986 vs. 987 - Commonalities and differences?

[Ottomotion]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

.....986 is the last “analog” Boxster.

986 has a spare tire.

987 does NOT have a spare tire.

986 has a dip stick so you can actually see what your engine oil looks like and know exactly how much oil is in there.

987 has no dipstick. Only a digital level.

986 has beautifully integrated, aerodynamic headlights that were a styling icon that defined a generation.

987 has “see, I look like a classic 911” headlights that are derivative and bland.

986 saved PORSCHE from bankruptcy.

987 is just a refresh with more electronic crap.

The 986 was built from 1997-2004.

Lots more of them around.

987, not as long a run.

986 is the thinking person’s PORSCHE.

987 is just another Porsche. Not a landmark design that saved a company and dominated the market.

986 is Star Wars.

987 is Empire Strikes Back.

Life was better before Luke made out with his sister.

Cheers.

Best post since I have been coming here...

[kk2002s]

As stated (over and over and over) 986's are cheap and there are a lot of them. Though I rarely see them when I'm driving around
987 Boxster has the Cayman as a competing model and certainly diluted the Boxster's numbers
If there had been a Cayman released with the 986 Boxster, well that's an interesting thought. I know I would have gone that direction instead of the Boxster if $$$ where relatively close.

[Xpit77]

Originally Posted by Ottomotion

Best post since I have been coming here...

986 That save Porsche from bankruptcy.

Ah cough clearing throat.
Otto you must remember there would be no 986 without the price and popularity of the 924/944.Even Porsche said these brought them back from the disappointment and loss of sales of the 911.

[10/10ths]

.......https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/car-design/a28621/a-look-back-at-the-car-that-saved-porsche-20-years-of-the-boxster/

[Doug427]

Well.....I guess this thread got off the rails pretty far. I was hoping for differences advice for not just me but for all 986 owners who have transitioned to 987's for whatever reason regarding maintaining the car, rather than dedicated fans of our cars arguing about arcane financial, performance and equipment benefits of one model over another.

Is there any way to redirect this thread into something that is actually useful or is it too late for that?

[10/10ths]

....Three links above for 987 information.

I posted a book on the 987.

I posted two forums on the 987 filled with everything you seek.

What more do you want?

Invest some time and research. Use the Google.


This IS a 986 forum.


Did you use my links and read the info there? Everything you want to know is in there.

Get busy.

[Doug427]

Originally Posted by 10/10ths

....Three links above for 987 information.

I posted a book on the 987.

I posted two forums on the 987 filled with everything you seek.

What more do you want?

Invest some time and research. Use the Google.


This IS a 986 forum.


Did you use my links and read the info there? Everything you want to know is in there.

Get busy.

None of the information you posted had much if any information from a commonality vs. differences perspective with a specific focus on maintenance on the 986 vs. 987. What you posted had lots of information about the equipment and styling changes, however that is not very applicable from a maintenance perspective.

You seem to be disturbed for some reason by my post. I realize that you have a strong affinity for the 986. I enjoyed mine as well. I appreciate your contribution to this thread, however it was not what I was seeking. Hopefully you can stand back a bit and rather than seek to shut this conversation down, allow others who may have something applicable to contribute to do so.

I have invested more time and research to this topic that you would know. As I had said earlier on the original post, there is VERY little documentation from a MAINTENANCE perspective on the 987 as compared to the 986. I'm trying to close that gap not only for myself but for others too. Why that seems to annoy you so much is beyond me.

Simply ignore this thread that you seem to find so offensive and move on. We/I get that you are a complete fan of the 986. I get it. Buying a 987 after owning a 986 and asking the very knowledgeable members here about their input on both is not a rejection or criticism of the 986.

As far as the condescending "get busy" comment, you have no idea how "busy" I have been learning as much as I can about properly maintaining this car.

Enjoy your 986, I certainly enjoyed mine until intermix claimed it. Now, with all that useless and unfortunate drama HOPEFULLY over, if anyone else can chime in with useful info it would be greatly appreciated.

[kk2002s]

Originally Posted by Doug427

Well.....I guess this thread got off the rails pretty far. I was hoping for differences advice for not just me but for all 986 owners who have transitioned to 987's for whatever reason regarding maintaining the car, rather than dedicated fans of our cars arguing about arcane financial, performance and equipment benefits of one model over another.

Is there any way to redirect this thread into something that is actually useful or is it too late for that?

You have experienced both. Not many here have, most here are living the Porsche dream from only the perspective of a 986. I would look to you to be able to best tell us the commonalities vs. differences

Personally I don't give two S#!&'s about how the knobs feel, how the steering wheel looks, the stereo DB levels. I want to know how do they feel driving, accelerating out of a turn, braking, you know the stuff that makes a Porsche a Porsche and not a Miata (No offense to Miatas)

[Doug427]

Originally Posted by kk2002s

You have experienced both. Not many here have, most here are living the Porsche dream from only the perspective of a 986. I would look to you to be able to best tell us the commonalities vs. differences

Personally I don't give two S#!&'s about how the knobs feel, how the steering wheel looks, the stereo DB levels. I want to know how do they feel driving, accelerating out of a turn, braking, you know the stuff that makes a Porsche a Porsche and not a Miata (No offense to Miatas)

Sure, I'll be happy to give my opinion on that. From an OPERATIONAL/DRIVING perspective, I found the 2002 986S that I owned to be more raw (in a good way), lighter and tossable. The 2005 987.1 S that I have now feels more substantial, solid and connected to the road. The weights of the cars are similar, the 987.1 that I have has more power. It's a touch faster. It feels like it's a better made car, but time will tell on that. The interior is definitely built to a higher level of quality. Braking is similar to the 986S that I had. I am not a track guy, but from a quick street perspective, I find the 987.1 to be more responsive in handling, more sure and precise on turn in. All in all, although this will probably piss of my "friend" above, I find it to be a slightly nicer car.

All that being said, what I am specifically seeking is maintenance differences between a 986 vs 987 so that owners may learn what parts of the very good 986 manuals that are available now can be used to maintain 8987's, and what parts of the manuals are not applicable. Any help on that from guys who actually know would be appreciated.

Hopefully the info I gave here is helpful or at least interesting to you and others.

[10/10ths]

.....you see that owner’s manual in there?

THERE is your maintenance info.

Change the oil and filter every 5,000 miles.

Check your tire pressure once a month and inflate to the psi listed in the door jam sticker.

Change your brake fluid every two years.

Change your coolant every five years.

Put silicone on all your rubber parts once a year.

Clean out your drain holes every year.

Don’t fold the top under 40 degrees.

Let the engine warm up until it drops to a slow idle and then gently start driving.

After a hard run, let her idle for a minute before shut off.

Squirt some dry Teflon into the key slots once a year.

Stop worrying and just drive. It’s just a car.


Good luck.