Might try something a little different:

 

When I bought my Morgan +4 new in 1962 it was a 14 month waiting time for delivery. I had one offer before it arrived, & 3 just after getting it of somewhat more than I paid for the thing.

I expect this would be the case with quite a few special cars today, including the 718 Spyder. That being the case, why not order one, as you could duck out at delivery time if you got cold feet.

Much as I love my S2K & love using it regularly, I still find the greatest motoring pleasure is a thrash through the back roads in the foot hills or our local mountain range in my 1980 Triumph TR7. It was a wise man who first said, "It is often more pleasurable extracting high performance from a low powered car than a high powered one".

Good luck with your dilemma.

 

I've always thought that the Porsche Sypder 718 was one of the few upgrades out there that have the driver focused feel I love from the S. Most of the current options are lateral moves or a completely different category of car. The Z4 did also cross my mind.

 

My brother has a 2014 Boxster and recently drove my 2006 S2K for the first time. He said if he lived in Upstate SC like I do with the availablility of great driving roads he would prefer my car over his. Although the ultimate performance of the Boxster is superior, he says the S2000 is much more fun to drive at lower speeds and communicates much more directly with the driver. He says for him to get the same thrill you get at 50MPH in the S2000 he has to drive his Boxster at 80. Obviously if you want the best performance and lowest times on the track go with the Boxster (stock vs stock), but for overall driving pleasure he preferred mine.

 

I had a chance to drive the 718 Spyder in a 6 speed manual and I have nothing bad to say about that car. It has to be one of the best driver's Porsches ever made. My only issue is that you'll be doing 82mph in 2nd gear at redline. Gears are perfect if you live near the Autobahn but definitely little to long for the US roads. It's hard to fully enjoy that car without a track day. I'm not sure if I would feel comfortable tracking something that expensive anyway. I still feel that the S2000 has right amount of power for the public roads without losing your license. I do feel your pain as offers for my CR are starting get out of control and it's tempting to think about a Porsche. I do have to agree that the 981 or 718 Spyder is definitely near the top of the list to replace the S but not any time soon.

 

This thread made me go the Porche USA website and "build" a 718 to my liking. I only added navigation and kept a basic leather interior. It came out to around $110,000. I was surprised. I wonder if the dealers are still charging an exorbitant fee for ordering a car.

 

You won't get one for less than 150k. Good luck trying to place an order for one.

This thread is timely for me. I've been eyeing the Spyder for years... this new 718 to me seems like the perfect "upgrade" to my s2k... but... I'm not sure I'd have more fun driving it and - at 150-170k now for one vs my paid for S2000 I think I'd be kicking myself. Maybe a used one in a few years? Values would need to be closer to 100k for me to make that deal work in my mind.

 

The other option which I actually think on paper is a better option is the 718 GTS 4.0
They are a bit easier to find and you can get a new one for around 115k.

 

I'm sure your S will come with a pretty nice price tag on the used market now too and the demand is high so if you can get what you want for the S and can get the 718 at a good deal, then go for it!

 

I just recently added a 981 Cayman GTS to my garage, alongside my S2000. I've been a S2000 owner for almost 14 years now...

Cayman is hands down the all around better car, but the S2000 is still the more exciting car to "drive". I have a lot of fun in the Cayman and rarely need to or get the chance to wind our more than a gear or two; when I drive my S2000 one of the things I love the most is winding out 3-4 gears and getting to use the car. S2000 feels completely alive at the posted speed limit whereas the Cayman generally needs to be doing 15mph more before it comes alive.

I've driven as many cars as possible and nothing can really replace a S2000. The Spyder comes closest though!