L Cubed

I am interested in getting some information from the experiences of those who have spent time tracking/racing a 944 and 986 boxster.

For a little background, I have 89 944 S2 that is mechanically sound that I bought a few years ago and have done autocross with. I have noticed that my car is in the same price range of a 986 boxster and am considering a trade to move into newer technology (my wife really likes the boxster), but before I go down that path I want to better understand how these two cars compare in the environment I will be using them in. Whichever car I stick with will be used as a dedicated autocross/DE/track car with little street driving.

I am mostly interested in a comparison of the following:

Safety
I want to have a race seat and harness, is the boxster oem roll bar sufficient/equivalent to a weld-in roll bar in the 944?

Track Reliability & Maintenance
I understand these are older cars, though is one likely to be more reliable or require less regular maintenance than the other for 4-5 track weekends and a handful of autocrosses per year?

Performance
Between a 944 S2 and a base 986 (2.5 or 2.7) is the performance on track as similar as it would appear on paper?

Learning Platform / Fun Factor
So I know "fun" is a subjective term but which car would you pick for fun on track?
Is there a difference between these cars in their attributes for use as a learning platform? I have experience in autocross and want to get on track, with the goal to get into time trials eventually.

Thanks for the advice!!

grrrmonster

I've been doing DE/racing for over 25 years- this was the same question we faced with my don when he wanted to start. Having owned and raced many flavors of 944, I was trying to push my son towards one- in my opinion it's one of the best platforms for learning performance driving skills. Bring a smart young man, he conferred with the techs at the Porsche dealer near his office, called the mechanics who used to take care of my 944 race cars, and the tracks wizards at my local dealership. They all (to my chagrin) pointed him at the boxster. In fact one of those techs had a boxster s for sale- and now it's in my sons garage.

He's put in race seats, harnesses and since he is quite tall he had to get a hardtop- as even with they BK rollbar extension he couldn't pass the broomstick test. He's put on exhaust and upgraded to a moton coil over suspension. The car is really sweet. It's fun, actually quicker than a NA 944. We both like the balance the mid engine design provides, the turn is is so crisp and delightful that it is really fun to drive. You can do a search on some of the weak points on boxster a (IMS bearing for example) but the feedback we got from everyone is that if properly maintained they are very reliable.

I was so impressed I bought a boxster s as well

Would highly recommend the S over the base car. Worth paying s premium for a nice example with documented service records and proof it was well maintained. Mine was a car I've known in the local PCA chapter for past 10 years so it was well known to me- just had to be there when the owner decided to step up to a cayman r

Good luck. Oh and putting the top down trumps the 944

linzman

Both great cars, both great learning platforms. Both have large classes in Club Racing, so they're both popular track cars. Lap times are pretty comparable between the two, although the top 944/968 guys are typically a little quicker than the spec Boxster guys.

Boxsters have the IMS issue, and 944s are a bit older. You could argue back and forth forever about which is better. Bottom line, they're both great, and both a lot of fun.

400hp944

I have raced an S2, 951 and currently race a 944 Spec. I also own a Cayman S (which is similar to the Boxster) but have not tracked that car. I feel that the 944 platform is more versatile in terms of "off track" driving. On track, they are both great for getting your feet wet and learning to drive a momentum car will make you a better driver if you decide to move up later (especially the 944). I had zero problems with my S2 and loved that car. Never should have sold it..... Not too sure about the Boxster but some of the guys I race with have had transmissions go bad. Not sure if that's a weak area on the Boxster or not. Basically you can't go wrong with either but I lean towards the 944. Spend your money on the best safety equipment you can afford before you start trying to make the car go faster. Can't stress that enough!

mannym5

I currently race a 1999 boxster and my father races a 1989 944 s2 so I have a lot of experience with both cars. My boxster I have been building to a spec boxster and will be racing in that series for the 2016 season with PCA club racing. My fathers 944 s2 started as a street car and he has slowly been building it towards a sp3 race car.
You are correct the 2 cars are very close in performance/lap times depending on each cars setup, but they drive very differently IMO. Both are a lot of fun to drive. I have found that the 944 is a little more predictable and easier to handle at the limit. The boxster has a shorter wheelbase and a twitchy rear end requiring a smoother driving style. The boxster also has a much more direct steering ratio which I prefer as well as the more modern feel/technology. Shifter feel is much better in the boxster and less play but that's nothing a quality shift kit in the 944 cant fix.

Safety- for the boxster I recommend having a hard top and/or at least a roll bar extension kit.

Reliability/maintenance- Both the 944 s2 and boxster are 2 of the more affordable P-cars for track duty if set up correctly(I came from tracking a 996 911 and a 997 gt3 prior to getting these cars). The boxster needs IMS upgrade as well as some type of deep sump oil pan to prevent oil starvation on high G turns. Tires for both models are relatively affordable. You have the option to run square setups for both cars so you can rotate the tires more often and get more life out of them. Brake life/pricing isn't too bad either on these models. The boxster is definitely a momentum car and pretty low hp. Less brakes and smooth driving is the key to being fast. Boxster also wears the brakes pretty evenly being mid engine.

Performance- Like stated above the performance is relatively similar depending on the mods you do. 944 s2 has a little more power on the straights.

Fun factor- Like I stated above they are both a ton of fun to drive. It really comes down to your preference and driving style. You cant go wrong with either platform. You can check out my youtube channel for some in car video of both cars on track. https://www.youtube.com/user/c6manny/videos

Feel free to reach out to me if you have more detailed questions on the cars. I am also curious as to how much modding you plan to do on whichever car you choose? That is another factor to consider for the performance and reliability for each model.

rlm328

Both cars as you can see are a blast to drive.

The Boxster will have heat build up in the engine compartment which has some detrimental affects on things like the power steering pump. The AOS can also be changed out to one of the more efficient 996 variant with a little modification. As stated earlier the IMS should be a pre-emptive change out if it hasn't been done already.

The 944s are older so suffer from all of the age problems of deteriorating parts, but there is a still a large after market out there to help with replacement parts.

They both have similar well behaved handling characteristics, one thing I notice on my Cayman is that when it loses grip there is little to no warning where the 944 will start letting you know that you are starting to out drive your capabilities.

L Cubed

To answer this question, the 944 I have has a few modifications that I did as needed for autocross; powerflex bushings, 300# springs, 28mm torsion bars, 225/255 RS-3 tires. Going forward the only modifications would be race seat & harness and a roll bar.

If I did end up switching to a boxster the goal would be to leave it alone save for reliability upgrades and maybe more front camber and the race seat & harness.

I want to minimize the changes to the car while learning to drive faster on track, you that old adage of tightening the nut behind the wheel first.

HoBoJoe

I just went through this decision recently and went with a spec boxster. The main reasons I went 986 vs 944/951 was 10 years newer, mid engine platform, and the club racers I know run spec box. What really finalized my decision was visiting a club race and watching SP1/2/3 cars dropping like flies throughout the day.

What I did not like about the 986 is the lack of a roof for safety reasons. My workaround for that is a full cage and a hard top. If I were to go with a non-caged car a factory hard top and a BK extension would be number 1 on my safety list.