993 C S vs. Boxster Spyder?
 

I have owned a '97 993 C4S and I miss it a great deal. I have driven an '11 987.2 Boxster Spyder and love the car. I think both vehicles will have a special place in the hearts of many collectors in the future. If I can buy another car in the future, I may choose between the two. First world problems.

The handling and steering of the Spyder is quite superior but that does not have to be the deciding factor - both cars are quite fun to drive. It's about the gestalt; the holistic package of appearance, smell, sound, handling, usability, reliability, etc.

Not a huge convertible fan for various reasons, but I don't mind it given my affection for this car's terrific handling. Aesthetically, it is a beauty, too.

I am curious if you were to purchase a daily driver for longterm ownership which car of the two would you choose? A 993 C2/4S coupe or a Boxster Spyder? Anyone else have the same internal debate as me?

I am not a big fan of the body shell of the 981 Spyder but am tempted by the 3.8L and improved top.

Let's spare everyone the typical comments dissuading conjecture about future car values and collectibility, buying a car because you love it versus as an investment, etc. These are tired comments that accompany every post like this.

I am hoping to evoke answers that focus on passion and pragmatism: why people love their 993 S or their Spyder and what issues they deal with during lengthy ownership.

I'm curious how others that are interested in these two cars would stack the elements of each car's disparate character against each other to make a decision.

Thanks for thinking about it.

I have both a '98 993 S and a '16 Boxster Spyder and both cars are so different. The engine in the Spyder is insane for a car so light. It feels so alive. The 993 S has a great shape and feel that makes me smile every time I walk by or drive it. But so different. As a daily driver probably the 993 but having both allows different cars for different moods. The 993 S is not as dynamic and fun, but better for dinner or a trip to the market. The Spyder also has two trunks, so also useful. I have the LWB seats so probably less of a daily option but with the 18-ways it would be more usable (and spouse-friendly). Just my impressions with having the Spyder for three weeks or so. However, neither are my daily driver...I have a Panamera GTS and Range Rover for that (yes, I am a bit nuts). Any specific questions or feedback welcome. Happy to help. Good luck - it is a great problem to have!
Jeff

i owned a 96 993 c4s, sold it about ten years ago and sorry i did. the c4s was a beaut, it was my second 993, but honestly driving the 981 spyder is like fast-forwarding to the pinnacle of the sports car experience as we know it today...

the 981 spyder probably marks one of the last of its kind. there will be few if any "new" cars that will match the visceral sensory experience it is to drive the spyder thru twisty backroads.

do i miss my 993's? yes. but will i miss my spyder more if i ever sold it? ABSOLUTELY YES. i'd be compelled to go out and buy another. like i did three times w s2000's (still own one). i did it once with the 993, but honestly, its out of my system now. the 981 spyder for me - a dyed in the wool roadster guy - is just that good. if i was ever silly enough to sell it, i'd buy another, and another, and another...

just me though. could be very different for you. :cheers:

Love my 2011 Spyder, but I'm not sure I would recommend it as a daily driver. I have an '11 335xi for that job. Unlike you , I was specifically looking for a convertable and after much deliberation narrowed my search to this car in particular. Here's why I say the Spyder is NOT a great idea as a daily driver:
1) I love the handling, and around town it is actually very easily livable but on the interstate the bumps start to really come through. I try to hit country / state roads with it whenever possible also because that's where the car is the most fun anyways.
2)The convertible top. People make too much of how hard it is to take on and off. After a couple months ownership you develop your own routine. I can get it on and off in about 2 minutes or less. Having said that two minutes of hard rain is quite a bit. So the convertible tends to sit at home when the forecast is rain. It's also pretty noisy . Again, for me no biggie , but if you like your radio it's not great for that, or talking on the phone (seems like I'm always getting one more call from the office on the way home from work). Also, The top / car are super easy to break into. I live in a fairly sleepy town, but in the big city that would be another barrier to daily use.
Other than that, I love the car and frankly feel bad on days I don't take it to work etc. I think if the above two concerns are no biggie to you you will have no problem with this car as a daily driver.
Honestly I don't know much about 993's . My oldest Porsche owned was a 996 Targa. I did daily drive that one and it was OK though I like this manual transmission better than that one. And this car handles much better than that one as well (the weight distribution / setup is far superior). But those are topics for other threads.

I've had a bunch of 993's.

I now own my first Boxster. I sound like a broken record here in my praise for the Spyder, but I absolutely love it. Far more than any of the 993's.

Visceral, communicative and exciting.

I just recently sold my 993 S after 9 years of ownership. I will always love the 993. I bought a 2012 Spyder approx a year before I sold the 993. It has been a great car, I was thinking of selling it when I placed my order for a GT4. I have had my GT4 for about a month now, and love it, but every time I get in the spyder, I'm glad I kept it.

Wow. What a great question and I'll throw in my 2 cents.

First off, neither IMO are a good daily driver. A 993 C2S needs to be warmed up before you drive, it's no longer modern technology, and with prices continuing to rise why over-drive it if you've got one with low mileage.

The gen-1 Spyder? An incredible super fun car to drive but with a good sitff suspension that only softens to a comfortable level at high speeeds, a cramped cabin with the top up, and an amazing top but very thin and not super weather proof for a daily driver.

So neither are a good DD. The best DD? The new Macan in any variant. Pick one up and either a 993 C2S or a gen-1 Spyder for the evening or weekend romps and you will be set!

You probably didn't want to hear that but there it is! :)

So, Jeff, if you were forced by circumstances to keep the 993 or the Spyder for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Maybe it's not accurate to say I am getting the car as a daily driver, but it will be driven hard every week and maintained well for many years.

I live in CA. Warming up my C4S was never a problem. :).

I've driven a Macan and feel the Cayenne stock suspension is superior and it is a safer SUV. I do have an SUV for a daily.

It would be more accurate to call it a 'frequent flyer' than a daily driver, I suppose. I'll drive it hard, weekly, for many years.

That would be the apocalypse and hard to imagine. I have different cars for different circumstances/moods and would be hard to decide. I would not personally drive either car all the time. I would use something with more comfort/utility for the majority of the time, but both would work for a commute I would guess. Good luck.

I have had the 96 C4S for awhile, during which time I had a 987.2 Spyder, sold it, and now have a 981 Spyder. Each car has their respective merits and issues.

If you not a fan of convertibles I think you would find either Spyder model not practical for a daily driver. For a daily driver the standard Boxster would be easier to live with, even in SOCAL.

The C4S (or any 993 coupe) has one advantage over a Spyder with the rear interior space, easy to throw a bag/coat/etc in the back seat and retrieve. There is no room in the Spyder unless the passenger seat is empty.

You cannot get to the rear trunk in the 981 Spyder unless you disconnect the rear fins of the roof, although the front trunk is very large.

Either Spyder will run circles around the C4S (my C4S has full RS Suspension/PSS10s/alignment-corner balance by Cervelli). All three cars can never be fully unleashed on the street.

Build quality on the 993 body is superb,interior quality is okay. The 981 Spyder build quality is better than the 987.2 Spyder, frame/interior/etc.

I only got the 981 Spyder because of the 3.8.

If I only had one car, I would have the C4S, as long as you have access to a qualified mechanic. If I had a daily driver, then the decision of between a C4S, 987.1 Spyder and 981 Spyder would be very difficult for me.

I currently own both a 993 C4S and a 987 Spyder, so happy to share my perspectives.

The Spyder outperforms the 993 in almost all metrics - faster, handles better, feels a lot lighter. However, 993 definitely has more character and on an open road in WOT it's awesome and not a modern car can replicate. How I see the 2 cars is that there will be better cars that can replace a 987 spyder, at least from a performance perspective (e.g. Probably a 981, although I like the shape of 987 a lot better!), but not a lot that can replace a 993, at least not cars coming into production.

From a daily drive perspective, I would pick the Spyder despite the roof (can always keep it on!). Much easier handling, lighter clutch, etc. a 993 in comparison is a bit like driving a tank when not travelling at speed and not fun in traffic congestion.

Think it really depends on what you are after and to a certain extent where you live

Performance - Spyder
Driving experience - probably a 993 although roof down on a Spyder on a nice day is sublime
City traffic - Spyder

If it's daily drive I would pick the Spyder, for long term I would pick the 993. If only given one choice I will go with the 993. Good problem to have but really a difficult choice as they are so different!

It's nice to see the talk over here is a little more sane than the topic in the 993 forum. Look I love Porsche's , I really do. But sometime Air cooled guys just can't get out of their bubble. :banghead: As far as they are concerned it seems like Porsche stopped making cars in 1998. Are you really a car guy if you can't appreciate anything but your own car? IMO, the answer is no. :icon107:

For anyone that must have an air cooled Porsche, my friend Richie Sloan has some incredible cars for sale in New Haven. For example, this Ocean Gray 993 2S with 258 miles can be bought north of $350K. He does sell some of the lowest mileage P-cars in the country.

http://sloancars.com/6001/1998-993-c...rey-258-miles/

Driven the 2011 a fair amount in manual with buckets. Bought a 2016 with buckets. Own a 993 X51 3.8 and have owned and driven more than the lions share of 993RS's. The 2016 Spyder is serious good. Exclusive, raw, fully engaging. Really any 993 to 2016 spyder comparison very tricky. For me, any standard 3.6 993 would be dismissed when given the choice to drive a 16 Spyder. For me a standard 993 just doesn't do emotionally what the spyder does. More special 993's are more engaging but again very different. Think you need to spend time in both.