[jb92563]

I drove a base first and then the S and the choice was clear immediately to me, but to each their own.

The price difference these days for a 986 is no more than $2000 between a base and an S.

So for the money, the more rare and in demand car is the S. Excellent resale value.

If you look at the forum threads you will see a lot of folks looking for ways to increase the power/torque.
They will spend a lot more than $2000 for even a modest improvement, so you will save money by starting out with more hp/torque from the start if you buy an S.

In the end its your own preferences that govern and if you are OK with a base, its still going to be more fun than any other car for that price.

Also keep in mind that average operating/maintenance costs are about $2k per year. Some years it will just be tires and brakes, other years water pump, Belts, AOS. You can cut that bill in half if you DIY though as the 986 is surprisingly easy to work on for most things.