TEF

Today to took delivery of a 2013 Boxster S manual (Platinum Silver w/Black Interior) and it certainly invokes mixed feelings. The 981 is clearly much more refined, smoother and quicker, but it seems to lack the spirt of the older chassis. What really surprised me was getting 31 mpg at 75 mph on the 130-mile trip home. Negatives are is the lack of a USB port in glove box (apparently my audio system lacks Sirius and Navigation) and a smaller rear trunk. The 987 is a smaller car, but accepts a golf bag (with woods) diagonally in trunk. The 981 only works with woods removed. The upgraded audio system with BT is nice, but I was surprised that the car's engine shut down when stopped at traffic lights. While my BMW X3 diesel has this, it did not occur to me that manuals could be equipped with this feature, let alone a Porsche.

Overall, I was lucky to find a one-owner 981 BS stick without issues. Over time I had expanded my search to include PDK cars, this one appeared online on Friday and I jumped on it. The Carfax shows the car being serviced regularly by Bumos Porsche from purchase in late 2012 until earlier this year.

Knowing that I was getting a 981, I been reading this forum since it separated from the 987 forum. Hopefully, I can find out more about my BS from those members who have read the owner's manual from cover to cover.

Tommy L Garage

welcome to the 981 world!

Don’t worry about the media etc. it’s all bout the driving experience!

TMc993

I have a 2014 981 Cayman Base with PDK. Like your 981 (And all other "contemporary" Porsches), my car has the "Auto Stop" function. If you want to disable that function, look at the buttons on the right side of your console. The second button on the right looks like (A) with "OFF" printed under it. Just press that button and the Auto Off and Coasting function will be disabled. You will know this by the fact that a red LED will be visible on the button. This is all on page 128 of the Owner's Manual.

As for carrying your golf clubs and the "media" issue, sounds like your 987 met your needs better than the 981 will. A little pre-purchase research would probably have been helpful.

Jus' sayin'...

Laszlo_Laz

No, no it’s all about the USB!

9eight7

You forgot the most important part... PICTURES!

Congrats on your upgrade.

SoCal-NSX

congrats!!! except this didn't happen unless there are some PICS!!!




enjoy

thedude abides

Congrats! I made the same move, going from a 987.1 to a 2013 Boxster S with MT and IMO, it is a very nice upgrade. The trunk space issue is what it is but the audio issue can be resolved by any high-end audio store. I upgraded my PCM to a Sony unit with Apple Car Play and could not be happier with the result.

I'd be interested in hearing your reasons for changing to the 981. Did you test drive the 981 prior to purchase to be able to compare to your 987.1?

TEF

My first test drive of a 981, was a day before taking delivery, but the positives of the car were immediately evident. Specifically, shifting is more precise and overall the vehicle's interior is better finished relative to the 987.1. In fairness to my 987.1, it was was without issues and a joy to drive. I understand that the gearing of the two cars is not the same: the 987 seemed a little stronger at lower speeds, while the 981 at higher cursing speeds inspires more confidence. Braking the 981 seems more boosted while the 987 requires more pedal pressure. Both stopped well, but in a different way. This could also be a function of pads: the ceramics on the 987 versus new semi-metallic ones on the 981. The other pleasant surprise is the ride of 19" wheels on the 981 compared to 18's on the 987. Despite the lower profile tires of the former, driving over things like rail-road crossings is not any more harsh.

The one feature of the 981 that puzzle me is the vehicle's climate control. The default of the 987 was that A/C and blower fan remained off unless one turned them on. By contrast, the 981 is quite the opposite: upon startup, the A/C is on and the blower is nearly at top speed. Here most of my driving is with the top down, so the A/C and blower must be adjusted with every start.

In my first posting, I might have seemed overly critical of the 981 over small things. However, one gets used to things like the 987's larger trunk, so a change of routine is initially an annoyance. Overall, I would not want tp return to the 987 after a few days with the 981.

ICNU

Do you have the memory package with buttons on the drivers door? If so, the climate settings are part of the memory or can be stored on a specific key along with the seat and mirror positions. The blower on the 981 will always revert to on at startup which is a common complaint, but the blower shouldn't be high like you are describing unless its stored that way or is set to "auto" with a low temp forcing it it blow hard

TMc993

I have a 981 Cayman, so I want a the HVAC fans to come on when I start the car just to circulate stale air out of the car, but I don't want it blasting. So, I set the fan speed to its lowest setting and then saved those settings to my keys. That way, no matter what the fan and temp settings might be when I get out of the car, it defaults back to the low setting when I start it again. I've never tried saving the key settings with the fan off, but you might give it a try.

TEF

Thanks for the assistance with the HVAC. I do have a set of buttons on the driver's side door panel. I was pretty sure that they saved seat settings, but never considered the A/C and blower.

TMc993

That's them. You can save the seat settings, the HVAC settings, the view in the right-hand gauge (I have my defaulted to water temp, oil temp and oil pressure) and I think it saves the outside mirror settings but am not sure because I never change those. Unfortunately, it will not save the tuner in the OFF position, so the tuner will come on if you have it selected when you set the key, even if you have it off.

TEF

A second opinion is sought. Currently, the Pirelli PZero front tires are quite worn (and old, dating back to 2014) while the rears are much newer. I've never been a Pirrelli fan, but may have to replace the fronts soon to pass PA state inspection. I am faced with the dilemma of investing in a pair of new Pirelli's or a bigger investment in all four tires of another brand. My choices are not huge: Continental ExtremeContact Sport or Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. I've always had success with Continental products and they are $200 less expensive. Another option is buying two new PZero, that is cheaper, but locks me into a perpetual cycle of Pirelli's. As an aside, I am not using this vehicle on the track, so performance is not my first priority.

TEF

Pictures as requested:

Laszlo_Laz

She’s a beauty!