Leor, the reason I want PASM is for the same reason you wanted it.

I'm considering selling my beloved '01 S and replacing it with a 2009-10 S. I've been watching eBay for 3+ months and have not come across one 987.2 S with PASM. My guess is the cars with PASM are special order cars, ordered by enthusiasts, and they are hanging on to them. The cars ordered by dealerships don't have PASM and trade more frequently.

Is there another site to watch for cars with PASM?

Regards,
Alex

I never found eBay to be a great site for car shopping. Cars.com, autotrader.com, rennlist and here have been much better for car shopping. Occasionally craigslist too will show a decent car. Can't for get the official Porsche site too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2011 09:30PM by SeaNile. (view changes)

You might also scout around the PCA sites. I think some regions may even open their classifieds to non-members.

I don't know if I'm typical, but I had no money left over in my budget after ordering what I thought were the basics (bi-xenons, heated seats, Bose/windstop, etc.) and dropping three grand on a nav system I hardly ever use. I would have been better off with PASM and a Garmin.

and its advanced search feature I found one S PASM equipped car in Fairfield CT. No bargain. www.autotrader.com finds the same car. The advanced search features allow you to specify the model year, make, models, distance from you, etc

...why do you want the PASM? I only ask because I originally wanted my 987.2 with PASM, couldn't find it, and settled for a specimen without it. But the reason I wanted the PASM was to soften the ride over bumpy/pothole-infested roads, and later I was told that I wouldn't have gotten what I wanted from the Boxster PASM, as it stiffens the ride for the track rather than loosens it up for bumps.

What I've read is that the new PASM suspension, compared to the non-PASM suspension, is softer in non-PASM mode and stiffer in PASM mode. Perfect for our northern, pot-hole infested roads. I'll probably only use PASM 5% - 10% of the time, but when I want/need it in the twisties, it would be available. The non-PASM suspension, so I've read, is a compromise between the two settings of PASM. I tend to keep my cars 7-10 years, so as I get to, ahem, a certain age, I will probably be thankful for the help of PASM in the twisties in order to keep up with my younger friends.

I drove my friend's PASM equipped Cayman S in the twisties a couple of years ago. I was so impressed with how well it handled that I vowed at that time that my next Porsche would be so equipped.

Alex

Before I ordered my Cayman, I test drove two Caymans (Caymen?) back to back on the same roads. One car had PASM and the other had the base suspension, both were on 18" wheels. In the "normal" setting, the PASM-equipped car felt about the same as the car with the base suspension. In the "Sport" setting the car was very firm. Firm enough to the point I felt it offered no value to me, as I bought the Cayman for touring not for the track. The dealer sales rep (who is a Porsche enthusiast) said that the Normal setting in PASM was designed to be very close the base suspension, and that is what I experienced. I know Porsche has made ongoing improvements to PASM since the two 2007 cars I drove, but I don't know if that includes changing the firmness of the Normal setting relative to the base suspension. I am very happy with the Cayman on the base suspension and 17" wheels. The ride is relatively smooth with minimal impact from road irregularities and there is still plenty of grip in the twisties.

Aha, I thought that might have been the case. See MarkinMD's post, that pretty much nails it.

I was speaking with my IRA Porsche service manager about it (Chris Martikke, he's really fun to talk to) and Chris told me that it's the 911's where the PASM is softer in normal mode than the standard Boxster suspension is, but on the 987's you can basically only stiffen with the PASM, not soften (presumably that's for those who want to track the cars).

His explanation was that people who buy 911's want the cushier ride, but those who buy the "budget" Porsches don't get that option, lol. Whatever the reason, I wouldn't want you insisting on PASM for your Boxster and then being disappointed. I've resigned myself to visually looking out for potholes and praying my suspension doesn't get too beat up during road repair season...

Porsche showed us a chart of the relative levels of damping offered by the base suspension and PASM in sport and regular mode. The base suspension was right between the two PASM modes. That said, if you're worried about ride, just avoid 19" wheels. My Boxster on 18s (non-RFT) without PASM rides like a dream over Michigan's "roads."