The Old(986) and the New(718)
 

Went for a Sunday drive, stopped at the local dealer to check out cars and this was sitting next to the showroom.
I haven't gotten involved in the threads related to the 718, 4 vs 6, turbo, sound and the rest.
I haven't driven one but I have to think that this car is superior to the 986, probably in most ways.
The pictured 718 is $20,000 more then the 986 in the picture(when new)

If I had $85k to spend on a new car, it's not going to be a 718. BUT if I had had $65k in 2002, I wouldn't have bought my car either. I should have bought a 12 year old Porsche for $15k in 2002.
But it is interesting to see a side-by-side 1st and 4th generation

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1470741220.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1470741246.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1470741263.jpg

I thought the 986 was big when I compared to old 70's 911.

Bloated but very nice.

Thanks for posting, kk2002s.....these side-by-sides of different generations are always interesting, not only to see the evolutionary design changes but also how the later generations have grown in size (this is especially true of the 911).

Thanks for the pic. I used to think Toyota copied Porsche, but now I think Porsche took the MR2's headlight design for the updated Boxster... :) I think I like the fried egg headlights more and more now. Lol
http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps0vuxit35.jpg

While I respect the 718's better overall engineering and performance, appearance wise, there is no angle in which I feel it beats the 986.

I received a beautiful slipcased book about the 718 from Porsche in the mail today.

I'm sorry, but when you've had a naturally-aspirated flat-6, you're not going to settle for a flat-4 with turbo lag. I think Porsche has made a big mistake, and that makes me very sad.

I don't care for the 'square jaw' of the 718's front bumper, but from a side view I think the 718 is sexy. Great flowing lines. 3/4 rear view is good too. It just needs to taper in at the front bumper.

Not being sarcastic at all........but sure it is superior to a 986....it's 4 generations later. If I am not right the 986 was designed on 486 CPU's.....imagine going back to that

Porsche is forced into this "mistake" by current emissions and consumption laws. It's smaller and turbocharged for every manufacturer in Germany.

Maybe the white has something to do with it but, the newer car looks much wider in the pics. I like the way it looks with the exception of the rear badges. I like the Porsche moniker on the tail but, do we really need to know it's a 718 Boxster S also. I like the larger rear lights on the early version better. And I have never disliked the fried egg headlights or the amber side markers. As much as I like the N/A 6 sound of mine, I will be happy to drive a 20 year old 718 in 2036, God willing. :dance:

Yes and no.

Everything in engineering is a tradeoff. It bothers me that the automotive press seems to simply accept that turbo's were the only possible solution to the problem.

If I were in charge of engineering at Porsche, I'd have thrown out 600 lbs of what I consider to be useless weight in a Boxster. This weight reduction alone would have yielded +3 to +4 mpg - the same as the mpg improvement between the 986 and 718 models.

986 manual mpg: 17 city/24 highway
718 manual mpg: 20 city/26 highway

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...psdqusfjm3.jpg

Looks are deceiving, to me. The 981.2 looks wide compared to the 986, even though it's only 20mm wider - but that's the edges dropping off quickly versus the more gentle slope on ours, I think.

I like the looks of the new car. So do my 3 college age boys. Guess where my P-car money is going?

Even Lotus don't follow that spirit anymore.

From a sports car enthusiast point of view, sure, you can remove 600lbs off of a boxster and make it better for you.
From an average Porsche customer point of view, it won't!

And the boxster is already not that heavy compared to most cars.

I feel your pain. My next Porsche is at least 4 years away.

I think the reason I keeping modifying mine is so that I feel there is something new about it from time-to-time.

Love the rear end on the new car. The original Boxster still looks more "original" and Porschelike to from the front to me. The new one is more generic sports car...but not bad looking.

The 718 is a wayyyyyyyyyyy better value today than the 986 was back in 2002.

And the 718 is a wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better value today than the Carrera was in the in the 90's when money was actually expensive and interest rates were steep.

The 718 has a funny sounding exhaust, Walter Rohrl thought they were pranking him when he first tested it, but it's really a culmination of the whole water-cooled Boxster/"street" Carrera (non-Metzger/non-raced 911) engineering exercise. The car is fast, not just for a Boxster but for any Porsche ever made... without a picnic table on the back hood.

Once depreciation kicks in hard, especially if the economy slows while interest rates remain low, these cars in the second hand market will be an tremendous bargain when compared to a new, right off the boat 718. THe performance ante has just gone up so high. As far as reliability, that remains to be seen but the whole move to VW-esque 4 bangers was to make them less problematic while making more power, so in theory once the engine is higher up in mileage, they should also be more reliable than the old flat 6 cars making all their power from NA only when their odometers went north of 50K miles and things like lifter issues were starting to creep in.

I don't see a side view of the 718 in these photos. But, from the rear I prefer the look of the 986. To me, it's classic. As is the single tailpipe. Over the years, the single tailpipe has been replaced with twin pipes. While I think the twin pipes are sharp, I like the single pipe. It was novel and innovative for its day. It gave the appearance of a rocket, ready to take off!

I agree, it shows how the 986 is a timeless beauty, all compound curves :o)

To me in the front view, the 986 looks exotic, and the 718 looks like a kit-car.

Someone tried to make their Fiero look special.

But white might not suit the 718, maybe it looks better in silver.