Comparing my previous 997 cars to the new Boxster S
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Interesting thread. I have always loved 911's but had to take a break from Porsche for a while. I decided to return to the fold a little more than 2 years ago. I headed down to my local dealership with cash in hand to buy their 2008 997.1 base 6spd. I ended up driving home in a 2010 Cayman S. The Cayman was much more exhilarating to drive. The 911 had grown larger and more GT than the cars I enjoyed in the past. The Cayman S was the truer sports car.
Fast forward to today and I am looking around at a new car. I do not like the 981 Cayman S. It has moved towards the GT class like the 911 before it but at 325hp vs. the 320 in the 987.2, didn't get a bump in power. Combine that with the hard creases over every formerly supple curve, split tail lights, and the loss of direct feel through the servo assisted steering and the 981 just isn't as fun to drive as the 987.2 was. I like the more aggressive side intakes but, that alone won't sell me on the new Cayman S.
Fast forward to today and I am looking around at a new car. I do not like the 981 Cayman S. It has moved towards the GT class like the 911 before it but at 325hp vs. the 320 in the 987.2, didn't get a bump in power. Combine that with the hard creases over every formerly supple curve, split tail lights, and the loss of direct feel through the servo assisted steering and the 981 just isn't as fun to drive as the 987.2 was. I like the more aggressive side intakes but, that alone won't sell me on the new Cayman S.
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The new base 911 is faster but not by much . The big difference in driving the two cars is this :
1) The 991 feels like they got the most out of the engine .
2) The Boxster/Cayman -- feels like it was deliberately kept slower when it begs to go faster .
This translates into a car that has more balance but is forced to live in the shadow of the flagship out of the fear of cannibalizing 911 sales .
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Great Posts, I was dead set on ordering a 2013 Boxster S, but after I test drove it several times back to back with a 997.2 S I decided to go with the 911. HOWEVER much of that decision had to do with the 911 being a Coupe, if I were going for a Convertible I would have bought the Boxster. I do not understand what parts of the 911 make it almost twice the price of the Boxster??? I would not buy a New 911, not a chance.
I agree with this . The coupe Vs cab places new variables into the choice . The Cayman is the car to compare with the coupe and the boxster with the cab .
It is my opinion that in the convertible domain the Boxster is the best all around Porsche value .
In terms of a coupe .. the decision is much more complex . Keep in mind that even concepts like new Vs used , length of warranty, driving history, now enter the mix .
At 75-80K -- The coupes for sale are a) new Cayman S , b) used 997S , c) used 997.1 Turbo . 10K more gives a used 991 coupe , 20K more is a new base 991 . Also in play is whether the car is a first Porsche or a repeat Porsche . It is my opinion that a first Porsche ought to be a 911 if the choices are this close matched .
But with the Boxster to the Cab .. it's not close . The new Boxster is that good .
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a question...having only recently joined the forum and having limited porsche knowledge,when you say 997.2, im assuming you mean the last produced version of the 997 ,model year 2012.
is the .2 in any way differant from the .1?
i have wondered and perhaps someone has the answer,why did porsche produce both the 997,and 991 in the same model year 2012?
i personally dont like it, and im trying to think of what other car makers have done that in the past.no one comes to mind .
if you own and down the road you look to trade or sell will there be differant values for differant versions,997.2 , 991, or will they simply both be 2012 911 in the galves book?
what are Vs?
is the .2 in any way differant from the .1?
i have wondered and perhaps someone has the answer,why did porsche produce both the 997,and 991 in the same model year 2012?
i personally dont like it, and im trying to think of what other car makers have done that in the past.no one comes to mind .
if you own and down the road you look to trade or sell will there be differant values for differant versions,997.2 , 991, or will they simply both be 2012 911 in the galves book?
what are Vs?
Last edited by pal joey; Nov 4, 2013 at 03:58 AM.
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a question...having only recently joined the forum and having limited porsche knowledge,when you say 997.2, im assuming you mean the last produced version of the 997 ,model year 2012.
is the .2 in any way differant from the .1?
i have wondered and perhaps someone has the answer,why did porsche produce both the 997,and 991 in the same model year 2012?
i personally dont like it, and im trying to think of what other car makers have done that in the past.no one comes to mind .
if you own and down the road you look to trade or sell will there be differant values for differant versions,997.2 , 991, or will they simply both be 2012 911 in the galves book?
what are Vs?
is the .2 in any way differant from the .1?
i have wondered and perhaps someone has the answer,why did porsche produce both the 997,and 991 in the same model year 2012?
i personally dont like it, and im trying to think of what other car makers have done that in the past.no one comes to mind .
if you own and down the road you look to trade or sell will there be differant values for differant versions,997.2 , 991, or will they simply both be 2012 911 in the galves book?
what are Vs?
997.2 are 911's from 2009 through 2012
The 997.2 has a direct fuel injection motor, upgraded lights to led, daytime running lights, a vastly improved GPS, radio, Bluetooth, etc with touchscreen and nicer materials used in the interior.
Yes, 2012 showed both the 997.2 and 991 models. Kind of interesting marketing strategy.
As for resale, I personally don't like the 991 and would chose a 997.2 over it ( which I did)... I guess it would depend on the buyer.
I think vs means versus in these threads.
Hope this helps!
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thanks for the info steve
i see we have the same taste in car colors white over black.
now i have another question about color.
the car is spelled carrera
you also spelled your paint color the same way.
when i see some porsche literature its spelled carrara white.
i wondered why porsche would spell the car carrera and the color carrara.
im not sure which spelling is correct for the paint.
i just visited the porsche website. for the 991,its only called white.
i see we have the same taste in car colors white over black.
now i have another question about color.
the car is spelled carrera
you also spelled your paint color the same way.
when i see some porsche literature its spelled carrara white.
i wondered why porsche would spell the car carrera and the color carrara.
im not sure which spelling is correct for the paint.
i just visited the porsche website. for the 991,its only called white.
Last edited by pal joey; Nov 4, 2013 at 11:58 AM.
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thanks for the info steve
i see we have the same taste in car colors white over black.
now i have another question about color.
the car is spelled carrera
you also spelled your paint color the same way.
when i see some porsche literature its spelled carrara white.
i wondered why porsche would spell the car carrera and the color carrara.
im not sure which spelling is correct for the paint.
i just visited the porsche website. for the 991,its only called white.
i see we have the same taste in car colors white over black.
now i have another question about color.
the car is spelled carrera
you also spelled your paint color the same way.
when i see some porsche literature its spelled carrara white.
i wondered why porsche would spell the car carrera and the color carrara.
im not sure which spelling is correct for the paint.
i just visited the porsche website. for the 991,its only called white.
Carrera = A Spanish word for fast or race. Porsche adopted the name Carrera for its very special 1973 911 Carrera RS model, then later 911s got it as part of the normal model name.
Carrara = A kind of marble color that Carrara White is named after on the 997
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They are spelt differently and have different meanings.
Carrera = A Spanish word for fast or race. Porsche adopted the name Carrera for its very special 1973 911 Carrera RS model, then later 911s got it as part of the normal model name.
Carrara = A kind of marble color that Carrara White is named after on the 997
Carrera = A Spanish word for fast or race. Porsche adopted the name Carrera for its very special 1973 911 Carrera RS model, then later 911s got it as part of the normal model name.
Carrara = A kind of marble color that Carrara White is named after on the 997
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They are spelt differently and have different meanings.
Carrera = A Spanish word for fast or race. Porsche adopted the name Carrera for its very special 1973 911 Carrera RS model, then later 911s got it as part of the normal model name.
Carrara = A kind of marble color that Carrara White is named after on the 997
Carrera = A Spanish word for fast or race. Porsche adopted the name Carrera for its very special 1973 911 Carrera RS model, then later 911s got it as part of the normal model name.
Carrara = A kind of marble color that Carrara White is named after on the 997
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Previous test drives all I came away with was "WOW!, HOLY $HIT!!"
I recently moved from a 987 Boxster S to a 09 C2S and even though I love the 911 so much that I can't stop driving it, the way the Boxster drives is simply unmatched. The Boxster S is so well balanced and predictable that it instills a certain level of "c0ckiness" on the road from a handling perspective. For me, there was simply no better feeling than driving the Boxster S with winter tires in the rain.... knowing that I could toss it around and have it respond so precisely as it slid sideways. It was just so easy to drive.
Coming from that experience, my new car scares the **** out of me. It's significantly more powerful but not nearly as predictable. I'm still getting the feel for it and getting a handle on it's oversteering.
Coming from that experience, my new car scares the **** out of me. It's significantly more powerful but not nearly as predictable. I'm still getting the feel for it and getting a handle on it's oversteering.
Last edited by ellery; Nov 5, 2013 at 10:24 AM.
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It s true what you guys are saying, My first Porsche HAD to be a 911. I love my 09CS and don t think I d trade it for a Boxster S even though I ve never driven one. Wouldn t trade for a 991 either... Would trade up to a 911 Turbo!
I wonder why Porsche is brining the another model so close to the 911 in performance. You think they d leave a big enough gap so people would chose the 911 hands down.
But if you compare a boxster s to a 911S I think the results would speak for them selves, but then again there is a large cash difference. Seems like a boxster s might be a better performance/price car than a base 911. IMO though there is more to my choice than track numbers. While the boxster s is a nice looking car I don t think it compares to a 911. Just my 2 cents.
I wonder why Porsche is brining the another model so close to the 911 in performance. You think they d leave a big enough gap so people would chose the 911 hands down.
But if you compare a boxster s to a 911S I think the results would speak for them selves, but then again there is a large cash difference. Seems like a boxster s might be a better performance/price car than a base 911. IMO though there is more to my choice than track numbers. While the boxster s is a nice looking car I don t think it compares to a 911. Just my 2 cents.
