Discussion
A good friend of mine is currently waiting for a business deal to finalise. Once it has, he said he's finally going to buy himself a Porsche.
Therein lies the problem. His wife has told him "no more than 30k" so that means up to 35k with a bit of man maths
He is also terrible at choosing cars. He's the type of bloke who would buy an absolute lemon, spend a fortune on fixing it, before selling it, so someone else can now have trouble free motoring rather than keeping it!
He wants something as new as he can get, but then newer doesn't always mean better.
My initial thought are a 718 Boxter/Cayman (but then you into high mileage), I think a 911 of 30-35k vintage may be a touch temperamental at that price point.
He ideally wants a convertible, so Boxter is the more obvious choice. But is the 718 (non S) worth the money over a 981 Boxter S?
Therein lies the problem. His wife has told him "no more than 30k" so that means up to 35k with a bit of man maths

He is also terrible at choosing cars. He's the type of bloke who would buy an absolute lemon, spend a fortune on fixing it, before selling it, so someone else can now have trouble free motoring rather than keeping it!
He wants something as new as he can get, but then newer doesn't always mean better.
My initial thought are a 718 Boxter/Cayman (but then you into high mileage), I think a 911 of 30-35k vintage may be a touch temperamental at that price point.
He ideally wants a convertible, so Boxter is the more obvious choice. But is the 718 (non S) worth the money over a 981 Boxter S?
Tough choice but I would opt for an Approved Boxster 981 even though they are c.10-12 years old.
There is a nice Blue PDK one with c.33k miles for that budget on there now.
Approved means for me it has been checked over and will come with a decent Porsche Approved warranty.
When they go wrong they can be bloody expensive and that might ruin what appears to be a lifetime ambition !
Also it's a 6 cylinder and sound track will be great. But that would just be my bias speaking.
There is a nice Blue PDK one with c.33k miles for that budget on there now.
Approved means for me it has been checked over and will come with a decent Porsche Approved warranty.
When they go wrong they can be bloody expensive and that might ruin what appears to be a lifetime ambition !
Also it's a 6 cylinder and sound track will be great. But that would just be my bias speaking.
Snowy999 said:
Tough choice but I would opt for an Approved Boxster 981 even though they are c.10-12 years old.
There is a nice Blue PDK one with c.33k miles for that budget on there now.
Approved means for me it has been checked over and will come with a decent Porsche Approved warranty.
When they go wrong they can be bloody expensive and that might ruin what appears to be a lifetime ambition !
Also it's a 6 cylinder and sound track will be great. But that would just be my bias speaking.
Looks nice. Is there much difference between the 981 Boxter and the S (I've never driven one) as there's a black one (no pics yet) being loaded for similar money, but obviously higher mileage. There is a nice Blue PDK one with c.33k miles for that budget on there now.
Approved means for me it has been checked over and will come with a decent Porsche Approved warranty.
When they go wrong they can be bloody expensive and that might ruin what appears to be a lifetime ambition !
Also it's a 6 cylinder and sound track will be great. But that would just be my bias speaking.
Snowy999 said:
Yes the key one being a bigger 3.4l engine. I am afraid I am not a Boxster/Cayman expert but people on here often speak highly of the Cayman and Boxster S as being in the sweetspot of 981.
Sadly I've not driven either!
Maybe I'll post a thread on the Cayman/Boxter section. Sadly I've not driven either!
Could likely get a 987.2 Boxster for well inside the £30k & would be worth looking at one of those.
From how you've described your mate, it's probably unlikely he will notice much difference between the 981 & 718 etc, so the 718 could be a good shout if wanting something fairly modern.
From how you've described your mate, it's probably unlikely he will notice much difference between the 981 & 718 etc, so the 718 could be a good shout if wanting something fairly modern.
Be aware one thing.
With the 718 Boxster, it’s often advertised as a 2.0T. This means 2.0 turbo engine.
This is not the same as a 718 Boxster T which is a model in its own right.
718 models:
718 base- 2.0 litre
718 T (touring) 2.0 litre
718 S - 2.5 litre
718 GTS - 2.5 litre
718 GTS 4.0 litre
If I was spending 30k I think I’d want the 718 base with some options and modern tech, and a warranty. Probably need a few quid more than that though.
With the 718 Boxster, it’s often advertised as a 2.0T. This means 2.0 turbo engine.
This is not the same as a 718 Boxster T which is a model in its own right.
718 models:
718 base- 2.0 litre
718 T (touring) 2.0 litre
718 S - 2.5 litre
718 GTS - 2.5 litre
718 GTS 4.0 litre
If I was spending 30k I think I’d want the 718 base with some options and modern tech, and a warranty. Probably need a few quid more than that though.
Hammersia said:
Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room.
Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911.
That's one area that's debatable. If you want to transport a fair bit of kit around, then the 911 is fine - back seats down or up depending on the item(s). I've picked up a 32" TV and just shoved it on the parcel shelf (seats down). Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911.

However, if you want to hide stuff then the Boxster (and Cayman? Not sure if it's fully covered?) has extra space behind the engine.
WeirdNeville said:
Hammersia said:
Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room.
Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911.
The Cayman has more luggage room than a 911. You can even get a bike in the back under the hatch. Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911.
For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911.
Hammersia said:
WeirdNeville said:
Hammersia said:
Boxsters and Caymans are great but small cars, very little luggage room.
Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911.
The Cayman has more luggage room than a 911. You can even get a bike in the back under the hatch. Will he want luggage room? Would need a 911.
For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911.
We did several 2 week+ euro tours in the Cayman and it is ideal for this. The Boxster loses the engine cover space so carries a bit less.
Getting back to the OP, my choice would be a 981 S or base 718 (driven several and is as fast as the 981 S) for £30kish.
Hammersia said:
WeirdNeville said:
The Cayman has more luggage room than a 911. You can even get a bike in the back under the hatch.
On view under the window, just about, scratching up the speakers etc. For discreet luggage more than a briefcase it has to be a 911.

braddo said:
If you could somehow get a bike in the back of a 911, how is it any less on view than in a Cayman? 
Who said anything about on view? It's inside the car, ergo less drag, no impact on ability to chuck the car down a fun bit of road, not getting wet/filthy, and secure when parked and left. It was an example of how a Cayman is more practical than you might assume given the shape and drivetrain. 
And yes, the Cayman *still* has more 'hidden' luggage space than a 911 if your definition of luggage space somehow means 'cavities you can't see into'.
Edited by WeirdNeville on Tuesday 30th May 18:09
Far better to ask for forgiveness than seek permission, tell your friend to just get what he likes and worry about it later. A nice 997 can be in budget if you buy carefully, but as someone else said lump a bit more on and the options become a lot more exciting - £40k plus is much better.
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