I do the same thing with configuring a Spyder periodically and trying to talk myself into it. But for me being a four season daily driver I push myself back to the thicker power top and some of the options available on the GTS. It would be so great to have a Spyder, though.

 

I have to wonder if the people who ponyed up 300 large for a Speedster quibbled about the top operation.

I think it’s great Porsche is making further use of this wonderful 4.0 liter engine but as a package, unless you have a severe handicap, the Spyder seems like a no brainer. It has the aesthetic specialness of the Speedster for roughly 1/3 the price. The GTS 4.0 is I’m sure also a great car but at the end of the day, it’s just another Boxster.

 

They wouldn't quibble even if there was no engine in those cars. You don't need a practical top to never drive your roadster and only pet it in your hangar.

The Boxster has been the best backroads carver since 1997 -- nothing wrong with it whatsoever. Porsche's attempt to link purity, performance, and lightness with a manual top voodoo dance around the car has been nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

 

And yet I'm 100% certain than in my 1.5 years of Spyder ownership, you've spent more time on this forum talking about how inconvenient it is than I have spent doing said voodoo dance. If you buy the Spyder and replace the time you spend complaining about the top actually opening and closing it, you'll have more time than you know what to do with!

 

Been carving the roads since buying my 1st year Boxster S back in 2000. I have a new GTS 4.0 Boxster on order, built, and scheduled for 12/4 delivery. I will still be keeping my Boxster S though

 

I have plenty of time for both. I put 5k backroads miles/yr on my auto-top Boxsters, with 5 months of hibernation over winter. If you spent less time dancing around your Spyder maybe you could do half as much.

 

Your missing the point entirely. The Spyder and Speedster have significant design elements that set them apart aesthetically from their more “common“ brethren. While beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, in the Spyder’s case, the humps greatly enhance its mid engine stance and give it a more exotic look. Is this a point even worth arguing over?

If they offered the Spyder with an auto roof I’m sure there be a whole lotta takers Including myself but the Boxster GTS is not a Spyder with an auto roof it’s a Boxster with a 4.0 liter enigne.

 

The whole roof debate is moot. The picture that was provided says it all. You look at the car on the right and you love the look of the rear deck lid but discover that the roof mechanism is manual. You have to get out, Etc, That puts you off. You are not willing to to take on the quid pro quo.

You look at car on left and are told it’s an automatic roof, great - but you lose the racing humps, you hate the flat deck lid and that puts you off. Again you aren’t willing to take on the quid pro quo.

Porsche have given us a choice - I think that is good. Therefore there is no right or wrong here as each person has to weigh their choice. For me, I chose the car on the right because I’m willing to sacrifice the electric roof for aesthetic look of the car. It’s not my daily car. And there are lots of brilliant supercars that you have to get out to fiddle with roof. And also many with a electric roof. Perhaps others value the need for an electric roof vs look of car.

Now about the front end look of both cars......

 

Close enough for govt work, plus it's lighter.

If they offered, say, a Boxster R with all the Spyder bits (-30mm GT suspenson, front/rear bumpers/spoilers, wheels, tires, stance, and brakes) but without the humps and the manual top voodoo dance, it would outsell the Spyder 5:1. Maybe they need more serious Boxster and backroads fanatics as their marketing consultants, lol...

 

But the spyder is the first boxster derivative with a proper GT chassis, which is actually quite heavy with all the suspension/brakes/wheels etc. putting all that **** into an R wont net the same weight result this time around

 

How much lighter is the GTS, 5lbs? The rest of your hypothesis is baseless speculation. And “close enough” is nonsense unless you only look at the two cars head on or are visually impaired. “Voodoo dance” lmfao. Why are you OCD about the top of a car you don’t even own.

What’s not speculation is that the racing humps significantly transform the car aesthetically. Either you like it or you don’t. I think anyone with a scintilla of good taste and some intellectual honesty would agree the Spyder is the more exotic looking car. I think most would also find it the far “prettier” car. The racing humps also tie in historically to some of the great classic Porsche’s of the past.

Another point of fact is that 911 aficionados paid close to 140k premium over the GT3 for the Speedster’s racing humps and manual top.

 

There is another difference that hasn’t been discussed. The manual top doesn’t bother me. It’s actually pretty easy. But the uninsulated top of the Spyder makes the cabin absurdly noisy. Yeah, I know, the car is supposed to be driven with the top down. But there is something called rain and very cold weather where you are going to have to put the top up. The noise in the cabin with the top up is close to the point where hearing damage will occur. And forget about trying to listen to music! I find that when I drive my Mini or my BMW, I tend to drive faster because I can hit 90 or faster without really noticing. But in the Spyder, with the top up, I find myself going 75 - 80 and thinking I must be flying because of all the noise. With the top down (how I intend to drive whenever I can), the car is close to perfection. But I’m completely shocked at how loud (not is a good way - it’s just wind, road noise, and engine whine) this car is compared to my 981S. In my 981S, I’d have no issue embarking on a 5 hour trip. With the Spyder, I think 1.5 hours is about all I could stand with the top up before my ears start to bleed. I think the car is actually quieter (or at least easier on the ears) with the top down.

 

Hf1 has been complaining about the top non stop for years. It's become a bit of a running joke and I get a kick out of egging him (or her) on.

I equate it to wanting to drink a twist off bottle of Barefoot wine over a bottle of screaming eagle because it will take an extra 20 seconds to uncork it....

 

I agree. Then they would weigh the same.

 

Heh. While it’s certainly loud inside with the top up, it’s never felt louder than top down to me, and I’ve done many highway journeys with the top up. To me (with Dunlop tires) it only feels slightly louder inside than my old 987 Boxster. I’ve driven a couple 981 Boxsters, and they were also horribly loud in the cabin on highways.

Would be interesting to measure interior noise levels on the same pavement for a Boxster vs Spyder with the top up.