986 or 987

[Tan]

Hi

My wife is looking for a 2 seater sports car, the options are Boxster, BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK.

The budget of about £15k throws up mainly 986's and some higher mileage 987's, what is the main differences between the two models and is it worth waiting out for a 987 over the 986?

Many thanks

Tan

 

[browser]

Tan,
basically 986's post 2003 had rear glass hoods and both 986 and early 987 S models had 3.2 engines and the standard car had 2.7 engines both models are excellent drivers and best in class for handling and are both comfortable from the elements and road tax is now at £235 pa so not too bad, interior wise there was an upgrade on style from the 986 to 987,though all cars are built pretty well.. Z4 are a different car and personally i would rather have a 325 convertable than say a Z4 2.2 or 3-0 Litre, the Z4M is a different car altogether and goes well and all have glass rear screens but BM's are BM's and depends on what your wife perhaps fancies?
SLK's are Merc's and drive pretty well as a Merc does and are not that exciting but do cosset the driver with the roof being metal,again depends on what the wife does daily with her cars, ie re work,mileage & parking?
I would say the porsches are great cars as I have had them for 20 years and the boxster is possibly underrated as to my mind the mid engine handling is wonderful and a safe car to most users and are to me better than the others as driver and ownership cars , all have their merits and I would suggest you put some effort into research of what she wants and go out and look, finding a perfect car will take some effort and time as they are many for sale but good cars can be a bit harder to find in any budget on colour spec and value and location to view.
good luck John ..check Pistonheads site for a starting point.

 

[paulwat]

Hi Tan,

It's a great position to be in!! My other half runs a 58 plate 2ltr Z4 and I have an '06 987.

I am sure someone will come along and talk about the technical differences between the two cars and how tthe location of the engine affects handling etc etc but for me it is a very simple thing. I get in the Boxster start the engine and even on the worst of days it makes me smile. The boxster sounds like a proper sports car , looks like proper sports car, drives like a proper sports car.

The BMW is a good car but for me it is very uninvolving, the exhaust note is subdued, the handling okay but the run flats aren't great, roof not as well insulated from noise - it's competent at what it does but just lacks the polish and theater of the Boxster. Think shrunk 3series with soft top - not out and out sports car

In the snow at the start of the year the BMW was unuseable, everyone I know who has a recent BMW on run flats has problems with it in snow - I owned two 3series' before they introduced run flats and they worked perfectly happily without resorting to snow chains - so i am guessing it has something to do with the tyres - oddly the ones fitted to the car are described by BMW as summer tyres and shouldn't be used in temperatures below 5C not exactly great in the UK where seperate winter tyres definitely aren't the norm as they are on the continent/ nordic countries. Had no problems with the Boxster at all, although getting the doors open sometimes proved iffy

The one big negative on the Boxster is that if you don't use it everyday you will need to plug it into the mains - last time I looked it wasn't an electric car!! The BMW will survive for weeks without even a sniff of the battery charger

Where the BMW really scores is running costs, the Z4 averages 30+mpg when used on a 20mile round trip commute in the rush hour, the Boxster averages 23mpg (although I am not that gentle with it). Servicing costs on the Z4 are also much better although the gap narrows if you are doing the work yourself. Also insurance is significantly cheaper

Before buying the 987 I did look at a 986, the big differences which made me choose a 987 were servicing interval (twice as long) , interior styling much more modern, factory fit satnav much better, glass rear window (although a 986 after 2003 will have one of these).

At the end of the day it's personal choice - the other half hates driving the Boxster for the exact reason I love it - the exhaust noise scares her!!!

Cheers

Paul

 

[Tan]

Thanks John and Paul.

I think that the Z4 may get favoured by my wife as it is that bit softer and dare I say it, more girly.

Another car we are viewing which is a bit of a wild card, to pinch the line of a certain day time TV house hunting program, is an SL320. It is a slightly older model, MY2000 and has the benefit of having rear seats. I have previously had a SL500 of around the same age and the car was lovely to drive and thus may suit my wife better.

If it were me choosing I would want a 987 Boxster as it looks more modern and I prefer the interior, quite similar to my brothers 997.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Check you actually fit the car as well.
There are a small number of people who find the centre console is in just the wrong place on a 987, and it digs in to the kneecap joint as you naturally rest it on the corner edge - painful after a long journey! If you are of a leg-length higher or lower than this not-so-sweet spot then you are ok. []
Conversely if you are tall the 986 might not be the one for you.

 

[pacemaker1000]

just been through the process you are asking all be it with a smaller budget so a 987 was out.
TBA i really wanted a Z4 for the reasons stated but then i drove one! it was so bad i took it back straight away. very hard unforgiving ride, noisy, and rattly.
thinking i had a bad experience i tried another a couple of months later but it was the same!
i then moved to SLK's which to me is a far better car but unless you go for the big engine its underpowered and dare i say a bit girly
came down to a 2.7 Box or a Honda S2000( definate mans car though)
in the end i decided to put up with the extra running costs and lack of local dealer and bought the Boxster

if i was a you though i would veer towards the SLK

 

[FredBasset]

ORIGINAL: Tan
I think that the Z4 may get favoured by my wife as it is that bit softer and dare I say it, more girly.

Although many will discount them from a performance point of view you could always get a Tip. We've recently done this as the wife wanted a Porsche and for it to be a convertible but needs an auto as a result of a fairly serious accident she was in years ago, its a fine car and she loves it. If it was for me I'd prefer a manual like my other toys but I still enjoy driving it.

Regards
Fred

 

[London987]

after looking at the z4 as well when we got our 987s my wife actually found the boxster easier to drive. and that says something as she's not very confident and i don't think has ever strayed over the speed limit. the car can either be thrashed or pootle about, its happy either way and is two completely different cars. if its a compromise you need (believe me i went through all of this a while ago!) then the boxster is definitely a good choice. my sister in law has an slk, i hate it. its cramped, not very well finished and really quite hard to see out of with the roof up. its slow, tacky inside and the only thing i do like about it is the aircon is very good. the z4 scored very high but didn't feel 'special' enough. we could have got a new one for our budget but went for a high spec 2nd hand boxster - they are that good.

have fun finding out for yourself though, i love car shopping!!

 

[Black80XSA]

At £15k you should be looking at a mint 2.7 or 3.2S 986, or a medium mileage 2.7 987

The 987 gained a bit more power in 2.7 guise (245bhp vs 228hp) and is all you really need for normal driving. The 987 is a more modern looking car, the interior is better and the build and component quality much better than the 986. The luggage space doesn't change roof up or down on either model , so a 2 week touring trip is very easy with a Boxster.

Both are great cars - they both handle well and are great drives. The 987 has a more mature feel to it IMO, and the interior seems to have a bit more passenger space.


SLK - has the added security of a metal roof, so if the car sits outside or street parking then this might suit you better. The metal roof also means less road noise with the roof up, also worth thinking about if its to be used on wet motorways on a regular basis. The SLK is a pretty good car, very few significant issues. I'd expect the running costs to be less on the SLK. this advert is the first one i got up on pistonheads.com classifieds - if this is anythign to go by then you'll get a lot more car for your £15k in an SLK than a Boxster.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1670313.htm


Z4 - i wouldn't look at personally - very limited interior and boot space, lots of niggles and the run flat tyres are a pain.

 

[Tan]

Hi

After a test drive in a 986, to my utter surprise and delight my wife likes the boxster best out of the three.

Now the hunt starts to find the right car, ideally we would like one with Sat nav and Parking sensors, but if I find a good car in every other sense can these be retrofitted?

Also I would like a Porsche warranty so how would retrofitted options effect this?

Best regards

Tan

 

[jdpef356]

Get yourswlf into a 986 2004 Anniversary 550 Spyder model. This is the limited edition with all the goodies - and I mean goodies and plus.

You will not find another car as highly specked as this model. If you think you have It wont have the extra couple of horses, the unique tail pipe, the lowered suspension, the special GT SILVER paint job - the unique interior the list goes on - a quick google search will update you or just take a look at http://www.auto-power-girl.com/specifications/porsche/porsche_boxster_s_550_spyder_50_years_anniversary_edition-498

Get one of these and it will put a smile on your face - and you will have one of a limited number with plaque to prove it!

Buy one of these and it will knock the others onto the sideline - I know, I own one[]

 

[ianmac]

Hi, ive had both and must say the 987 is so much better i would recommend it evry time, nowt wrong with a good spec 986 , but handling. interior / steering is much better on my present 987...PS my wife hated my 986s and wasnt happy when i got the 987s BUT I asked her to drive it "for a few miles" and i did not get the car back for 300 miles! she loves it as do I.....eVEN AFTER A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP IT STILL EXCITES LIKE NO OTHER CAR CAN... oops caps!

 

[Tan]

I have found a nice condition 986 (2003) but it does not have Sat Nav and Parking sensors, would this have an adverse effect when we come to sell it on in the future.

Also, is there much difference between a 2003 and 2004 986?

Many thanks

Tan

 

[gdavison]

IMHO

The Sat Nav in a 986 is "so out of date" unless some one has spent a lot of money upgrading the disks / system that they start to become a -ve selling point on the car - so most people ignore an incar dashboard system thats over say "5 years" old and expect to use a Tom-Tom or a phone for upto date info

Parking sensors on a Boxster are a luxury as you can see all corners yourself .... they wont hold back on a future second hand price

 

[Tan]

Thanks for all the replies and information, we purchased a 986 2.7 Tiptronic today