Switch from 986 S to 987 base.

[JCL12]

Originally Posted by mkgonza2

I agree with ProK -- Let's face it, i don't think any of us own these cars because they're fast. At 250 hp or 245 hp, there are many cars out there ( mustangs, 3 series, imports ect..... ) that will knock our fenders off in a short race. I believe that most of us own these cars because of how they look and make us feel. If you can upgrade to a 987 i would do it in a heartbeat, the 987 looks ( in and out ) and feels much better than the 986. By the way, I owned an ' 02 and just took delivery of my base '08 with tip, and in my opinon there is no comparison.

At least for me, you hit this one right on the nose

Considering I own a 01' auto-box, I'm pretty sure just about any single sports car, entry level lux. sedan (3 series, A4, IS, etc), high end full size car, etc is faster off the line than my 217-hp slug.

I certainly did not buy my car for the acceleration!

01S vs 07 reg - 3.2L vs 2.7L, correct? Pretty much same HP, lose some torque - but at least you'll make a nice gain in gas mileage!

[super66]

phew...some reason is coming to to this thread.....I have the 987 obviously, I always liked the boxster and didn't have a 986 because when I got in it, it was too small and looking at the inside I thought, this is a porsche???

now, when I bought the 987 I was unaware of the redesign, again I liked it from the outside....I'd lost some weight and thought, lets see if I fit....and when I got inside I was like wow, I don't remember it being this nice...

so again, you are making the right choice....not to mention a 6 year old car versus brand new.....but if you really miss the 5 hp as some would suggest....then I guess don't do it.....

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by super66

phew...some reason is coming to to this thread.....I have the 987 obviously, I always liked the boxster and didn't have a 986 because when I got in it, it was too small and looking at the inside I thought, this is a porsche???

now, when I bought the 987 I was unaware of the redesign, again I liked it from the outside....I'd lost some weight and thought, lets see if I fit....and when I got inside I was like wow, I don't remember it being this nice...

so again, you are making the right choice....not to mention a 6 year old car versus brand new.....but if you really miss the 5 hp as some would suggest....then I guess don't do it.....

I don't think anyone said you'd feel a 5 hp difference, if you see that stated, please correct me.

I think the power discussion was originally brought up by you.

Keep in mind folks that the S and the base cars didn't have the same suspension settings on the 986 so comparing a base 986 to a base 987 isn't the same.

[silverboxter]

i agree w/SD. the joy you get from driving a new car is priceless. the advantages in power (perceived or not) are no comparison to the "feel good" that you get from experiencing a new (or newer) car.

i say, "do it!" ; )

[djomlas]

i would also make the switch, but i wouldn't rent it and throw away money

[Perfectlap]

The longer I own my 986S the less inclined I am to sell it. I've been a fan of the headlights since the concept car came out in 1993. that design had an edge/agrresiveness to it that is lacking in the 987/997. I guess Porsche decided to revert to the 993 classic look with the 987/997 and I don't at all care for the 993 styling. I would have prefferred seeing the Boxster move in the front end styling direction similar to the new Cayenne or the Carrera GT.
But anyhooters... with the right mods I think a 986 can look good for many years to come.
on performance, I need an increase of at least 100 HP to consider a jump to a newer model...MAYBE. I think you need to be in the 400hp realm to significantly alter the roadster experience. And that will never happen.
There is no deficiency in the power of 986S. I get from 0-100 in a snap and a quick abrupt turn of the wheel and you've got more than you can handle.

I do wish they made a much lighter BoxsterS with a more spartan RS style interior and exterior...racier without being ricier. Kinda like the 996 Ruf cars.

[Iatros]

I was in a similar boat a few months ago. I had purchased an 03S in all the options I wanted... PSM, 6 spd, right wheels, heated seats, bose, etc...

I took it in for service, and saw a brand new 06 (this is in 07) that the dealer hadn't sold. I figured I could swing a pretty nice deal for it since it was about to be 2 years old sitting on the lot in a few months time.

Regardless... I stll have my 03S, not because of price, but because of the car itself.

I had owned the 03S for about a month so had a good baseline.

Here's what my breakdown came to:

From the looks: (of course based on personal preference, these are just mine)

Body : 987 had an updated look on the exterior. However, I preferred the more aggressive look of my 986 with the rims and colored brakes and meaner looking and sounding exhaust.
+1 for the 986S

Lights :
My 986S had the halogens. The 987 had the lits...
+1 987

987 had a revamped interior which was significantly ROOMIER. However, I didn't like the "modernized" look of the controls etc so this was a tie.

Features:

My 986S is fully loaded with every option I wanted (except Xenons, but I'm installing HIDs on it this weekend). 987 was pretty stripped down.
+1 for 986S

Engine: Hands down, I thought the 986S was faster and throatier and had more lower end torque which really gave it an edge in the SeatOfThePants test.
+1 for 986S

Handling:
The 987 handled a LITTLE BIT better. It's wider, more stable... This was a tie, but I gave it a +1 for the 987


It was basically a tie for me. But then I had to ask myself. Why did I buy the 986 in the first place?

I had found a car that had every feature, every option, the right color combo, rims etc... I drove 400 miles to go get it!

So I stuck with my 986S.

You can't go wrong with either. It's a very close comparison and boils down to personal preference.

Go with your gut... or better yet, go with the 987S There's no comparison there IMHO.

Thanks for reading this, hope it helped

[P-DUB]

Wow, I am glad you guys all sounded off. I didn't get a chance to read many of these since I was out driving the new Boxster all weekend! Besides the slight lack of torque in the new one, it appears to be a better car in every way. I went with an 07, sport package-6sp-pasm-sport chrono-zenon-and so on. Let me tell you, this baby in sport mode sticks like glue on the road, and is really snappy with the throttle. Thanks for all the replies, but I went ahead and made the switch, if I can't stand it, so far that isn't the case, I will step up to the new S in 09!