First I want to say Father and Sons in West Springfield, MA was Outstanding. They always have been when I get my
Audi
Serviced, but this was by far the best test drive experience I have ever had and I have been on dozens over the years.
Now on to the cars- Contenders were 2013
Audi
S5 Cabrio (Conservative Side), 2010 C2S, and 981 (Non-S, they did not have one)
Test Drives-
He put me in the
911
first, I was very impressed as I expected. I did expect a little more when I nailed the gas, I have a 500 RWHP Shelby Mustang that might spoil me from that stand point. Higher RPM's it really goes. With that said I have read it does not feel as fast as it is. The car drove great. Road feel was exceptional.
He then put me in the S5, I used to have a 1998
M3
Vert and I was thinking maybe this would feel the same, it did not. Do not get me wrong it was an outstanding ride, but a GT for sure. It was fast enough, but I could feel the weight in the turns. As much as I love this car I am glad I drove it, it is out of the running.
Next was the Boxster (Non-S, they did not have an S), I was shocked at how much different it felt than the
911
. Some say they do not notice the Electric steering difference, I noticed it as soon as I pulled out of the dealership. I did not know at that point which I liked better, but it is a huge difference. I was also surprised how slow it was, to me my
Audi
TT felt faster, the S5 was definately faster. Also the
911
was more solid for sure, it should be for double the original price. The S5 was like a hardtop with the top up, no outside noise, the Boxster you knew you were in a convertible for sure. I was actually disappointed and I wanted to like it. Maybe an S with more options? It was pretty stripped.
Then I asked to go back to the
911
after the Boxster just to confirm my earlier thoughts on the car. This is where I really got a good comparison right after the Boxster down the same roads. The
911
was significantly more powerful than the other 2, it has Sport Seats that is now a Must have for me. The only option I would have wanted was
PSE
, but aftermarket can address that. I now realize I prefer the 997 steering, it reminds me more of my old air-cooled
911
. I also loved that this car had very little blind spots, it is a perfect good weather Daily Driver where I feel the Boxster was really a Perfect weekend go down the back-roads type car.
In the end I decided I did not want a Convertible, if I did I would have gone with the 981-S, I feel it looks better than the 997 Cabrio. On the flip side I think the C2S looks much better than the Cayman. I decided on the C2S, if it was just a weekend toy my decision would have been different, but I intend to drive it more than that and the
911
to me was Perfect.
Just as reference I got a 2010 C2S with 3000 miles, just under 4 years of warranty with the CPO, and perfect PPI/
DME
reports for the Price I would have paid for the Boxster S. I do not think I could have gone wrong either way.
Thank you all for your knowledge, this forum as well as ******** helped tremendously.
Congrats! Looks good! And only 3000 miles? I guess the previous owner paid something like $5 per mile
Prior owner did a 2 year lease, the car stickered for about $110K, I would bet he paid like $1300 or so a month, that equal $10 per mile.
CRAZY!!!!!!!!! I will put more than that on it before Summer.
DME
showed 89 hours, car was as close to new as you could get, and it was the color I wanted.
Thanks for the story. It's no wonder the power difference was obvious to you — you can't really compare the
Carrera
S to a base Boxster — 265hp vs 385hp (IIRC) isn't exactly a surprise
Love those dials too. Saw a white 991 cabrio at a dealership with them and they look fantastic.
Having test drove the 991 and 997 I agree that I liked the feel of the 997 steering.
Enjoy your new car!
***Looking to trade 19"
Carrera
Classic wheels for Turbo or Turbo II wheels. PM me if interested.***
I did not compare the Base Boxster to the
911
power wise, obviously that would not be fair. I said it felt slower than my
Audi
TT I was trading in, not a little slower, a lot. I was very surprised. That does not make it a bad car, but you can not deny it is slow for a car at its price point.
Read again please, what I said was the
911
felt much more solid from a build stand-point and for double the price it should.
