Crown

CPA4S:

dreamcar:

I know, I've had two Boxsters, it's amazing how much you can pack in there. The 997 is much better in that regard, however.

what are you talking about - you can't even put a set of pressed shirts on hangers in a 911; they do fit in a Boxster trunk.

Plenty of room in a 997!!! Front boot (trunk) same as the Boxster / Cayman (unless you've got the four wheel drive version) the miniscule rear boot of the Boxster / Cayman is more than compensated for by the fold down rear seats in the cabin. Much much easier to pack for touring than a Boxster / Cayman - and we've toured in all three.

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Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Toyota Yaris D4D  "Clockwork Rat"

The downside of the 911 for roadtrips is that the luggage in the back is always visible. In the Boxster it's out of sight. When we lived in the city a 986S was our only car. It's amazing how much you can pack. Two carry-on suitcases fit easily in the back plus two small bags on the side. And then you still have the front.

2012 Cayenne S White/Espresso 

Ex: 993 Targa, 986S, 986 and 964 C2

I carried several time two Golf-bags (stand bags) in the rear trunk, no problem.

Last year we spent one week on a sailing yacht in Croatia. No problem to transport our complete luggage/equipment. We enjoyed our 500miles trip through the Alps with the roof down. It’s better to leave one T-Shirt at home and have a nice trip than to take our bigger car.

I think the transport capacity isn’t worse than a normal European hatchback (Volkswagen Golf).

Waiting - less than 2 month until the next Boxster will arrive ...

993Targa:

The downside of the 911 for roadtrips is that the luggage in the back is always visible. In the Boxster it's out of sight. When we lived in the city a 986S was our only car. It's amazing how much you can pack. .

That I will agree with.

Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Toyota Yaris D4D  "Clockwork Rat"

6 Months Old so an Update

Overall I remain delighted with my 'S'. It is more or less fault free with only a creak on the drivers seat and the anti roll bar rubber to be done which isn't a recall item but a running change.

Engine

No Oil needed in over 4000 km of spirited driving. My heart misses the one man one engine philosophy but I cant criticise the quality on an engine that uses next to no oil when driven pretty hard. It remains free revving, very responsive and a delight to use. I wonder what the C2 engine would feel like in my car?

Gearbox

Excellent. Cold or warm. I am glad I ordered manual against all the advice I was receiving from the dealer. Perhaps a bit long in ratios but overall an excellent (and light) gearbox with first rate change.

Chassis

Excellent with slight reservations. Overall it pulls regularly towards 1.2G in the dry in corners on my short country road loop and it feels like there is more to come. It does feel a little soft in roll on 'Sport' compared to a 911 Coupe but once loaded it holds a line beautifully and is adjustable on the throttle. I don't notice the torque vectoring much. Reservations: In some bumpy high speed bends it does feel a touch 'bouncy' at the back like it is underdamped if you aren't fairly hard on the gas. Any recent 911 feels a bit better tied down. Having said that it hasn't turned into anything else and when more fully committed you don't feel it at all. Second reservation: It does let go fairly abruptly after you apply throttle coming out of a bend. You need to be ready but it doesn't really develop into anything serious after that as long as you respect the throttle. The PSM is pretty sharp off the mark on sport and doesn't seem to let you play as much as the 997 system did. The LSD is not aggressive but really helps tidy things up after it lets go. The brakes are excellent for power but for my taste they could have harder pads or a bit less servo for a bit more feel but its a minor quibble. They are strong sensitive and do everything they should do.

Finish

Paint is soft and stone chips can be an issue. The gloss and overall look of the paint is excellent. The black plastic on the outside of the car is unsuitable for a Porsche. They should offer shadowline black option like my BMW and paint it black or offer a carbon option (which seems to be possible from a guy in the north of Germany-I might have to do that if I keep it). Black plastic on the outside is bad enough on a Boxster and completely unacceptable on a 911. The interior is truly excellent apart from a creaky front drovers seat and the horrible seat height adjusters.

Comfort

Great place to spend time and the seats are first class although they seem to have lost some lumbar support from the 997. If I had realised I might have  gone for the electric sports+ seats although I dont really like the weight and complexity in this car. Visibility is fine and I am pleased I ordered the parking sensors which work really well and aren't intrusive at all. Better than a BMW. The instrument cluster is really excellent especially the TFT display although I regret not ordering a Black rev counter (I forgot) which would be far more legible. The 'handbrake' remains awful and must have been designed over a long Friday lunch before a holiday by an ex-Italian car manufacturer employee with a sense of humour. What is wrong with putting a simple on off switch in front of the centre storage? There is a hole there and with lift the button for on and push down for off would be totally better. See BMW 5 series to show how. Bose is OK when going slow or with the roof up but a total waste of money the rest of the time. The roof is well insulated with no leaks. No issues at all although I have only driven the car a handful of times with the roof up :)

Performance

Nearly quick enough. Well totally quick enough on back roads but shorter gearing would help short overtakes and giving it the rest of the power from a 911 would help take care of TTRS's on the autobahn. It feels good enough most of the time.

Overall

If it had round headlights and 911 sportster on the rear boot lid - and they gave it the rest of the power it deserves - they could have charged 911 money and got it.  As it is I remain of the view that  it is the bargain of the range especially when I look at the  C4S Cabrio in my local dealer at €157,000 Euros without metallic paint. I do miss having a 911 in my garage at the moment but I am driving twice as many km's in the Boxster purely for pleasure which probably tells you what you need to know. 

john999s:

I wonder what the C2 engine would feel like in my car?

the horrible seat height adjusters.

although I regret not ordering a Black rev counter (I forgot) which would be far more legible.

 991 C2 engine is the same engine, I think.

987 seat adjusters and lower seat base much better .. nasty cheap black plastic on 981 clear sign of cost cutting

I don't think you can have black rev counter on a 981 S .. at you cannot in the UK.

Its more than an ECU restriction on the engine I'm told. There are hardware differences on the heads and of course the exhaust is different. Although RUF fitted a C2S engine in one :)

Agreed on seat bases. 

You used to be able to spec a black rev counter on the 997S and you are right -it isn't in the configurator although I suppose for a small fee they might do it for you....

Thanks for your summary! Very appreciated. Is there anything you would change on your spec in terms of chassis- and performance-related options? What tires do you have on?

And... is there a chance to see a picture of your car? 

I am happy with the chassis options. I think I put everything I could on the chassis except PCCB and PDK. It's more or less the Sport Auto chassis but manual. I am not totally sold on the style of the rims but they are only option with that width and offset but they have grow on me. It's on Pirelli which are very good although seem a bit prone to acquaplaning on standing water. I didn't spec the extra steering option as I think it's fine as standard.

pics follow :)

Thanks! Looking forward to the pics. 

john999s:

Chassis

Excellent with slight reservations. Overall it pulls regularly towards 1.2G in the dry in corners on my short country road loop and it feels like there is more to come. It does feel a little soft in roll on 'Sport' compared to a 911 Coupe but once loaded it holds a line beautifully and is adjustable on the throttle. I don't notice the torque vectoring much. Reservations: In some bumpy high speed bends it does feel a touch 'bouncy' at the back like it is underdamped if you aren't fairly hard on the gas. Any recent 911 feels a bit better tied down. Having said that it hasn't turned into anything else and when more fully committed you don't feel it at all. Second reservation: It does let go fairly abruptly after you apply throttle coming out of a bend. You need to be ready but it doesn't really develop into anything serious after that as long as you respect the throttle. The PSM is pretty sharp off the mark on sport and doesn't seem to let you play as much as the 997 system did. The LSD is not aggressive but really helps tidy things up after it lets go. The brakes are excellent for power but for my taste they could have harder pads or a bit less servo for a bit more feel but its a minor quibble. They are strong sensitive and do everything they should do.

 

 

This is really an excellent and extremely precise review. I wish only one car magazine would write like this 

My wife wants a Boxster S badly and I cannot say I would mind driving one too from time to time, especially when the sun comes out (doesn't happen often but still... ).

So I looked at some (dealer) options and I found a wonderful brandnew yellow Boxster S with PDK, Sport Chrono, 20mm chassis, Sport Exhaust, 20'' Carrera S wheels painted in black, perfect combo. New price tag: 87k EUR. Ouch. I would get it for much less but still...this is a lot of money for a Boxster.

The dealer also has a Boxster (without the S) for 20k EUR less but also without Sport Chrono, without the Sport Exhaust and without the 20mm chassis. Not really what I would want to drive (my wife would probably not care). Another problem would be the color: This Boxster is black. My wife would love a red car, I wouldn't want to drive a red Boxster over here (sorry, just a "head" thing) and the yellow would be a good compromise for us both, especially for a fun car like the Boxster.

Not sure what to do now because I would need to buy it (I know my wife, she wants to keep this car, even now she misses her "old" 987 Boxster S she drove for three years).

Any advice?

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S (Sept. 2013), Cayenne GTS (958), BMW X3 35d (2013)

ask dealer to sell you the yellow S for the price of the black non S 

RC:

My wife wants a Boxster S badly and I cannot say I would mind driving one too from time to time, especially when the sun comes out (doesn't happen often but still... ).......

......Not sure what to do now because I would need to buy it (I know my wife, she wants to keep this car, even now she misses her "old" 987 Boxster S she drove for three years).

Any advice?

My wife still misses our '06 Cobalt blue Boxster S - she actually cried when it went - why did we part with it, we must have had brain failure - a really special car, specced as we wanted it, collected it from Stuttgart, everything about that wonderful car was special..... We still think long and hard about doing the same again with the latest 981S problem being a new one specced right for us would be £62k....

if you both like the yellow car - go for it. You'll regret if you don't  trust me! 

Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

dreamcar:

My wife still misses our '06 Cobalt blue Boxster S - she actually cried when it went - why did we part with it, we must have had brain failure - a really special car, specced as we wanted it, collected it from Stuttgart, everything about that wonderful car was special.....

Any idea where your Cobalt blue Boxster ended up at?

RC:

Not sure what to do now because I would need to buy it (I know my wife, she wants to keep this car, even now she misses her "old" 987 Boxster S she drove for three years).

Any advice?

We rationalize our purchasing decision in very different ways and I believe that you get sufficient input from your wife on the subject so no real advice from me. Only one thing... if you decide to buy the car I would make sure that a. your wife will be perfectly happy over those three years and b. you will chose a spec that makes you happy at resale. Not quite sure if a yellow car with sport suspension will be the perfect choice for that.

RC:

My wife wants a Boxster S badly and I cannot say I would mind driving one too from time to time, especially when the sun comes out (doesn't happen often but still... ).

So I looked at some (dealer) options and I found a wonderful brandnew yellow Boxster S with PDK, Sport Chrono, 20mm chassis, Sport Exhaust, 20'' Carrera S wheels painted in black, perfect combo. New price tag: 87k EUR. Ouch. I would get it for much less but still...this is a lot of money for a Boxster.

The dealer also has a Boxster (without the S) for 20k EUR less but also without Sport Chrono, without the Sport Exhaust and without the 20mm chassis. Not really what I would want to drive (my wife would probably not care). Another problem would be the color: This Boxster is black. My wife would love a red car, I wouldn't want to drive a red Boxster over here (sorry, just a "head" thing) and the yellow would be a good compromise for us both, especially for a fun car like the Boxster.

Not sure what to do now because I would need to buy it (I know my wife, she wants to keep this car, even now she misses her "old" 987 Boxster S she drove for three years).

Any advice?

I would take the "S", primarily because of the SportChrono (the sport suspension is probably also not the worst thing to order if you read the above review of the Boxster's setup compared to the Carrera) - it is a very nice car and the pricing is relatively moderate: a 991s Cab would be approx. 50% more expensive with appropriate options  If I had a Boxster I would also enjoy driving it from time to time, that's why I understand your thoughts. It is also important that your wife is happy, she supports your car hobby a lot and deserves a nice car for herself as well 

Ferdie:

Any idea where your Cobalt blue Boxster ended up at?

I believe it was sold by the Porsche garage to a retired solicitor in the Bournemouth area

Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

Regarding sport -20mm suspension vs PASM- I'd test it first. PASM is excellent most of the time. I was spitting hairs really. The front of the car is so good that I think it probably shows up any minor quibble at the rear of the car. Most of the time unless you are really pushing I would suspect PASM will be better for the vast majority of drivers including me! I'd still like to try -20 mm though :). The reason I think it is generally better than other options is the way the at rides on 20 inch rims on standard pressures rather than the reduced comfort pressure. And if I had never had a 911 then frankly I wouldn't have noticed the difference as it is better than most other cars I have driven.

OK, my wife doesn't like the idea of a yellow Boxster. The black Boxster (without S) at my dealer is nice and the price would be interesting too but it lacks two important options, the sport exhaust and the sport chrono package. The sport exhaust retrofit is expensive (aprox. 2300 EUR) as hell and sport chrono cannot be retrofitted...yet.

Ordering a new car would take at least three months, so this option is also excluded.

I found another agate met. car, fully optioned with all the sporty stuff like 20mm chassis, sport exhaust, PTV and sport chrono but the car is used. Still an interesting offer for the price the dealer is asking but I'm not sure. My wife doesn't seem to know what she wants to be honest.

Today we also looked at a Chevrolet Camaro V8 Cab., fully optioned, low mileage (only 1700 km) for 38k EUR. My wife didn't like the car though, so the Camaro option is dead.

I also found a SLK55 AMG with 421 hp, almost new, for almost 40k below the new price tag but paying 55k for a used Mercedes SLK? I don't know. The exhaust sound is amazing (close to the C63 I had) but this would be a car we would keep for at least 6-7 years since I would buy it for pure enjoyment only (as a Cab).

So me and my wife decided to go the more rational (and financially prudent) way: She is going to keep her X3 for another two years (this is when the lease runs out), we won't get any "fun" Cab for those nice weather days and when her X3 lease runs out, she is going to get a 991 Cab (lease) on her business. This is the only solution which makes sense right now, also considering our very limited garage space.

I would have loved to drive a Boxster or Boxster S from time to time with the top down but it is just too expensive to get and keep a Boxster for sunny days only. It just doesn't make sense.

I was even looking into a Shelby Cobra (the real deal) but you cannot get a good car under 150k EUR and most of them actually have a manual transmission, which would be a no-go for my wife. Also a nice fun car for sunny weather: A BMW Z3M Roadster (remember the "old" thing?), kind of a Shelby Cobra for the poor.  Unfortunately "good" used cars are over 35-40k EUR and there is manual only.

Case closed. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S (Sept. 2013), Cayenne GTS (958), BMW X3 35d (2013)

I have a similar problem with SWMBO - we really want to only have the two cars, last time we tried that - the Cayman S - it ended as a very expensive mistake, having got rid of her Honda commuting car, my BMW 123d and our much loved Boxster S to buy the Cayman  I bought the Clockwork Rat for my commute - all I could justify financially at the time having bought  the Cayman which she found the ride far too firm and uncomfortable, it actually gave her severe tendon and hip problems which she still suffers from now  - we had to buy her another Honda, the Cayman pretty much sat in the garage until we found the 997 we have now. 

Having recovered financially I've now bought a much more comfortable and even surprisingly more economical work car, the Octavia, but we still have the issue with a 997 garage queen, great car that it is. In a couple of years SWMBO is having to undergo major surgery and I think that will end our sports cars as I don't think she will be able to accommodate the low sitting position anymore. She finds the Cayenne supremely comfortable, she sat in one at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone last week and was hugely impressed when she drove one a year ago as I was. But it is a huge vehicle! Maybe an X3 or by then the Macan will be around. But whatever it will be the subject of a very extensive test drive as we cannot afford any more expensive mistakes! 

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Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

Cool. I looked long and hard at 991 cab but you can't get our kids in the back with seats so there is no real advantage to us - shame as that could have been ideal as I now need to drop off the kids sometimes. We could have finally retired the Flog. So the next option will be the new 911 targa if it has the same seats as the coupe and isn't stupidly expensive. Or we could have a decent 4 series cab with a decent engine and now it has a decent boot (trade the 5er) and finally get my GT3 :) or.......it goes on.....

dreamcar:

Having recovered financially I've now bought a much more comfortable and even surprisingly more economical work car, the Octavia, but we still have the issue with a 997 garage queen, great car that it is. In a couple of years SWMBO is having to undergo major surgery and I think that will end our sports cars as I don't think she will be able to accommodate the low sitting position anymore. She finds the Cayenne supremely comfortable, she sat in one at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone last week and was hugely impressed when she drove one a year ago as I was. But it is a huge vehicle! Maybe an X3 or by then the Macan will be around. But whatever it will be the subject of a very extensive test drive as we cannot afford any more expensive mistakes! 

Sorry to hear that. 

The Cayenne doesn't really feel that huge (yes, it feels bigger than the X3 but...) when you drive it and the GTS is really fun for a SUV, the power absolutely sufficient for a daily driver, especially in the city. This could be an interesting alternative to stay connected to the sports car world. I know, I know, the Cayenne, even the GTS, is no sports car but in the SUV world, there isn't any model closer to a sports car than the GTS. So maybe you should listen to your wife... 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S (Sept. 2013), Cayenne GTS (958), BMW X3 35d (2013)

Thanks RC, your comments are much appreciated.

We have 18 months - 2 years to think about our options, the Cayenne or Macan does sound a real possibility for us.... and it would cure our current three car / garage queen problem once and for all. SWMBO does worry about driving in the bad weather, we had unseasonably bad snow the very week we took delivery of the Cayman which really started the problems, in her previous life she had a Mitsubishi Shogun many years ago so it isn't as if she hasn't driven a large vehicle before, and the commanding driving position is a major plus for her as well.

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Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

DC, I am sure the only sacrifice for your wife will be loss of the 911. All will go well!

I wouldn't contemplate anything other than a Porsche SUV in the absense of a proper sportscar in the garage.

We haven't seen the Macan yet but judging by the size of the Q5 it will be ideal if you don't move many passengers and stuff regularly. Moreover, it will be lighter, more economical and take less space compared to the Cayenne. But get a 6 cylinder engine.

"Form follows function"

Thanks reginos  - more my sacrifice losing the 997 rather than hers  as she's fallen in love with the Cayenne ever since driving one last year, but there are only the two of us, very rarely anyone else, children long since flown the nest, my daughter in Edinburgh, SWMBO's daughter back in Cyprus for two years, she's still an Army wife so heaven knows where or when they will go next, but almost certainly will end up back somewhere in the UK with nearly all the overseas posts closing. All the UK troops will be out of Germany by 2015, very unlikely that their Cyprus posting will go beyond December 2014, so yes I agree the Macan could well fit the bill nicely.

The only other car on the shortlist might be the BMW X3 3.0D M Sport., but it doesn't have the Porsche DNA. Don't like the X1 at all.

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Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive

In terms of dynamics and feel no BMW can compare to Porsche, be it the M3 or the X5M. Besides many BMW components are derived from a large parts bin and seldom are they bespoke. Hence, the often weak brakes on some models.

Where are your relatives based? In Akrotiri or Dhekelia?

"Form follows function"

Well, the X5M was actually quite impressive regarding driving dynamics, this was one of the reasons why I got this car. Compared to the Cayenne GTS however, the X5M feels heavy and dull but straight line performance is, of course, much better. I never thought I'd say this but the 420 hp Cayenne GTS is more fun to drive than the much more powerful X5M. Actually even more fun than a Cayenne Turbo.  If I could drive one Porsche only though and it would be a SUV, it would probably be the Cayenne Turbo or Turbo S.

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Turbo S (Sept. 2013), Cayenne GTS (958), BMW X3 35d (2013)

reginos:

Where are your relatives based? In Akrotiri or Dhekelia?

Dhekelia

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Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK Aqua Blue / Black - Skoda Octavia Mk.3 daily drive