2002 Boxster S or 2003 Boxster?

[Perfectlap]

you can get glass from the aftermarket for about $1000-$1300 installed.
Getting more power will cost you allot more.

But this should not be the only factors you consider. Mileage, service history, exterior/interior wear, are as important.

If all things are roughly the same between the 03 and 02 S,
I wouldn't hesitate in getting the S. You'll end up 2nd guessing
yourself forever if you don't get the S. You don't need that.

not sure if this will help.........but i was in the same situation.....

my choices were a 2001 S with 30,000km out of warranty or

2002 with 10,000km in warranty

i picked the 2002 because of the warranty and honestly the extra 20h.p just doesnt justify that much of a power gain. if it was anything over 50h.p maybe. that extra year on on my warranty really came in handy when i had my rms leak. i had the rms leak taken care of on the last day that my warranty expired. if it had happend in the 2001 s i would of been screwed.

do consider the rear glass window on the 2003. i personally like the front and rear bumpers on the 2003. more of a finished car then my 2002. power shouldnt be your only concern. the boxster has plenty of power for highway driving and street driving in the city.

[Brucelee]

03 would be the deal for me, all things being equal (they rarely are though!).

[Perfectlap]

an extra 20 HP? I agree 20 HP you woudln't really notice.
but difference between the 3.2 and 2.7 is DEFINITELY noticeable.
Its enough of a difference to classify the S with the standard 911's at my local Autocross events. I've bettered 911 lap times with less power many times.
The hardtop M3's times are a bit closer vs. the 986S and the driver usually tips the scale in that match up.


The 2.7 Boxsters run against the Honda S2000 and they go back and forth for quicker times usually. I am rarely slower than the S2000 even in the hands of some very very good drivers even though the S2000 only has 10 less HP than the BoxsterS. And the S2000 is one very well layed out car. The engine actually sits behind the front shock mounts and not forward of them. Good competition between those two. Now add S power and suspesnsion to the Boxster and its not so close.

Also I've said this before but at this particular curb weight I feel the car behaves very differently with 240HP-250 than it does below that. Both are fun no doubt but very different experience. Hard to describe but coming out of corners both fast and slow the car seems to "come alive" with the xtra HP/Torque.

For every day driving I doubt you'll see a difference other than highway merging/passing. There is no deficiency with either but they are different.

Buy a little S emblem and trick yourself into believing you have 20 more horses. Besides, the 03 might accualy have more power depending on condition, like people say, once they change out their maf and o2 sensors they kick themselves for not doing it earlier. So unless you have a G-tech like me and go test the 0-60's, you shouldnt count on factory rated horsepower.

[aBsOlUt]

I would go for the S.

Besides the obvious power gain, the S will provide a much better resale value in years to come.

Not to mention the brakes and suspension.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by aBsOlUt

I would go for the S...the S will provide a much better resale value in years to come...

Hi,

Sorry, have to disagree, this is a falacy. Boxster sales/production are split pretty much 50/50 between Base/'S'. So, the resale isn't higher because the model is no more rare, when the time comes, there'll be plenty of competition. And, if you consider the premium it costs to get into the 'S' to begin with, any increased resale price will pretty much just account for this, they do not depreciate at a lesser rate than the Base.

Now, if the Base suits you, and you put the difference between the two in the bank, you'd actually come out ahead at the end..

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99 (pre-'S')

[David N.]

Sales may be equal, but it sure doesn't seem like used car availability is, especially for equivalent pricing. When I was hunting autotrader and craigslist I'd usually see 3-4 regular Boxsters for every S, and the S's would always be at a premium.

Horsepower aside, you might also want to check out the low end torque difference between the S and non-S engines you're looking at. Having that extra workhorse grunt to get around the city really made a difference to me when I was testing different cars (sorry Honda!).


-David N.
2000 Ocean Blue S