Michael@92

Nishan, Having owned both a series 1 997 Carrera and a series 1 997 Carrera S - the differences are fairly minor. As standard models the S had extra standard equipment over the Carrera. Things like Bi-Xenon headlights, 19inch wheels, PASM, 4 exhaust tips as well as the larger engine and brakes. Driven in normal road conditions the cars are very similar - they have different engine notes - the S is a little deeper - the track will reveal the additional 30HP - mainly in drive out of corners and at the top end on staights. Both are fantastic machines. Unless you are chasing maximum performance - think I would be looking for the best individual car / option set within budget and go from there. Hope this helps.... Michael

Eddy, Having owned both in the past I can say the standard running costs are all but identical - and in reality entirely reasonable for performance vehicles. Service costs are the same. If the vehicles are serviced by the book and driven sensibly they are seem to be incredibly robust and reliable. Which is better ? - as others have said - depends on what you want - open or closed? The Boxster was always designed from the outset to be a roadster - so it is about as structually stiff as open cars get. However they DO feel different and you would notice it at a track day for example. Try both and choose the best example you can find..... Michael

http://www.shannons....602X9KNOF4M534/ Hi, Has anyone on here actually had a look at this one? Michael

Interesting how building performance has changed....No more porting and polishing and re-jetting carbs.... I recently watched a mechanic remap the ECU in Golf GTI. Take one laptop, a USB cable into the passenger footwell of the VW, point your browser at a website and 20 minutes later you have yourself a 20KW plus performance. You can down load multiple maps and cycle through them via the Cruise control stalk....No tools, no grease, no mess. Perhaps there is not the demand yet, but I wonder how long it may be before the car companies introduce this facility to their product lines..... Why not allow a chip driven performance upgrade as part of the standard model range - charged for accordingly rather than drive customers to the after market world. I understand the premise of protecting the 911 range and charging a premium but would a 257KW Boxter S really steal many sales?

Thanks Vas - I know this is WHY they do it - marketing and product positioning / protection... but HOW do they RESTRICT or DE-RESTRICT the outputs? Is it only chips and engine mapping?...

Hi everyone, I was looking at the specs of the latest generation 3.4 water cooled Boxer engine. In a 911 it produces 257KW. In a Cayman S it produces 239KW In a Boxster S it produces 232KW.... The 2.7 water cooled version produces: Cayman 202KW Boxster 195KW The 3.4 versions appear to be the same base spec across all 3 models. Same goes for the 2.7 versions. I cannot imagine a manufacturer would be keen to carry additional expense in bolting together 3 different versions of seemingly the same engine intended for largely simliar uses.... Taking marketing, product positioning and money out of the equation does anyone know what causes these differences...? Is it chip tunes,ECU setups, exhaust related? Is there are technical reason that say a Boxster S could not be fitted with a 911 version of the 3.4? Why is it so? Michael@92