carmudgeons.com - View Single Post

JST · 01-07-2010, 11:29 AM

So, here's a question--what about a 987 non-S?

There are lots of them around, so they're cheap and relatively easy to find. On paper, they look like a sad bet next to the S--no 6th gear, wimpy looking wheels, and only 240 hp from a 2.7L six.

But I just took one for a spin, and I have to say the non-S may really be all you need. It's plenty quick, though certainly not terrifyingly fast, and it handles like you'd expect a Boxster to do. Hell, it's got as much power (though not as much torque) as the 986S did. You have to row the gearbox more than you would in a 987 S, but then again, if you didn't buy a Porsche to row the gearbox, why did you buy one? The lack of a 6th gear is irritating, but it's not a particularly big deal in the kind of driving you are likely to do in a car like this. How many long highway blasts is one likely to take? Finally, the 17" wheels look stupid but that's an easy fix. And the compelling logic is this--even at a dealer, a 2006 with less than 30K miles is in the mid to upper 20s.

01-07-2010, 11:29 AM	#23
JST 195 Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 24,609	So, here's a question--what about a 987 non-S? There are lots of them around, so they're cheap and relatively easy to find. On paper, they look like a sad bet next to the S--no 6th gear, wimpy looking wheels, and only 240 hp from a 2.7L six. But I just took one for a spin, and I have to say the non-S may really be all you need. It's plenty quick, though certainly not terrifyingly fast, and it handles like you'd expect a Boxster to do. Hell, it's got as much power (though not as much torque) as the 986S did. You have to row the gearbox more than you would in a 987 S, but then again, if you didn't buy a Porsche to row the gearbox, why did you buy one? The lack of a 6th gear is irritating, but it's not a particularly big deal in the kind of driving you are likely to do in a car like this. How many long highway blasts is one likely to take? Finally, the 17" wheels look stupid but that's an easy fix. And the compelling logic is this--even at a dealer, a 2006 with less than 30K miles is in the mid to upper 20s.