Wow. You would think Boxsters had a Kia badge on them...

They are 2 different cars and each have their own appeal. A Boxster S would be just as fun as my 996 - it would just be a different kind of fun. For the $$ difference, I could have a 986S and a Hog or Spec 944 to rave on 14 weekends per year. I wonder if the difference is worth it sometimes.

My advice is to drive them back to back; an '03 Boxster S and an '03 996. Get the one you want. Getting the 996 can have the snob factor of feeling like you have a superior car (until the GT2 pulls along side). But in the Boxster you can invite your 996 friends to an AutoX and make them your *****.

What I would NOT do, is buy an '02+ 996 unless you're sure you'll flip it before the warranty runs out. Nagging RMS problems aren't worth the risk to me.

Good luck and post pics of the result!

 

About 6 months ago, my wife and I were looking at buying a new Boxster.

We ended up buying/ordering a new 996 instead.

The Boxster is an excellent car and my wife was really opting for a soft top. The only thing I felt it needed was more power.

I am not really a big fan of convertibles and in the end my wife and I compromised and she said we can buy a 996 if I keep the sunroof

If a Boxster coupe was available now we might have purchased one!

The 996 does have the classic 911 shape which I prefer somewhat and who knows, when the Boxster Coupe arrives they may even produce a Turbo version (dreaming?) and then my wife and I may trade our 996 in.

As far as the RMS problem goes - this is only applicable to the early 996's and this problem was also present on Boxsters as well - NO big deal which is fixed under warranty.

Costas

 

The few things I somewhat miss about my Boxster is the fact it was a convertible and the Bose stereo really worked good in the Boxster. The handling is a little bit better around corners than my 4S IMO.

RMS is still a big problem with the new 996 as they are with the older 996s and it's a pain in the **** for some to have it changed.

 

Dont forget, There may be loyalty money you can use to offset the
purchese of an 03- This expires oct 31 PM me if you have any questions - Jamie

 

Hey ZX7R - do a search for RMS. RobynC in her very new 2003 996 has RMS problems. And since multiple people have had multiple RMS failures, I won't be owning my car out of warranty. Even a new motor doesn't guarantee success.

Hey porschegm, is Porsche going to get this right? I mean, I love my P-Car but this kind of stuff kills resale and there is lots of competition in the $80k & Unreliable category.

 

The questions you have about the reliability have plagued us
for a while, The factory says its getting better. I can only give
the vanilla answer because that is all I get. We have seen quite
a bit of RMS on older 996, Fortunately nothing so far on 03's

 

RMS is a Boxster problem also! Don't use it to distinguish the 2 cars. They both have problems with it.

 

Is the RMS issue really such a big issue....

I mean, on the forums we tend to hear about problems that owners have with RMS and this tends to cloud the overall figures - not too many people post to say Hey I do not have an RMS problem.

I would bet that there are many more owners with no RMS issues rather than owners with an issue.

Anyway - back on the original topic - As Scott has mentioned don't bother considering the RMS issue in regards to Boxster Vs 996 purchase.

 

Agreed. And my RMS comments were in reference to suggestions on buying a used 996 Cab in lieu of a new Boxster. New to new, both would be sweet.

 

I traded my 98 Boxster for an 03 C2 Cab in June. I drove it all summer and didn't find it so intoxicating in comparison that it was worth the extra price. Before you flame me, understand that I felt the Boxster as a starting point was a great car and even in the 2.5L guise was more car than most drivers could handle. The 996 was light years ahead with the full leather interior and was ungodly fast compared to the Boxster in a straight line. It was a much different drive than the balanced mid engine Boxster. I also felt that half of the gears in the 996 weren't of much use. You want that engine to sing and on US roads most of the gears dropped the RPM so low that it was loafing along. The end result of my summer test drive was a trade of the C2 Cab for two cars - an 04 Audi A4 Quattro for winter and family needs and a loaded 03 Boxster S for summer and fun times. The two cars combined were a pure swap for the depreciated C2 Cab. The Boxster S listed for $62K and went out the door to me at $51K due to the $4K incentive PCNA has in place for owners of 99 to 01 Porsches (and grandfathered to me as a former 98 owner when I called about it). The end result is a Boxster S at $51K is a pretty good deal. I'm not going to lose sleep over depreciation as my 996 depreciated $10K in my short ownership period. Until the economy improves, the car market is a bear market/buyer's market and you will lose a lot of value in any move.

Last item to note - I will own a 911 again someday, but this time it will have a roof. I really think that is purest form for the 911 and eliminates some of the negatives of the C2 Cab experience.