Opinion 2003 s or 2005 base? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

xamfed · 02-22-2011, 11:24 AM

I am still trying to find the right car, and stumbled across a great deal on a 2005 Base. I am now not sure which is the way to go. I know I will love a 2003 s, but will i love a 2005 base? Car will be my DD, it will see occasional track time doing DE and autocross. There will be no upgrade money in my budget for at least a year.

ChrisZang · 02-22-2011, 11:29 AM

I vote for the 2003S

thstone · 02-22-2011, 11:48 AM

I'd also vote for the '03 S (all other things being equal).

The add'l power is nice to have and the S models have several other nice to have's like sportier suspension and probably 18" wheels which will help in your DE's and autox until you have some money for upgrades.

Johnny Danger · 02-22-2011, 11:51 AM

Regardless of what iteration you're looking at, I strongly recommend the "S" version .
By the way, most people aren't aware of what the "S" actually stands for . Its an abbreviation for "schlypfrig affe".

laphan · 02-22-2011, 11:58 AM

Whichever has better condition and lower miles.

With 2003S, you can be sure that you can upgrade the IMS cheaply with LN IMS. With 2005 you don't know which bearing that car have (larger one with 3rd revision or smaller same with the 03S). Both car can be affected with IMS issue.

2005/987 has more modern interior design and more refined than 986 cars.

lifeisgood · 02-22-2011, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Regardless of what iteration you're looking at, I strongly recommend the "S" version .
By the way, most people aren't aware of what the "S" actually stands for . Its an abbreviation for "schlypfrig affe".

Meanning.....

chris97boxster · 02-22-2011, 12:52 PM

Going to mean something like greasy monkey
but another website used the word ape and slippery
all things being equal
I'm thinking "Raped Ape" is the slang we would use here
Am I close?

Chris

Johnny Danger · 02-22-2011, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris97boxster

Going to mean something like greasy monkey
but another website used the word ape and slippery
all things being equal
I'm thinking "Raped Ape" is the slang we would use here
Am I close?

Chris

According to my sources at Porsche Headquarters in Germany, the "S" stands for "saucy monkey" . Apparently, this type of encryption goes back to the early beginnings of the enigma machine .

husker boxster · 02-22-2011, 01:36 PM

Back to the topic, drive both and decide which one you like. They're different in a lot of respects - interior being the biggest difference. The 987 is more sophisticated and the 986S is more sporty. As a DD, which is better for you? There's not much difference in HP between a base 987 and a 986S (about 10 HP more in the 986S). Basically it comes down to what you like, which one meets your needs better, and which one has the better history. You're the one forking over the bucks.

jwade · 02-22-2011, 04:09 PM

Go with the 2003 S and have fun! Wouldn't even think about the standard version...05 or not....

Also, 05's were not so hot on reliability for some reason...

urban_legend · 02-22-2011, 04:29 PM

Have no idea where it came from - but kind of catchy.

xamfed · 02-22-2011, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laphan

Whichever has better condition and lower miles.

With 2003S, you can be sure that you can upgrade the IMS cheaply with LN IMS. With 2005 you don't know which bearing that car have (larger one with 3rd revision or smaller same with the 03S). Both car can be affected with IMS issue.

2005/987 has more modern interior design and more refined than 986 cars.

I thought it was the 06 that had the newer engine.

xamfed · 02-22-2011, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwade

Go with the 2003 S and have fun! Wouldn't even think about the standard version...05 or not....

Also, 05's were not so hot on reliability for some reason...

Thanks, now if I could just find a 2003 for the correct price.

WhipE350 · 02-22-2011, 05:06 PM

Once I drove an 'S' I knew no matter what year I buy as my second boxster I will always be an 'S' guy, however these are my second cars, not daily if I don't want them to be.

I get the feeling you really like the 2005. I prefer the seat comfort in the 986 2000 to 2003, not as stiff. The interior is much more modern on the 05 but for some reason doesn't excite me, though the 986 is kind of outdated. I have a 2000 's'. What type of mileage are on these, how many more thousand $ is the 05?

Can't go wrong either way! Sure you'll be happy.

laphan · 02-22-2011, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xamfed

I thought it was the 06 that had the newer engine.

Here is the quote from LN website:

MY02-05 will need a single row retrofit kit, although depending on how late the build date was, there may be some MY05 vehicles with the updated M97 IMS, which is not serviceable, at least without teardown of the engine.

xamfed · 02-22-2011, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipE350

Once I drove an 'S' I knew no matter what year I buy as my second boxster I will always be an 'S' guy, however these are my second cars, not daily if I don't want them to be.

I get the feeling you really like the 2005. I prefer the seat comfort in the 986 2000 to 2003, not as stiff. The interior is much more modern on the 05 but for some reason doesn't excite me, though the 986 is kind of outdated. I have a 2000 's'. What type of mileage are on these, how many more thousand $ is the 05?

Can't go wrong either way! Sure you'll be happy.

Actually, i have always been a 986 guy over a 987 guy. I then started to find my car and started to look at the prices. You can find 2005 base models cheaper than a 2003 S. Mileage is between 35k-60k. I never thought I would look at a base model, but you can't help start to question it when you see the prices.

WhipE350 · 02-22-2011, 05:40 PM

Tru. I do like the exterior on the 05 more...I have to force myself to not look at used 09 'S' ...I cleaned and waxed the 09 benz just so i wouldn't get any crazy ideas.

johnsimion · 02-23-2011, 05:29 AM

If you are tall and value your life, first sit in the 2003 "S" and tilt your head back and see if your head would hit the roll bar in an accident. I am 6'-3" and I fit nicely in my 1999 Boxster, but if I moved my head backwards, I discovered that my head would hit directly on the rollbar in case of an accident. This is fairly common with tall guys and I believe it is a major safety issue. As a result, I ended up trading the Boxster for a Cayman, which doesn't have the issue. Likewise, the 2005-up Boxsters have more headroom and taller seats and thus avoid this problem.

I would also check the HP statistics on the two cars -- for example, my base Cayman has more HP than some earlier Boxster "S" models. The 2005-up models also have an upgraded interior. If the HP and the prices are nearly the same, and since you aren't tracking it, I would definitely lean toward the 2005 model.

fatmike · 02-23-2011, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xamfed

Actually, i have always been a 986 guy over a 987 guy. I then started to find my car and started to look at the prices. You can find 2005 base models cheaper than a 2003 S. Mileage is between 35k-60k. I never thought I would look at a base model, but you can't help start to question it when you see the prices.

The '05 was the first year of the "new" 987 model Boxster. I would personally, never buy the first year of a new model -- especially an out-of-warranty Porsche.

As a daily driver, I would absolutely buy an '06 base model over an '03 S. I think in a couple of years you'll be so much better off. (I have an '02S).

Pilot2519j · 02-23-2011, 11:25 AM

I have the 2003S 64,500 miles and the car has not lost any of the zip and feel for the road. I would say that the main difference with the cars besides the obvious power is the braking. With the S you have the same brakes as the 911 which stops on a dime. Another plus is the 18" wheels with the Carrera rims. I can't wait until the weather gets warmer to change the tires.