986 to a 996 - Page 1 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Idle thought, light hearted question: I've been advertising my 986 (2004 model, 3.2S) for some time without success, prices seem so cheap now it's not really worth selling however I've noticed 996 are similarly low at present. Not as low as Boxsters but you get my drift. Wondering about a 996 Cabrio or Targa. Slightly more room for the driver I understand, rear seats if anyone is desperate for a lift and an engine you can see without dismantling the interior. But with the Boxster there's luggage capacity front and rear for the weekly shop, you lose the rear space in a 996. So does the shopping have to go on the rear seat. What other pluses and minuses are there?

There's plenty of space in a 996 for 'shopping', so I wouldnt be too concerned with that. The driving experience is what you'll notice the most, great cars and ridiculously good value if you find a well cared for one.

guyvert1 said: There's plenty of space in a 996 for 'shopping', so I wouldnt be too concerned with that. The driving experience is what you'll notice the most, great cars and ridiculously good value if you find a well cared for one. Ta, how does the "driving experience" compare with a 3.2S Boxster which is theoretically better balanced?

You probably don't want to hear this but I knew a 996 owner who also owned a non-S Boxster and he said the Boxster was more fun to drive. As for storage, well, you can get a 32" TV in the back (lying flat). I have put shopping in the back as well as the boot. It's a different type of space, I guess. Thing is, if you need to transport more hidden stuff then a Boxster makes more sense eg you're going on a long trip and want to be able to park in random car parks with your luggage stowed away out of sight.

I have both a 986.1 Boxster S and a 996.2 911 Carrera 2. The Boxster is a little more practical with the rear boot. In the 911, the rear seats are virtually useless for humans, so you can use that space for luggage but of course it's visible, so not great from a theft perspective, and also it's not particularly easy to get things in the back (in a coupe - easier if you can put the roof down!). The 911 definitely has more leg room as the seats can go further back - in the Boxster I have the seat jammed right back and there's not really enough room. 987/997 seats will create space for tall drivers in either. To drive, there are of course a lot of similarities, but when pushing on it's very clear where the engine is, and the Boxster is a more naturally balanced car, because of that. Not that the 911 isn't a wonderful thing to fling down a country lane - it absolutely is, you just take slightly longer to adapt to a car which has all the weight behind the rear axle! 911 is, of course, faster. Porsche were careful for a long time to keep the Boxster/Cayman power outputs a decent chunk below the equivalent 911. The 996.1 3.4 engine feels lot like a Boxster S, but just has a bit more all the way through the rev range, whilst the 3.6 in the 996.2 is notably more torquey low down. I do think the 996 looks considerably better as a coupe than as a convertible, but that is of course pure personal preference. Both 986 and 996 are wonderful cars!

I made a similar change from a 2.7 986 to a 997 a few years ago. In both cars I regularly fill up the frunk with 5-6 food shopping bags, and rarely need to keep anything in the car. I had a 4&6yo, who for the moment fit in the back quite nicely. I do miss a few things about the Boxster. The rear boot was handy for talking a set of golf clubs. whereas when i play now, i need to lay a towel down across the front seat and lay them in the footwell. Which means im only ever driving myself... I miss being able to get the roof off in the summer to hear the noise (i also had the exhaust bypass mod so that helped) I paid 4k for my boxster (2002 & ~70k miles), and really felt like I could do anything with it. I cared for it, but also allowed myself to park it anywhere, and use it as a daily. I also agree that you could get alot from it, by not driving that fast. Id never return into a 986 now I have the 997, but I do maybe regret not keeping it, and having both.

Thanks for all input, it does seem that I may be better off keeping the Boxster as I know it, rather than buying something "unknown". I do like the 996(911) but agree with Mr Ben, it looks best in coupe form. I'm a long term drop top guy (Lotus/Caterham/TVR/MG etc) hence the cabrio but I did suggest initially the Targa as a possibility; it does retain the general coupe silhouette. There's a cabrio for sale in a nice colour and I'd get a little more leg room but seems that's the only advantage other than access to engine area.

I've just added a 986.2 Boxster 2.7 to my garage alongside my 992 GTS, to use as a daily runabout and as a little project car. So far so good and I really like it. Quite quirky I would say, never had a convertible in my life so look forward to some drop top motoring also when the weather improves. Plus Porsche consider this as a Classic now, so what's not to like! Edited by Schuey_911 on Tuesday 16th January 22:07

The 996 Targa has an interesting rear window.

Hoofy said: The 996 Targa has an interesting rear window. And often an interesting set of leaks!

Not a fan of the Targa, my fav 996 would be a 2 or 4s

MrBen.911 said: Hoofy said: The 996 Targa has an interesting rear window. And often an interesting set of leaks! Have heard that, leaks and squeeks. Are they really that bad?

MrBen.911 said: Hoofy said: The 996 Targa has an interesting rear window. And often an interesting set of leaks! Oh that's a shame. I do secretly hanker after a Targa. Mainly because of the rear window!

I looked at getting one some years ago, thinking the rear window would make it a good bit more practical for putting longer things in the back, but lots I saw seemed to have various bills for issues with the roof mechanism, so I gave it a miss. I don't have evidence they are all like that though, there may well be some that operate perfectly!

MrBen.911 said: I looked at getting one some years ago, thinking the rear window would make it a good bit more practical for putting longer things in the back, but lots I saw seemed to have various bills for issues with the roof mechanism, so I gave it a miss. I don't have evidence they are all like that though, there may well be some that operate perfectly! Struts giving way, I guess?

Schuey_911 said: I've just added a 986.2 Boxster 2.7 to my garage alongside my 992 GTS, to use as a daily runabout and as a little project car. So far so good and I really like it. Quite quirky I would say, never had a convertible in my life so look forward to some drop top motoring also when the weather improves. Plus Porsche consider this as a Classic now, so what's not to like! Edited by Schuey_911 on Tuesday 16th January 22:07 Those are quite the pair. I bet it feels like someone forgot to put the engine in when you jump from the 992 to the 986

rawenghey said: Schuey_911 said: I've just added a 986.2 Boxster 2.7 to my garage alongside my 992 GTS, to use as a daily runabout and as a little project car. So far so good and I really like it. Quite quirky I would say, never had a convertible in my life so look forward to some drop top motoring also when the weather improves. Plus Porsche consider this as a Classic now, so what's not to like! Edited by Schuey_911 on Tuesday 16th January 22:07 Those are quite the pair. I bet it feels like someone forgot to put the engine in when you jump from the 992 to the 986 Haha, exactly that. But you know what, it's actually quite nice and enjoyable to have a drive which is less hardcore and more chilled, a modern classic car feel. Nice to jump between the two and also look forward to the weapon the 992 is

Well, the 996 was bid a little above my budget but didn't meet the reserve (all 6 cars on that auction site failed to reach reserve which tells you something) . Looks like I'm keeping the 986, "Devil I know, not the Devil I don't". Might use it a bit more this year..... Thank you for all your input