Slightly used gen 1 S, or new gen 2 non-S?

[PDX-986S]

An option to consider is a new '04 S. I bought one in Feb. '05, and found that dealers were desperate to get rid of them. I paid $46k, with numerous options (18", carrera whls, bose, xenon, tiptronic, and more).

[Adam]

Very nice buy^. Good job.

[Perfectlap]

indeed.
I just paid $4K for Litronics, Carreras(w/ Toyo racing tires). And another $3500 for an aero kit and GT3 Seats.
It adds up fast.

[rudylai]

Hi, I'm new to this forum, but also new to boxster ownership. My buying decision came down to either a new 987 Boxster with a sticker of 49k, a new 986 Boxster with a sticker of $49k that the dealer was offering to sell for 40k (I believe I could have gotten 39k or maybe even 38k), or an '03 Boxster S with 17k miles for 40k (ended up paying 39k).

I had the opportunity to drive all 3 back to back and I ended up buying the Boxster S, nicely optioned with 18" carrera wheels, heated seats, Digital Hi-Fi Sound, Cruise, Wheel Caps with Color Crest, remote, windblocker, Porsche approved.

My driving impressions were that there is very little power difference between the new Boxster and the old Boxster S. I blieve that Onad's message was that the ratios in the 5-speed made more torque available for around town driving, and I definitely agree with that. The 6-speed in the S required more shifting and spreads the torque around; I don't plan to do any in-town driving with this car so the 6-speed made sense for me.

The '05 987 Boxster felt like it had a tighter suspension than the S, though this could have something to do with the fact that the S had some miles on it and the '05 Boxster was new. The steering on the new Boxster was more direct and seemed to be quicker, but I preferred the feel of the S. The transmission in the '05 Boxster was stiffer and more precise; it also had shorter throws.

In the end, it was a very close call for me. I did like the 6-speed for driving fun, but I believe the transmission in the new Boxter was better overall. I decided on the S because it came in about 7-8k less than the new Boxster similarly equipped (without the 6-speed in the new Boxter); and it came with a Porsche approved extended warranty to 6 years/100,000 miles total.

Definitely drive both; I was very impressed with the improvements in the new 987 Boxster.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by rudylai

My driving impressions were that there is very little power difference between the new Boxster and the old Boxster S. I blieve that Onad's message was that the ratios in the 5-speed made more torque available for around town driving, and I definitely agree with that. The 6-speed in the S required more shifting and spreads the torque around; I don't plan to do any in-town driving with this car so the 6-speed made sense for me.
.

Just curious, did you give both cars a fairly good flogging or was it more of a easy cruise?

[rudylai]

I did get a chance to drive them both pretty hard. The only thing was, after we (me and the salesman) got going on the Boxster S, I noticed that the fuel light was on and I was worring that we would run out so I ended up driving it for less than 10 minutes.

The biggest advantage that the Boxster S has is that the power band is linear and it keeps building almost up to red line. The new Boxster utilizes the power that it has well and the 5-speed seems to take best advantage of the available power, but it did run out of breath as the RPMs starting pushing past 5500. The Boxster S seems to pull smoothly all the way to red line; if you don't have to deal with traffic and mostly drive on open roads, then this trait is very nice. If you drive in traffic a lot, the regular Boxster with the 5-speed might be a better choice because it's less of a chore to access the available power.

[Lux]

Stryke hit the nail on the head.

I tested both the base and S when I got my car and there is a noticeable difference. This can be objectively measured and cannot be argued. Whether you can feel the difference or not is subjective and depends on you and your driving traits. I know a Corvette owner...his car is an automatic and he drives slower than a snail. He wouldn't notice the difference between his car and a Camry.

The S might initially cost more but will sell for more used. So the $ difference between the base and S is not what it initially seems unless you plan on never selling the car. Matter of fact, the cost might be close to the same over a course of 3 years.

About the base being better in traffic: that's BS. Each gear sees the same amount of torque from the engine. It's not "spread around" between 5 or 6 gears. The S simply has more torque and better gear spacing (talking strictly 986). Check my link here breaking down the transmission ratios on post #10: http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1234

Everyone has a right to subjectively quantify things but let's keep objective facts well...objective.

BTW, interstingly I can't find any tranny ratio info on the 987. It's not on Porsche's website (?).

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