986S to 996 C2 - Should I do it?

[Rav]

Morning friends.

As many of you might know i have a 986 S in Viola metallic. I have had the car for over 7 years and bought from a chap on this forum. Over the weekend i was offered a higher mileage 996 C2 of similar year to my 986 (2000). The 996 has 165k miles and is finished in Vesuvio metallic which is a nice colour with black interior. The dealer mentions that the clutch in high, but not slipping and the air con condensers are shot. The car is a smidge under £10k and they wont move on price.

Should I or shouldn't I? I dont often use the 986 in the winter due to the hood and even in summer it can be too hot to have the hood down. However its a big gamble and I would need to sell my 986 to fund the 996. 

I know @the baronhas made the jump, but he was lucky enough to keep his 2.5 986. Has anyone else made this jump? Did you regret it? 

I have been loosing sleep over this decision.🤔 Any advice or thoughts would be most welcome. I have Nick Giles lined up for an inspection on the 996 this week. How much would my Boxster S be worth? Its now got 120k miles on her. 

 

[fizz]

I suppose the main question is how do you drive your 986 currently? Do you thrash it round country lanes or enjoy the more relaxed driving experience with it? 

If the latter then you won't miss the handling as much when you move to a 996 going by all the accounts I've read of people owning both. If however you love the handling aspect then you maybe disappointed.  

Other option you got is to buy a hard top for the 986.

With regards to values, they seem to be all over the shop so finger in the air but having said that, you viola metallic is stunning and rare. 

[Menoporsche]

6k for your Boxster. Unknown amount of money to repair the 996 (but 2k absolute minimum). Double your maintenance costs according to antjrice who made the switch some time ago.

 

...or £800 for a new Boxster hood from Carhood Warehouse or similar...

[½cwt]

@the baron has a 986 and a 996 C4. @Oldboy 63 has 996 as well. Best advice fellas?

Just a couple off the top of my head. Personally I wouldn't do it.

[Menoporsche]

Have you still got the Alpina? Not sure why you'd want a 996 as well.

[Daboy3000]

I had a 996 C2 Cabriolet a few years ago.  Would I swap my 986 for a 996 coupe? 100% yes.   Still miss it to this day!

It felt like an occasion every time I started up the 911, even though it was my daily.  I love my Boxster but it's just not the same.

Drive the 911, make up your own mind. Certainly a very good price, even with the work needed.  Does it have a very good history file?

[Menoporsche]

14 minutes ago, Daboy3000 said:

Would I swap my 986 for a 996 coupe? 100% yes.

But your 986 is ahem not the upper level on market value?! And it's a 2.5, compared to his 3.2...  

Your sense of occasion comment is relevant though.  It all depends what each person wants from a car. I wanted the best handling 2-seat convertible money could buy.  While I see comments about bucketfuls of bhp I realise now I'm too old and risk averse even to maximise enjoyment of what I have so I don't lust after more. If you're a person who always worshipped the classic 911 (I never was, some are), of course the change is far more interesting. As above, some love B road blasts and the 911 in newer iterations has been considered just too big for that. Others like POOWWWWEEEERRRRR and are happy to get one.  We can throw in thoughts and tastes for Rav but it will be for him to decide.

 

Poor guy is just a bit bored and fancies a change  

[Daboy3000]

6 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

But your 986 is ahem not the upper level on market value?! And it's a 2.5, compared to his 3.2...  

 

Ahh, watch it, it's a minter now! 🤣

2.5 or 3.2 it doesn't really matter, as you say, it's the corners where these cars shine, but yeah, not going to be a big performance difference going from a 3.2 to a 3.4.

I don't think my love for the 996 was anything to do with it's performance, although it was no slouch.  Maybe, like you said, I have just always loved and wanted a 911.  

My son keeps moaning, everytime we are out in my other car and he sees a Porsche or the sun is out, he says, "Dad, why didn't we bring our Porsche?", I have to remind him his sister is in the back!  A 911 solves that problem!!

[Andy Mac]

Hi @Rav Ive had a few Boxsters - 986.2S / 987.1 / 987.2 2.9 / 981S and some other bits and bobs.

I ended up getting overly ‘fussy’ with higher (to me) value cars (Clubsport S golf I had was knocking around £30-40k which is just is simply nuts).

So I went for a moon miles (174 ish) 996.2 3.6 C2, manual, non sunroof, new engine from porsche around 70k / 2008. Car is on 179 ish now.

Something I could DIY / improve / maintain and not worry about so much.

It’s had / needed all the usual 9*6 bits. As you know it’s the same car doors forward >.

It’s had the hard brake lines / engine as above / clutch / condensors all the normal.

I’ve done full suspension (arms + bushes + coilovers) + engine mounts + transmission mounts + it’s on fresh PS2s + caliper to flexi brake lines + ss flexis + cam chain tensioner + swapped the seats + various bits of bodywork and rust treatment (at some point I’ll get it all one shade of silver) etc etc etc etc after an alignment at Spires - pictured below - it feels great. 

Boxsters are brilliant - 911s are brilliant. I think the individual car / and how tired it is really matters. I’ve driven some saggy old boxsters and 996s that just felt cr*p - but when refreshed - or in great condition - saying that they are all knocking on 20 years old now - so all will need some freshening up - they are fab.

A two seater / with top down opportunity is always a lovely thing to have.

But I really enjoy the old 911 - it can seat 2 adults and 2 midgets. I use it all the time - just a fun thing to drive feels really good - plenty of torque - fun to use. 

So completely inconclusive 😂 if you are near Cambridgeshire at all more than welcome to have a go / look round make a comparison for yourself.

Few snaps, I mean why not?

On winter rubber:

 

[Mattman42]

@Rav - How much of a 911 itch do you have?

Put it this way - decent 996's aren't going to get any cheaper than they are - yes its going to need some maintenance, but if the history is good, the car is decent and you like it?  go for it - you only live once.......

 

 

......i'm not helping really, am i? 

 

[greenman986s]

Does practicality come into to?

My sense is a Boxster has much, (and more accessible) luggage space...if such things matter (eg holidays with SWMBO)

 

 

[Daboy3000]

23 minutes ago, greenman986s said:

Does practicality come into to?

My sense is a Boxster has much, (and more accessible) luggage space...if such things matter (eg holidays with SWMBO)

 

 

The 911 has back seats.

I toured Cornwall with my wife and 3yo daughter.  Pushchair in frunk, luggage on back seat.  My Daughter loved it when she wasn't trading in the stock market.

[TV8]

I went from a 987 (and a TVR) to a 996. I didn’t expect to keep it for very long but that was nearly 4 years ago. I do like the 996 but every spring I find myself looking at Boxsters again. Looked at a 986 a couple of weekends ago but there was some damaged amourfend type stuff all over the front and  I decided to leave it. 

Personally, given how pleased you are with your 986, do whatever you can to run them in parallel to avoid getting rid a car you like for something you are not sure about. Good luck

[½cwt]

1 hour ago, Andy Mac said:

Hi @Rav Ive had a few Boxsters - 986.2S / 987.1 / 987.2 2.9 / 981S and some other bits and bobs.

I ended up getting overly ‘fussy’ with higher (to me) value cars (Clubsport S golf I had was knocking around £30-40k which is just is simply nuts).

So I went for a moon miles (174 ish) 996.2 3.6 C2, manual, non sunroof, new engine from porsche around 70k / 2008. Car is on 179 ish now.

Something I could DIY / improve / maintain and not worry about so much.

It’s had / needed all the usual 9*6 bits. As you know it’s the same car doors forward >.

It’s had the hard brake lines / engine as above / clutch / condensors all the normal.

I’ve done full suspension (arms + bushes + coilovers) + engine mounts + transmission mounts + it’s on fresh PS2s + caliper to flexi brake lines + ss flexis + cam chain tensioner + swapped the seats + various bits of bodywork and rust treatment (at some point I’ll get it all one shade of silver) etc etc etc etc after an alignment at Spires - pictured below - it feels great. 

Boxsters are brilliant - 911s are brilliant. I think the individual car / and how tired it is really matters. I’ve driven some saggy old boxsters and 996s that just felt cr*p - but when refreshed - or in great condition - saying that they are all knocking on 20 years old now - so all will need some freshening up - they are fab.

A two seater / with top down opportunity is always a lovely thing to have.

But I really enjoy the old 911 - it can seat 2 adults and 2 midgets. I use it all the time - just a fun thing to drive feels really good - plenty of torque - fun to use. 

So completely inconclusive 😂 if you are near Cambridgeshire at all more than welcome to have a go / look round make a comparison for yourself.

Few snaps, I mean why not?

On winter rubber:

 

Wow, that is immaculate underneath, virtually factory fresh!  Although I see you have an almost identical dink in the underside of the frunk that my 986 has...

[Andy Mac]

@½cwt never even noticed 😂 it’s not that sort of car.

@Rav let us know how you get on

[iborguk]

@Andy Mac @½cwt 

I think this is the right stuff if you ever felt the urge to touch those tubs in 

https://www.klium.com/terostat-9320-sf-multifunctional-sealant-gray-300ml-standard-cartridge-teroson-2486736-915201

 

[greenman986s]

2 hours ago, Daboy3000 said:

The 911 has back seats.

I toured Cornwall with my wife and 3yo daughter.  Pushchair in frunk, luggage on back seat.  My Daughter loved it when she wasn't trading in the stock market.

That was kinda my point - I didn't find the back seats particularly accessible for luggage.😏

[iborguk]

@Rav I'd keep the Boxster, it's a fab colour.

[Fat Rat]

2 hours ago, Daboy3000 said:

The 911 has back seats.

I toured Cornwall with my wife and 3yo daughter.  Pushchair in frunk, luggage on back seat.  My Daughter loved it when she wasn't trading in the stock market.

Slightly off track. Done a similar thing with my 944 25 years ago. Just brought back memories of the looks you get when people spot these little face in the rear quarter windows. And when you get out of course. 😂🤙🏻

[Fat Rat]

If you have an itch, scratch it. 
My itch was a convertible. So pleased I scratched it.

Only me and the wife. Kids got their own motors.

[RedBarediver]

My only issue with the Boxster (I have a 2.5 which is now 25 years old) is that my legs are slightly too long for it. I do wish I could get another inch or two in the cabin so I can scoot the seat back a bit more. I have looked at doing a centre console delete but they don't do them in my colour anymore, and the car already doesn't have a glovebox so I am loath to give up the little cubbies under the dash.

A 911 would be nice and I have been in the same quandary as you. I even made the man-maths work for me so that she agreed I should go for it. I have looked at a few and test driven some. The power is definitely WAAAAAYYY more than my little 2.5 and the roominess inside is great, but a good example that felt really good and went well was £18,000 for a 20 year old car. In the bigger scheme of things that is not a lot of money especially if you consider what more modern cars cost (even secondhand ones). The question is how much more would you have to spend on an £18k car to get it tip-top?

The Boxster cost me £3.5 k to buy and I spent about £2k refreshing suspension, changing condensors, doing brakes and master cylinder etc etc. The clutch will also need to be done at some point - 104,000 miles on the original at the moment.

I don't factor in the repairs after the crash as that could have happened with any car. It's still not perfect and I can easily spend another grand or so on it to get it really nice. Worst case scenario the engine eats itself and I will have to get the engine repaired or replaced (hoping that never happens).

BUT even then it will have cost me less than £10,000. I don't drive fast. I enjoy the acceleration and the way it handles on twisty roads - no need to go 175 mph. Mine can only go to 136mph on a very good day (according to the specs) but I don't care and I will probably never find out how fast it can go. I found a hardtop in the right colour for a good price and now I have the best of both worlds. It's nice with the hardtop in winter and in summer with the roof down on a nice day it is glorious. Yesterday evening I went for a blast with the roof down along the country roads where I live - had to drive almost 30 miles round trip to get milk ha ha.

I guess what I am saying is that you have a whole lot of car with the Boxster - especially a 3.2 and more importantly you know what you have in terms of history etc. Yes, I could have gotten the £18k 911 - I seem to remember it had North of 110,000 miles on the clock, and the engine had been replaced at some point. Good points for me was the fact that it was manual, a coupe, and looked quite neat. My only issue is that with a 20+ year old car there will be repairs / refreshment to be taken care of. And I'm not saying the seller was hiding anything but then again he may not be aware of an impending problem that bites you as soon as you buy it. 

I have made peace with the fact that my Boxster is not the fastest car around. It has plenty of fun (and pucker) factor for me. I think you'll enjoy the 911 (I know I would) but you'll probably miss the simplicity of the Boxster at some point and come back into the fold

[Jon61]

4 hours ago, RedBarediver said:

Mine can only go to 136mph on a very good day (according to the specs)

You may be being a bit unfair on your car. The original 2.5 specification top speed was 149mph, so even if yours has lost a few horses in the interim it's probably good for more than 136. 

4 hours ago, RedBarediver said:

I guess what I am saying is that you have a whole lot of car with the Boxster

Fully agree with this though , and for some people (me included) a Boxster is actually a better car than a 911, which I've never hankered after (for a variety of reasons).

[map]

5 hours ago, RedBarediver said:

I do wish I could get another inch or two in the cabin so I can scoot the seat back a bit more.

Isn’t there a travel restrictor in the 986 seat runners that is omitted from the 996 seat runners?

If so could you just remove that and gain another bit of rearward adjustment.

You’ll need to validate this and am happy to be corrected. 

[RedBarediver]

53 minutes ago, map said:

Isn’t there a travel restrictor in the 986 seat runners that is omitted from the 996 seat runners?

If so could you just remove that and gain another bit of rearward adjustment.

You’ll need to validate this and am happy to be corrected. 

I put the seat as low as it will go, put the seatback almost upright, run the seat aaaaaaaall the way back until it stops against the firewall, and then adjust the back to be comfortable. There is definitely no more room to move the seat back further.

[Terryg]

"Should I or shouldn't I? I dont often use the 986 in the winter due to the hood and even in summer it can be too hot to have the hood down."

Is there a micro climate in Wiltshire I am unaware of?