Which Porsche

[Guest]

Good morning to all.
I'm new on the Forum and am looking to buy my first Porsche within the next six months. The car will be a third car and will serve no other purpose than enjoyment. I have always wanted a 911 and the current Carrera S is probably my choice, however I would really like a convertible car which leaves the question - Is the 911 cab really twice as good as a Boxster S?
I have looked into the Boxster and wanted to know if the Boxster S is much better than the standard Boxster, is the new 3.4 engine better than the old 3.2 and how good is the 2.7.
I'm sure these are just a few of the questions I need to know.

PH

 

[thboxster]

Well you've asked a right old question here!

There is no simple answer to this.

I would say that a 2.7 is an admirable vehicle, my old one was great. I would also say that the S is a super vehicle, I love mine to bits And I would also say that a 911 cab is worthy of serious consideration although is it 2x as good as a Box - probably not.

The only things that I would say about a Boxster are these:

* I think the 987 is a better vehicle than a 986 although I personally thought the 986 interior styling was more unique.
* A Boxster that has a glass rear screen rather than a plastic one is more convenient when you put the top down.
* How many seats do you need? If you can manage with 2 seats in the car then a 911 is maybe unnecessary.

Ultimately this choice will come down to budget but I would recommend that you try all of them before making a decision.

 

[blaine54]

If it where my cash I'd go for a Boxster S (987) with or without the 3.4. I had a 24 hour test drive of a lovely 911 cab last weekend (the OPC's are really sucking up at the moment) but I couldn't justify the price difference if I was looking for a soft top Porsche. The rear seats are useless for anyone over 5ft & the wind deflector which you'll need for anything over 50 mph will take up the passenger space anyway. Given the Boxsters extra storage, the great handling and decent power plant it gets my vote, plus there's a lot to choose from on the second hand market at the moment. I bought one a few months ago & it's just the job for those sunny days. Happy hunting[]

 

[DavidB]

Here's my ha'peth:

I drove a 987 2.7 and after a few yrs of owning Impreza Turbos found the performance very dissapointing. The S, whether 3.2 or 3.4, is a great car - the 3.4 is just a bit smoother, with a lot of torque at quite low revs, and a lot more shove (and noise!) above 4000rpm!

As thboxster said above, try them all - it'll hardly be a tedious waste of a weekend will it!

Happy hunting!

 

[Monty2]

I had a nearly new 987 Boxster S and didn't use it as much as I should of done then swapped it in for a 997C2S which again I don't drive as much as I should (some of the reluctance to take it out of the garage is due to where do you park it safely).
My thoughts were that the Boxster S was always terrific to drive could be thrown around and I always felt it looked after me even when I felt I was driving on the edge of my own capabilities, plus excellent as a soft top. My 997 lets you know its in charge and when you understand that its a terrific drive, but due to missing some of the Boxster mid engine handling have recently swopped my sensible 3 series Beemer commuting wagon for a 986 Boxster S as my daily drive. Today after a 12 hour working day it was like a double expresso as I came alive as I drove 70 miles home with the top down this evening.
Now if Labour continues to penalise me for working all hours and commuting a longer distance than most and I'm forced into re evaluating my car stable I think it would be a new Boxster S that wins the day (whens the facelift due?).
I think I could be drummed out of the 997 Register for the above but perhaps I wouldn't be alone in the "just one car" decision. I hope this assists your choice.

Paul

 

[Guest]

Manual or Tiptronic?
What extras are worthwhile and which are not?

Thanks again

Paul

 

[blaine54]

Personally, manual all the way for me. Book some test drives though & push for a 24 hour one if you can to get an idea of what each one's like to live with. As for extra's, I'd look for Bose, Sat Nav & heated seats for the those chilly mornings & winter days with everything else as a bonus. Expensive extras that don't really add anything are the sports chrono & phone module.

 

[Rob Edwards]

Hi Paul
I had two Boxster S's from new (986 and a 987) and bought a 997C2S a while back. While the Carrera S is considerably quicker in a straight line, the Boxster is a much better balanced driving tool IMHO. I also find the Boxster to be more practical with more easily accessible and useful storage than the 911, although if you have kids, the rear seats are useful .
If you have set your heart on a 911, then probably only a 911 will do, but if you are open minded, then do try a Boxster. Is a 911 Cab twice as good as a Boxster S - not in my opinion, although if you compare a 911S Cab with it's peers (M6 Cab, Maserati etc), it's reasonable value for money.
Try both a 911 and a Boxster S and see which one you prefer. The thought of saving 30k is always an incentive![]
I would echo previous advice for options - bear in mind you will get full leather/xenons and a few other goodies as standard oin the 911S, so keep it sensible - SatNav, Bose (it is rather good) and heated seats are very good options esp the latter in a cabriolet, and also the multi-function steering wheel (wish i'd specced it now). Bearing in mind the non-existent connectivity of IPOD to the music system and I would suggest a CD changer too.
Yours is a delicious conundrum, and one which ultimately means you are a winner whichever car you choose.
Have a lot of fun (join PCGB as well!) and I wish you many happy miles of Porschering![]

 

[Guest]

Having just gone through this myself - but changing 'down....gulp yes I said it'...from an AM to a Porsche 987 S...I must say that i'm really very impressed with the BX S. I drove C4S, C2, Cayman and BX S ( 3.2 ) and every sensible fibre told me to buy the BX S....those not quite so sensible ones still yearn a little for the C4S...... but maybe next year....didn't drive a 3.4 over a 3.2 but I don't think you'd notice too much difference in real world driving, other than worse fuel consumption I guess.

I looked around for a while to get the right spec'd options...satnav+phone, heated seats, MFSW, Xenons, 19" carrera S alloys and Sound pack plus ( not BOSE but also not quite as bassy as the BOSE either....but still bloody good ). All wrapped up in Arctic silver and dark blue/hood interior...... must say, that I think there is more of the Speedster in the Boxster than I'd appreciated before one was sat on my drive to look at []