saudio

Hello all. I'm back to rennlist, because I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy my 4th Porsche. Currently driving a Mercedes AMG GT-C roadster and I'm ready for the next thing.

I have many questions, but the most pressing one is: are the standard seats in a 2021 GTS the same as standard seats in a 2021 Spyder? I don't live near a Spyder for sale, and I want to be sure I comfortably fit before I purchase or order one. There is a GTS nearby.

Also, almost every review I have read says the gearing is too tall. If you own one or have driven one, do you agree?

Any general advice you can give me about purchasing a Spyder, such as important options to include? I'm on the fence about CC brakes. The last car I had with them I didn't love them.

Right now I'm leaning towards Chalk/Red interior and roof.

Thanks much.

worf928

Yes. 2-way manual Sport Seats Plus.

I do not agree. Gearing’s fine. Could it be better? Sure. Does it make driving the Spyder a horrible experience? Lol.

Wear a hat?

Jay9722

The LWB’s are gorgeous but a challenge getting in and out of. The 18 ways are overkill. I slide the seat all the way back to get in and out so the manual 2 ways are perfect. And comfortable. The gearing is tall but you adapt. I spend all my time in 1st thru 3rd and love every mile. I have had lots of great cars including all variants of the Spyder, an Evora GT and a 996TTS and I love my 718 Spyder. Some people say it’s underpowered for the price but there’s nothing else at the price point that checks all the boxes.

nineball

i passed on the PCCB on my cayman after i looked at the replacement costs. may wanna check that out first.

c1pher

The idea of the PCCBis that they are supposed to last well over 100,000 miles. I’ve read of some people with over 200,000 miles in this forum.

ldamelio

Agree, but there are significant counterpoints. The costs of pads (and discs if you ever need to replace them if you are only street driving) are much, much less than PCCBs. Function will be no different. The only advantage I can see is the lack of brake dust. YMMV, but for me this is not worth the price differential. Many who buy used GT cars with PCCBs and decide to track the car switch them out for irons.

Jay9722

Having owned a 987, 981 and now 718 Spyder I will offer my opinion based on owning and subsequently building my 23 based on experiences. I love LWB’s and they absolutely make the look of the interior and pretty much how Porsche designers wanted every Spyder to be spec’d. However, I am 6ft tall, 220 lbs and pushing 50. So getting in and out of LWB’s while running daily errands would be agonizing for me…and the wife. I passed on them and went with the 2 ways for their lightness and ease of use. Being able to use the manual slide handle instead of the power button on the 18 ways is better for me. I slide the seat all the way back to get in and out. I had PCCB’s on my 996 TTS and had no issues with them. They were fabulous. But my previous Spyders had steel brakes and were adequate for my type of driving. Since I was building this new Spyder I opted out of ceramic brakes due to cost. I optioned my car with every conceivable piece of leather. I wanted the nicest cabin possible to include deviated stitching on everything. My previous cars were not highly optioned and the plastic (not leather covered) was a bit cheap feeling. But I can already tell the leather on the door sills will be a wear issue in the future. My shoe scrapes it getting in. I wanted LED’s but Porsche pulled them mid build so I have the standard lights and they seem fine. I did not get the navigation because I rely on my IPhone nav. I picked every free option on the configurator. I did not get the power folding mirrors only because I wash my car often and tend to fold/unfold the mirrors by hand during detailing. Seemed like an expense I didn’t need. Definitely get dual zone climate control. To keep costs down I didn’t choose carbon fiber interior trim. I went with brushed black as I have it in my Macan GTS and like it. No colored dials. I have black and blue everywhere so none of the available choices matched(shark blue car/speed blue stitching). I debated on yellow stitching over speed blue but going with yellow would force me to get colored dials…which added more cost. I did not get the aluminum pedals. My 981 had them and the aluminum cover fell off the clutch pedal and seemed kind of cheap. There are better after market pedals out there. I did not get the heated steering wheel or the steering wheel controls. I wanted a clean look on the wheel. I did get a fire extinguisher and upgraded gas cap. The fire extinguisher rattles a lot on bumpy roads. My one regret is the stereo. I went with the Bose but if I could do it over I would go with Burmester. My budget for build cost was under 130k. I ended up at $125.8k. The $5k difference was built in to pay for the dealer add ons I was required to buy. But the dealership decided I didn’t have to get them well after the build closed…so I could’ve gotten the stereo and stayed under budget. Oh well.

saudio

Thanks! And I'm a long time convertible lover and melanoma survivor, so a hat is mandatory. ;-)

Sorry it took so long to reply, I was traveling.

saudio

Thanks! This is good info on the seats. And I also have a Lotus in my past, I bought an Elise new in 2006 and drove it 30K miles. Loved it, I still count it as the most fun car to drive I have ever owned. If the Emira was offered as a roadster I'd purchase that instead of the Spyder.

saudio

Thank you for this input. I tend to agree. Also, the PCCB's I had on a Ferrari F430 squealed. I hated that.

saudio

Thank you VERY much for your time on posting this. This will be very helpful if I am able to order new. One thing I have going for me is I almost never listen to music in whatever roadster I'm driving at the time so I can cheap out on stereo. Why did Porsche pull the LED lights I wonder?

mrd_spy

or 3k miles if you only do track days.

worf928

PCCBs on our two 718s do not squeal. However, half the reasons to get them no longer apply since the compounds used in the rotors and pads changed in late 2021 to comply with new environmental regulations. My ‘21 with “pre-green” PCCBs dusts very little while my wife’s ‘22 dusts very-noticeably more. The only functional reason to get the PCCBs is weight. The difference in unsprung weight is something I notice. Others may not.

“Chip shortage.” They’re back. At least on the Spyder. Availability is not consistent across models right now.

When you see people write no LEDs (or no option Foo) always check the configurator because it may be true, false, or standard for that model.

MaddMike

For me, the must have options that were non-negotiable were:

Burmester: Had it in my 981 Spider and had to have it.
PCCBs: Had them on my Alfa and loved them, did not have them on my 981 Spyder and was one of the reasons for upgrading. Drive a PCCB and a iron car back to back, if you can't feel the difference, you can pass on them.

Nice to have options:
LWBS: I had these in my Alfa and loved them, I had 18-ways with the leather backs in my 981 Spyder and I could easily outdrive the seats. I hate the sliver plastic in the base seats and the only way to get the leather backs is the 18-ways. Then you are $500 short of the LWBS which tend to be more desirable in the secondary market so I went with them.
PDLS+: Signature Porsche look and better lighting

Fluff options that I went with:
Deviated stitching
Extended leather
Fire extinguisher
Gas cap
Painted wheels
Blacked out logo etc.

Westcoast

Chalk with yellow deviated stitching, belts and gauges, 6MT, LWBS, PCCB, LED PDLS+... After 2+ years every time I open the configurator to build one, I choose all of the same options!