So I have an 05 987 tip and i took it in for repair, and the gave me an 08 Boxster S tip. I thought I would be amazed at the differences, but nothing of the sort:
First off, I should say I'm glad I got stone grey instead of the savannah beige, because knowing myself, that interior gets dirty soooo fast, and with me, it would be completely ugly.
2nd, I have on my car the standard audio system that comes with it. This car had the Bose surround sound. Even when I put the Bass at its highest and the surround was on, I could barely tell a small difference, ok, maybe a little more than small, but not worth the money. I am so glad I saved the money.
3rd, the Boxster S has bigger brakes and better suspension, of which I could see a small difference, but not important enough to grant much more money. This car had only 6000 miles while mine has 24,000 so granted, this car would automatically be a little more stiff.
4th, the engine. This engine has 295 hp while mine has 240. A difference of 55. I thought this would be huge, but the difference was completely negligible. I saw that the car did accelerate a little faster but not fast enough to warrant an S badge.
5th, and finally, the biggest reason: the sound. The engine sound of this car is much less and not at all as beautiful as the non-S. I have no clue why but everyone who was with me agreed as well. This car's sound is toned down it seems and had a low whine, while my non-S has a much louder growl.
oh, and those stock S tips are so damn ugly.
Maybe it is because both are tips and the manuals will have a significant difference, I dunno. But I returned that car and got mine back so satisfied I had saved the extra 10,000 dollars.