Any advice appreciated

I am looking to buy either a Boxster S or a 996
Have been offered both - Boxster S fully loaded etc or - for a few k more - a 996
The 996 has 40k miles on it & I want to keep it for 3-4 years - the Boxster has done 20k miles
Both are tiptronic - both have the right colour/spec etc - so which should i choose.

FWIT I really fancy an open car - & the 996 mileage concerns me (new clutch etc etc needed soon-ish ??)

Any advise appreciated

Ro.

yes, buy mine, 996 convertible, best of both worlds!

http://www.pistonheads.com/ads/detai...5&sc=G8XH&s=79

[Edited by merkin - 1/30/2003 10:50:50 AM]

No clutch in the Tiptronic so no worries there. 40K not that much to be honest, maybe brake pads. Do you need the extra room in the back of the 996 over the Boxter ? Possibly only for luggage. What are the respective ages of the cars ?

Regards
Cammy

Dont need the room - Boxster is 2 years old & the 996 is a 99MY I believe in dark blue
Wonder what a 7 year old 996 is gonna be worth with 70k plus miles on it though

Regarding your decision, the Boxster should be lower maintenance and convertibles (in general) hold a greater percentage of their value later in life better than coupes but it it's not hard to argue that owining a 911 (any 911, almost) is something that all 'people like us' aspire to at one point.

I went for the Boxster this time but I'd still love a 911 but arguably a (new) Boxster offers 80%+ of the Porsche experience for 50% of the cost, IMHO. I think I'd prefer an older 911 (coupe) and an decent saloon/hatch but ruled out running two cars at the moment.

I know you said you don't need the space but I'm amazed hot practical the Boxster is. The front trunk can swallow a full size hard suitcase plus a decent sized soft bag and the rear could take the same volume using a number of soft bags (or alternatively golf clubs!)

The 911 C4 has a front diff that eats into front storage space but it does of course have the back seats but not rear trunk (obviously!).

Investigate the cost of adding additional warranties to both cars. Assuming these are private sales?, your local OPC (Official Porsche Centre) should be able to carry out a pre purchase inspection for you and give you a price for an extended warranty should you wish it.

Both cars are not immune from engine trouble and there are far more watercooled Porshes out there on their second engines than many people like to acknowledge.

The nightmare terms are Rear Main Seal failure, porus engine blocks and Intermediate Shaft failure. Thankfully though, Porsche are pretty good at putting most of this right under warranty.

I had the same dilemna as you around 6 months ago, and originally ordered a boxster S. However the thought of the 996 kept gnawing away at me, and I decided that if I was going to be spending so much on a car, it had to be someting I REALLY wanted, and getting a 911 has been a dream since childhood.

From any financial or rational perspective, I think it's hard to justify spending porsche money. I think this choice is really one in which you need to let your heart rule your head. That's what I did, and my 996 should be here in a few weeks now (scheduled for build second week of Feb) :)

Gary.

Nice - thanks for all the replies guys.
the thought of a 996 does knaw away at me but when the sun is out I might well hanker after an open car that has over 250bhp so is no slouch........decisions decisions

buy merkins cab!

has to be the 911. how many kids will want to own a boxter when they grow up?

merkin's car looks well nice....:D

Personally I'd still be tempted by the 996 over a Boxter, however if the money was no object or you can stretch a bit then Merkin's 996 Cab with C4 looks perfect.
Thats what I'd have bought when I bought my Coupe but I could not get C4 Cab at the time so C2 Cab or C4 Coupe and I took the C4 Coupe.
If you are going for the 996 there are a couple of things you need to check regarding Rear Main Seal to see if its an issue or if its fixed. It depends on the engine number. Let me know if you'll need to check it and I'll send you the details.

Cheers
Cammy

[Edited by camk - 1/30/2003 3:31:20 PM]

thanks m8 - if I go the 996 route then I will contact you about this issue.

Ro.

Buy the 996. My brother's got a Boxster S, and nice as it is, I'm not jealous. If he'd got a 911, I'd be jealous. It's a truly special car.

think resale, the 996 is a piece of automotive history and one of the best performance cars around the boxter is just a poor mans porche:D

I don't think a Boxster would make a very good 'porche' and a poor man would certainly use something a lot cheaper to put above his front door! :p ;)

New Boxster out soon, so the current (soon to be old shape) will depreciate quicker. Go for the 996 has that has lost most of its depreciation, People know the 996 is relatively new, so put on a decent p/plate and the average person wont know if its 1 or 4 years old. Milage is no concern with this car, ive seen them with 100k plus an d still fetching half decent prices
I think you know deep down which one you want, you just need us to tell you your doing the right thing

I see a boxster and a 911 the same as an impreza sport and impreza turbo. They are both good in their own ways but IMHO I would always want to own the 911.

the "s" may be a pore mans porsche, but...........

once moving its as quick as a P1 or sti :P

I think the new 996 the 997 summer 2004 is out before the new boxster 2005 its been in a couple of mags. Both appear to look very similar to the existing models.

See this forum and thread

http://forum.boxa.net/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=435&s=4feb7c3d5b5e8f23dc80a a488eba6444

They are both great cars, excellent steering, throttle response and chassis.

The 996 is slightly more sophisticated,smoother,faster, more room for the larger driver.

The Boxster S has slightly more feedback from the chassis,in mag tests they have almost the same amount of grip (0.92g Box S to 0.91g Carrera, road and track testing on 200ft skidpan) and amazingly more boot space.

I've test driven the 996 now on 3 occasions, two back to back with boxster s, the first was a 996 carrera 2 in jan 2001 we couldn't really afford one, but took a test drive anyway to see what we would be missing by getting the boxster S, amazed at how close the cars were. The second time was a lovely long test drive in a gorgeous 996 Cab carrera 4 with Tiptronic test drive offered by the dealer to encourage us to get one, lovely car, smooth, fast, great auto box but felt a hint less sporty than boxster abit more grown up, a bit better cruiser, again amazed how close the cars were. Third time we could afford a 996 Cab, test drove a carrera 2 cab, drove it back to back with the boxster, ordered another Boxster S which arrives in March.

Couldn't justify the £72k for the 996 Cab against £45k for the Boxster S and just love the 2 seater roadster feel of the Boxy, the 996 is afraction better as a cruiser. But we have actually spent the extra saved on a 3rd car a 2nd hand Merc ML430 for long trips, huge, fairly comfy, safe in bad weather and can go off road if needed.

A new boxster will have a glass rear window, an older 996 won't, makes a bit of a difference to visability with the hood.

The tiptronic is a great auto box and although I would prefer to stick with a manual we are getting it on the new one. This is because the wife finds the clutch a bit stiff in stop start traffic (pain in and out of manchester on the daily commute).

The first one didn't have PSM traction control the new one does, I would recommend it as you can get an unwanted tailslide firly easy if you are clumsy on a wet road, no fun when your in a hurry its an unfamilar road, particularly if your tired.

You can't go wrong no matter which one you choose they are really good cars.
I'd like a newer or new boxster with full warrenty, although the Porsches are very reliable if they do go wrong it could be expensive.

What did steve coogan say on top gear? Something about the 993 being the last proper built 911. One would be cheaper as well!!

Thanks to all who replied - went for the Boxster S & picked it up last weekend.
What can I say...Its my first Porsche & I love it !

Ro.