I'm awaiting an allocation for a 718 GT4 (and GTS 4.0; will make a decision on which way to go soon-ish) but I have some local leads on 981s with colors/options that appeal to me for ~$25-30k less than my planned 718 GT4 build (which is basically a stripper with buckets and a couple other things), and they're all fairly low mileage. That's not a completely trivial amount of money, especially since most of it is just depreciation (in exchange for a warranty that probably won't matter all that much to me; this will be a weekend/track toy that I will drive around 2000-3000 miles/year). Plus, you know, instant gratification. Part of the appeal of a new car was to do ED or PEC with it, but given the current state of the world...

I've read several threads and familiarized myself with the objective differences (which don't appear to be tremendous), but I'm looking for more subjective input. If you decided to swap out a 981, why? And if you were in my position, is the 718 really worth the premium at this time?

FWIW my background is in BMWs (mostly M3s) and older 911s (996 and 997) and I have seat time in the 718 base and S.

 

IF I had kept my 981 GT4 I wouldn't be tempted by the 718 GT4, but I screwed up and traded it for another P-car.

718 GT4 feels so similar to the 981 I am happy to have it back.

Save the $, buy a 981.

 

981 w/DeMan 4.5=best looks & performance

 

981 is the economical option, esp. if you're going to mod it. That said, the 4.0L engine is proven dyno wise to be on par with the 718 Clubsport race car, which has a very linear power delivery vs. the 981 GT4 (stock vs. stock). You can verify this for yourself on the 981 forums and by several current 981 GT4 owners who drove the 718 GT4 IRL and posted their thoughts. They all admit the power is noticeable and the suspension has improved.

Now, if you're willing to drop $X to get the power levels or just don't care about the power difference, then 981 is your best bet. I just found that getting a stock 981, putting in all the mods to make it perfect would cost north of $90k - $95k all-in, that's a stone's throw away from 718 GT4 with the better/more powerful engine, which I like with the 4 - 6 year warranty to boot. I can see modding it later to get to 475hp will not be too hard.

I was in a similar back and forth as well between the two, and while the 981 with a built engine is very attractive, unless you live near those shops - not sure what you'll do after 1 year when the engine warranty is up and something goes wrong. Yes, they're well built, but nothing is perfect. If you don't worry about those things...like the previous guys said buy yourself a rock bottom used 981 GT4 and throw in a BGB 4.25L build and blast away!

Also, if you're already questioning being able to afford a 718 GT4, I think you have your answer financially.

 

Indeed it is, and that's ultimately how I ended up waiting on a new build allocation in the first place. Another possibility is to get the new GTS and then daily drive it so I can ditch my second car (my SO already has a suitable daily, as well).

Long story short: I started out planning on a BMW M2C, drove it and didn't really like it, then spent a few months looking for a used 981S, couldn't find one equipped as I wanted it (MT and limited slip at a minimum), then learned about the GTS 4.0 and...well, that's why I'm now waiting on an allocation. 981 GTS and GT4s were particularly tough to come by when I started looking, but now they aren't. Slippery slopes! However, I don't have any near term plans to go hard on the mods, whatever I buy. Will likely keep it stock for at least a year (through warranty if new).

FWIW: if the 981 sounds better and has heavier control feel that will likely play to my preferences, as well. Much more significant to me than a bit of power.

Ah, it's really more of a "is it really worth it?" mental block. If it is, it is! I'm a bit of a "Fat FIRE" type.

I should probably add that the delta I mentioned in the first post assumes MSRP pricing; the first dealership I talked to got me all the way to the table with a build config and then tried to drop a $15k markup on me, which I (naturally) refused. I know there are better deals out there and I'm not exactly in a hurry.

 

Nice topic! had the same debate in mind as well.

 

Hear you on the Turbo M2 thing, just isn't the same as a NA engine no matter what you do. Although I think the M2 is best car BMW makes right now. I am not looking forward to the bugs bunny M4/3 about to arrive - ugh. BMW has really lost their minds.

Re: MSRP offers, they are out there. You should be able to find one. If you peruse the 718 GT4 forum you'll find many people locked in MSRP. ADM being the norm is dead for GT4s at least.

Re inputs, they're lighter as they're based somewhat on the 991.2 GT3 / GT3 RS. Not identical I'm told, but close, and the clutch in the 991.2 GT3 is lighter than typical Porsches of olde. Total preference thing. For me it's about making sure all inputs are balanced and provide feel when engaged, which the new GT4 is claimed to do according to a lot of the owner reviews in the forums. I did find 981 cars to have a heavy clutch and the 981 GT4 being the heaviest. Heavy clutches personally don't make me any faster in my ability to engage / shift the car. Sound wise, before you decide the 4L sounds bad - you should listen to some YT videos of JCR + Cargraphic, to me it's a problem easily remedied with a pair of over axle pipes that delete the particulate filters which don't do anything in the US.

Ultimately I shyed away from the 981 option because when I drove a few of them I didn't feel the car was any faster below 120 mph vs. my tuned up 981 GTS. There's some weird dipping in power delivery low in the rev range and then again higher up, BGB's dynojets show this as well if you look in the forum.

It's fun looking for a new car and I'm sure you'll find what you want based on your checklist of needs. Good news is you have alot of options to choose from! there's no wrong answer to this one.

 

Yeah, no kidding. The M2 is undeniably the best car BMW currently makes (even the salesman said as much, and I was cross-shopping it with the more expensive M4), but it's also overhyped and I think I went in with exceedingly high expectations that simply weren't met. As for the upcoming M3/4...no further words are needed.

Very fair points, all around. The steering in the 718 base really grew on me quickly, just in a matter of minutes. My initial impression of it while backing out was "why so much power assist?! I want the 997 feel back!" But 20 minutes later when I was blasting around a cloverleaf...those concerns had evaporated, and I just about knew the Cayman (of some kind or another) was my next car. It was exactly as communicative and precise as it needed to be, paired almost perfectly with the chassis, and it made my E46 (which remains my personal benchmark for well-sorted steering) feel like I was pushing it through glue. And that was the base car with the standard suspension...

I've actually been cautiously optimistic about the sound, judging by some of the videos of stock 718s I've seen e.g. the Automann.tv stuff (which, granted, never quite conveys the full experience). Was planning on some pipes, anyhow.

For sure, and I'm really enjoying it. After years of automatically buying M3s, this is a nice departure (and, if I'm honest, upgrade). I'll be reporting back here tomorrow after I drive the 981. Also expecting an update on my 718 allocation around the same time.

Really appreciate the input!

 

I just sold my 981 GT4 and have a November allocation for the 718 GT4 (PDK).
I really loved the 981 GT4 and after 27K miles of road and track enjoyment I can say these cars are bulletproof and fun. One of the best buys for a Porsche out there.

When the PDK 718 GT4 was announced that kind of tilted things for the 718 GT4 as I do track the car frequently and the gear issue (at least for me and the tracks I visit) required a good $12K investment in new gears/LSD, etc.
Also, I knew I would end up sending the car to John at BGB for one of their 4.xx builds and gears besides all the other stuff that would need to be upgraded or replaced...not so easy when you live outside the continental US.
That upgrade would put the 981 way above in the performance area even with bolt on mods on a 718 GT4, but the investment would be pretty high and I would be above the cost of the 718 GT4.

At the end it was a tough choice given the price increase from 981 to 718....but new car, PDK, updated looks, update suspension settings, potential for the new 9A2 engine, warranty won over keeping my 981 GT4, and of course was able to find the right buyer for my GT4.

 

I sold my 981 GT4 back in 2018 to get a 991.2 C2S. At the time, I lived far from work and my kids' school and except for the occasional track day my GT4 didn't get much exercise. After taking the 991.2 to the track I started regretting my move. It's not that it wast a bad car or slow, it was 1 sec faster than my GT4 around my home track, but the price of consumables doubled. Tires lasted half as long and were pricier (was running 19" RE71Rs on my GT4). Brake pads lasted half as long. Suspension was soft. Engine was powerful but muted. PDK was boring. In the end I wasn't enjoying going to the track anymore and decided to stop track days all together.

I got contacted by a dealer a short while ago with an available 718 GT4 that a customer decided to pass on. Taking it to the track tomorrow. I've told myself if I don't fall in love with track days again I'll sell it and be done for good.

So far I do like the sound of the engine, the suspension feels softer yet more precise and I find the steering more accurate and better than in the 981. As for the gearing, it will be an issue in some corners but I don't care. Not sure I'll ever own another PDK car. Had I kept the 981 I'm not sure I would've made the move to test-drive a 981 and told myself: "been there, done that". Let's try a 718.

 

I had a 981 GT4 which I tracked and traded on a 991.2 GT3. I also have a 997.2...very different from 981 GT4. Mentioning as you have experience with 997.

I now also have a 718 Spyder, with only 300km on it so can't comment much on the experience.

One thing to keep in mind is with GT cars, it's not leaps and bounds difference between generations.....it's always a steady evolution. If money is not a concern, get the latest because it is better (save for the exhaust sound).

If you'd like to save a little you'll have a blast with the 981 GT4. It was a fantastic car on street and track. It had short comings like power (on track for the straights, this can be resolved to a point by learning to carry more speed on corners) and some would complain about long gearing. The financial decision would be to get a 981 GT4....see if you like the platform and have fun while you're at it. Save the coin for next generation or even stepping up to GT3 if that is on your mind.

 

And that's exactly how it turned out.

I actually ended up with the opportunity to drive a brand new 718 and (super clean) 981 back to back. I preferred the steering (seemed a bit faster and had better centering feel) and suspension/chassis response (some of which may actually be on the steering) on the 718. Motor a little bit of a wash, stock-for-stock, because while the 4.0 has an undeniably fatter curve (and there's something cool about a genuine 8k cutoff), the difference did not seem particularly huge (especially given that my butt dyno is not as precise as those with a ton of Porsche experience; last genuine performance car was an M3 and anything from a Cayman S onward would've been a substantial upgrade) and I had to factor in the cost of new pipes to get the exhaust note up to my liking. Clutch is noticeably heavier in the 981, but roughly similar to my E46 daily beater, so I'm used to that. Interior/shifter/et al: couldn't really tell much of a difference (both were leather with deviated stitching and buckets).

However, that particular 981 was also nearly identical to the spec I submitted for an allocation (better, actually, since my build would've had a standard interior), super clean PPI/DME, and came out close to $40k less out the door (plus cheaper insurance and $600 vs. $1200 annual tab fees) without a single day's wait...95% of the car for a little over ~65% of the money; couldn't say no to that. I've also had good prior experiences with buying the final model year of an established platform and the 9A1 seems to be a proven mill.

Admittedly, the pandemic also had an effect on that equation, because I don't mind paying for an experience and a memory over a thing, and I was planning to do ED. Regardless, I love the car and while I'll be spending a lot more time on the 981 board, I'll certainly still be lurking here just to see how things develop. We'll see what comes next!

 

^ Great decision. Congrats and enjoy it!