01 986S or 06 987.1 base?

[professorman]

I have a speed yellow 01 986 Boxster S that has been my daily driver shared with a few other cars for 1.5 years now. This was supposed to be my long term keeper, right around 97k miles now and I planned to keep it to 200k+ miles. I have been slowly working my way through the maintenance refresh and have quite a few of the major things done. It is definitely a head turner, even though it needs a repaint badly, with pealing paint, I still get complements everywhere I go.

I picked up a 06 987.1 Boxster base and I am in love with the sand beige interior. The exterior is silver which is not as eye catching as I want it to be. They both have similar mileage. The main downside for me is the 5 speed vs the 6spd of the S.

They seem to have around the same hp, with the 06 base claiming 245 and the 01 S claiming 250hp. The 01 is the right amount of power for me, and I have a feeling the 06 might feel a tad less especially with the 5spd transmission. My 991 has 7spd, so I like the increased gearing.

What are your thoughts? Which would you choose and why?

[Robert993TT]

I own an 986 550 SE since 2016 that I have used a lot. I’m keeping it long term. A friend of mine had a base 987 with 5 speed gearbox that had about similar engine power for a few years. Now sold.

In mine opinion the 986 was a rawer driving experience. The 6 speed gearbox more precise. The 550 SE is fully optioned interior which is a nice place to be in. The 987 is more refined. The cabin more spacious inside. The example my friend had was not that well optioned with any extended leather and so on. The 987 is also a nice Boxster with the right options and engine. I see the 987 as a facelifted version of the 986. They are similar in many ways.

As you have gone into length to fix your 986 and was keeping it long term. I would continue on that road.