Drove a @#$%^& Boxster S Today
 

I could kick myself in the butt for test driving a Boxster S today. But not just any car a brand new '11 S with PDK. I went to the dealer to check out an 07 Cayman base (nice car, not to many options, 50k miles but only $28k) and after I returned from the test drive we got talking about the Boxster S in the showroom, they then insisted I take it for a drive. I cannot believe the difference between these cars! The S makes the base car seem like, well ummmmm, a base car. So I think I have to find an S car now and may have to change my rules of only an 08+ car because I dont really want to spend $58k ($10k off sticker of $68) on a car but holy freakin crap was that car amazing! Anyone wanna make donations? LOL! :cool:

One thing I found weird is that my 06 BMW 330i manual feels faster than the base 07 Cayman did. My car has around 255hp compared to the Cayman / Boxster's 245hp. Im sure the BMW has more torque but Im also sure it has to weigh a lot more than the Porsche's.

So would I expect there to be much difference between the 11 S and say an 06 or 07 S (I realize there is a 15hp difference)? I NEED an S!!! Maybe I should consider the 08 RS60.

I bought my 2001 base 2.7 l a year ago and did not even try an S model. I could have tried one but had too many miles on it(100K miles)and did not even consider it. So instead I bought the base with 31k miles. What I don't know about I don't care about. I think the salesman in your case knew what he was doing! Whether u want to spring for the extra $$$$ is up to you. I was looking for a low mileage, low priced(for Canada anyway) Porsche with heated seats and air cond., not big horsepower. What is important to u?:confused::):confused::)

That was my experience. I drove an '02 base car, then an '03 S. After that, I only looked at S cars. :)

Honestly Im a performance junkie, I love power and the feeling of that push back in your seat from acceleration. I want a balanced car too. But for reference I have a customized vehicle with close to 450hp, but at the same time I really enjoy my BMW with only 255hp. So the nutshell is I want the power of the S!

A car model with more power is the car that the designers have strived for it to be.

Sometimes the first incarnations can be made better and thos seems to be the case for the Boxster S

You will not have "S" envy if you have an S, the only safeguard from it is to never drive an S.

Its too late for you lightning you must have an S now., welcome to the club!

Bad news...the '11 has a DFI motor, and with the PDK. I bet it has sport chrono, which helps with the "kick in the pants" feeling. Anything before 2010 will feel (and be) slower.

thinking out loud

LSVT. Interesting that u looked at a Cayman first which is not a convertible and then looked at a Boxster S. With PDK I believe it is not manual per se.
Would u rather drive a manual trans. or does the PDK tech. do it for u? If I were u I would feel like a kid in a candy store especially if I had the $$$$ to buy something new. Take your time looking because if you are willing to spend big $$$$ you will have many options. My concern is if I were u I would make the wrong decision and regret it later! Enjoy!:):)

Drove a 991 Carrera S with PDK. 400hp. Unbelieveable acceleration and slam shifts in Sport Plus mode. Up to 96 before I knew it.

Will be driving a new Boxster S with PDK at Monticello track this coming Fri. morning. I know it will spoil me but I will try to get over it... Wife will have camera so I will post some pics.

Any others on this list partaking in the PCNA experience?

AKL

Truer words have never been spoken!

That car did NOT have Sport Chrono.

Ive been really looking for Boxsters but the price ($28k) on the Cayman was to good to not check out. I have had true manual trans cars since I started owning and racing Fox-body Mustang's in my teens and thats my preference. BUT, I was really surprised by how good the PDK is, I expected to hate it going in but now think I'd be willing to consider owning a PDK car. Though I think long term potential repair costs would be substantially lower with a true manual.

HAving the money depends on your perspective, I dont have the money to pay cash for a $60k car. But I can (with trade) easily put $20k down and I could afford to pay $500-600/mo, but is that a smart choice? Im not so sure. If I stick to the $30-40k range I can buy a car and have it paid off in less than a year which seems like the smarter move. But ohhhhhhhh how sweet it was to drive a brand new Porsche, I cant imagine what it's be like in a Carrera S Cabriolet! I sent my wife pics of the car since she's out of town and her reply was "so is there a white Porsche at home now?". Not sure how to take that exactly but Im trying to be strong and responsible (well as responsible as one can be considering purchasing a Porsche).

Lucky man! I dont dare because I know for a fact that a $115k car is beyond my rational means.

$40k will likely buy you a clean, low mileage '08 S. The more practical problem may be finding one. In my shopping, I'm finding that only 15-20 percent of used 987 cars are S models.

See jwade a pm. He had an 02s and traded it in on a new box. He can compare apples to apples for you. Good luck.

Well, if you liked the '11 Box S a lot but don't want to part with the dough, never never test drive a GT3 RS at a racetrack :D Freaking amazing!!

I made my peace with the Porsche wants a while ago. A GT3 RS would be great but unless Penske calls and says he has one for me on his dime it ain't gonna happen. My current car is a 2.5L, the slowest Boxster made... and it is still a bucket of giggles every time I drive it. When the motor finally gives I may put a 3.6 in there or find another car. For now it's plenty fast enough.

What I want to know is where you drive where you felt you could take advantage of all that power. My regular commuter car has been in the shop and so I've driven the (base) Cayman several hundred miles in the last 5 days and this is what I've noticed: My Cayman makes everyone else drive faster. Every car at every light seems determined to race me, and everybody on the four lane feels the urge to pass me no matter how extra-legal my own speed is. Are they beating me? Heck yes, I am not 16 years old and I am not about to risk my license and my insurance in a silly race. I also worked too hard to earn my $50K car to risk driving it with no insurance on a track. The "twisties" around here are largely a mythical creation populated, where they do exist, by Uncle Joe's old pickup doing 45 mph and speed traps elsewhere. I got the car for the on-ramps and the good looks and I don't need an "S" model for that. I see no benefit whatsoever to buying any super-performance model. If I want to go really fast, I'll ride a roller coaster or ride with a buddy at the track.

I am with you on this one. Mine is a 2.7 TIP and it delivers miles of smiles everytime I drive it. I also like the classic look of the first 986 style cars. The new 981 is growing on me and I am sure I would love to have one but I sure am glad I have my '02 and, like you, if the engine goes I would consider a Raby rebuild or replacement 3.4 or 3.6. Still going to be fun to drive the new S at speed on a track. Let you know how I make out.


AKL:cool:

Drove 3 base Boxsters then an S...never looked at a base again. Found my 2000S with TIP and have never regretted buying it.:dance:

Drove a Panamera for 2 weeks while my car was in the shop... was not impressed at all. I could have been driving any car, BMW, Audi... same same.

It's pretty simple: buy the best/newest you can. The main downside to the newer cars is that they will soon be priced just like the older cars, so it's a question of whether you want to eat that depreciation or let someone else do it for you.

RS60. Just get it already! :p

The only one in my price range has close to 50k miles (I cant see paying $45k+ for an 08), Im having trouble getting past that. Even if I put the car away for the winter I'd imagine youd have to peel me out of it and Id put 8-10k miles/yr. So in 4 years I have an 85k+ mile car. The repairs/maintenance/depreciation is scary.

I guess I come from a different background of V8's and "pony cars". Its hard for me to imagine that ~300hp could be considered to much power, heck you can get a Ford Taurus with 365hp these days. There are plenty of stop light, on ramps and back roads that can easily take short blasts of what an S can dish out. A base car doesnt put you back in your seat but in an S you can actually feel it when you press the pedal down! For giggles I went and test drove a '13 Mustang GT tonight, 420-ish HP stock, now that car is fast (in a straight line).

I'm NOT in ANY WAY saying the base cars bad cars. They are beautiful, amazing handling, balanced driving machines and anyone who owns is fortunate. However the S is everything the base car is times 150%.

While I could swing $50k+, Im very comfortable in the $30-35k range. I think an 09 S would be the sweet spot in terms of depreciation, warranty, features, updates, electronics, power, etc but Im not having much luck finding one under $40k. I just really want to have the car paid off in 8-12 months.

I think its getting to the point of "shut the heck up and buy a dang car already!" :) Im starting to get tired of listening to myself, LOL!

Well, see if they'll budge on the price at all. I don't see an eventual 80-85k miles on an 8 year old car as a bad thing, especially if you're putting nearly 10k miles on it in a year, but I think I also look at these cars differently than some folks. Drive that sucka! :p Get your money's worth, that's how I feel. It's just no fun taking the car out only on pristine, sunny days a handful of times out of the year. Don't subject yourself to that, no matter what the car is.

I think an 09 S definitely falls into the youngest-you-can-afford category, but keep on looking. If you simply don't find one and really want it, is it really going to be that bad if it takes you say another 6 months to pay the car off? :cheers:

The car started at $41k, then dropped to $39k and now dropped again to $37.5k I'd go in with an offer of $35k since they obviously want to move the car. I suppose you make a good point about a few extra months to pay off an 09, could get a newer, lower mile car with a bit more power and the updates that came in 09. Its amazing that some people think their cars are made of gold, Ive seen 05-06 S's w/30k miles with asking prices of $38-40k.

If I were to buy a base car, how hard / expensive is it to add those extra 50hp in mods to equal the power of an S? I really dont know anything about modding Porsche's.

Its funny since Ive been seriously looking for a car I've started seeing a fair number of 986 Boxsters running around the area, though hardly any 997's.

It can be fairly difficult and expensive to upgrade a base engine to S-level power. Otherwise, all of us early 2.5 base owners would have 250-300hp. :D

If you want/need the extra power, probably best to buy the S.

You can't compare power to power without looking at weight. A 3900 pound Mustang needs 70-100 more horsepower to match the staight line performance of a 2900 pound Porsche. And most Boxster enthusiasts don't consider staight line acceleration as the primary performance metric. If they did, they wouldn't have bought a Boxster in the first place. The heavier car will never have the handling precision because the weight serves to slow the car's reactions and numb the feedback.

You are correct, the Mustang (considering how far as they have come in the past 20 years) felt disconnected and "lite" on the road (not planted or sure of itself) compared to even a base Boxster. While not a main priority, I do still value straight line performance since many of our roads, on ramps, etc are fairly straight and I figure I'd get on a track maybe 5 - 6 times a year. The quality difference between a 2013 Mustang and an 08 987 are just worlds apart too. Though to be fair Ford has come a long way and they are building for the mass market and a much lower initial price point but in no way are they even in the ballpark of Porsche.

As wifes often do :) mine sort of threw a monkey wrench in my plans today. We were talking about Boxsters and colors and she states "I'd prefer we not add another car" (Ive only got 3 currently) and she wants me to trade in my DD for the Boxster. She also keeps dropping little hints about Speed Yellow, Im not sure I want to drive a yellow car everyday. This opens me up to spending a bit more money if I wanted but I dont know that I want to give up my DD, Ive grown kind of attached to my 06 330i. So I need to decide whether to abandon the search, give in a get a Boxster as a DD or take a chance on pissing off the wife and just bring one home. ;)

As stated already, it's not at all worthwhile to hunt for the extra 50 or so horses that differentiate the base and the S models...just get the S, because you'll have been able to get one with the money you'd need to spend to get the power to the base car. The RS60 is sitting right around 300 horses, at least within 10hp of it, and depending on the options it has it may very well be there. You want to be able to hit off-ramps and straight patches of highway with some oomph, you've got it right there. From 09 forward you're definitely over 300. And considering RS60s were starting at something like $65k new going on 5 years ago, I think that $35k-ish territory isn't really that unreasonable since it's not a regular S.

As for the wife, well, you know best how to approach that situation, so I'm not going to hand you a shovel to start digging with. :rolleyes: You could definitely DD the Boxster if you're ok with doing so. Are you buying this car to enjoy it or with the hopes that you can sell it later in life at some appreciated value? If it's the former, good, go get one and enjoy it, trade the BMW if you have to (but I do understand that sentimental attachment that can happen)...if it's the latter, then honestly don't get one, because Boxsters aren't going to be appreciating any time soon...you can just expect that something like an RS60 will depreciate a little slower than the rest of the lot.

Excellent points. Been shopping for an S, not many out there and they seem to hold more resale value than expected. The RS60's I'm finding now are in the mid-40's, the one for $37k sold. Id jump on one for $35k. As a DD, a 911 or Cayman seem "better" because of the roomier cabins but lack the open air fun. I realize a Boxster could be a good DD but I still worry about driving such a nice car everywhere (like work, grocery store, etc) and racking up miles. I realize this isnt a Ferrari 250 GTO and expect it to depreciate like any other car, however I like to try and minimize that by taking care of my cars and trying to not run up overly excessive miles.

My gut tells me to just sell my Harley, keep the BMW and get a Boxster. There are really no sound financial or use based arguments against it, the only difference is it would take up more garage space (we have 5 stalls). But there are the "wife based" arguments which dont have to be based in fact or logic. But I may need that shovel and a hammer if I do, gonna have to build a dog house to live in for a few days. I did that once when we were first married when an M3 convertible jsut followed me home, she didnt talk to me for a week. So Ive been fair ever since and this time she didnt say "no" exactly, right? :)

Keep the 330. With two sizable trunks in the Boxster, you could "technically" run to the grocery store regularly but... that is just WRONG on so many levels. :) The Boxster is a purpose-built joyride. I'd lose the Harley and replace it with Germany's finest drop-top. A reasonable wife compromise no?

Youd think, but no. Wife says keep Harley and trade 330. She's never even sat on the thing so not sure where shes coming from? The Harley is worth about $1k more than 330, insurance is only $29/YR more on the Box than the HD and I'd use it alot more. Plus since 1 car is already moved out I have space in the garage. Seems logical to me, not to wifey.

people underestimate the S in straight line acceleration.....its much quicker than you would think if you can figure out the launch. I mean a mid 13 second car from the factory (986S) is nothing to be ashamed of!

Launching a car that has axle hop like the boxster does will quickly end the axle or transmission.

Sounds pricey, so keep the Boxsters away form the drag strip and on the road course. But mid 13's is actually quicker than I thought an S would be!

Talked a bit more about it with the wife tonight because she asked if I bought any new cars (shes out of town). In typical wife fashion she says "I told you what I prefer but I said you can do whatever you want". Oh so tempting. :) But that sounds to me like the "I'm fine" response when you know somethings wrong. Back to eBay / Autotrader.....

yeah one of the mags back in the ealry 00's got a 5.4 0-60 time and a 13.7or 13.8 1/4 mile time from a 986 S, pretty impressive numbers for only around 250hp and a car that is next to impossible to launch good.

What do you all think of this car? Used 2006 Porsche Boxster S For Sale in Tuscaloosa AL | Birmingham, Bessemer, Hoover | VIN: WP0CB29856U730824 Seems like potentially a good deal, it has good options and I assume I could negotiate $1000 or more off the asking price. Its probably 12-14 hours but I wiling to travel. also found an 08 base with 30k miles and CPO for $32.5k, that seems like a great deal actually but its not my ideal colors (Guards red / tan).

I just had a great mental image of the conversation this must have created.

"He just followed me home, honey. Can I keep him, please?" :D
:dance:


Understandably one has to be careful with the wife's "suggestion" vs. "do what you want"...that's almost damn if you do and damn if you don't in prettier words.

I'm always one to say go with your first instinct, as it's usually not wrong. If that was to sell the Harley or the 330, go with that in mind, and if the situation changes and calls for the alternative, then there you go.

As for grocery shopping with the Boxster, that can be done, but one has to be careful where one puts certain items, and that warning goes beyond just food shopping. The rear trunk is a furnace/sauna/hell-hole, and that's no exaggeration. The trunk gets very hot during a drive, and even hotter on a drive on a hot day, so you don't want to put anything back there that shouldn't be subjected to heat (like ice cream, perishable liquids, frozen meat, cans of shaving cream, toothpaste tubes, candles, etc.), or you could have some messy results. Unfortunately the front trunk can't always carry it all, but you tend to find out just how much you really can pack away in the front trunk. It doesn't kill the daily driveability, but it is something of which to be mindful.

Sounds like she's expecting a new car in the driveway when she gets back though. ;)

At the time I had 2- SVT Lightnings, a 93 (which I still have, have modified heavily and have had since new) and at that point a mint 02. The conversation started something like "So you remember the truck" which was followed by " .......what do you mean "remember" the truck?" and you can pretty much imagine the rest.

Of course what didnt make things better is I worshiped that M3, parked it in the garage along with my 93 Lightning leaving her car and my DD in the driveway in rain, snow, heat, etc. It never went out in rain or winter and, oh yah she never got to drive it. Looking back I see maybe 1 or 2 tiny mistakes I might have made, LOL! :) Luckily Ive grown up alot in the years since.

Shes definitely expecting a new car, when she occasionally asks if there's a new car in the garage she seems shocked when I tell her no. Its almost become a hobby car shopping at this point...

I've been giving more thought to trading the 330 and given how hard it is to find a good Boxster S it's got me thinking of upping the budget and looking at M3's and even 911's. More power / speed, more practical (if any sports car can be practical, though an M3 sedan would qualify except for MPG) more prestige but I dont think either are quite the distilled essence of driving that the Boxster's are. Base models are plentiful, but I think were at the point now where its been warm for a few months and prices have peaked, dealers are looking at them seeing only 3-4 months of summer left so some deals are popping up. Ive got 2 out of state dealers trying to top each other on certified 08's that are in the very low 30's. So where are the CPO'ed $35k S's hiding? :)

My policy is buy what you want the first time (within reason). If you get a base model it will be fun, but you will spend thousands in mods over time chasing down additional HP. You will then have a base model with maxed out HP. With the S you start out with what the base will be maxed at. That's my .02 but I can't ever leave anything alone.

I'm in the sell the bike camp. I'm thinking about selling mine because I always grab the box key first. I do like to drive with the bikes though. Certainly a lot safer too. Your wife can and will enjoy riding with you. And if you live in an area with a helmet law...

I would say go with the S, although I must admit I never drove a base. I just feel there is a little more there to run with the faster cars and bikes. And with the machines you have been driving...

I think the box would make a fine DD as long as there is not a lot of traffic or stop and go. The Boxster loves to be exercised. And, I use mine to do restrained Costco runs all the time. It is amazing what you can fit in.

I'd rather sell the bike too. Michigna recently repealed the helmet laws but Ive never ridden without a helmet. Actually havent ridden in about 6 weeks, just to busy and kinda of staying away in case I sell. It is a beautiful piece of machinery though.

Ive had some performance cars (SVT Lightnings inc my original 93 with ~440hp N/A about to get a $2k fuel system, many Mustangs as fast as 110mph in the 1/4 mile, Svt Contour, M3, etc) so the S would be the closest but Ive never had a car in the same league for handling / driving as even the base Boxster.

Delaer offered me a brand new '12 Base yesterday that stickered for $58k for $48k and its pretty loaded (though no sport Chrono or PASM), triple black 6 speed. Thats at least $13k over my original budget but it is tempting! but the only way I could even think of justifying it would be as a DD. :(