lithium1330

agree with Kevin... the headlight washers are standard on cars with xenons. I'm almost positive only way to delete headlight washer is to delete xenon - washers are not separate option.

the_vetman

I think Kevin and lithium are correct. Headlight washers are mandated in Europe with xenon/HID lights. So is self-leveling.

meteor10

Well based on the last few responses, it looks like the car has no Xenons. Would that be a deal killer for most of you guys?

73S

Not sure how it worked on the 987, but on the 981 the S comes with xenons standard, just not PDLS. When you add PDLS, you get the headlight washers.

zirrah

Not a chance. Couldn't care less about them. Most of my driving will be done on during the day on the weekends typically. Now on a DD car, yes I prefer xenons.

perfectlap

regarding the power, the conventional wisdom of "if you don't track/autocross the car you don't need the S" is completely backwards in my opinion.

For organized events, non-S is more than enough power for you to have fun or conversely to get into trouble. Probably more fun since there is more usable power so to speak -- you have to engage the car more to keep the laptimes down. That's the whole point of a roadster really. People complain about missing the power in a higher powered car but that's just a driver that is not adjusting to the machine and expecting the machine to adjust to him. Some people like to leave a car in third gear and have the enigne carry all of their driving. That's not someone that's really meant to drive a roadster, they'll never be completely happy.

Meanwhile for the street and real world driving, the extra power of the S is exactly where it's most functional. Nowadays the big power fixation has spilled over into vanilla sedans, SUVs, luxury cars and even little compact cars. Amazing how much less power the average car used have just 15 yeas ago. Having the extra power of the S to merge on the highway or to overtake drivers slowing down the whole lane is very handy. also useful for avoiding an accident.
Frankly, today people are also a lot ruder and many are plain retarded when they get behind the wheel of a 300+ HP car. You try to pass them so you can be on your way...they speed up just to block you.

p.s.
Regarding your proposed deal, I would sit tight. It seems like a big outlay of cash for extras. And do you really need extras in roadster in the first place? I would wait for the 981 S to shake out and depreciate. A car that matches the standard Carrera right out of the box is a game changer. It's too bad about the steering and the Panamera interior (if you're into minimal) but there's no debating the lighter weight, ridigity and handling. So you don't get everything for Christmas but that's still setting the bar in class again.

lithium1330

If you have the patience... I would wait. For some people, it's only money - taking a hit may not be a big deal. For others, taking a hit once is a big deal.... and you prob don't want to be taking a hit again any time soon. For me, I have HID's in my other cars and they are must-haves for me. So, yes... I did turn down a good deal on a car b/c it didn't have HID. Then again, a few weeks later, I found my car... in the color and with options I wanted.

There are a lot of Boxsters in the market... they are under-appreciated b/c there are many (i'll put bluntly) uneducated and don't know how great these cars are, and resale prices reflect that. So, great opp for buyers.

If you have an itch to pull the trigger... you can buy my car... 296whp and I'll make you a great deal

meteor10

Thanks all for the great input. Leaning toward waiting for the 981 S, the more I read about it and view video reviews the more I like it.
i will enjoy my base 987 for a while until I find the right deal on a 981. My 987 is a manual but I am not sure what I would do with the 981. I always felt that a sports car should have a manual, that direct connection seems so important, but the new PDK sounds pretty great. Will have to drive both.

Kevin Rohrer

Not really, although Xenons were a 'must' for me as I do a lot of nighttime driving and we have lots of deer in our area.

I agree with Perfectlap's 'ps'.

fhp911

I have an '11 Boxster S. It is my daily driver and I also do track the car quite a lot, but I agree very much with PERFECTLAP about the additional power in the 'S'. It is most useful on the street.

Before the Boxster S I had a GT3; you'd expect me to be unhappy about the loss of 70hp at the track. I'm not. Track driving is about extracting the most from what the car has, and even the regular Boxster has plenty.

On the street, those extra ponies in the 'S' often do come in handy

zirrah

I think on the street the extra power is something you can feel. Pushes you back into the seat more than the std car, with less effort.

Keadog

I agree, but... I drove a base 6 speed, then the S 6 speed on the same test loop. I was so surprised how strong the base felt compared to the S, I drove the base again after the S to confirm my feelings. Now, I stayed at the requested 4000 RPM, so I was even more impressed with the base.
Having said that, I would probably spring for the S for $10K more, though I don't have a great reason why, except that PenFed has 1.74% money for 60 months, so why not?
The base car is really pretty impressive for 265HP and I honestly expected a bigger perceived difference from the extra 50HP that I barely noticed.

ATL Fahrer

The general rule with Porsche is buy the newest you can afford. Somehow, Porsche always manages to squeeze a little more out of their model lines. If you can afford the 981S, buy it. You won't be disappointed.

zirrah

Definitely with you. I'll probably end up in a base Boxster unless the S just blows me away. We'll see.

Keadog

If it wasn't for almost free money spread over five years, I wouldn't hesitate to get a base. It was great to drive and I barely got into the peak torque range. I'll bet it's a blast at 4500-6000 after break in.
As an aside, the convertible top is most impressive. My last cab was an '88 turbo cab with a manual top & boot. It took more than 30 seconds just to think about where I put the boot if it wasn't in the car