Turbo Jonny

Im looking at a used boxster in the £35k range. I could get a very basic 987 or a well specced low miles "S". Any opinions welcome .Is the new range so much better ?

mrpc12

I would go for the newer one. Unless the used one was Porsche certified the longer warranty on the new one would be highly desireable.

Ray S

I'd take the 987

Turbo Jonny

Interesting so far the 987 is winning.Not sure i could get PASM at this price,its desirable but i dont like the stopwatch on the dash anyway.I could wait but no signs of values slipping soon.
Any reasons why a 986S wouldnt be a better package?

mrpc12

There were many improvements made in the 987 and in my opinion it's a better platform. But if you can get a 986S with warranty and at a decent price then there is certainly nothing wrong with doing that.

ELUSIVE

Just FYI, the stopwatch does not come with PASM option. It comes with the Sport Chrono option.
I would try to drive them back to back and see if you notice any difference. They increased the power in the 2.7 in the 987 to 240 hp so it's pretty close to that of the 986S although i don't think that it has quite the torque.
You may find that the improvements that they made on the 987 (especially on the interior) make it more desireable than the 986S, but that's just my personal opinion.

Either way you're looking at a super fun car, so have fun shopping.

mbodo

Ironically, I think the changes to the exterior warranted my decision to go w/ the 987 over the 986. Both cars are works of art, don't get me wrong (Porsche design?? c'mon!! gotta love it) but I am bent they carried over oddball items from the 986 to the 987 interior, i.e. visors and rear view mirror. They just don't have the same lines/flow as the rest of the interior. Cost savings I suppose.

Regardless, it is a matter of personal preference on design. Sure we can track these cars and given the same driver a 987 out performs its 986 peer, but Boxsters are beautiful little gems that are meant to be seen, felt, and heard (ahh, shift, burble-burble-burble)

rkeyser

Back in March we traded our two 2002 Boxsters (S and base) in on two 2005 Boxters (S and base).
Wow what a difference! Build quality is an order of magnitude better and the body structure is tight with no rattles. I even think the base is more fun to drive than the S with it's Ferrari-like intake noise.

In fact, I think the new Boxster is better than the 997 we purchased in July. It has less power but that's it. The new Boxster has now been perfected.

fluid15

The subtle design changes of the 987 make it look MUCH IMPROVED over the 986 variation.

JFScheck

If money is no option, take the 987, but if ya wanna save a few go with a 2003 or latter 986...

Turbo Jonny

Wow, thats interesting.It supports what i have read by porsche folk who worked on the 987 and said they had been able to do what they couldnt afford to do on the 986.If they have improved the reliability issues too then there is really no contest.Sadly i hear no word of engine redesign....so i guess RMS etc will continue...

Palting

Not true. The whole engine may not have been redesigned, but the RMS and that part of the block has been changed. From 1999 onewards, Porsche has been making changes to address the RMS issue. First was a different seal, then a different tool, then another seal and another tool together with changes to the RMS seat. For 2005, another new seal and changes to the intermediate shaft have been made. So, yes, design changes were made to address the RMS issue. Now, whether the design changes are successful remains to be seen. Reportedly, the incidence of RMS leak has significantly decreased with each newer model year.

One more reason to go with the 987 over the 986.

TedKM3

I had the same dilemma '03 986 S vs. '05 987 and drove both (twice). I just love the pull of the S (even moreso the 987 S, but that's beyond budget). The 987 just felt more solid to me. Better chassis feel and actually fit my body better. I like the newer design and it didn't feel *too* slow (but I'm sure I'll miss my E36 M3 when it's sold).

I ended up taking the plunge on a end-of-year '05 at $500 over invoice. No comments so far on the lack of power since I haven't taken delivery yet. But take several test drives and you'll figure it out one way or the other.

ccasey

I drove both back in July, and I would go for the 987. The interior is much nicer (IMHO), the power is comparable, but more important to me was that I thought the 987 sounded better. Handling-wise, I think there was something wrong with the S that I drove (wobbly steering wheel > 60 mph - could've just been tire pressue), so I didn't get a good feel. I can't say enough good things about the 987, though.

If I could deal with a 2-seater then there would be a 987 (base, with very few options) in my garage.

Forgot to add - not to make anyone feel like they paid too much, but back in July I was offered $5k off sticker for any 987 I chose/configured/etc without even trying to negotiate. Not sure if the same deals are available these days or not, though.

Larry Harris

For my wife's car it was simply a matter of which to buy, the base model or the S. She drove both and chose the S. Guards, tip, and chromed lobster forks.. She loves it, its a trip to drive and I really like the stock exhaust notes. Much better sounding than my 997 without PSE.