Switch from 986 S to 987 base.

[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!

[djomlas]

congrats man, you leased it?

[iflyadesk]

FWIW guys, remember that peak horsepower doesn't matter as much as the area under the curve. It is, after all, kinetic energy that makes things move.

And, at least on a race track, horsepower matters far less than suspension and tires. My Spec Miata was 6 seconds a lap faster than my 02 Boxster S at Pueblo Motorsports Park despite the Porsche having 150 more horsepower.

And the interior of the 987 is an order of magnitude higher quality than the 986. I'm just waiting for the DSG before I pull the trigger on a new one.

[P-DUB]

Yep, I leased it. This will allow me the lower payments, and i never have to worry about being upside down in the thing. I go through cars so fast, it's really the best option for me. I put my 19" Rugers on it, but the rear tires are a little too small. I have new ones on order that will be here tomorrow, and will take some pics and post them then.

[P-DUB]

I almost forgot, this means I have two fresh 275/30/19" Toyo TR1's for sale in the clasified section for any of you running 19's on your 986. These only have 2500 miles on them. $ 325 shipped.

[eslai]

Originally Posted by iflyadesk

FWIW guys, remember that peak horsepower doesn't matter as much as the area under the curve. It is, after all, kinetic energy that makes things move.

And, at least on a race track, horsepower matters far less than suspension and tires. My Spec Miata was 6 seconds a lap faster than my 02 Boxster S at Pueblo Motorsports Park despite the Porsche having 150 more horsepower.

And the interior of the 987 is an order of magnitude higher quality than the 986. I'm just waiting for the DSG before I pull the trigger on a new one.

I believe we all already stated that the 986S has more torque than the 987 and yes, that's where you get all your area under the curve so i believe we're all in agreement.

As for suspension, I found the 987 be much more taught and aggresively tuned than the 986. With PASM, even more so. I'll state that I never drove a 986 with any sport suspension options though.

[P-DUB]

OK, my wife has been gone all week, so tha means I have been driving the new car! I have to say, after driving this thing for a couple of days, I made the right choice. I don't know what it is, but this car feels quicker than the 01. The 01 defeinately felt more torq-ee, but this thing actually feels like it gets down the road faster. I am sure it doesn't, but it feels like it does. If you are remotely interested in the 987 body style but can't put the scratch together for an S model, a base with the 6spd runs nice. I am sure there is no comparison to the new S, but I would say this is a better car all around than the 01 S we used to have. Try it, you'll like it!

[eslai]

"First I had none, now I have two. What was I thinking?"

Hmm. So you say you don't have the 986 anymore, so I can only assume your signature line is referring to wives.

What ARE you thinking, man!? It can't be done! It just can't. be. DONE. RUN AWAY.

[iflyadesk]

Originally Posted by eslai

I believe we all already stated that the 986S has more torque than the 987 and yes, that's where you get all your area under the curve so i believe we're all in agreement.

Area under the curve and peak torque are not the same thing. My point was not that a higher torque number will give you better area under the curve. You have to look at the entire dynometer graph. You only make peak power at a single rpm level. However, you only drive the car at that engine speed for an infinitesimal period of time. Therefore, what really matters is the collection of all powers at different engine speeds, or more accurately the height times the width. If you decrease the widths to an infinitesimal size and sum over the entire range of usable rpms, you get the integral of the power, which is energy. This is what makes the car go... not peak horsepower or peak torque.

[eslai]

I didn't say "peak" torque and I don't think people were talking about peak torque. I was saying that the 986S would have more torque in general. It's a larger-displacement engine, that's what it really comes down to. So you're right, but you're also not disagreeing with anything that's been said before.