Switch from 986 S to 987 base.
 

Any body do it? If wo, what do you think? I sold my 01 S and am picking up an 07 base tomorrow for a short term lease, then probably back to an S when we are done. I would appreciate any feedback on the new base. Thanks, :cool:

Congrats, imo i would never do it

:cheers:

I say great call on the new base.....has the same if not more power than the 01 S.....better interior....my next upgrade will be the 987 s.....

Less power, slower acceleration, more weight, just about the same car, chassis wise, nicer interior materials. I'm not sure why you'd do it.

Less power? How so? 01 S has 250Hp and a 07 Base has 245Hp, only 5Hp difference. I doubt you can feel the difference. More wieght? Same chasis underneath so I can't see how unless all that nice new interior is adding to it. :confused:

5 hp is less, isn't it? Torque is down about 24 ft-lb. There's more of a difference if it's a pre-07 987. The acceleration of the 2000S is about 1/2 second faster than the current 987 base. If you look at the curb weights of the two cars, the 986S was about 40 pounds less than the base 987, of course that can change somewhat with options. The torque of the 986S will make it "feel" faster than the 987 base.

IMHO, I would never-never lease a car, unless I owned a business, and could "write-off" some of the expenses. Maybe you can.

I would save-up for the "S" and delay your purchase a few months.

Agree. That is what some people complain about s2000 :)

I had an 05 base. From practical experience I can tell you you'll have no trouble keeping up with a 986S, not a knock on the 986 series, it just is what it is.

Your plan sounds good to me. I assume you're picking up a lease-end off leasetrader or similar, so it will allow you to form an opinion on the 987 for an extended period without being locked in. I only had my base for a year before getting a 987S so obviously took something of a depreciation hit.

As far as the car goes, I think you'll love driving it every day and it will improve your outlook on life and mood as only a new car can. Good for you.

The 00+ 986 base and 987 base aren't very different in acceleration either. We're talking about minor differences in numbers, but in how it "feels" will be different.

Maybe your 986 S isn't in good shape or you're looking for a warranty, but if that's not the case, I don't see why you'd move to the newer car with less engine and take another depreciation hit. You pay for that in your lease.

Keep in mind that the SAE horsepower ratings system has been revised since 2001, although I forget the exact year it all changed over. 2004? 2005?

The new Boxster is probably being rated under the new system, and I don't know that one can easily compare between an 01 S and an 07 base.

But the torque is a good point. The 01 S will feel faster, even if it isn't.

I'm obviously biased towards the way the 987 looks, and honestly, I thought the 986 didn't feel as tight all around when I test drove them, which is why I never bought one, but it could just have been perception. But I tend to agree with the others--if you've already got one, I'd say stick with the S model, otherwise it's not much of an upgrade, other than looks, eh?

I had an 03 986 before my 05 987 and all it took was a test drive for me.. the changes are huge all around. The interior is a MAJOR step up but like a couple others said, the 987 just feels so much tighter all around than the 986. Some talking about a few hp here few pounds there.. unless you're mario andretti odds are you can't tell me the difference when it's that subtle. The overall feel of the 987 just blows away the 986 in just about every area and I have a feeling most people that have owned both series would probably say the same.

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!

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.

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!" ; )

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

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.

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

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! :cool:

congrats man, you leased it?

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.

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 :eek: have new ones on order that will be here tomorrow, and will take some pics and post them then.

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. :eek:

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.

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! :rolleyes:

"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.

It can be done, but most don't live to tell the tale. Nope I was actually refereing to Porsches. I first obtained a 914-6, and then a Boxster S. i got rid of the 986 S for a 987 that matches my 914-6!

If you put the amber turn-markers under your pillow before you go to sleep, when you wake up, the Euro-spec Fairy will have replaced them with the clear markers.

Assuming you've been a good boy.

Um I guess I'm in the minority. I bought it because it handles like a mofo in transitions, and I love the way I can point the car with the throttle (torque baybee!). Looking good doing it is just icing. On a side note, I don't want a BIGGER sports car if I can help it.

Me too. I love the way this car handles and rewards.

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.

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.