without getting into too long an explanation, to me, the 986 looks like it was penned by an Artist, while the 987 looks as if it came from a CAD Program. The differences are subtle to be sure, but flowing Curves have been replaced by Angles, etc. Perhaps all this results in the more Agressive look others have mentioned, but to me, it is just not as appealing to the eye. I also don't care for the new wheels and I think the 986 Interior, though maybe of lesser quality, has a warmer feel to it. Just my humble $0.02...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99