amdave

I have for the longest time been eyeing a new 991 Cab. Lately, I am starting to wonder if I should instead go for the Boxter S, which just seems like a better "deal". I can afford both comfortably, but wonder if I would feel like I am overpaying for the 911 just cause its the 991 when I can get 98% of the same pleasure from the Boxter and keep 50k in my pocket. I can't help but bring into the equation "value" questions, just in my blood regardless of how much money I have. The Cayman and Boxter look really nice now as well imo. Thoughts??

JamesKen

Buy what you like.

LexVan

Buy a nicely optioned BASE Boxster, and do a 991S engine swap. Adds about $23K to the deal.

robbonds

New boxster S is sweet. In 2002 I bought a new boxster S with 250 hp. Loved it. The 3-4 yrs I had it (until I bought a 997 S) I always thought, if this car just had 300hp it would be a beast. Well, it has 315 now
If you want value - buy the boxster S. You will get most of the performance and a car that is probably more fun to drive (lighter, mid engine etc).

If you need back seats(like me) or just want the status etc that comes with the 911 well- buy the 911. If you do, get the S.

chuckbdc

All Porsches share the same value equation. You get what you pay for.

Noah Fect

That's kind of debatable in the 981/991 generation. Not much real difference between a 981BS and a base 991 cab, other than back seats and a nicer instrument panel. If those are worth $30K to the buyer, then so be it, but it's worth thinking about.

zirrah

Instrument panels are the same on both cars aren't they?

Imo, the 997 offers you more space. Different driving feeling. Both are phenomenal cars. Drive them both You can't go wrong either way.

StudGarden

If I had to choose between the two, I'd go Boxster S for the reasons you've already articulated. I don't really like convertibles anyway though. I'd take a 991 with a regular or even better...glass sunroof anyday.

fast1

As a prior owner of an '07 997S, it was my intention to buy a 991 cabrio about a year ago. It just so happened that there was a 991 cabrio and 981S Boxster on the showroom floor, so I was able to do a close comparison. The differance in price between the two cars was over $35K. So I decided to test drive both the 981S and 991 cabrio. In terms of street performance, no idea about the track, both cars performed similarly. Notwithstanding the 30HP deficit in the 981, I expect that the driver would make the diffeance on the track. I suspect the extra weight in the 991 offsets much of the HP advantage it has over the 981.

So in my case I opted for the 981S, but I can understand how some may prefer the 991. The cars were close enough in performance, where saving $35K was the deciding factor to me. Now if the price differance between the cars was around $10K, my decision would have been far more difficult, since I gave the slight nod to the 991 in appearance, and my long 911 ownership history.

ruhlich

We bought a new SLK in '05. We seldom used the retractable top and dearly missed the added room behind the seats that a 911 offered. Think about it, you couldn't even store a Porsche sun screen in a Boxster. Ever need to travel with the Yorkie? Not even any room between the seats for him/ her to lay. Want to carry an extra jacket, your motorbike helmet, a pillow for your short wife to set on to drive the car? Have to put any of those things in a trunk.......not always desirable or very handy.

fast1

All valid considerstions, but irrelevant to me since I have two other "practical" cars. The Porsche is my pleasure vehicle, and not my DD.

j080808

Having owned a 981 and 991 back-to-back I couldn't agree more. Parts/materials/quality are a carbon copy of each other. If I were looking for a convertible and didn't need a back seat, I would choose a 981 all day long. IMO-991 owners are supplementing the 981's without question, there just isn't enough difference between the two to justify the prices difference.

holminator

Either vehicle and you can't go wrong. Seriously. I've had both and love them both.

Noah Fect

No, the 991's panel is quite a bit nicer than the 981's. With the 981 you really only get two useful gauge surfaces (the multifunction display and the tach) -- the analog speedometer is useless. In the 991 you get things like real gas and temp gauges that aren't dependent on the display settings.

Chiboy

I haven't really done an apples to apples comparison between stickers, but I did start out looking for a Cayman. Well, a Cayman S after I drove both varieties. :-)

It seemed to me that the Cayman S, while a great and fun car, had a very spartan interior, forgetting about it being such a small cockpit. Everything was an option. It would have been very easy to spend $75k on one, and that's getting a decent discount off sticker.

Over time, I gravitated to the 991. I think the place where 991 stickers gets away is when people start adding tens of thousands of dollars of options. Yes, if you want a leather covered fire extinguisher with deviated stitching and carbon fiber ashtrays, it can get away from you. ;-) But for me, a somewhat base 991 was a better choice than a more optioned out Cayman S.

Of course, I ended up with a fantastic leftover 2012 991 Cab, but that's a different story. :-)