Which Boxster S would be a better purchase in the long run?

[recycledsixtie]

Let's put it this way. If I was going to buy a roadster for engine longevity then I would buy a Miata. If I was going to buy a roadster for fun and more safety then the Boxster is the better vehicle. Of course just my opinion.
G.

[tomonomics]

>>yes but the 03-04's were also the heaviest 986's. And the power bump was not huge.<<

From the online specs, they are only 66 lbs heavier with 8 more HP. Which 'technically' is a better power/weight ratio. Not sure what common options might sway those numbers.

I thought the improved vario-cam performance improved low-RPM response as well. Am I missing something that would make the 2000 S a better performer than the 2003 S?

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by BIGJake111

My PO was such an American she had them added to the 99 haha which is honestly a pain because now the air con is down in the lowest slot of the console... making me have to look further down and navigate my hand around the shifter to adjust it.

Take the cup holders out and put in an iPad mini! Then get the ultimate cup holders(BMW Cup Holders, Porsche Cup Holders, Ultimate Cup Holder - Cupholders / Drink Holders for BMW 3 5 7 Series, Boxster 911 Z4 Mercedes Audi NSX other fine cars.). With the top down, who needs the climate controller

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by tomonomics

>>yes but the 03-04's were also the heaviest 986's. And the power bump was not huge.<<

From the online specs, they are only 66 lbs heavier with 8 more HP. Which 'technically' is a better power/weight ratio. Not sure what common options might sway those numbers.

I thought the improved vario-cam performance improved low-RPM response as well. Am I missing something that would make the 2000 S a better performer than the 2003 S?

+66#? Tip??


EDIT:
I have 126# difference between manual 00S vs. 04S.

*1997 Curb weight: 2,756 lbs

2000S Curb weight: 2778 lbs.

2003S Curb weight: 2811 lbs.

20004 Curb weight: 2904 lbs.

for reference, a 996.2 GT3 with AC and steel brakes is 3,152 lbs.

[dmairspotter]

2003S also has the 6 speed - not sure when that came in -too lazy to look it up

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by dmairspotter

2003S also has the 6 speed - not sure when that came in -too lazy to look it up

6-speed is standard on all "S" Boxsters.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by jb92563

Actually my 2001 S has Dual row IMS and the 2000-2001 S has the beefier 3.2l engine with thicker more robust Cylinder walls so its actually a good thing, however part way through 2001 the S started getting single row IMS bearings as well so you virtually have to go by serial numbers to see which you get.

2002 on is a heavier car so, compromises everywhere.
I think its a dead heat for either option of the 2001 S or the 2003 S.


My 2001 S has 71k miles now and no issues at all and I drive the crap out of it at every opportunity and its the dailly driver and Auto-X machine as well.

2000-2002 3.2 cases are identical, 2003up cases were redesigned for improved AOS & reduced crankcase pressure. No change of cylinder wall thickness!

[Perfectlap]

I think he's just pointing out that the 3.2 cylinder walls are thicker than previous Boxsters that see D-chunk failure. And thicker than the 3.4 base Carrera as well...

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

+66#? Tip??


EDIT:
I have 126# difference between manual 00S vs. 04S.

*1997 Curb weight: 2,756 lbs

2000S Curb weight: 2778 lbs.

2003S Curb weight: 2811 lbs.

20004 Curb weight: 2904 lbs.

for reference, a 996.2 GT3 with AC and steel brakes is 3,152 lbs.

I can believe the 97 weight, never seen anything other than 2850 lbs. for a 00 "S"

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by BYprodriver

I can believe the 97 weight, never seen anything other than 2850 lbs. for a 00 "S"

Good catch.

2000 base 2756
2000 S 2850 (manual)
2000 S 2943 (tip)

[BIGJake111]

i thought 2000 was the year with some being dual some being single.. thanks for the information

[tomonomics]

I got my numbers from the Excellence mag site.....2855 vs 2911 (2000 vs 2003 - S w/manual), and my math was wrong: only a 56 lb difference.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by tomonomics

I got my numbers from the Excellence mag site.....2855 vs 2911 (2000 vs 2003 - S w/manual), and my math was wrong: only a 56 lb difference.

Not an insignicant amount though. Porsche made an effort at trimming fat and dropped 176 lbs. in the Boxster Spyder over the 987S.

The way I see it I can add 8 HP fairly easily. Dropping 56 lbs. would cost a bit more money.

[tomonomics]

You could also add an extra 8 horses to the 2003S. And remove the roof, radio, and A/C like they did with the Spyder, but you would end up with a car that I would not want to drive very often.

Unless you're building a spec boxster for the track (which I did not think the OP was intending to do), the stock weight/HP numbers are very similar and would not persuade me to buy an older model with more mileage. I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

[The French Dude]

FYI my 2003 Box S has dual row IMSB
Don't ask me why...

[BIGJake111]

Originally Posted by BruceH

With the top down, who needs the climate controller

when your boxster is tripple black in south carolina summer... it doesnt matter how fast you go or if the top is down or not... you need the air con haha

[dghii]

I have both cars at my home right now....
00S with 117K miles, stock, 17" twists
03S with 103.5K miles, stock motor but PSS9 suspension and 18" Carrera lite wheels.

Both cars are 6speed.

I really cannot tell a difference, performance wise, between the two cars. The 00S has a smoother, less stiff ride of course, but other then that, nothing I can 'feel' in terms of acceleration or torque.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by tomonomics

Unless you're building a spec boxster for the track (which I did not think the OP was intending to do), the stock weight/HP numbers are very similar and would not persuade me to buy an older model with more mileage. I guess we'll just agree to disagree.

If mileage is similar, the market will give you a much better discount on purchase price for an older car for pretty much the same power/weight proposition.
Hence (imho) 1997-1999 is essentially the same car, 2000-2004, 2005-2008, 2009-2011. I would be steering towards lower miles in each year range, with an emphasis on cars that lived in mild climates that do not see extreme hot or cold. This makes it more likely that the car was driven year round and in less punishing weather.

[chamilka]

It is really depends on your budget at the end, I think you have to evaluate risks vs rewards. Advantage of buying form a private party is that most times the service history of major upgrades such as IMS will be available. Cars which are sold at the dealer joints do not convey Previous Owners’ service records (due to privacy law) other than what you see in carfax. I have bought really cheap Porsches from rundown dealerships and have had good luck. At the same time I have bought well cared Porsches from private owners and have had bad luck. Having owning many Porsche I always have a fallback strategy ($$ )in case something goes wrong. Higher the risk higher the fallback cash amount . A PPI (a must) only will show you the obvious stuff but not things like IMS or stuff about to go wrong mechanically so it’s not bullet proof but essential.
Some private parties just testing the waters with higher asking price than the true market value so there is always room for negotiation. Low millage cars are more expensive but I am not completely convinced that they are necessarily good deals. You might get a Boxster with 40K miles and inherit all the things about to go wrong, in addition if you end up putting more miles there will be higher deprecation when you sell. on the other hand a high millage car might have all the issues already surfaced out and fixed, and the price has already deprecated a lot so no worries when you sell back.
If you are looking for a low budget car, look for a high millage Boxster sold by private party with all important service records (IMS, RMS, Clutch work).
If you have a high budget, then get the most affordable latest car with lowest miles possible.
Hope this helps

[hamburglar]

With both of the two particular cars in question, I'm not sure either is a great buy. Both have clean CarFaxes, but the 2000 has had six owners so who knows what kind of care each put into the car. In regards to the 2003, I asked the seller, who has been the only owner of the car, how often he changed the oil and what kind of oil he used. He said he's only changed the oil like 4 times. That concerns me to only do an oil change 4 times in over 10 years and waiting 10,000 miles in between oil changes on a Porsche. Best case situation would be that he plans to do a 5th oil change when he hits 40,000 miles, but that would still be once every 8,000 miles.

I think I had narrowed the search to either a 2000 S due to the lowest weight and IMS issue with the later models, and a 2003 S because that's the year that had the best performance of the 986, at least according to my research.