Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hiya all, I'm just wondering what your thoughts are about swapping a Boxster for a 968? A lad in work just happened to say to me the other day "Hey Brucey, you like your Porsches dont you, have a look at this one of my mates that he is thinking of selling" and thrust his i-phone type thingy in my face with a picture of a 968 on it. After a couple of texts from my mate to him it turned out he would consider a straight swap. I have never considered a 968 as you just don't see many of them but I have previously owned a 944S and loved it and if I'm honest have been thinking of going back to an S2 or turbo but if I'm honest I'm worried that I've got used to my creature comforts i.e air con, 6 cd player etc etc. Mine is an ocean blue metallic Boxster 986 2.5 (98 S plate) 122,000 miles and the potential other car is a guards red 968 (1994 I think) 102,000 miles (apparantly mint condition). I value all your opinions so thoughts please Cheers.
Andy Bruce.

Well if you have already owned a 944S and loved it I'm sure you would love a 968 and in the fastest colour
I wanted one initially but settled for a 2.7 944 to start with, loved it then got an S2 cab , adored it. Now have a Tweaked Turbo for the outright performance and still loving the 944 experience.
Is it a daily drive or just for fun?. If for fun they are not as common as a Boxster and would to me feel a bit special due to their rarity, looks and such a great drive.
Perhaps Jon at JMG will give his views on your options and comment on the values of each. I recon the 968 will increase in value & the Boxster won't.
For peace of mind you could have the 968 checked over by Hartech (Bolton :- Belts, Rollers Camshaft/chain etc.) and also ask their opinion on the pros/cons against your Boxster.

Never mind the Air Con & 6 cd player what about the drivability of the 968 compared to the Boxster, get in it and compare it to yours, that should help the decision process.
HTH Clive

As long as you look after it, the 968 engine is likely to outlast the Boxster engine.

The 968 will appreciate in value much sooner than the Boxster will, the 968 is at the very bottom of the depreciation curve and will improve.

Other than that, right now they have similar values, but if someone told me they would give me a 968 in exchange for a 2.5 Boxster, as long as both were up to date with servicing to the same level, I would go for the 968.

All depends on condition really.

A Boxster in great condition is worth about the same as a Boxster in poor condition.

A 968 in great condition is worth twice what a 968 in poor condition is worth.

Keep that in mind.

Yes forget CD changer - they are obsolete and pretty inconvenient. You can easily change head unit in 968 for one which will play your entire music collection from a usb fob or SD card.

But aircon is a big factor if you're used to it. Summer drives - here and especially in Europe - would be sweaty and uncomfortable without the excellent AC in my 928. I know this summer is a joke but generally aircon keeps you fresh and alert from april onwards on sunny days, and passengers (wife!) much happier. But maybe the 968 you're considering has aircon option?

Even if your car is only taken out to shows and events, these generally coincide with hot and sunny days in a normal year when jetstream behaves!

Yes of course 968 is a much more special car than Boxster, which is a very common sight on the road. Real quality build too.

I find it difficult to believe that the 968 - or any car other than a chosen few - will actually go up in value apart from maybe the CS version. It will lose value slower than a Boxster, but from such a low level anyway that it wont make much difference to running costs.

Appreciation of previously unappreciated models happens time and time again with Porsche, or even other Marques.

Obvious examples include the early 911 models. In the last 10 years these have gone from being the poor relative with their tiny 2.4 engines (among others) to now rocketing up in value.

Then there are the more special sub models, such as the 924 Carrera GT (Worth £13k very recently, now selling for £25k) or the Carrera GTS (Previously worth £20k, now selling for £100k plus!)

But then there are the more silent models, which have crept up and not hit the headlines.

10 Years ago I could have bought 914's and 912's for £1500 in tatty form, a good one could be had for £3k. Now a good 912 is worth £16k to £40k, a 914 in good shape is worth between £8k and £20k.

It does not happen over night, but lets remember, the 914 was seen as even less of a Porsche than people tar the 924 as being and the 912, well, everyone used to say "Who would want a 911 with only a four cylinder engine"...

Over the last 20 years I have seen every single Porsche model ever made depreciate down to a bottom of the barrel level, only held up by the models bellow it, then they become unappreciated apart from by enthusiasts, and then their prices begin to creep up, until eventually someone says "Bloody hell, have you seen the price of a 9nn recently?"

Another example would be the 944 Turbo, even five years ago it was unheard of for them to sell for more than £10k, I have turned down three offers of £12k to £15k on my 86 220 Turbo. I could have bought a turbo cup 5 years ago which needed work for £4k... I have sold two turbo's in the last two years for over £10k.

It happens, it is slow and sometimes you do not notice, but it happens... Initially with select sub models (such as the CS) and then the more mainstream ones get pulled into the wake.

Personally I would take the 968 all day, okay it may not have the creature comforts of a CD player or air con, but as said previously the head unit could be updated (single slot CD from Halfrauds for about £60), and if the 968 has a sunroof as most had, just lift it out and its very nearly a convertable, balanced handling, similar performance and economy, simples !!

I would still buy a 968/944 S2/turbo over a Boxster any day of the week......

and twice on Sundays! My mate has a 944 Turbo (220bhp) up for sale it went, in came a Boxster...... fortunately the 944 didn't sell straight away and within a month the Boxster had gone........ that was 9 months ago and he's still got the 944...

Each to their own guys, everyone has different taste. It'd be very boring if Porsche only made one car and we all drove it? If you've tried the Boxster and had your fun in it Brucey, maybe you'll enjoy the change? Variety is the spice of life and all that.

Having driven both I much prefer the 'Old School' feel you get from the 968. Its seems to have the best of both worlds, feels like a classic but handles and goes as well as a more modern car.

Also the 968 seems to get more admiring glances and is quite rare compared to the Boxster, plus its a lot more practical. When I take mine on track days I can get all 4 spare wheels in the back, try that in a Boxster! And when I go to car meets its often the only 968 there whereas there are often several Boxsters.

Just one word of caution though. Make sure the car you are looking at is as good as it sounds as I know very few people who would consider swapping a mint 968 for a 986. But if it is as good as it sounds go for it, you have nothing to loose