TrumpetTitan

Wow, that Cayman does sound good. I still prefer the angry growl of a Fujita Intake below VTEC followed by the SCREAMING ROAR during VTEC though. I may be a little biased though. Most of the Cayman sounds I heard at AutoCrosses were covered up by that fingernails-on-chalkboard sound of understeer scrubbing. You won't hear that sound in an S2K

Also, the S2K got the slowest lap time in that episode because there was torrential rain during the laps, and I attribute the .4 second difference over the others to the extra twitchiness the S2K has in the rain, especially with the stock Bridgestones (not sure if the UK ones come stock with those though).

ms32s2k

When I had to make this decision whether to buy a 986 01 - 04 Boxster S over the S2000 I kept thinking about the joy of not worrying about the car. I am not the type to tolerate failure with my cars. I refuse to drive a car that needs constant maintenance. I want to turn the key and drive with minimal time in the shop. That's the beauty of this car for me, I have a sportscar that is as reliable as a Civic. It keeps the wife off my back about it too! I could only imagine how much stress it would cause me if I bought the Porsche and it needed $1,000 in repairs every year...

Bottom line is that the S2000 is so close in all out performance to the 986 S boxster that I couldn't justify it. I didn't want to worry about high ownership costs and a grenading engine due to IMS (however rare it is, from what I can gather its undetermined). Sure the Boxster has more torque and other pros over the S2000, but I don't feel any 986 Boxster is a better sportscar than the S2000 is for the money.

Now, 2005 + 987 Boxster's are a whole different story, and I would gladly buy one of those over the S2000. That's where I draw the line to make buying a Boxster worth it for me over the S2000. In fact that is the likely upgrade for me when my time with my S2k is done.

Way higher ownership costs, IMS worries and the fact the 996 Boxster S doesn't really outperform the S2k make the decision easy.

t3am 83rd

Intersted to know what were the pro-Porsche points given by their forum.

Arcoril

That is such an ignorant remark. Clearly, you must have purchased an S2000 because you couldn't afford an NSX.

I cross shopped a Boxster S and an S2000 and it was a very tough decision for me. I went with the S2000 primarily because of the IMS bearing issues and the fact that the Boxster would be harder to work on. While I gave up an awesome mid-engined chassis and more power, I gained a double wishbone suspension at all four corners, one of the best manual transmissions in the business, and a limited slip differential.

I still love Porsche. Now that Honda is dead to me and is only building appliances, I can still see a 987 Boxster or Cayman in my garage at some point in the future. This won't be your last chance to get a mid-engined Porsche, but it may be your last chance to experience one of Honda's greatest achievements.

kolyan2k

This remark been going on for YEARS. I used to hate Boxsters myself....new ones are nice though...Cayman S even better.

ahrmike

I went through the same decision. My 2001 BB s2000 actually cost more than some newer (04 (?)) boxsters on the market at the time. What led me to get the s was the layout of everything. This honda was MADE to be worked on. Check the engine bay, look how much space there is, how easy everything is to access. The boxster (the earlier ones at least) have NO OIL FILL BOLT. Why..porsche, why? Do you think boxster owners don't know how to change oil??

Anyway, the fact that the S2000 was made to be tweaked/worked on made me buy it. The boxster is a great car, no doubt... but ask the boxster owners - how many of them considered s2000s and bought the boxster? If you consider both cars with an OPEN mind and NO brand recognition BS, the S2000 is the car to purchase.

The s2000 is just better looking too, IMO. The boxster is cute - the cayman is good looking..the S2000 is clean and classic.

You also need to ask yourself this though: Will it be a cruiser or a hard driver? The boxster will probably be easier at the limit, even when its an MR vs. the S which will bite you in the ass when you make a mistake. 9K rpm snarl is also pretty sexy, but if you like more torque the boxster is better. If you're getting a boxster S, you're faster than the s2000, but if you're getting a base boxster the S will be quicker. They are still making boxsters, but s2000s are now gone gone gone.

I'm very satisfied with my purchase and the decision I made. I'm sure you'll be happy with either cars though

surf40

Thanks for all the comments, you have all given me lots to think about. I’ve never driven a Boxster or a S2000. I have driven 911’s, 944’s , and an odd 356, which are all great cars. But since I was 10 I’ve wanted a Porsche. When I was 10, all Honda made was a 50cc scooter, so there was no dreaming about owning a “Honda Sports Car” like there was with Porsche.

I wish there was a place where I could rent for a day a Boxster and a S2000. Driving one at a used car lot for 15 min will probably not be enough. Anybody in Ventura California area have an S2000 they would be willing to let me use for an hour or so?

kolyan2k

ps. ride quality on S2000 is very impressive....unless you are driving through the ghetto, this shouldn't be a concern. I actually read people are switching from Boxster to S2k because of reliability. After all top gear rated s2k #1 out of 152 cars, and Boxster got 43rd place. It all depends how much money you want to spend. Newer Boxsters are nice, older ones are ugly. If I had money, I would go for Cayman S or 911. Like I said, I wouldn't even take a base Cayman over S2000.....

My dream right now is Cayman S. I test drove one and I liked it (would have bought one if not for my job), but the ones I liked were at least $35-40k

bronxbomber252

The newer Boxter's are faster and better handling (much faster in autox than S2000's, there is a reason they are in faster classes) and I have seen what they can do with a competent driver (which most owners are not) and they are AMAZING.... That said, for that money I'd have a used elise for weekends/autox and a new civic Si or something for a DD

steven975

Compared to a 986 Boxster (up to 2004), there is no comparison...the S2000 all the way.


When moving up to a 987, it's different.

Boxster: VERY comparable to a S2000. The base model isn't really that different in performance (same class up to 2008, 2009+ is a class higher). I'm assuming used, so I'll guess 2005-2008. Really, it's preference. The S2000 is way easier to work on and that's what did it for me. The Boxster is basically impossible to work on.

Boxster S: All around better, but the 2005 models are still $25K+.

I had weighed getting 2005-2008 Boxster S, but instead decided to supercharge my S2000. No regrets on that one.

The Current Boxster/S is A-Stock/Super-Stock. That is a competent car no matter how you analyze it.