986 or 987 Boxster S - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

I've been interested in a Boxster S for quite a while now and have been saving a chunk of my payslip each month so that I won't have to finance any of the cost when I eventually come to buy. The only thing that I'm unsure of now is 986 or 987. £10,000-£12,000 or so seems to be able to get me a great 986 S - usually from 2003/2004, with low mileage and a FSH. £14,000-£16,000 seems to net me a 987 S with double the mileage, FSH and only a year or 2 newer. Is the 987 really worth the premium price? It looks a lot nicer IMO, the interior definietly holds up better, it has a little bit more power but thats it really. Is it really worth that extra £4,000+? I'm stuck really - I want the 987, but it means I'd need to save for another 12 months, whereas I could potentially pick up a 986 early next year.. What are the other differences between the 2 - and what would you do?

I went for a 987s so I can't offer any insight into the 986. All I can do is recommend the 987 as IHMO it has a more modern cabin, but also has a timeless design (no fried egg headlights make a huge difference to me). I picked up a high spec 3.4. It's a fantastic car, great performance and oozes confidence when pushing. The 986 is affected by IMS bearing failures and the 987 (3.4) is affected by bore score.. My only experience of this is the scare mongering threads on the net. What I can say is this is the first time fuel consumption has played on my mind.. Driven harder your under 20mpg. Tyre wear on the rear is approx .5mm per 1000 miles mixed driving (pair done in around 8000 miles) and the VED (tax) is stupid on the 3.4 at £490 ish PA. But, I love my Porsche experience.. I have no intention to letting this car go... It's in really great condition, goes really well and has some great options fitted at factory. Loved every moment of ownership and Sunday morning hoons have never been better A pic to whet the appetite Edited by petej on Friday 28th November 20:07

£10-12k is way too much to pay for a 986S. I would aim for as good a car as you can get for under £9k and spend a little on renewing some of the 10 year old mechanicals. If you want this as your every day car then maybe a 987 may be better. Bit more comfort, bit more space, bit more refinement.

Cheers for the insight. The IMS issues don't scare me - my dad had 2 996's and never had an issue and noone I know who owned one had the problem either! I don't mind the fried egg lights - but the 987 does look undeniably fresher and obviously that interior is much newer. As for the running costs - it will actually save me money to own (I run two rotaries and would be selling them for the Boxster). Sunday morning hoons are all I think about when I look at them - early on a sunny Sunday morning as the sun rises and the air is crisp, top down on a lovely drive... I did test drive one and enjoyed it... Yours is lovely. Just need to decide - early next year or early 2016! If only I earnt more!

edc said: £10-12k is way too much to pay for a 986S. I would aim for as good a car as you can get for under £9k and spend a little on renewing some of the 10 year old mechanicals. If you want this as your every day car then maybe a 987 may be better. Bit more comfort, bit more space, bit more refinement. It would be a daily. I'm one of those idiots who is obsessed with mileage - which tends to be pretty high on 986's under the £10k mark. What sort of things would need reneweing on this (admittedly I've done next to know research on the Boxster itself - I test drove one and that's all)?

I'd suggest going on boxa.net and looking at the member rides and running reports. I'm on my 2nd 986 now admittedly neither as daily. Both were under £8k. I've for long threads on my cars there and there is some limited info in my PH profile.

I would look for a nice low mileage 2005 or pre March 2006 3.2 987 if it has to be the 'S' then potentially get the IMS bearing changed. Alternatively you could get a late 2006-2008 2.7 the later ones being 245bhp with no IMS issues and believed to be the safest engine option. Both these cars fall into the cheaper tax band, £280 ish rather than £490. Some people think this tax thing is not important but I think when the cars reach this value it does matter as paying almost £500 before you even think of servicing and insurance is a pain.

anonymous said: [redacted] Absolutely. If you are concerned about an extra £200 a year in excise duty then maybe a Porsche is not the car for you.

Well actually I am on my seventh Porsche and from my experience of buying and selling them and frequenting forums like this 911uk and boxa.net a lot of Boxster/ Cayman and older 911 buyers buying cars for 20k ish ARE bothered about things like road tax bands avoiding the £480 cars. Look how many adverts for 996's mention lower tax band rates, like it or not it does matter to some people. I understand fully what you are saying I just know that there are a lot of people that try and avoid the top tax band cars. Why do you think the uk 987.2 3.4 engine has the flat spot??..... it's down to emissions to get the car down to 225 Co2, in other countries its 230 Co2. Why have they done that I wonder??

Rubbish,some folk object too paying 500 quid to allow one to drive on overcrowded and poorly maintained roads,hence when choosing a Boxster I went for a 2005 987 2.7 to avoid the high tax bracket.The car recieves money no object care at a well known specialist and a Porsche definetly IS the car for me

I've had 986, 987, 997 I had a really good 986 2.5 and went to a really good 2 year old 987 2.7 Going from the 986 to the 987 was a massive massive step forward. Everything about the car was so much better and I don't believe the 986 was more raw or anything like that, I just didn't think it was as good. Crashy hard ride on 17's and M030 sport suspension, poor interior. 987 was tight as a drum on 19's with no PASM rode way way better than the 986. The look and feel of the 986 was light years ahead and the extra power which doesn't look like much on paper was very noticeable. The £480 tax was a total nause but over the 2-3 years of ownership makes v little difference overall. I paid another £13k to change my 986 for a 987 and thought it was worth every penny and more Drive both and see if you think the same

evojam said: Rubbish,some folk object too paying 500 quid to allow one to drive on overcrowded and poorly maintained roads,hence when choosing a Boxster I went for a 2005 987 2.7 to avoid the high tax bracket.The car recieves money no object care at a well known specialist and a Porsche definetly IS the car for me Point proven I think, it matters to quite a few people, maybe not all, but quite a few!!!

anonymous said: [redacted] Yes I agree with what you say about it not making any sense, I got defensive as someone tried suggesting if you didn't want to pay £500 odd on road tax then a Porsche isn't for you, that's what annoyed me, any way despite your argument making total long term sense I think I pay enough in fuel duty so will continue to buy cars that aren't in the top tax bracket, I give enough to the government to get sod all back, look at the state of our roads!!

I'm biased and will vote in favour of the 986. Dad has had one now for a couple of years and it's been great! Hasn't really had to have any other work done servicing and tyres aside. It's a weekend car, but has occasionally been roped into daily driving duties, and has performed really well. He paid £9k for a 28/28k mile example, he's the third owner. £10k should be more than enough to get you a good car. Another pic for the sake of it!

Alignment makes an enormous difference in rear tire wear. I got more than twice your 8k and the tires were still quite legal when ultimately replaced for tire age reasons. My car was aligned for maximum tire mileage and not maximum grip. The guy who did it set up Porsches as race cars so he really knew his Porsche suspensions. Since it was a daily driver and not a race car, that worked for me. Depreciation can easily be 2-5x the tax amount you all are talking about. Least it was for me. The main differences between a 2004 and 2005 come down to: Variable ratio power steering Stiffer chassis, wider wheel alignment Bigger brakes Head airbags PSM standard 17” wheels standard (18”, 19” optional) Improved headlights More cockpit room Better positioned roll bars The last two may matter a great deal depending on your body shape/height. Or it may not. I owned a 2.5 and a 3.2 Boxster and the most fun was the 2.5, you could put your foot down longer and stronger before becoming illegal. My Prius gets twice the mileage as the Porsches ever did. As much fun? You have to be kidding. Life is a series of tradeoffs.

My 2p's worth. A few years back I looked at getting a Boxster & found an immaculate 986s. Everything sorted, low mileage, spotless service history, immaculate in every respect. Think it was 13k. Fell out with the selling dealer over the deal so didn't buy. Then found an excellent 987s. Not quite perfect but very good which I bought for about 1500 more than the 986. To me the biggest difference between the 2 was the cabin. The 986 cabin looks & feels prehistoric compared to the 987. As you spend most of your time on the inside looking out, my feelings, with hindsight, are that the 987 is a big step up in quality feel to the 986. There's little price difference between a late 986 & early 987. To me 987 is the place I'd rather sit.

I'd just like to add my comments about the 987 I'm coming up for my third year of ownership which is a record for me as I have never kept a car longer than a year. I agree that the interior is very nice and well set out and compared to some of my previous cars all the knobs and switches still work perfectly as does the car which once properly warmed up is as far as road use is concerned hard to beat. I too hate the rip off road tax but as I have the use of other cars means I tax it for a year and run it for about 7-8 months when the weather is decent then claim back what I don't use. I am having great difficulty finding a car that I would want to replace it with and as such have given up so I tuck it away for the winter and look forward to the nice weather where the top down experience on a pleasant evening is only trumped by blasting an old bike along country lanes.

Been the owner of a 2001 986 S for well over a week now. I particularly was looking for the 986 as I seem to be drawn to the first incarnations of car models. So far I'm enjoying it very much. I sent quite a long time looking to get the spec /trim that I wanted coupled wit a history file of not just stamps, but actual work done. yes I'm sure I'll keep my fingers crossed for a few months, as I do with all cars I buy, till the confidence sets in with the car and the purchase. Good luck with your hunting OP.

Cheers for all the comments thus far... So before I started this thread I wanted a 987 but thought I'd settle for the 986 but the more I think about it, regardless on how good a 986 might be, I know that if I was to buy one I'd always have it in the back of my mind that its the 987 I wanted. So - on the hunt again for 987's - though it means I will have to save for a little longer which is disappointing. I've seen a quite a few with the same wheels as the 997 Turbo. Would these having been fitted by the owners or were they an optional extra? Also, are there any other options on these cars that I should be looking at? Aside from Sat Nav...

TREMAiNE said: Cheers for all the comments thus far... So before I started this thread I wanted a 987 but thought I'd settle for the 986 but the more I think about it, regardless on how good a 986 might be, I know that if I was to buy one I'd always have it in the back of my mind that its the 987 I wanted. So - on the hunt again for 987's - though it means I will have to save for a little longer which is disappointing. I've seen a quite a few with the same wheels as the 997 Turbo. Would these having been fitted by the owners or were they an optional extra? Also, are there any other options on these cars that I should be looking at? Aside from Sat Nav... I'd be surprised if you couldn't get a good 987 for 12K. I got mine 2 years ago I think it was. 2006 car so just inside the tax threashold, it has the 997 wheels, BOSE, Sport Chrono, full leather, multi-way heated sports seats, 35k on clock & I paid around 15k

petej said: I went for a 987s so I can't offer any insight into the 986. All I can do is recommend the 987 as IHMO it has a more modern cabin, but also has a timeless design (no fried egg headlights make a huge difference to me). I picked up a high spec 3.4. It's a fantastic car, great performance and oozes confidence when pushing. The 986 is affected by IMS bearing failures and the 987 (3.4) is affected by bore score.. My only experience of this is the scare mongering threads on the net. What I can say is this is the first time fuel consumption has played on my mind.. Driven harder your under 20mpg. Tyre wear on the rear is approx .5mm per 1000 miles mixed driving (pair done in around 8000 miles) and the VED (tax) is stupid on the 3.4 at £490 ish PA. But, I love my Porsche experience.. I have no intention to letting this car go... It's in really great condition, goes really well and has some great options fitted at factory. Loved every moment of ownership and Sunday morning hoons have never been better A pic to whet the appetite Edited by petej on Friday 28th November 20:07 Is that on standard suspension?

I was looking for a late 986 with a max budget of £10k - was trying for a 'S' but it was hard getting a good one. In the end I lucked out (well I think so) and found a 2.7 987 within budget with 33k miles and in perfect condition. When I saw the 987 interior it changed my mind and I wouldnt have been happy with the 986 - driving it just confirmed that (although the only 986s I drove were much higher miles). So very happy with my 2.7 987 !

TREMAiNE said: So - on the hunt again for 987's - though it means I will have to save for a little longer which is disappointing. I've seen a quite a few with the same wheels as the 997 Turbo. Would these having been fitted by the owners or were they an optional extra? Also, are there any other options on these cars that I should be looking at? Aside from Sat Nav... The 997 turbo wheels were offered as an option, but could equally have been fitted by a previous owner. Options are very subjective and you will get a wide variety of opinions, but to get the ball rolling, these are my prefered ones: full leather sports seats sport chrono PSE

I picked up a 987S (gen1) last week. Previously I'd had a 986S (gen2) with the gap between them filled by an Elise 111S. My thoughts on the 986 is that the interior looked dated when I had mine, and I don't think they've fared too well. However the layout is very driver-centric and still a comfortable place to be even without sports seats. If I was buying a 986 I'd look for an Anniversary model as they really are fully loaded with kit, sports exhaust and if memory serves a small power hike. Probably hold their value better than any other 986. Horror stories abound, but show me a performance car without them? I had my RMS done under warranty. IMS was fine. My 987S is a clone of my 986S (Silver with black leather). For me it's a much nicer place to be on the inside, and I find the sports seats fantastically comfy. The steering is noticeably lighter - probably made moreso by coming from the Lotus with no PAS. 12k budget kind of divides them both to be honest. I'd have thought 12k was good money for an anniversary 986 (Or decent S), but low for a decent 987. Buy on condition not on miles. Consider dropping your budget for a 986S and a fighting fund. Oh, and don't be put off by the 2.7 - the handling on these is fantastic, it's not all about grunt. Plenty around in the classifieds - wait for your perfect spec. You won't regret either.

I can't quite put my finger on the reason why but I much more enjoyed my 986 2.7 than I did my 987 3.4. The former I kept for nearly 7 years, the latter I was glad to see the back of after 18 months.

markoc said: Oh, and don't be put off by the 2.7 - the handling on these is fantastic, it's not all about grunt. I appreciate this, however, my current daily is an RX-8 R3 and for the last 18 months I've traded off grunt for handling - if I go down the Boxster route, I want more than just handling, hence why I'm only looking at the 3.2 S (or 3.4 S now that I've decided 987). I've test driven both the 987 2.7 and 3.2 (admittedly I did waste the dealers time, I didn't plan on buying either car at the time but wanted to see what they were like before committing to save!) and I felt that the 3.2 had just the right amount of power. Fast enough to have fun, make progress and put a smile on your face but not so fast that you can't really use it properly without taking it on the track. The 2.7, on the other hand, whilst still enjoyable didn't feel any faster than the RX-8 so I don't really want to spend all my money just so that I can lose the roof. Looking in the Classifieds now, decent 987 S' seem to be around the 14-15k mark (where are these £12k ones people keep mentioning!?) within a 100 mile radius of where I live (Essex, CM13) - obviously I'd be ok with searching nationally once I've got the last few grand ready to buy the car. I am a little tempted to finance the last couple K - just so I could by it before the warmer months... I know finance gets a bit of a bad rep on PH but the monthly payments would be less than what I'm saving each month anyways... Its getting exciting now its actually become real... For the last 12 months of been struggling to decide between a Chimaera and Boxster and made a dozen posts for both... The Boxster is definitely the one for me though. I'm drawn to them now! I definitely regret calling them a poor mans Porsche when I was in my teens!

Less than £10k http://www.boxa.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=6292... Check ebay too.

anonymous said: [redacted] My 987.2 S PDK with lots of options is light years ahead of my 03 facelift S. this is even though the 986 was a gorgeous colour combo with full leather and sports suspension. the 03 was better than the 2000 S which was better than the '97 2.5 All but my current 987 were spec'ed new by me (I finally tired of the depreciation) so my experience is the opposite of you guys.

anonymous said: [redacted] That's some history with the Boxster, just as a matter of interest have you tried a 981 Boxster and if so what do you think of it.

When I was looking 12 months ago, I had the same conundrum. I eventually got a 2003 Boxster S for just under £7k (iffy paint on the front mind) but FSH. (2003-04 facelift models have heated glass rear screen and clear indicators as standard, although the ambers may be fashionable again soon!) However, I have now sold it. Under 2000 miles in 12 months. Niggles with trim, sub 20 mpg and general suspension groans. (Passed MoT easily though) Also, fear of the clutch letting go (original I think at over 86k miles) and the IMS bearing issue I now know more about, led me to sell. At the time, I couldn't really see why a 2005 981S could be justified at more than £4k more for an extra 20 bhp. However, I was slightly disappointed with the build quality of the 986 (maybe it was just mine) and the 987 seems a step forward rather than just a rehash. If I have another one, it'll be a 987. I did enjoy driving it, but for now, the TVR Chimaera has won out. In the same time and c. 2000 miles, it has cost less to run. Different beast really but I've noticed a few other PHers have Porsche and TVR but for now, I've reverted to the dark side.. or left it .. ? Edit: Admittedly the difference in price has dropped. If you can accept 90k miles +, a 987S is under £10k now. Edited by ianwayne on Monday 1st December 21:19

BIRMA said: That's some history with the Boxster, just as a matter of interest have you tried a 981 Boxster and if so what do you think of it. I am indeed a Boxster fan, had one of the first ones alongside a '73 RS - chalk and cheese I haven't tried a 981 because either I would want one right away, or the steering would disappoint me, and I wouldn't want one at all. One of the areas where a 987.2 is years ahead of a 986 is the DFI engine response and note, even without Sports exhaust. i love it. And I drive it nearly every day.

VladD said: Is that on standard suspension? Spec'd for PASM which also comes with 10mm reduced ride height.

Go for the 987S , finance the last bit and buy the model you want, I have had 986s Carrara 4s and I like and enjoy my 3.4s more than any of those, The Boxster is imho so unfairly underrated especially by those who do not know what they are talking about.. On the point of road tax, as mentioned earlier it's two tanks of fuel, I believe it's unfair to have to pay 495 , when you can tax a56 seat coach for less, but it is what it is, fwiw mine is 495 and worth every penny for the benefit of having the model I want with the in my case warranty that comes with the newer model, I.e not over 10 years old, good luck. Mike

anonymous said: [redacted] I know your views on this as you have made them many times. Each time I read them, I wonder if yours (or mine) is a true and deep analysis, or merely rationalisation. I do admire people who are very happy with older and cheaper. Unfortunately, I was born with consumer spoon in my mouth. Moving on, one thing that got me about my 2.5 (and to a lessor degree, the 3.2), the minimal torque below 2k. If I wasn't concentrating, could easily stall it during manoeuvres. Nic

I have owned a late 996 C2, an early 3.2s 986 Boxster and my brother in law has a 987.1 3.2s Boxster. Out of the three my preference is the 986 and today i am about to catch a train to Glasgow to collect a face lifted 2004 986 with 60k miles. I have bought privately so it is a bit of a gamble but it has a lot of history with it and has a big spec, xenons, bose, heated sports seats, cruise, etc etc. It needs a major service and a few other bits and pieces. No offence to 987 owners but i find the interior far too VAG for my liking and i hate the cheap looking door cards, I don't get the hype. The 987 interior is certainly more appealing on the eye but i am not convinced it is 'better'. The extra premium demanded for a 987 doesn't appeal to me personally for what essentially is a weekend toy. The face lifted 986 interior with glovebox and much better quality finish is not a bad place to be. Anyway, the main thing is we all enjoy our Porsches, i am hoping for some dry weather for a top down blast back along the A68 to Durham!

NicD said: the 03 was better than the 2000 S which was better than the '97 2.5 I had a 2000 S 58k to 75k miles and now have a 2004 550 from 105 to 112k miles. Better is very subjective. Newer and fresher can be better. But the fundamental mechanicals are pretty much all the same. The later car has some nicer 'luxuries', more options and slightly different exterior cosmetics but the old car with it's new suspension was for me better. For my day to day drive I've had over the past few years the latest BMW and Audis. I never feel short changed in a 986/996 interior though. Indeed, I kind of look forward to it! The LCD/graphics on climate and dash are 'improved' in newer cars but the rest doesn't feel behind the times quality wise or ergonomically. For me I find the opposite of what some people think and find the 987 interior more plasticky and not as nice a place to be as a 986 one.

I had a budget of around £15k for my second Boxster purchase, however would have gone to around £20k for a second hand car. I was also vaguely considering a new 981 on 50% finance. My first Boxster was a 2000my 986S Manual that I bought from the second owner at 58k miles. The second owner had bought it from OPC. It had full Porsche history and didn't have a mark on it. Having been garaged from new. I absolutely loved it and the Zenith Blue paint, the amber lights. It just felt so right/tight. It had the Metropole Blue leather which I really liked (not full/dash etc). The only things I didn't like was the plastics rear screen (having to do the 'boxster chop') and the lack of cup-holders/glovebox (always drinking a takeaway coffee on the go). I now have a 2004my 986S Anniversary Manual. This is the updated car with glass rear screen and top spec. It has almost every desirable 986 option and with 68k on the clock it has had around £5k of preventative in last 2 years. Hence, it drives superbly and should continue to do so for a long time to come. I love my current car as the pinnacle of the 986 but still have a hankering for my first car and regret selling. Things about my current car I don't like? Number one is the bloody seat-belt warning bong! Even at crawling/car park speeds it's effing bonging away! Earlier cars don't have this irritating feature. Also thought the car handled sweeter with the 17" wheels. I am not a huge fan of the colour either, or the grey wheel centres. It's all very subjective stuff. Before I bought my latest car I looked at and drove a few 987 S. I decided I preferred the 986 as a more engaging drive and prefer the interior of a full-leather clad 986. I have also had a 981 as a courtesy while and although impressed by the quality and the exterior styling I don't like the amount of tech or the electric steering. I'm in no hurry to get out of my 2004 986 for any other Boxster.

billzeebub said: I had a budget of around £15k for my second Boxster purchase, however would have gone to around £20k for a second hand car. I was also vaguely considering a new 981 on 50% finance. My first Boxster was a 2000my 986S Manual that I bought from the second owner at 58k miles. The second owner had bought it from OPC. It had full Porsche history and didn't have a mark on it. Having been garaged from new. I absolutely loved it and the Zenith Blue paint, the amber lights. It just felt so right/tight. It had the Metropole Blue leather which I really liked (not full/dash etc). The only things I didn't like was the plastics rear screen (having to do the 'boxster chop') and the lack of cup-holders/glovebox (always drinking a takeaway coffee on the go). I now have a 2004my 986S Anniversary Manual. This is the updated car with glass rear screen and top spec. It has almost every desirable 986 option and with 68k on the clock it has had around £5k of preventative in last 2 years. Hence, it drives superbly and should continue to do so for a long time to come. I love my current car as the pinnacle of the 986 but still have a hankering for my first car and regret selling. Things about my current car I don't like? Number one is the bloody seat-belt warning bong! Even at crawling/car park speeds it's effing bonging away! Earlier cars don't have this irritating feature. Also thought the car handled sweeter with the 17" wheels. I am not a huge fan of the colour either, or the grey wheel centres. It's all very subjective stuff. Before I bought my latest car I looked at and drove a few 987 S. I decided I preferred the 986 as a more engaging drive and prefer the interior of a full-leather clad 986. I have also had a 981 as a courtesy while and although impressed by the quality and the exterior styling I don't like the amount of tech or the electric steering. I'm in no hurry to get out of my 2004 986 for any other Boxster. I got my indy garage to turn off the warning bong, did it on two cars, once free, once £10. If it's the biggest issue u have with your car, happy days!

jakesmith said: billzeebub said: I had a budget of around £15k for my second Boxster purchase, however would have gone to around £20k for a second hand car. I was also vaguely considering a new 981 on 50% finance. My first Boxster was a 2000my 986S Manual that I bought from the second owner at 58k miles. The second owner had bought it from OPC. It had full Porsche history and didn't have a mark on it. Having been garaged from new. I absolutely loved it and the Zenith Blue paint, the amber lights. It just felt so right/tight. It had the Metropole Blue leather which I really liked (not full/dash etc). The only things I didn't like was the plastics rear screen (having to do the 'boxster chop') and the lack of cup-holders/glovebox (always drinking a takeaway coffee on the go). I now have a 2004my 986S Anniversary Manual. This is the updated car with glass rear screen and top spec. It has almost every desirable 986 option and with 68k on the clock it has had around £5k of preventative in last 2 years. Hence, it drives superbly and should continue to do so for a long time to come. I love my current car as the pinnacle of the 986 but still have a hankering for my first car and regret selling. Things about my current car I don't like? Number one is the bloody seat-belt warning bong! Even at crawling/car park speeds it's effing bonging away! Earlier cars don't have this irritating feature. Also thought the car handled sweeter with the 17" wheels. I am not a huge fan of the colour either, or the grey wheel centres. It's all very subjective stuff. Before I bought my latest car I looked at and drove a few 987 S. I decided I preferred the 986 as a more engaging drive and prefer the interior of a full-leather clad 986. I have also had a 981 as a courtesy while and although impressed by the quality and the exterior styling I don't like the amount of tech or the electric steering. I'm in no hurry to get out of my 2004 986 for any other Boxster. I got my indy garage to turn off the warning bong, did it on two cars, once free, once £10. If it's the biggest issue u have with your car, happy days! Music to my ears! Thanks for that, will get it done

anonymous said: [redacted] Agree with that. My 986 was almost like three engines in one. Loved the way it changed character as I went up through the revs and I do miss that. But both my 987s have been leagues ahead in handling. First one with PASM and the current one a Spyder, so maybe not valid comparators though. When I first drove a friend's non-PASM 987 (when I still had my 986) I was struck more by the similarities than the differences.

Comparing 986 vs 987 is not always going to be an apples vs apples comparison. The problem you have is that comparatively the 986 suspension will typically be older with more miles on it. It's fair to say this is how the cars will be in the market though but if you are a do-er upper then a cheaper 986 and a few £100 may make the difference. On my first Boxster I replaced all the suspension arms/bushes, springs, dampers and arbs, top mounts. On the current ones just the suspensions arms/bushes. An older one with useable but tired suspension doesn't handle terribly but there is a significant and noticebale difference to fresh suspension on otherwise the same car.

NicD said: I know your views on this as you have made them many times. Each time I read them, I wonder if yours (or mine) is a true and deep analysis, or merely rationalisation. I do admire people who are very happy with older and cheaper. Unfortunately, I was born with consumer spoon in my mouth. Moving on, one thing that got me about my 2.5 (and to a lessor degree, the 3.2), the minimal torque below 2k. If I wasn't concentrating, could easily stall it during manoeuvres. Nic That's not lack of torque, that's down to a mechanical issue that most of the 2.5's suffer from, I use to know what it was but can't remember, sticking solenoid or valve or something like that, but it makes pulling away at tickover impossible, as you lift the clutch and revs get to about 1000 it will stall so you need revs to stop it stalling. Not lack of torque but still really annoying & caught the Mrs out a few times