Glad you found the one, along the same theme of your question: I always wanted an S and may buy my first new Porsche ever next year. However, in shopping on the site, if you take a base boxster, add PSE, 19" 911 turbo wheels, pdk and limited slip you are still wayyy under an S in cost optioned with only PDK. So the question is, does the base boxster currently in the lineup at 255 hp a fun enough toy. It's chasis is newer than my 986 for sure but the 255 is hauling more weight as well, what say you guys?

Stephan, you can purchase a cubby and swap it out in less than a minute. Just pop the lower tray out by pulling on the sides and then reach back and pop the CD tray out forward and replace it. Sometimes, popping off the left or right knee plate (pull toward the outside of the car from the back and it will release) is necessary.

Someone else will have to inform you on the stereo head unit swap. I think the 2002 model and up is using fiber optics (the MOST system) so a simple head unit swap will probably not work, but it's certainly doable because other boxster owners here have installed very nice audio/nav systems in their cars.

yeah, upgrade the IMS before you spend a dime on anything.

first thing I did was change the oil on my 02 S....Motul 8100...old oil was clean and filter had no particles, but I did it for peace of mind.......probably going to do the IMS with my tax return this year, already had a new clutch.

enjoy your S!!

After much study I just bought a 2002 Boxster S in Speed Yellow


Congrats ! Only real men can pull off yellow !!

Well done! Excellent choice! If you do a search here & Rennlist.com forum you will find options for stereos & ipod connections to oem stereo. :) ( It's not just coincedence that the happy faces are yellow ) :)

No one "needs" an S. However, often men with small.... oh, never mind.

The only reason I see is torque, the feel of acceleration, I'm sure direct injection makes an S a rocketship. As far as the reference, most people will tag you for that just having the keys, model is moot.

Well done Stephan, yellow is classic for a Boxster, it was my original choice but all the good ones kept getting away. Have you posted pics?

Ghostrider - definitely drive both if you are looking at the newest models. I was looking at 2009 and newer ones myself and just assumed I wouldn't buy anything but an 'S', however now I'm beginning to think the new base models might be quite nice. If you do test drive let us know your thoughts.

YOU TOOK 11 MONTHS TO BUY A CAR? Man that would have been unbearable to me. Good buy. Congratulations. You can add iPod connection to your radio. If you're driving the Porsche like you should be, you should not be on the phone - bluetooth or not! ;)

I'm sorry for the off-topic post: I have a friend who is trying to sell his '01S in speed yellow, with 61k, brand new top, litronics, etc. He's not on this forum. He's restoring a 356, so he's selling the Boxster to have the interior restored in the 356 or something??? (jk!) Just thought I'd throw it out here on this forum because he's asking an extremely low price for this car. If I didn't have one already, I'd buy it myself!

I think you went a little far with that one. It's all in how you use the car. You need an "S" if you are tracking it or trying to impress other Porsche owners. The "S" model could blow my doors off in a drag race or on the track, but so what, I don't drag race or go to the track. Personally I don't know very darned many Porsche owners who do. Many talk, few act. On the streets where I live, my base Cayman is every bit as fast as an "S" any place I drive within the speed limit. In fact, it doesn't even matter because some kid in a Corolla will always go faster than you on the highway just because I won't risk a speeding ticket. Waste of money for an "S." For me, that is. YMMV.

I'm with you on this, 255 hp used to be the S motor output, and as another poster put it how fast can you go? My 2.5 with headers and underpulley felt damn fast, seems a 2012 base should too. You can get some cool stuff with the savings too like a sport exhaust and 19" lightweight wheels, I'm thinking about this too, but will likely look for a used S, not for top end but for the feel of acceleration you should get from 320 directly injected ponies.

True. My S is just as fast as every other car doing 55, 65, or 75. No need to impress anyone but me. There are plenty of cars on the road faster than mine but, I am currently undefeated in races with Vipers, AMG's, Cobras, Z06 Vettes and Chevettes............because I don't race any of them. :)

"To S or not to S"........is an entirely personal decision, there is no right or wrong. I chose a base model because I wanted a newer, lower mileage car, at a given price point. If cost wasn't an issue, for me, H.P. is like money; you can't have too much of it!

I cant believe some people think the S rides rough....does not ride any stiffer than my BMW X3....matter of fact, with my tax return its getting coilovers! People dont realize just how quick a "S" is, from the stop light not that many cars short of a Vette will match you (and I bet you will keep up with an early C5) The top gear acceleration on the highway is amazing to me

I'v always thought this argument is backwards. for the track or autocross, the 2.7 and 2.5 engines are more than enough power to get you into the same trouble that a 3.2 and 3.4 will land you in.

For real world situations, like overtaking cars on the merge lane, getting past a minivan with some nearly 300 HP engine and the improved S brakes (same as on the Carrera) could be the difference between avoiding a near miss accident -- an insane number of accidents would be avoided if the driver had just one extra second to react. I see more benefits to the extra power and braking on the street than most realize, granted they are also great in competition and instruction.

Good point! I know if I start tracking I'll want to start with less power, probably will keep me out of a ditch :)

With higher horsepower car at the track, it's easier to make mistakes you can't correct. That's why no one is given a 500hp vette to learn how to drive.

That being said, I do like the S brakes which I ended up getting. I had to make a last second emergency stop just few weeks ago, had I not have Porsche brakes I would've rammed into the car in front of me.

I don't think the "S" H.P. would be a problem on track, even for a newbie, it's still not close to 'Vette territory. The Boxster chassis is much more forgiving than the Corvette, and you can leave the stability control on, or short-shift to moderate power application.

^Depends on which S you're talking about, 250hp is not a lot but 310hp is ... that's more than the NSX.

I guess I don't look at 310 as "big" H.P. yet. As with everything, opinions vary. :)

If you want to talk about overwhelmed, my first track experience was in a Formula Ford. Same power/weight as a new "S", but with scary cornering speeds!

drove a '99 carrera, did not feel much if any faster than my Boxster S

For all its years of production the standard Carrera didn't cross over the 300 HP mark until about 5 years ago.

The U.S. 1999 BMW M3 E36 had less power than 986S. The most a non-turbo BMW engine had ever had until 2000 was 343 HP.

I always scratch my head when people say the BoxsterS was underpowered in 2000.
Actually even now, for the chasis it's way more power than most driver's can handle once the steering is actually used.
You'll losee 250 HP in a second if you're not up to it. I'd say car like a 150 HP NA Miata are closer to the 'benign power' category.

People are always confused by hp numbers and power/weight ratio.

1997 986 weights 2750lbs ... now it's closer to 3200lbs. Gained 110hp but also 450lbs!

Wow, 97s are even lighter than I thought, I really thought the Boxsters started out around 2900-3000 even back then. If what ekam says is right then it's not too different in weight than my Corolla...

now if I could just get 201hp to the crank of the Corolla...:rolleyes:

ekam that is exactly why I was wondering how 255 feels in the base Boxster, however, I read this

Benefiting from the weight savings, the Boxster Spyder tips the scales at just 2,811 pounds. It's the lightest vehicle in Porsche's road-going lineup (176 pounds lighter than the standard Boxster S) That puts a new S under 3000 and the base too. 2987. Additionally, you can order the boxster spyder 19" lightweights and reduce rotational mass and corner weight.

Curious if you all think the S holds its resale value a bit better than the base & that might argue towards a used 'S', especially to enjoy the performance difference. Well, that's part of the way i'd rationalize it anyhow!

I have not found that to be true. They start out more expensive and you'll pay more for them. Resale percentages seem to be the same around here.

My '98 base was a great first Porsche. My current 2KS is a lot more fun because it has more of everything and does it a little better. I had both cars at the same time for about 7 months. Side by side the S out performs the base. 2 things I like about the 2.5 L base. You can not beat the exhaust sound. It is perfect, hands down. The base did get 30 to 33 mpg on the highway.

I agree, I see 5 base models for sale for every S model.

Amazing that 19" wheels are now considered optimal sizing for an "RS"

make sure you post pics in the Yellow Boxster thread...

According to the excellence magazine article they really have the suspension on the Boxster Spyder cherried out. Whether it would be an absolute waste on a base model I really don't know. If you keep the base wheels at 17" it cuts a lot of dollars off the quote. I have a taste for the turbo wheels which are $3,600 more, that's a lot of cheddar for wheels.

Found a clean speed yellow 2002 Boxster S
 

50K miles on it. Clean as a whistle. Loving it.