Freipo

DaveK.. good point, lol..i didn't think of it that way..

911Jetta

Freipo,
I knew about that car, but it's been for sale a while which is strange given the miles, condition, and price. The dealer is really high-end and worth the trip alone (Ferrari F40s and Enzos, Astons, etc.). The showroom is like an art museum. I don't live too far way (hr), let me know if you plan to look at the car maybe we can go together in my car to get some 964 miles in and give you a baseline. PM me if you go?
Udo

da_gleadless

What an offer

I just dropped mine off to get some seals/targa work done. Its gone for a few weeks... Im devastated

Freipo

911Jetta.. Thanks man, I appreciate it. I'll let you know if I head down that way and maybe we can work something out..

Well, I just got back from Euroclassics. What an experience, I'm completely amazed by the way the cars handled and drove. I ended up taking out an 2001 Boxster S and a 2003 Boxster S. Unfortunately the 964 wasn't there. I was concentrating on the '01 but they came back and would only give me 6500 for my car. Which I can't do. So the Volvos on craigslist and going in the paper next week. I'll def. be getting some kind of Porsche as even the Boxsters pretty much blew away every other vehicle I'd ever ridden in. They had a '97 993 at the dealership and that car was awesome, it seemed like it was build like a tank. I'd like to check out a 964 and an earlier 996 like someone else here recommended before I make a final decision. I imagine I'll have some time being as I have to sell my car first. Thanks for all the input guys..

rarebear

maint. ! once every 10k valve clearance check , they are almost impossible to get at ! 993 have hydraulic tappets, I wish I could get them on the 964 engine....
on the other hand , my 964 has done 245.000 km (engine overhauled at 150) name me another car
20 years old that still goes like a bat out of hell !!!

911Jetta

I hated seeing the Boxster bashing above, as it's an awesome car. Boxster, SUV, or now a 4-door sedan, as long as it's a Porsche it's all right by me.

More Porsches on the road = better roads/drivers.

You're on the right track, drive them all. Now you know first hand, life is better in a Porsche.

Good luck!

911Jetta

At least you can adjust 964 valves... the 993 hydraulic tappets just wear out and must be replaced (at approx. 60,000 mile intervals).

Jimjacqmx5

It may interest you that in Oz, these two cars compete in the same class and having driven both it seems my opinion is similar to others.
Personally, I reckon a totally stock 964 feels pretty ordinary, BUT, a 964 with a cup exhaust, chip, a set of bigger sway bars and some stiffer springs is a totally different car and in this guise will keep a 996 GT3 honest. The 964 is more of a challenge to drive hard but as a result is more rewarding, it also sounds a lot tougher. That said, stick to a C2 and make sure it's a manual coupe. Try to get a late 91 onwards with the better rear brakes and plastic manifold.

A Boxster S is a beautiful, modern car to drive and therefore much easier to live with day by day. Interestingly, a Boxster S with similar set up to a 964 ie each with suspension work will do the same sort of lap times around most tracks. This makes snse as they are almost identical on power and weight. Especially the earlier Boxster S. The Boxster S does come with nice big red brakes though.

Overall, as many others have mentioned.
964 for amazing overall feel to drive and exhileration when you get it right and rsale should hold up well and possibly even increase in value.
A Boxster S will depreciate even more but they are a sensational car and poeey to all those geese who think it isn't a real porsche or a girls car. They are an amazing bit of kit, just not quite as amazing as a well sorted 964.

Jay Laifman

First, on chick cars, face the facts. Anything that is either a convertible or has less than 8 cylinders is going to be considered a chick car by someone - yes, including the 911. If you are worried about driving a chick car, go buy a Ford F650 pick up and be done with it. Seriously.

Second, the Boxster. The car is an awesome vehicle. It's been voted by many of the car magazines to be the BEST sports car for many many years running. And there is a reason. It also had the fastest slalom on the R&T tests for quite some time, certainly beating out the 911 and every other car on the list. Compared to the 996 cars at that time, there was no comparison in fun sports car driving. Then again, the 997 is a whole other ball game - to me.

Third, on the RMS, it is wildly overstated. Talk to most mechanics who actually really work on them, compared to the overblown rumor that runs through the internet. And, keep in mind, under the worst case scenario, all it means is you are getting oil on your garage floor, not catastrophic failure.

Now, admittedly I am biased. I have a 2000 Boxster S (and a 1973 911, which I've owned for 22 years, and had a 356 for many years too). That said, there are four things about my Boxster that contribute to that feeling, whereas I am not all that wild about the car without them: (1) it has the 2003+ Porsche factory sport exhaust for Boxsters, with sport cats, thus giving it the wildest, ripping exhaust sound around, without the resonance that the aftermarket exhaust have, (2) it has the Porsche factory 997 sport shifter, which cost $150 from the dealer (! you can't buy air from them for that) which gives it a tight, short, appropriate feel (though I HATED the B&M shifter that I had on it, which was too stiff and too notchy), (3) it has full leather interior, yes not sporty, but admittedly gives it the quality feel that I felt was missing on the plastic stock interior, and (4) it's an S - not because it has gobs of additional power, which it does not, but simply because the whole package gives it a sporting, lively feel that I thought was not good enough on the non-S.

So that's my OPINION, and I'm sticking to it.

(oh, and I'm looking to add a 964 to the stable for my wife to drive, and give my daughter our MDX).

Jay

bassam

Boxster is a very reliable car until that rear main seal fail and the engine give up. It's very reliable too as long as you don't track it, again the engine will fail unless you install a sump system.

meek

Edited for accuracy

Mark Dreyer

This is the worst excuse for depriving yourself of one of the best driving cars Porsche has ever built (And I've owned 6 of them over the years including a 77S, an 84 Carrera, a 996 TT and a 996 GT3). I'll take my Boxster on the track over any of them other than the GT3.

Let's see....

GT3 seats-check
Schroth 6 point harness-check
B&M short shifter-check
Pagid yellow race pads-check
Brey Krause bar-check
Pilot Sport Cups-check
993 Cup wheels-check
Bilstein PSS9-check
Instant-G exhaust system-check (being installed in the next week or so)

Chick car-my ***!

Having said that, my mechanic loaned me his 964 a few weeks ago while he was working on Boxilla, and it reminded me of what I loved about the older air cooled 911's. I'd love to have another one from that era some day.

Mark Dreyer

Yea the Boxster is girly-in a Danicka Patrick sort of way.

Z-nomore

This is a timely thread for me as well. I have been debating between a Boxser-S/964 or trying to squeeze into a 993. I think that if I didn't go for the 911 I would always wish that I had. I have lusted after a 964/993 since I was 15-16 years old.