Used 997 C4S Cabriolet vs. new Boxster S
08-18-2010, 12:20 PM
#1
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Used 997 C4S Cabriolet vs. new Boxster S
Hi guys, brand new member looking for some help. I used the search function and just confused myself further 
I live in Canada and am fed up with driving sensible cars all year so want a summer 'fun' car. Wife is on board and after looking at anything and everything it's pretty clear that Porsche is it.
What I'm not sure on is whether to buy a used 997 C4S Cabriolet or a new Boxster S. I was originally thinking of the Boxster S because I expected the 911 to be more money than I wanted to pay, but by the time I had speced that out I was looking at $90,000 (yes Canadian prices are stooopid), even after a currency adjustment from Porsche for the relatively high C$.
For that money I can get a very good early 997 C4S Cabriolet - there's a 2006 with 34,000kms (21,000 miles) for $75,900 available right now. I won't be able to get into the new engines, and AWD system, but it still strikes me as more car for the money.
My heart says 911, my head says Boxster, and would appreciate the thoughts of the experts.
Thanks!
I live in Canada and am fed up with driving sensible cars all year so want a summer 'fun' car. Wife is on board and after looking at anything and everything it's pretty clear that Porsche is it.
What I'm not sure on is whether to buy a used 997 C4S Cabriolet or a new Boxster S. I was originally thinking of the Boxster S because I expected the 911 to be more money than I wanted to pay, but by the time I had speced that out I was looking at $90,000 (yes Canadian prices are stooopid), even after a currency adjustment from Porsche for the relatively high C$.
For that money I can get a very good early 997 C4S Cabriolet - there's a 2006 with 34,000kms (21,000 miles) for $75,900 available right now. I won't be able to get into the new engines, and AWD system, but it still strikes me as more car for the money.
My heart says 911, my head says Boxster, and would appreciate the thoughts of the experts.
Thanks!
08-18-2010, 12:38 PM
#2
Hi guys, brand new member looking for some help. I used the search function and just confused myself further
I live in Canada and am fed up with driving sensible cars all year so want a summer 'fun' car. Wife is on board and after looking at anything and everything it's pretty clear that Porsche is it.
What I'm not sure on is whether to buy a used 997 C4S Cabriolet or a new Boxster S. I was originally thinking of the Boxster S because I expected the 911 to be more money than I wanted to pay, but by the time I had speced that out I was looking at $90,000 (yes Canadian prices are stooopid), even after a currency adjustment from Porsche for the relatively high C$.
For that money I can get a very good early 997 C4S Cabriolet - there's a 2006 with 34,000kms (21,000 miles) for $75,900 available right now. I won't be able to get into the new engines, and AWD system, but it still strikes me as more car for the money.
My heart says 911, my head says Boxster, and would appreciate the thoughts of the experts.
Thanks!
I live in Canada and am fed up with driving sensible cars all year so want a summer 'fun' car. Wife is on board and after looking at anything and everything it's pretty clear that Porsche is it.
What I'm not sure on is whether to buy a used 997 C4S Cabriolet or a new Boxster S. I was originally thinking of the Boxster S because I expected the 911 to be more money than I wanted to pay, but by the time I had speced that out I was looking at $90,000 (yes Canadian prices are stooopid), even after a currency adjustment from Porsche for the relatively high C$.
For that money I can get a very good early 997 C4S Cabriolet - there's a 2006 with 34,000kms (21,000 miles) for $75,900 available right now. I won't be able to get into the new engines, and AWD system, but it still strikes me as more car for the money.
My heart says 911, my head says Boxster, and would appreciate the thoughts of the experts.
Thanks!
That said some comments:
- used '06 997 will depreciate less than a new Boxter
- do you need rear seats (people or storage)?
- drive both
- follow your heart; which sounds like it's 997 - so focus more there - it's expensive to change later (taxes, hassel, etc)
- new car smell vs. top of the model line
- both excellent cars/choices
- do you require a warranty? you do have aftermarket options on a 997 which will cost $2-3K+ USD for an additional 4yrs coverage.
Good luck!
08-18-2010, 12:56 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
You need to drive both. They are different cars and you'll know best that way.
08-18-2010, 01:01 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
Here's what I wrote back in 2007 when I faced the same dilemma:
Although now with three years of hindsight I'm not sure I'd have made the same call. The 911 is unquestionably the better car, but I think a Boxster is a better convertible. Still, the advice to drive both is the true answer. They're different cars and it's hard to imagine not coming out of a test drive with some opinions on the matter. They drive and feel very different when you're behind the wheel. For me, now, I'm totally ruined by the rear-engine experience and nothing else makes me happy now.
Nothing about buying a Porsche is a "head" issue. It's all "heart" so that's where your loyalty should fall.
Lastly, and I'm loathe to raise this issue... if cost is a concern why not skip the 4S and shop for a C2S? Even in the used market that's a lot of CDN$ to spend for 44mm of rear fender.
Over the past few months I've grown more and more discontent with my BMW. Despite the low mileage, the car's five years old and has been developing a healthy list of little annoyances. While the brutal power was always fun the handling was never all that much to write home about and I think I am finally starting to outgrow the car's capabilities on the autocross track. I can point to a few specific turns or laps where the car was the weaker link, not me. Despite these frustrations, though, Le Chef's words from that thread back in November were giving me comfort...
Quote:
Le Chef said: Buy one only when you can't live with the idea of NOT driving one.
All winter long it wasn't too hard to live with the idea of not driving a Porsche.
Then disaster struck. My girlfriend found a buyer for all the "go fast" doodads that she's bolted on to her MX-5, which was the tipping point to push her into buying one of the new MX-5s (which are, unbelievably, quite an improvement over the already peerless first and second generation MX-5s). So, last Saturday saw us cleaning out her old car preparing it for sale and test driving a whole slew of other convertibles so that she could be sure that another MX-5 is what she wanted to buy. We drove that Pontiac thing, tried to drive that Saturn thing, and generally spent the day in a car-looking frenzy. Towards the late afternoon she suggested we take another drive by the local Porsche dealership "just to kill some time before dinner."
Our helpful salesman queued up a 911 and a Boxster so I could drive them back to back to really get a feel for the difference between the cars. I'd driven the 987 before, but my last 911 drive was in a 996. It was the first time I drove a 997. All told we spent about two hours between the two cars. The Boxster was as I remembered -- immediately comfortable and familiar. It was like putting on a tailored shirt. The Boxster just goes where you tell it and I always feel like the car makes me a better driver than I really am. It's quite a gratifying driving experience.
The 911 was a different experience altogether. It didn't immediately feel comfortable, or confidence-inspiring. I didn't feel like the car was helping me to be a better driver. But there was something there...
There's this one road near my house (Old Spicewood North of Mopac, if you're an Austinite). On this one road there's this one corner going up a little hill. I love that corner. After five years of driving the ///M Roadster and I are familiar like an old married couple, particularly on that road in that corner. Just the right turn in point with just the right blip of the throttle and the rear suspension of the ///M settles just perfectly into that corner and the car just hunkers down. When I nail that corner just right the car plants itself perfectly for a surge of acceleration so that coming out of that corner I can really punch it into the straight. It's the greatest feeling in the world.
So there we were, driving through just a random residential neighborhood around just a random, boring, and flat corner. And what the hell if I didn't get that same sort of "planted" feel from the back end of the 911. I wasn't even really pushing it and the car sort of gave me a nudge and let me know that whenever I was ready it was just waiting for me to catch up. It was right then that I totally "got it."
That test drive was on Saturday. By Monday I couldn't live with the idea of not driving one. I wrote the cheque on Tuesday. (pics here)
I've been going on gratuitous drives all week, buying groceries one item at a time, and I'll be gently autocrossing it this Sunday. It's already perfectly clear to me -- this 911 is going to be a rewarding car to learn how to drive properly. I don't think it's going to be easy, but I already know it's going to be worth it.
Thanks again, everyone, for your earlier advice and feedback. Reading through the past and current threads here on Rennteam was both inspirational and informative for me as I dipped my feet into the Porsche world.
Quote:
Le Chef said: Buy one only when you can't live with the idea of NOT driving one.
All winter long it wasn't too hard to live with the idea of not driving a Porsche.
Then disaster struck. My girlfriend found a buyer for all the "go fast" doodads that she's bolted on to her MX-5, which was the tipping point to push her into buying one of the new MX-5s (which are, unbelievably, quite an improvement over the already peerless first and second generation MX-5s). So, last Saturday saw us cleaning out her old car preparing it for sale and test driving a whole slew of other convertibles so that she could be sure that another MX-5 is what she wanted to buy. We drove that Pontiac thing, tried to drive that Saturn thing, and generally spent the day in a car-looking frenzy. Towards the late afternoon she suggested we take another drive by the local Porsche dealership "just to kill some time before dinner."
Our helpful salesman queued up a 911 and a Boxster so I could drive them back to back to really get a feel for the difference between the cars. I'd driven the 987 before, but my last 911 drive was in a 996. It was the first time I drove a 997. All told we spent about two hours between the two cars. The Boxster was as I remembered -- immediately comfortable and familiar. It was like putting on a tailored shirt. The Boxster just goes where you tell it and I always feel like the car makes me a better driver than I really am. It's quite a gratifying driving experience.
The 911 was a different experience altogether. It didn't immediately feel comfortable, or confidence-inspiring. I didn't feel like the car was helping me to be a better driver. But there was something there...
There's this one road near my house (Old Spicewood North of Mopac, if you're an Austinite). On this one road there's this one corner going up a little hill. I love that corner. After five years of driving the ///M Roadster and I are familiar like an old married couple, particularly on that road in that corner. Just the right turn in point with just the right blip of the throttle and the rear suspension of the ///M settles just perfectly into that corner and the car just hunkers down. When I nail that corner just right the car plants itself perfectly for a surge of acceleration so that coming out of that corner I can really punch it into the straight. It's the greatest feeling in the world.
So there we were, driving through just a random residential neighborhood around just a random, boring, and flat corner. And what the hell if I didn't get that same sort of "planted" feel from the back end of the 911. I wasn't even really pushing it and the car sort of gave me a nudge and let me know that whenever I was ready it was just waiting for me to catch up. It was right then that I totally "got it."
That test drive was on Saturday. By Monday I couldn't live with the idea of not driving one. I wrote the cheque on Tuesday. (pics here)
I've been going on gratuitous drives all week, buying groceries one item at a time, and I'll be gently autocrossing it this Sunday. It's already perfectly clear to me -- this 911 is going to be a rewarding car to learn how to drive properly. I don't think it's going to be easy, but I already know it's going to be worth it.
Thanks again, everyone, for your earlier advice and feedback. Reading through the past and current threads here on Rennteam was both inspirational and informative for me as I dipped my feet into the Porsche world.
Nothing about buying a Porsche is a "head" issue. It's all "heart" so that's where your loyalty should fall.
Lastly, and I'm loathe to raise this issue... if cost is a concern why not skip the 4S and shop for a C2S? Even in the used market that's a lot of CDN$ to spend for 44mm of rear fender.
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08-18-2010, 01:08 PM
#8
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Roffensian
911 all the way.
Im a canuck too. 75K tells me you're shopping at the p dealer.....stop that. All sorts of private dealers will shop for exactly what you want and bring it up from the States for you. They handle all border hassle and paperwork. You wont need to pay 75K given the current exchange rates.
Problem of course is figuring out what you want.......cross shopping a c4s and and a boxter s for a summer car doesnt make too much sense to me. Only sig advantage of the c4s in that scenario is a wider tail. I'd recommend shopping for a base carrerra cab with a PSE sport exhaust and as much leather inside as you can find. Seat of the pants it feels stronger than a boxster s. Also the 911 imo is bigger, nicer, more substantial. Finally as Jeremy Clarkson says, a boxster in your driveway says "couldnt afford a 911"......
911 all the way.
Im a canuck too. 75K tells me you're shopping at the p dealer.....stop that. All sorts of private dealers will shop for exactly what you want and bring it up from the States for you. They handle all border hassle and paperwork. You wont need to pay 75K given the current exchange rates.
Problem of course is figuring out what you want.......cross shopping a c4s and and a boxter s for a summer car doesnt make too much sense to me. Only sig advantage of the c4s in that scenario is a wider tail. I'd recommend shopping for a base carrerra cab with a PSE sport exhaust and as much leather inside as you can find. Seat of the pants it feels stronger than a boxster s. Also the 911 imo is bigger, nicer, more substantial. Finally as Jeremy Clarkson says, a boxster in your driveway says "couldnt afford a 911"......
08-18-2010, 01:30 PM
#9
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Thanks guys, some very good points.
The AWD appeals to me because I am driving on some 'interesting' roads - I used to drive a Jaguar XJS (hey, we all make mistakes) and that wasn't always a lot of fun in the wet or on gravel. Now I recognise that there is no comparison between that and a 911, just seemed like a good argument for the 911 over the Boxster
The Boxster Spyder doesn't appeal - paying extra for Porsche to remove all of the options doesn't strike me as my sort of thing - I'm still going to be 6 foot 2 inches and 200lbs which will go rather a long way towards undoing the weight saving!
The 75K car wasn't actually a Porsche dealer, but it was a high end sports car place, so same theory - hadn't really considered a US import but will look into that.
Ultimately you are all correct - I need to drive them both and see which one 'speaks' to me the loudest. I also agree with the heart part of the decision - it's not (purely) a sensible car, so it can't just be a head decision.
The AWD appeals to me because I am driving on some 'interesting' roads - I used to drive a Jaguar XJS (hey, we all make mistakes) and that wasn't always a lot of fun in the wet or on gravel. Now I recognise that there is no comparison between that and a 911, just seemed like a good argument for the 911 over the Boxster
The Boxster Spyder doesn't appeal - paying extra for Porsche to remove all of the options doesn't strike me as my sort of thing - I'm still going to be 6 foot 2 inches and 200lbs which will go rather a long way towards undoing the weight saving!
The 75K car wasn't actually a Porsche dealer, but it was a high end sports car place, so same theory - hadn't really considered a US import but will look into that.
Ultimately you are all correct - I need to drive them both and see which one 'speaks' to me the loudest. I also agree with the heart part of the decision - it's not (purely) a sensible car, so it can't just be a head decision.
08-18-2010, 03:27 PM
#10
The Boxster is the better road car, the fatal flaw is that it is underpowered.
Simply put: it is Porsche's best road car of all time.
We 911 owners are using our subconscious powers of denial in thinking otherwise.
Simply put: it is Porsche's best road car of all time.
We 911 owners are using our subconscious powers of denial in thinking otherwise.
08-18-2010, 03:37 PM
#11
Rennlist Member
I prefer the driving characteristics of the Boxster over the 997 hands down.
I only have a 997 because I wanted the back seats for my kids.
I miss the hell out of my 987S!
I only have a 997 because I wanted the back seats for my kids.
I miss the hell out of my 987S!
08-18-2010, 03:55 PM
#12
Three Wheelin'
If you wanted to mainly autocross the car -- the boxster might be a better choice.
But I've seen several Boxster owners say their cars were relatively "exciting" in snow (not in a good way). I realize you're looking mostly for a summer car, but having a car that is competent in all conditions just ads a level of family safety if you need to drive it in ice and snow. In your part of the country, I'd lean toward the C4S.
But I've seen several Boxster owners say their cars were relatively "exciting" in snow (not in a good way). I realize you're looking mostly for a summer car, but having a car that is competent in all conditions just ads a level of family safety if you need to drive it in ice and snow. In your part of the country, I'd lean toward the C4S.
08-18-2010, 04:13 PM
#13
Rennlist Member
Without a doubt 997! I actually used the rear seats twice this past weekend, you never know you need em, until the day that you MUST have the rear seats.
The car's also a lot more classic, faster, grabs more attention, more comfortable, better in snow (since your in ON), sounds better, more roomy, and is more comfortable. No brainer really!
The only caveat is that if the car in question is a private dealer, you may not have any warranty, which could be a problem down the road. I definitely recommend a pre-owned CPO 997 vs. Boxster.
The car's also a lot more classic, faster, grabs more attention, more comfortable, better in snow (since your in ON), sounds better, more roomy, and is more comfortable. No brainer really!
The only caveat is that if the car in question is a private dealer, you may not have any warranty, which could be a problem down the road. I definitely recommend a pre-owned CPO 997 vs. Boxster.
08-18-2010, 04:36 PM
#14
Rennlist Member
No I really don't think so. You can still EASILY use the extra HP and straightline speed. Going around turns on public roads at speeds that the Boxster might be faster than the 997 is outright reckless.
Being underpowered is a major, major flaw. It's just no fun being in a "sports car" but being outrun by a BMW 335i or similar.