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Originally Posted by Porschekid
My main question is, do you think the extra power/prestige of the standard 911 C2 will satisfy me or leave me wanting more anyway? Has anyone had some experience with both cars to know if the difference justifies the extra $15k.
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Porschekid,
I've been lucky enough to spend a fair bit of time back-to-back in an MY02 Boxster S and MY01 911 C2, both tiptronic, and to be honest there are days when I can't understand the extra expense of the 911 and days when it seems worlds apart from the 986.
Interior wise, the 911 is a far superior car. Some things are subtle - like full door pocket covers rather than 3/4 covers - but others just make the 911 a far more prestigeous vehicle to drive. Key differences to me are full electric seats (both sides) with key & button memory, far superior stereo system (more room for more speakers I guess) and more leather where leather should be (like the dash and door liners). I know you can option a Boxster with many of these items but I'm comparing two cars that are mostly standard config from the factory.
Performance wise, there doesn't seem too much difference between the two cars. Keep in mind I'm talking about the 3.4L 996, but for most driving situations, including on the track, I don't see the 911 as having a major advantage. Sure, there's more power in the 911 (which is especially noticable from a standing start) but it's more of a handful to keep the rear end in order than in the Boxster (though the PSM on the 911 is a godsend).
The only time there is a clear advantage to the 911 in my mind is when I need to take more than 1 passenger somewhere - obviously the usefulness of the rear seats depends greatly on how tall/big your passengers are, but it's great having the option just in case.
To answer your question however, I don't think I'd look to upgrade from a Boxster S to a 911 of roughly the same model year, as I don't think it's a big enough jump to justify the money. As boggtown suggests, upgrading to a post-02 3.6L 996 would be a different story, but I don't know anything about US prices to understand how that would fit into your figures.
If you're really hankering for the power though, I'd buy the 911 well before considering an engine swap in the Boxster, and you'll get all the 911 goodies 'for free'.