Keep 986 Base 2.7 or upgrade to 986 S 550
 

Hey all,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma here. About 6 months ago I purchased a low miles 2001 base 986 in great condition and lots of maintenance already done (IMS bearing, clutch kit, flywheel, spark plugs, spark plug tubes, ignition coils, rear crankshaft seal, cam plugs, drive belt, engine mounts, and new tires). The only thing it needs is probably a suspension refresh in the near future. I've enjoyed the car a lot and super impressed by the platform but always felt it lacked just a tiny bit of power.

I now have the option to purchase a similar low miles 2004 S 550 spyder with all options, but it hasn't gone through any major maintenance like my car. Honestly, I'm not sure whether it needs everything but at the minimum it's missing a replacement IMS, new clutch kit, RMS and flywheel. So I would have to put more money into it (in addition to a ~$4k upgrade cost after selling my 2.7) in the near future.

Question to the group here - is the 986S 550 anniversary edition worth the upgrade from a 2001 base 2.7? I get the difference in engine specs, but are the driving dynamics significantly different to justify the cost of the additional major maintenance items?


Thanks!

I'd say, you need to testdrive it and feel if you want it...

I agree with Robert about a test drive but want to add the 550 should be discounted the $4K in IMS / clutch work it needs. Is a 550 worth a few bucks more than a garden variety S? Yes, it will be the more desirable version of the bunch. 986s are almost to the bottom of the depreciation curve and a few yrs from being "collectible". The 550 will be on the top of the list of desired 986s.

And no one's ever said, "no thanks, I don't need extra hp."

I have a couple 2001s and an '04 Special Edition. I love the '04 as a clean well sorted car with just under 50k miles. If it had 150K miles and needed to be completely refreshed, I would still like it for the cocoa brown leather interior. The difference in power is noticeable and nice on the highway, but most of the 'fun' driving that I do on the street is on twisty back roads at or below 65 mph where the power really doesn't make a difference in my enjoyment. I have had as much fun driving a beat up '97 as I have with the '04 S.

At twenty years old and whatever number of miles you are comparing, I think it is more a matter of the particular car. Has it been maintained well? I take better car of mine than I do the other cars because it is a 'special edition'. Does it's condition show care or neglect? The interior leather parts are very hard to replace in the cocoa brown. How's the top? If everything is worn out, it's just another '04 S with a performance tune.

Whenever I see an attractively priced Boxster S, I have thoughts similar to sd_bxtr's. Should I buy the S, transfer some of my upgrades and then sell my base Boxster? A really nice 986 S 550 in my area would be very tempting.

When I bought my Boxster, three factors led me to choose the base over the S. At the time, there was an approximately $10,000 premium for an S, and the fuel economy was better in the base. Since I intended to drive my Boxster often, the fuel economy was a significant issue. I also didn't think the extra performance of an S would be apparent in daily driving.

Those factors are not as important now and I am thinking of an upgrade. However, I expect I will move to a different generation of Porsche when the time comes. The way I look at it, if I'm going to go through the trouble and expense of buying a different car, I would like to have something more novel rather than an upgrade of the car I already have.

My thought process is based on experience. Almost exactly 20 years ago, I owned a 1990 Miata. A tree fell on it during hurricane Isabel and the insurance company totaled it. I used the money from the insurance settlement and proceeds from selling the car (which the insurance company was happy to allow me to keep) to buy a 1994 Miata M Edition. The 1994 was a significant upgrade over the 1990 in both performance and appearance. However, it was not on the whole a different experience. I grew jaded and in about 3 years I sold it and bought my Boxster.

Everyone is different, but in my case, I think I would seek more variety in my next car rather than a better version of the car I already have. Of course, a 550 S may appreciate in value. If you buy cars as an investment that may change your calculations.

Good luck with your decision.