2.7 liter vs 3.2 S-type?

[Petermcd]

Ok one last question before I become an owner. Reading the posts here and talking to a few people has lead me to believe I should only be looking to buy a Boxter S because of the bigger engine and better resale value. But yesterday I drove a 2003 Boxter with the 2.7 engine and it was far from a dog. A lot of fun in fact.... and low miles. It seemed to have a smoother ride than the test drive I did in a Boxter S which was fairly bumpy and a hard ride in comparison.
I would be curious as to opinions either way. If you were buying a Boxter today which would you be looking for?????

I understand the suspension is very adjustable so could the Boxter S suspension be toned down to make it more comfortable for long rides????


Thanks much for input. I can't wait to put some money down but don't want to regret that I bought the wrong one 3 months down the road....

[JP308]

With the same wheel size, the S vs non S should feel about the same just faster My guess is you were comparing 17 inch vs 18 or 19 inch wheels on the S. I did the same as you before buying and opted for the S with the 17 inch wheels. Very happy with the S and 17 inch wheels.

[gdalby]

Agreeing with JP, if you had different wheel sizes it would make a difference on the feel of the ride. Also, consider the tires that are on each one as condition and quality of your tires will make an impact as well. Honestly, there should be no difference in the feeling of the ride between a regular and S version.

Now here is my opinion on the matter. The standard Boxster is still a fun car, and has a good amount of get up off the line. However, you can generally find an S version for a comparable price in the same condition from what I have seen, especially in todays economy. The S version also has plenty of upgrades that vary from year to year that you will want to compare for yourself and decide if it's worth it. For me personally, my 02 S was worth the bigger engine, painted calipers (vain, I know, but you can't deny!), and other various small improvements that I had to pay only about 2k more for a standard Boxster in the same condition. Finally, I really enjoy having the six speed. Especially for long highway drives, it's nice to pop it into sixth and just sit back and hear your engine purr.

All that said, buy the car which has the features you want and the best condition that you can afford. If the standard Boxster has all you want, by all means save yourself some green. But if you think you will miss some of the features the S provides, do yourself a favor and avoid buyer's remorse down the line.

[tommy986]

I think the Boxster S brake upgrade is more than just painted calipers. The brake calipers are bigger and the discs are drilled and bigger than the base model. This translates into better performance braking, especially for agressive driving and track days.

The torque of the 3.2 motor is nice to have too.

[cubbyno9]

Hi, again thanks for all contributions.
The one thing that I know that will bug me is the thought in the back of my mind, "I should have bought a 3.2" I totally get the point that the 2.7 is fun and will charge along with great gusto but I know at some point when I am charging through Glen Coe I will like a wee bit more.
My wife is now asking if I can make sure it's a Tiptronic, trying to ignore her but it's hard work.

A couple of calls tomorrow regarding a few cars so fingers crossed.

Craig

[mikefocke]

a '99 2.5 litre and a '01 S 3.2 litre.

And the 2.5 was more fun. Why? Because you had to be a better driver to get the same performance out of it. And you could stand on it longer without getting into trouble.

I totaled my '99 and the insurance proceeds were enough for the S. I'd rather have the 2.5 back.

My web site does have a list of the differences by model and model year for 986 models you may find useful.

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/modelyeardifferences

[kls]

I own an 04 Boxster 2.7 and often wish it were a S, but oddly enough I never have those thoughts while I'm driving it. It has enough torque to allow me corner as fast as I'm capable, and I never feel underpowered. If I were getting another one I'd look for the best deal on the best car I could find, base or S, and inexplicably hope that it was an S that I found.

[23109VC]

i have a 2.7. I love my car. I find myself sometimes fantasizing about an "S", but like the other person said - when I'm behind the wheel of my 2.7, I'm as happy as can be.

one thing to consider - options on these cars create VERY big differences in what you get for the money. My base model (when new) cost about the same as a "base" S model b/c my "base" was so loaded with extras.

there are wheel packages, suspension packages, paint upgrades, etc etc etc etc. unlike a lot of Japanese cars where you have very few choices in terms of options - on the Porsche - it seems like everything is an option/ a la carte.

one thing I really like on my car is the full leather interior. you don't need it - but it sure makes the car feel richer/nicer inside. my buddy has a 996 carrera with the standard inteior, and I've been in other boxsters that have the "basic" interior and the door covers, dash, etc all have a plasticy look to them. my car has leather covered on everything - teh door skins, the dash, with offset colored stitching...it really looks nice. when i get into a porsche w/out it, i realize how"cheap" the inside of such a GREAT car can look!!

my car also has the M030 suspension option - which makes the suspension on my "base", along with the 18" wheels - probably stiffer and better handling than the average boxster "S". i test drove other base boxsters before this one and it was VERY apparent that this car was stiffer and handled much better. those two options, ,to me, make my car a lot more fun to drive and a lot more fun to be in.

i didn't get red calipers as my car is a base. so for $50 i painted mine with the G2 ssytem. it looks almsot as good as what you get from the facotry on an S to me.

test drive a lot of them, see what YOU like and what makes YOU happy.

a bigger motor and m ore torque are soething I woudl love to have....if I were to buy another boxster and budget wasn't a facotr, of course i'd get an S.

if you hae to pick/chose and price is an option and y ou cna't have "it all", then decide what is the most important and look for it. be patient. there are a ton of used boxsters out there, the market is in y our favor. be patienta nd in the end you will be happy. i f you rush you will be sorry.

[E Kaplan]

I have a 2.7, 2000 and also love the car. The car is fast enough, but I do think you will be able to feel more torque with the S. I actually prefer the black face on the gauges compared to the white. You'll like either car. All this being said, if the price of a comparable S is only about a grand more, get the S.
Eric

[litteng]

all good comments based on perceived need for performance. my perceived desire was to drive a porsche,

i also wanted the newest car i could afford, and up here in canada, S's are not as common, (mostly due to the much higher asking price even when new)

everyone who has had a ride in my 2.7 walks away satisfied, the car is comfortable and a thrill to drive, there will always be faster cars out there, but i don't care because i'll just enjoy and be thankful for what i have,

so in my opinion having an S is not necessarily better, there are other criteria which need to be considered such as fuel cost, insurance, etc...

when the weather is nice, it sure is a nice way to get around ...

[Finnegan]

I was in the same position, and thought I would have to find an S. But, an insanely low mileage, highly optioned '04 base appeared and I bought it. I could not be happier! Good luck with your search.

[Ben006]

True ! I tought you had to unzip it like on a NA miata, I got it now ^^

[dghii]

I've had both at the same time. I enjoyed driving the base car ('98) and never felt like it lacked performance.....
....unless I went back to back and hopped in my 2000S. The S just feels like it deliveres power effortlessly.

[Shackleton]

Not to rekindle this tired old debate.. but I'm dropping this here (first post!), an overlay of the 2004 Boxster Base (2.7L) and 2004 Boxster S (3.2L) dyno charts.. as eyeballed from Porsche's own plot in the Owners Manual:



I was surprised such a chart didn't already exist, but maybe I just didn't search deep enough. Anyway, hopefully a helpful visual aid in the spirit of qualitative comparison. The raw numbers here are not very precise, obviously.

Picture's worth a thousand words, but here are a couple observations: If you can't feel the difference the extra bore makes, you're not paying attention.. at least 10% more torque everywhere, widening to nearly 20% more around 5000 RPM. That being said, if you're not living in the top third of your S model's rev range, you're really no faster than a Base model driver who's happy to make extra downshifts and flirt with the redline.

[mikefocke]

Driven cars with 25 HP and 400+. Most fun ever in a mid-engined car was in a 85 HP 914. Yes there is a quantitative difference in power, but the grin is the same.