To 'S' or not to 'S'

[Perfectlap]

112' vs 119' is actually a greater difference than I imagined it would be (given equal reaction times). That's a much better upgrade than getting an extra 15 ponies with some intake/exhaust mods in my opinion.
My argument wasn't that the base wasn't adequate, but that you have a better option available to you and at a great value in the second hand car market.
Would I pay an extra $5-6K for better brakes? Absolutely. I consider brakes to be safety equipment. Can I afford $10K PCCB's? Let me check my stocks....err nope!
Actually Porsche have a history of running out of these before the end of a production year. So they are popular even at the price of a Kia.

[JackG]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

The base Boxster brakes have an average stopping distance of 119ft. vs the 'S' model's avg. of 112ft., vs the overall avg. stopping distance of all cars at an est. 185ft.. (source: http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/stoppingdistance.shtml ) . And this avg. assumes that the car is unloaded (except for the driver), has brakes in good condition, on dry, hard, approximately level stretches of highway free from loose material, in other words ideal conditions. Anything less, and the stopping distance increases. So, there are many times when (given differing circumstances) the Base car will outperform an 'S'.

The rest of your stuff was generally good, but that paragraph above is some twisted pretzel logic. You should have written "Anything less, and the stopping distance increases for BOTH".

Otherwise, I can claim that the base takes twice as long to stop than does the S... when the S is on good, dry pavement, and the base is on sand. And saying that, of course, is meaningless, just like your last sentence.

Put them on identical surfaces, and the S outperforms the base every time. Do it repeatedly, and it's advantage grows as its resistance to fade comes into play. Comparing them in an unequal situation means nothing.

[racer_d]

It seems once again, the S/NonS debate has split the Boxster community.. Its almost as if the BS guys need to defend their purchases. In fact, it seems the BS guys are acting towards base Boxsters just like 911 owners react to boxster owners about which car is superior

That said, the passion here shows that no matter which boxster you end up buying, it will be a great car to drive!

[JackG]

I dunno, racer... it sounds like you're feeling inadequate.

I bought an S because it was the one that became available to me in the right situation. It didn't make any difference to me whether or not it had the S on the back. It makes no difference to me whether anyone else's has it either.

The slight you seem to be feeling is all yours.

Like you said, and I've already posted as well... they're great cars. Enjoy what you've got!

[gmboxster]

LOL. I have a 1998 base 2.5l boxster and love it. I dont care what anyone else thinks about it. I drive it and no one else. If you buy a car to appear macho, what does that say about you ? BTW my 'inferior' base boxster is plenty fast enough for me and under normal driving conditions it's actually too fast sometimes.. You can get a speeding ticket just as fast in a non S as you can in an S !! Like someone else said, just be happy with what you've got. Things could always be much worse !

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

112' vs 119' is actually a greater difference than I imagined it would be (given equal reaction times). That's a much better upgrade than getting an extra 15 ponies with some intake/exhaust mods in my opinion.
My argument wasn't that the base wasn't adequate, but that you have a better option available to you and at a great value in the second hand car market.
Would I pay an extra $5-6K for better brakes? Absolutely. I consider brakes to be safety equipment. Can I afford $10K PCCB's? Let me check my stocks....err nope!
Actually Porsche have a history of running out of these before the end of a production year. So they are popular even at the price of a Kia.

But you won't get anywhere near 112' by just swapping the rotors and calipers, more like 116' or 117'. You need to do the Vac Booster and mc upgrade to come into the 112' range and in doing so, you've just added another $650 to the project.

Don't get me wrong, I believe you shouldn't have the GO without the WHOA, but not at any price, especially when the improvement is less than a car length for the $$ involved. But, I respect that others may/do have different opinions.

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by JackG

The rest of your stuff was generally good, but that paragraph above is some twisted pretzel logic. You should have written "Anything less, and the stopping distance increases for BOTH".

Otherwise, I can claim that the base takes twice as long to stop than does the S... when the S is on good, dry pavement, and the base is on sand. And saying that, of course, is meaningless, just like your last sentence.

Put them on identical surfaces, and the S outperforms the base every time. Do it repeatedly, and it's advantage grows as its resistance to fade comes into play. Comparing them in an unequal situation means nothing.

Fair enough. I should have been more clear.

[Jacques79]

Originally Posted by racer_d

Jacque my points were

1) Do you really notice the 2-3ft stoppng advantage of the S on the street?
2) Do you notice the cooling advantage of a 3rd radiator when driving on the street?
3) Do you notice any benefit to a 5 vs 6spd on the street?
4) Perhaps the Ss TQ and HP can be noticed, and is noticiable on the track when you get to about 100mph, but does the average driver discern between a 5.2 vs a 5.9 second 0-60 run? I doubt it.

I didn't say it wasn't worth getting an S. I simply said to get the "newest and best" version one could afford.

If the original poster has no intention of driving the car on the racetrack, where in my experience the base boxster has way more potential than people give it credit for, then why buy an "S"? In the 1960s, Porsche sold 30,000 912s (essentially a 911 with a 4cyl) vs the approx 10,000 911s. In the 1970s, Porsche sold 120,000 914s vs about 50,000 911s... Porsche sold another 150,000 or so 944s compared to a much smaller 911 production. For some people, even if money is not an object, having the "fastest" or "best" Porsche out there is not a requirement.

And yes, even the Boxster S is a chick car

I'm sorry but you do notice a difference between the S and the non-S on the streets. .5 liters of extra displacement and more torque-horsepower accross the powerband make it noticeable.

And someone who buys a Porsche generally can tell the difference between a car that take 5.1 secs to 60 and the one that take 6.0 seconds.

We're not talking about an 80 year old grandma who's hesitating between an automatic 1994 Tercel or a Mazda 323...

[mn box s]

So they are popular even at the price of a Kia- Perfectlap. Just to clarify K=killed I=in A=auto. Anyway Ive been laid off for a little while and is why I actually waste time on this subject. Heres my idea on fun to drive I had a 00' civic Si. I won races auto cross and roadcoarse also won car shows. I have large trophies for all. I customized every thing and not gaudy like 99% of all other ricers you see. My point is I put 10k under the hood, by a little company we will call JUN... do a search, the BEST jap parts you can buy. I could of had a turbo kit and money left and had a car that was amazing fast. Instead I did what few do build an all motor Si 1.6L dynoed @ 202 whp @ 10,000 rpm. Ran it up to 12,800 rpm on a few dyno pulls but stopped making power at 10k. License plate....... RPM 10K. This has been getting to my point. Sure I have friends with 400+ whp Bmws VWs camaros you name it, fast cars. Id still rather have mine it was fun!!! Looks that made people go whhhhat Ive never seen such a cool car. Handling and stopping that rivels Porsches. Point being= As long as you have something you think is fun to drive who cares! On the other hand I did not sell my car for a non-s. And the dealer took my 00' civic in with 70k miles on trade and cut me a check on the spot for $12,400... yes at a dealer.

[hjkim550]

I am new to this site and am very glad that I stumbled upon it. Great members and a very informative site.

I had the very same dilemma last year. I was choosing between an 05 987 vs. 04 986S Silver Anniversary. Before I narrowed the list down, I test drove many Porsches. For me, the 04 986S won out because it was meticulously maintained, drove well and had lower miles than the 05 987. Rather than worrying about the differences in hp, torque, suspension and brakes. I would invest in a good pre-purchase inspection and go with your instincts. Either of them would be a good choice. Most of all, have fun with your new purchase!

[jvmoney]

I went through this same decision a year ago. I test drove regular boxsters in my price range but I ended up coming across an 02 S a few states away. After the PPI, that decision was easy. I would recommend the S bc of many of the same reasons the others have stated...you're going to get the better suspension, the better brakes, the "S" emblem, and more power.

But overall, some other things to consider are things like does it have the right options; Litronics, upgraded sound system, etc. These are all costly things to upgrade if you decide to do it later so try to find one with as many of the options as possible. Whatever you end up with, i'm sure you'll be happy!

Just make sure to have some money left over in case of emergency repairs.

[c4s]

I've owned the box, box s 02 & 05, 911's, 99-996 (dog), 04 C4S rag top... Currently race a Box... single seat to spec... have the C4S... and the 05 BoxS...

By far the most fun car to drive is the Box S... handling, wind up & speed and no bad behavior... The C4S is a great car... but it's twice the price and half the fun... it will be gone soon... maybe a GT3 next... hopefully the same wife...