981 Boxster S 6-sp roadtest in new Car and Driver
#17
I drove both yesterday. 991 is a little faster in straight line ONLY. Had no problem keeping up in 981.
I think once IPD and Softronic tuning get invloved in the 981 aftermarket segment, this may close the gap. The base engine in 991 and 981 is the same...Only detuned and suppressed.
Same old story about Porsche. They know the 981 is hot, but still has to have some justification for 991 price and pedigree.
I think once IPD and Softronic tuning get invloved in the 981 aftermarket segment, this may close the gap. The base engine in 991 and 981 is the same...Only detuned and suppressed.
Same old story about Porsche. They know the 981 is hot, but still has to have some justification for 991 price and pedigree.
#19
Interestingly enough based on their posts many 991 buyers still believe that the engines in the 981 and 991 are different. So Porsche offers the same engine in both models and raises the price of the 991 vs the 997. I have no idea how well 991s are selling worldwide, but in my area the sales are very slow for a new model. I don't know if it's because of the recession or because of price. All the 991s in my area are listing for well over $100K.
The 991, with prefered options really takes off in price, but so does the 981. It is very easy to put 20-25k in options into these cars and to many people, thats too much in their mind. Seems like once you break that 100-110k mark, most people fall off the bandwagon.
I must be one of the insane ones that doesn't let ultimate price influence my decesion of wanting a highly optioned car, but I chose the 981 platform due to the performance level in the mid-engine chassis.
Nothing against the 991 as I just drove one hard on a Barber Motorsports track, but I like the 981 better.
#20
Interestingly enough based on their posts many 991 buyers still believe that the engines in the 981 and 991 are different. So Porsche offers the same engine in both models and raises the price of the 991 vs the 997. I have no idea how well 991s are selling worldwide, but in my area the sales are very slow for a new model. I don't know if it's because of the recession or because of price. All the 991s in my area are listing for well over $100K.
#21
Sounds as though the Boxster/Cayman line is maturing into Porsche's purest sports car, which of course, it always has been. Sounds also that Porsche has pushed the boundaries of what buyers will pay for a mainstream Porsche "911"; some are biting and some, apparently, are not.
When I consider the alternatives of what $100-140k will buy, I can have a new Audi R8, new AM Vantage, lightly used Ferrari F430, or lightly used Lamborghini Gallardo. Those are all very good choices and serious competition for 991 money.
When I consider the alternatives of what $100-140k will buy, I can have a new Audi R8, new AM Vantage, lightly used Ferrari F430, or lightly used Lamborghini Gallardo. Those are all very good choices and serious competition for 991 money.
#22
Sounds as though the Boxster/Cayman line is maturing into Porsche's purest sports car, which of course, it always has been. Sounds also that Porsche has pushed the boundaries of what buyers will pay for a mainstream Porsche "911"; some are biting and some, apparently, are not.
When I consider the alternatives of what $100-140k will buy, I can have a new Audi R8, new AM Vantage, lightly used Ferrari F430, or lightly used Lamborghini Gallardo. Those are all very good choices and serious competition for 991 money.
When I consider the alternatives of what $100-140k will buy, I can have a new Audi R8, new AM Vantage, lightly used Ferrari F430, or lightly used Lamborghini Gallardo. Those are all very good choices and serious competition for 991 money.
#23
I think the $100K threshold does present a psychological hurdle to some. In my case I just can't see myself driving a $100K+ car on roads shared by so many distracted drivers. I know that sounds elitist, but about 10% of the drivers in my area just don't invest much effort focusing on their driving. The only way these drivers get from point A to point B without colliding with something is by a combination of luck and defensive drivers.
I was reading a post on the 991 forum about a guy who owned his 991 for only a month, and some guy collided with his car. The repair bill is over $20K. It's bad enough when you have a $50K car that gets crunched; it's sickening when the car costs well over $100K.
I was reading a post on the 991 forum about a guy who owned his 991 for only a month, and some guy collided with his car. The repair bill is over $20K. It's bad enough when you have a $50K car that gets crunched; it's sickening when the car costs well over $100K.
#24
I'm not so sure an $80,000 Boxster S is the sweet spot with this car. To me the base makes a lot more sense as a mid $50K daily driver that you can pile the miles on. Seems like a heck of a value for that price.
#27
#29
Actually there's only about a $10K differance between the base and S. If you are careful with the options you select and work hard for a discount, upper $60s is doable for an S. Nevertheless, I agree with your observation about the base. I just like the extra power in the S.