norcoastal

I'm thinking of selling my 928 and getting a more contemporary Porsche.

I'm thinking I can come up with about 25-28 grand to spend.

At that price, I can get a Boxster S, a Cayman or a 2000-2003 911.

Anyone have any comments as to which I should be looking at?

Handling vs. power? Comfort vs. practicality?

Or should I just get a regular Boxster and spend 15 grand for an early model?

I've owned a Boxster before (not an S) so I know how it drives. I currently have a 928 but I'm concerned about reliability.

So I look to you guys for suggestions and recommendations.

Whatcha think?

Charlie C

I think you have to decide on whether you want a coupe or a cabriolet. That one decision will eliminate either the Cayman or the Boxster. I think the reliability will be similar on all 3.

insite

i think getting a car newer than 2005 will do a LOT to assuage your reliability fears. if you can swing a boxster S or cayman S in an '05+ car, you will be exceeding the performance of the 2000-2003 996.

if it's me, i get the box, but i love cabs.....
second choice for me is the cayman, followed by the 996.

now if it were a 997........

harryrcb

Like Charlie C said, first decide wether you want a conv or not. the 911 does not even factor into the handling category although it's a classic design and some people are just hung up on that. Mid engine in my opionion is the way to go. Good luck deciding

Pat

Wait a year and get a Cayman.

norcoastal

Yeah, a Cayman is an awesome car. A bit pricey though.

blue2000s

Do you need (tiny) back seats? Do you need other Porsche 911 owners to acknowledge you? Do you enjoy acceleration over handling? Get the 911.

From every other aspect that I can think of, I personally prefer a Cayman or Boxster.

norcoastal

I only need one seat, I don't care if 911 owners acknowledge me and I like acceleration AND handling!

docwong

This is just about personal preference, so here's my .02: If you need only one seat, I'd definitely get the Boxster. If you prefer a non cab, get the Cayman. I think the 911/996 looks way boring.

After many satisfied years of driving my '97 Boxster, it got totaled while parked. So now I'm looking for another Boxster, but, my needs changed and now I find that I needed a back seat. But in looking for a 996, I just found them a bit plain.

Then I started looking at a 996 Twin Turbo and am about to pull the trigger on one of those, now that's a beautiful car! ;-)

Still, I think the Boxster is THE most amazing car Porsche has ever made. It's a well balanced and put together package of looks, handling and power.

sbelles

V225

That's a bit harsh don't you think? I'm not intending to get into a 911 vs cayman debate, but the 911 is hardly regarded as a poor-handling muscle car. True MR cars have a much better polar moment of inertia over rear engined cars, but this doesn't mean 911 handling is poor, by any means.

Just thought I'd put in a word for 911's

sikest

For my thoughts......

According to your signature you had a Boxster and now have a 928. If you liked the razor sharp sports car feel of the Boxster then I think you would enjoy the S that much more. Sorry guys, but after driving the S I simply stopped looking for anything non-S.

If you like the grand tourer feel of the 928 then the 911 might be a better choice. I find the 911 to be much more of a grand tourer than the Boxster and much more of a sports car than the 928.

For me personally, I picked the Boxster S because I wanted a small convertible sports car. If I go back to a hard top it will be a 911.

I think the Cayman looks like a Boxster hardtop after thought and the 911 cabro just does not seem right for some reason. Just my opinion.

T.

norcoastal

Good point, I'm looking for the handling of a Boxster but mine had a 2.5 and was a little underpowered. I've never driven an S but I can assume that it has much more power to it.

I really like the handling and styling of the Boxster. But I've never owned a 911 and I curious what the differences are between a 911 and a Boxster S (I wassume that a Boxster S and a Cayman have very similar attributes).

FilthyF14

think it will be tough to find a good Cayman in the $25-28K range yet -but lots of choices in the Boxster S in that range. Essentially the same performance and reliability as the Croc, but the advantage of dropping the top. Lots of debate about Boxster vs 911/996 and comes down to preferrence. I drove both before buying my '02 Boxster S and never looked back. It's been very reliable up to 72K miles so far.

yelojkt

911 and the boxster have different suspension setups. The 911 has more HP and a stiffer frame (if it is a coupe). It has more weight hanging over the rear wheels and the storage space(porsche calls them rear seats) behind the seats is harder to get to than the trunk of a boxster. If you want accerleration with good handling then a 911. If you want a little slower acceleration and a little better handling than a boxster.