986 or 987 - what to buy?
Discussion
My 964 has now been "reserved", broker is confident that the car will be sold next week.
I'd pretty much decided that I want a manual 987, so I went to see the broker yesterday, had an extended test drive in a 2.7 (58 plate, up for £16.5K, as he didn't have a 3.2 available). A good mix of A roads, traffic, and narrow twisty back lanes.
With my passenger calling out the severity of the bends and points where I needed to slow down, I was making much better "progress" than I normally would in any of my own cars, and the 2.7 was very impressive. I had confidence that the car would do what I wanted. Even after 3 years of ownership, I never felt this confident in the 964 (that's probably down to me!), and the Z4 would probably have spat me off the road into a hedge.
So, 987S it is. He's looking for the right car for me, and is hoping to have the whole deal finalised in a week or so. If he finds the right Boxster before the money comes through for the 964, he'll do the Z4/Boxster swap and deduct the cash when the funds are cleared.
Budget is set at £16K. I know that I could get one privately for less, but I'd have to do a lot of travelling, and chances are it'll need some money spending to bring it up to scratch. He expects to spend £1500 to £2000 on any car that he buys in, so whatever he gets for me will be fully sorted.
Now I need to research options for upgrading the audio, specifically adding a USB port. I've got a Dension Gateway in the E61, but I don't think this is an option unless the car has PCM?
I'd pretty much decided that I want a manual 987, so I went to see the broker yesterday, had an extended test drive in a 2.7 (58 plate, up for £16.5K, as he didn't have a 3.2 available). A good mix of A roads, traffic, and narrow twisty back lanes.
With my passenger calling out the severity of the bends and points where I needed to slow down, I was making much better "progress" than I normally would in any of my own cars, and the 2.7 was very impressive. I had confidence that the car would do what I wanted. Even after 3 years of ownership, I never felt this confident in the 964 (that's probably down to me!), and the Z4 would probably have spat me off the road into a hedge.
So, 987S it is. He's looking for the right car for me, and is hoping to have the whole deal finalised in a week or so. If he finds the right Boxster before the money comes through for the 964, he'll do the Z4/Boxster swap and deduct the cash when the funds are cleared.
Budget is set at £16K. I know that I could get one privately for less, but I'd have to do a lot of travelling, and chances are it'll need some money spending to bring it up to scratch. He expects to spend £1500 to £2000 on any car that he buys in, so whatever he gets for me will be fully sorted.
Now I need to research options for upgrading the audio, specifically adding a USB port. I've got a Dension Gateway in the E61, but I don't think this is an option unless the car has PCM?
I wouldn't dismiss the 2.7 out of hand as it's such a sweet revvy thing,I did 3000 miles in my 987 2.7 across Europe last year and will be doing the same this year and found it's mix of power/fuel economy just right for me.I've had alot quicker stuff but it's so much fun to wind it out on the Autobahns too over 150mph and ring it's neck in the Alps..very addictive.
I had quite a long chat with the guy about the relative merits of the 2.7 and 3.2. Apart from the initial cost - an extra £1500, all other things being equal - he couldn't see a downside to getting a 3.2. For longer journeys, like a trip to Europe, he'd take a 2.7. For a "fun" drive, he'd take a 3.2.
Since I rarely drive more than 150 miles in a day, the 3.2 seems like the best option for me.
Since I rarely drive more than 150 miles in a day, the 3.2 seems like the best option for me.
Some of us weirdos actually prefer the 2.7 because overall we find the drive more involving. Certainly on twisties. It's also easier to exploit what the 2.7 has more fully on the road. Little wheels make it better too 
What the 3.4 does is allow you to be lazy, as you can leave it in a higher gear and rely on the torque to compensate.
What the 3.4 does is allow you to be lazy, as you can leave it in a higher gear and rely on the torque to compensate.juansolo said:
Some of us weirdos actually prefer the 2.7 because overall we find the drive more involving. Certainly on twisties. It's also easier to exploit what the 2.7 has more fully on the road. Little wheels make it better too What the 3.4 does is allow you to be lazy, as you can leave it in a higher gear and rely on the torque to compensate.
I wouldn't call us weirdos What the 3.4 does is allow you to be lazy, as you can leave it in a higher gear and rely on the torque to compensate. and I agree on the UK's choked up roads it's more fun too ring the 2.7's neck and feel like you've really 'driven' the car rather than having to hold back with excess power,and besides a fully rung out 2.7 with only 240bhp or so is never going to be slow.Mine has the 18" S wheels fitted but I'd love to try it with the smaller 17's!He warned me to stay away from the optional 19s. They look good, but spoil the car.
We talked about the different ride/handling characteristics of the 2.7 and S, and he felt that it was just as much down to the individual setup as the actual model, with geometry and the state of the various bushes playing a big part. He recommends having the alignment done annually for a daily driver. At a minimum, when new tyres are fitted.
Getting it done to factory settings may not be right. How the old tyres have worn needs to be interpreted, and the geo tweaked appropriately.
My regular tyre guy has said the same thing about MX5s and BMWs.
We talked about the different ride/handling characteristics of the 2.7 and S, and he felt that it was just as much down to the individual setup as the actual model, with geometry and the state of the various bushes playing a big part. He recommends having the alignment done annually for a daily driver. At a minimum, when new tyres are fitted.
Getting it done to factory settings may not be right. How the old tyres have worn needs to be interpreted, and the geo tweaked appropriately.
My regular tyre guy has said the same thing about MX5s and BMWs.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Cheers,
Graham
clockworks said:
He warned me to stay away from the optional 19s. They look good, but spoil the car.
We talked about the different ride/handling characteristics of the 2.7 and S, and he felt that it was just as much down to the individual setup as the actual model, with geometry and the state of the various bushes playing a big part. He recommends having the alignment done annually for a daily driver. At a minimum, when new tyres are fitted.
Getting it done to factory settings may not be right. How the old tyres have worn needs to be interpreted, and the geo tweaked appropriately.
My regular tyre guy has said the same thing about MX5s and BMWs.
I'd warn you to take it with a pinch of salt about 19's, I went from 17's to 19's and didn't notice much difference I think some people are well over the top in their fear of 19's ruining the ride qualityWe talked about the different ride/handling characteristics of the 2.7 and S, and he felt that it was just as much down to the individual setup as the actual model, with geometry and the state of the various bushes playing a big part. He recommends having the alignment done annually for a daily driver. At a minimum, when new tyres are fitted.
Getting it done to factory settings may not be right. How the old tyres have worn needs to be interpreted, and the geo tweaked appropriately.
My regular tyre guy has said the same thing about MX5s and BMWs.
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