Is it worth it

[thstone]

Originally Posted by fatmike

No - not if you see the car in person. The MR2 was trivial (looked like a small japanese car). The 981 is substantial.

You see Carrara GT roots when you see the car in person.

Agree. Photos do not do the 981 justice. I know we hear that a lot but its really true for the new Boxster. It looks nothing like an MR2 in person (and I owned an MR2 back in the day).

[BYprodriver]

[QUOTE=heliguy;353626]

Okay, help me out here. I agree, as most of us do, that the 981 is a superior sports car to ours in almost every way. In reality you are not going to walk out the door with one under $80,000. Let's say that mine is worth $20,000 (in my dreams, but it's just to make the math easy).

Is the 981 really going to be $60,000 more fun to drive than mine? Most people looking at them, if they are not side by side, will not know the difference.

Whoa, let me stop you right there. For the bargin cost of $10,K invested in my engine it makes more power than a 981S & it is a lighter car. My car has better steering feel & feedback. I like the looks of the new Box very much, (never liked anything about the 987), but the 981's "updated" faddish looks will be out of style when the next model comes out. I believe the classic, timeless design of the 986 will endure the test of time.
Anyone here ever wear a Leisure suit? Anyone still sporting the Leisure look?
Sure the 981 is more comfortable & easier to drive, but those factors are low on my sport car priority list.

[Laredo]

A car is a expence not an invest. A car not make you a better man, at the best you feel better. If someone think you are a better man because of you car you are in the wrong crowd. In a car the most important thing isn't how much your pay for it, the important thing is what you get for your money. Is you are smart the competition reside in who get the best material possession at the lowest cost and the difficult part is not money is to have a nice family, a good wife and a work you really love if you have it then you are in the AAA leagues. I love my used Boxster because is fun to drive, good looking, good price and is meanly because is not my life, if blows up, I crash it or be stole will not hurt me.

[pothole]

Opinions vary. Mine is that a 981 isn't any more fun to drive than a 986 at all. In fact, for me a mildly tweaked 986 is more fun than a factory spec 981.

981s are faster and have more grip. But that doesn't make them more fun. There's less steering feel, the brake pedal is spongey and over servoed and generally it feels like a bigger car. I prefer my sports car to feel snug and compact and intimate. The 981 ambience is more luxury GT - it looks and feels like a bigger car than a 986, which for me is a negative.

I honestly wouldn't personally go for a 981. If I had 981 money to hand, I'd be buying a really nice 993 or maybe a 996 GT3. I'm not bothered about having a newer model or the car being more refined cruising on a motorway, so the 981 just doesn;'t have anything to offer me over various used Porsches for the price.

[MikeinLA]

I've considered this from time to time ever since I went to the preview of the 981 at my dealer. That is one SERIOUSLY beautiful car. However, I bought my 2005 S in 2007 CPO with 9,100 miles on her and saved $ 25,000 off original sticker. She has a full leather interior, custom paint color, 19" sport wheels, sport seats, nav and, 6 years later, still looks as good as the day she was made with not a single mark of any kind on her. On the last day of her CPO warranty I got the dealer to replace the RMS for free and (with no labor charge) put in a new clutch. The very thought of letting her go to someone for whatever silly amount they're worth now is completely repugnant to me. I'm also one who enjoys caring for the things I own. I get much more pride watching an admirer's jaw drop when I say, "not bad for an 8 year old car" than I would driving a new 981. Anyone can write a check.

Mike

[Dgnarvs]

I'm in one of my "if I inherit a fortune / win the lottery" fantasy mode...

I realized that my 986S is the closest thing to my ideal sports car -- good classic look that never gets dated (still), good handling, quick enough and more importantly, doesn't distract me with too much tech. Just an honest to goodness sports car. What I don't like about my car is that there is always a nagging feeling that something is about to go! And it's not just the IMS. It's the minor niggles too: water pump, alarm, radio, AOS, MAF, and so on...

What's my point? If I do inherit a fortune / win the lottery, I won't buy a 981. I'd completely rebuild my car - engine, wiring, electronics, interior, exterior!

Okay, now back to earth...

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

Whoa, let me stop you right there. For the bargin cost of $10,K invested in my engine it makes more power than a 981S & it is a lighter car. My car has better steering feel & feedback. I like the looks of the new Box very much, (never liked anything about the 987), but the 981's "updated" faddish looks will be out of style when the next model comes out. I believe the classic, timeless design of the 986 will endure the test of time.

Exhibit A

design: 1992, unveiled:1993, first production: 1996.
Last "wow nice car, just gorgeous": Summer 2013.
That's 21 years by my rithmetic.

Not bad for a 'disposable' Porsche...



See the thing about the 986 is that its angles and overall theme still looks current now.
Unlike an air-cooled Porsche it doesn't make you think of cars 20-30 years ago.
When I added these cheap $600 replica wheels for winter beating and the inexpensive $80 DIY decals, my neighbohr came by the next morning and asked if I'd traded in for a new car.
I really can't think of many car designs that can address a few dated design elements, at low cost thanks to the aftermarket, and still look contemporary.
Meaning the car doesn't need a radical revamping to look contemporary. Usually, adding current styling updates detracts from a decades old car.
Not at all the case with the 986, in fact modern touches work seamlessly with its design. What other Porsche/BMW/Audi can do this?
No 25 year nostalgia is necessary for the 986, its design stands on its own.

[KRAM36]

Beautiful ride PL.

Had a lady in the drive thru windows ask if my Boxster was a 911 this morning lol.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

Beautiful ride PL.

Had a lady in the drive thru windows ask if my Boxster was a 911 this morning lol.

You might have told her "it's the other way around, the 911 was the Boxster for that year".
First to market claims the fame...

Which is to say, a 996.1 is largely a 986 Boxster with the unfortunate disadvantage of the 911 having the engine in a subpotimal location, largey due to commercial considerations.

Although I think the 996 would have been better off just sticking with the exact look of the 993, so that you couldn't tell a 993 from a 996 from the outside. Today, the 993 might not have been as desirable to all but a few air-cooled diehards, since a big part of the 993 devotees are just after the high hips and round lights and could do witout the maintenance costs and hassles, not to mention the stress over mileage-induced depreciation they seem to fixate on. With tens of thousands of 996's that looked just like 993's rolling around the pricing game would have been a very good proposition for buyers who wanted 993 looks but wanted better 996 peformance and lower cost to maintain.
So in that respect the 996.1 owners who whinged that their new expensive car looked "just like the cheap Boxster" probably had some merit. Porche should have saved the 986/996 design revamp for a later series so that exterior and engine weren't both radically revamped in one fell swoop. First the engine (996.1 or 993.2), then the exterior (996.2). Then both at once with the 997.

[rteichman]

Sorry I have to disagree. A week ago I had my 99 Boxster in for an emergency repair (window would not go down so I could not close the door). While waiting I almost bought a 981 they had on the floor. The dealer was very sneaky, had a totally base car at $50,000 in a great color combo.I fell in love. Luckily (as I am unemployed) I restrained myself (I also refused a test drive since I know my resolve would have faded LOL). So you see I do LOVE the look of the car.

HOWEVER, the other day I noticed what I thought was an MR2 on the road in oncomming traffic. It looked strange, so I took a second look only to realize it was a 981 :-( From photos and even a quick live glimpse it does resemble an MR2.

Originally Posted by thstone

Agree. Photos do not do the 981 justice. I know we hear that a lot but its really true for the new Boxster. It looks nothing like an MR2 in person (and I owned an MR2 back in the day).

[southernstar]

I don't think anyone can answer this question for anyone but themselves. While I could afford a new 981, it would nevertheless take away liquid resources from various other things I am pursuing and hence, would only make sense from a financial standpoint if there were huge advantages. Frankly, while the 981 is a better car in VIRTUALLY all respects (as one would expect in a car introduced 16 years later), I find that the 986 is not only just as much fun, but a car that provides a better connection with the road: the steering feedback is superior, I don't have to reach up for the shift lever, the car is less precise but more 'tossable' and yes, I actually like the feel of engaging a mechanical emergency brake. Sure, by comparison the 986 is inferior in ultimate grip, acceleration, top speed, precision, interior space, comfort, assembly quatlity/interior materials and fuel consumption. However, for me these are secondary considerations - for the amount I drive it, fuel consumption is not an issue; I will never hit top speed; the acceleration is more than adequate for my purposes and the driving position/controls/HVAC are terrific.

If, on the other hand, I had less irons in my financial pot, wanted the latest edition of a great car from a great marque, was concerned about maintenance and wanted a warranty, the 981 would make perfect sense.

Brad