To 'S' or not to 'S'

[steve00s]

It really depends on your driving habits and what it is you enjoy. The first Boxster I drove was a 2.5l tiptronic and it just didn't do anything for me. The S put me back in the seat a bit and was like wow. With a few mods its like really wow. But I am more of a g-force junkie. I like the feel of acceleration and the S does that while doing everything else right.

[achtung]

Life is short...get the S

[vincesf]

I would opt for getting an S if it is within your budget. Find a clean Boxster S, and you will be amazed at how great the car this car truly is.
vincesf

[pcar-yvr]

What I am really amazed with is the quality and thoughtfulness of the responses! Thanks (and do keep 'em coming).

Awesome forum you got here - look forward contributing as an owner rather than from the outside looking in.

Purchase is just a few weeks away when my wife is out of town. Pix will be forthcoming.

[Sammy]

If I had the guts I would buy a high mileage, non-S, drop a 3.4 in it and then make the appropriate mods to the suspension and the brakes. The S seems to be an off-the-shelf happy medium of what I wish I could have and what I perceive the base as being (key word being "perceive").

As seen driving with Randall and NickCats, I don't think the difference is as big as I thought it would be. NickCats autocrosses quite a bit with me and he is only a few seconds behind me which I think is primarily the difference between my R compounds and his tires. Randall, and the other base models, held their own at last years Tail of the Dragon trip.

When I originally bought my car I was looking at a base model but fell in love with the white face gauges, six speed (worthless in my opinion) and the bright red calipers.

To sum it up if I can't do what I mention in my first sentence I would probably opt for the S simply due to my perception of having more power, awesome brakes, a few styling cues, and the fact that the S is on the rear trunk.

[PWebRPH]

Thought long and hard about it myself.... went with the S.... couldn't be happier.

[Jacques79]

I have never driven a non S Boxster but I have driven a base 987 Cayman and wasn't impressed with the engine mated to the 5 speed transmission. The acceleration felt very dull.

In contrast my 2000 Boxster S pins me in my seat in the first few gears. This is probably due to the bigger engine and more torque along with the 6 speed tranny that allows different gearing.

I am extremely satisfied with the acceleration of my 2000 Boxster S, and I have owned such cars as the Honda S2000, a 2001 BMW M Coupe (315HP) and a highly modified Subaru WRX.

The price difference in the used market between a clean S and non S isn't really big...what's 2000$ more over 4-5 years worth to you? IMHO the HP difference vs the difference in price is in your favor...

You'll kick yourself if you don't get the S!

I use my Boxster S in every day city driving and the extra low end torque really helps zip in and out of traffic, along with those spirited highway runs where the engine feels like it can pull forever!