hiway1now

Okay guys, bear with me on this one....
Had been planning on buying a '99 996 (prior 993 owner)..since there are such good values to be had and assuming TSB stuff has been dealt with... figured 48-52k for a decent, no stories coupe (30-40k miles approx.)

Went out and drive an '03 Boxster S today. Very impressed.. Changes are minor of course from prior model, yet well thought out. And of course the car comes in a approx. $60k.

Soooo, the three questions are...

First....Boxster vs. used 996, general thoughts and impressions?

Secondly, purchase an '01 or '00 S for $40-44k with acceptably low mileage or lease (hence avoiding the driveoff depreciation landmine) an '03 S. All thoughts would be appreciated.

Third, would be using the car as my primary driver in Los Angeles. Any impressions on using these cars for daily city driving would be also appreciated..

craigg

Just went through the same thing this past few weeks. Traded in my '84 Carrera Targa, considered a used 996 like you - but I am an open air freak so needed a ragtop and found the 996 convertible to be less aesthetically pleasing. I chose an off lease 2001 Boxster S (loaded with goodies) and would advise the following:
- power is less than a 996, but not by much. Not by much, I say. I have driven my buddies '96 Twin Turbo 993 and would say that unless it is a 996 Turbo, hmmm - now that is a Porsche.
- You would not believe the trunk space on the S - I am still shaking my head that I can get a big set of golf clubs in the back trunk (took the driver out of the bag and put in in separately, though) and two decent sized suitcases in the front. Wow!
- Handling is also a wow. The aforementioned Twin Turbo is also all-wheel drive and the S can stay with it in the corners. I got the PSM (Stability Management) option and SO2 tires that help. PSM really works!
-If you get an S, get the heated seats. Even in LA they would be a Good Thing.

So net result: Smile-o-rama.

I also think the Boxster has a better looking "***" than the 996 - IMHO.

Ghost Rider

[quote]Originally posted by hiway1now:
<strong>Okay guys, bear with me on this one....
Had been planning on buying a '99 996 (prior 993 owner)..since there are such good values to be had and assuming TSB stuff has been dealt with... figured 48-52k for a decent, no stories coupe (30-40k miles approx.)

Went out and drive an '03 Boxster S today. Very impressed.. Changes are minor of course from prior model, yet well thought out. And of course the car comes in a approx. $60k.

Soooo, the three questions are...

First....Boxster vs. used 996, general thoughts and impressions?..</strong><hr></blockquote>

Probably comes down to whether or not you want a convertible IMHO. The 1999-2001 996s were criticized for looking too much like a Boxster from the front, their HP to weight ratio wasn't much better than a Boxster S, in fact my lightly modified Boxster S is faster than the early 996's at the track. Both are good cars, you won't go wrong with either, but if you want top down open air driving experiences, go with the Boxster S.


[quote]Originally posted by hiway1now:
<strong>Secondly, purchase an '01 or '00 S for $40-44k with acceptably low mileage or lease (hence avoiding the driveoff depreciation landmine) an '03 S. All thoughts would be appreciated...</strong><hr></blockquote>

I'd go for the '00 or '01 and avoid the depreciation, that's what I did. I bought a 1 year old '00 for 50K last year that had stickered for 65K, I got a really good deal though at the time. Unless there is something that you just have to have in the 2003 like the glass rear window or the glove box, etc. then go with the earlier year. Of course you'll have a longer remaining warranty with the 2003, so if you are concerned about problems, then ask yourself if the peace of mind is worth the depreciation. You may also get better financing terms on new vs. used. To sum up, I went used and got a great deal on a very low mileage 1 year old car and the original owner took the hit to get out of the car and into something else.

[quote]Originally posted by hiway1now:
<strong>Third, would be using the car as my primary driver in Los Angeles. Any impressions on using these cars for daily city driving would be also appreciated..</strong><hr></blockquote>

I don't use mine as a daily driver because I work home office, thus any commute is to the store and back, the track for an event, etc. I've never had a problem driving it around town and there are people with high mileage Boxsters that do use them for a regular commuter car, I'm just not one of them. BTW, I went to Home Depot the other day and put a new trimmer in the rear trunk along with miscellaneous items, 3 bags of mulch, 2 bags of topsoil and some trim bricks in the front trunk, so I know what you mean about a large amount of trunk space, at least for a car its size.

As always test drive both types of cars first before making any decision. I think you'll be happy either way, hey it is after all a Porsche and there is no substitute....

Scott in Texas

Agree with all that's been shared so far. If it were me getting a commuter car in LA, considering all the stop and go traffic I would seriously look at and test drive a tip. I am not a huge fan of the tip but man if it is an only car and used on the LA freeways it may be a goodsend in stop and go traffic. Just my 2 cents. <img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />