Dana R

I hope this is something nice to hear for those of you wishing for more...
I'm a retired enthusiast with enough money to buy any non supercar. I've owned dozens of BMWs and got into mid-engine Porsche's 10 years ago. Until moving to northern NH, I did autox and driver's schools, but now am just enjoying back road fun. I've had my 987 manual Spyder for 7 years and absolutely love it for canyon carving. Amazingly communicative chassis and steering, and fast enough for me. When Porsche first came out with the 718s, I had no interest, due to the 4 cylinder turbos, but when they brought back the 6 cylinder 4.0 I got in line and placed an order for a Cayman GTS 4.0 in my "dream" spec (6 speed). I thought it would be a forever car, but after living with it for 2 years, I sold it without regret and here's why. First, 400 HP is difficult to use on the street if you want to keep your license. It's a 3 second party trick, and then you're probably in jail jeopardy. I had to back off the throttle constantly. I also own an ND2 Miata, and it really is more fun to plant your right foot down for longer. 2nd gear on the 4.0 is good for 81 MPH. It really is more fun to drive a slower car fast.

Secondly, the 718 had some annoying features: the car defaults to auto stop/start every time you restart it, the auto blip feature is on in sport or sport plus mode, and the parking sensors beep their head off every time I start the car in the garage. Lastly, the exhaust note sucks in the 4.0 because of the particulate filters in the exhaust and because the larger engine doesn't sing like the 981 engines.

I ended up buying a 2.7 2015 Cayman 6 speed, and am having a ball with it. It has no torque but it has a glorious sound when revved to the redline, and it's chassis feels 90% of the 4.0. I replaced the shifter with the GT3 one and it's great, much better than the Spyder. If I put the x73 kit on it, I think it will equal the 718 and won't have what for me is the annoying PASM suspension, as I prefer a fixed, analogue setting. For now, the stock suspension is seemingly fine for what I'm using the car for, and it's a much better suspension than the stock 987's. Anyway, I'm enjoying reading threads in this forum, and hope to contribute to it here and there.

Ernest72

Could not agree more with your purchase. Bought my 2.7l cayman 2014 on PDK and love it. You can whine the motor out on mountain roads and have a blast. I installed my X73 and it is great. Just did headers and a tune and the car has some more urgency but still slow enough to have fun. The sound with the headers is lovely. Perfect backroads car. Slow car fast is the best.

I daily a 2016 Subaru BRZ, so I know slow car fast very well. Nothing against high power cars but you just can’t use them as much on the street.

AdamIsAdam

I have a CGTS40 and love it. Last month I added a 981 Boxster GTS and while it's definitely slower, I'm enjoying the whole "drive a slow car fast" thing. And I'm a guy who loves power. Plus there's the convertible v fixed roof aspect. I'm actually more of a coupe guy, but I'm LOVING this 981!

BTW, OAP and a valve controller make the 4.0 sound incredible.

Glad you're enjoying your toys.

jago

981 BGTS ftw!

desmotesta

exactly why I sold my ( what I always thought would be ) "forever 911" , a 991.1 GTS with a manual and am looking for a 981.

My GTS was way too much car for the street and I c an count on one hand the amount of times I got to "push" it on the street in my 3+ yrs of ownership.
More HP is pointless when a dozen EV models can leave you wondering if your car is running on 2 cylinders

Looking forward to picking up a base or S 981 and driving a "slow" car fast

Dana R

There's a switchback road up here with 6 very sharp uphill turns. I've never felt the need to downshift into first gear before owning the 2.7. New heel and toe practice = FUN!

john981

I love this thread!!! I have always called the 981 " the perfection of automobile", especially when you don't live in Germany and can't enjoy the freedom of the autobahn. I am on my 3rd 2014 981 Boxster and this one I am keeping forever. I searched for a long time and found one with very few miles (6k miles) and great shape, so hopefully this one will last for some time. I think the Base 981 Boxster/Cayman is the funnest, street friendliest and best value sports car you can buy for the money. There are only very few decent specimens available on the market but I am still surprised how relatively cheap those are.

nhnguy12

Feeling extra appreciative of my "slow" 981 today after seeing all the press releases for the incredibly complex (and heavy) hybrid 992.2

john981

Don't forget that most of the classic air cooled Porsches were not faster and many of them had less hose power. I still haven't lost my hopes for the 981 to become a classic sometime in the near future.

DrBillyD

When I got the convertible bug, I test drove as many as I could find. Examples include Miata, BMW 3 series, MB SLK, 911 Turbo S. Ended up that a 2015 Boxster GTS put the biggest smile on my face. The 911 was an absolute monster but even on a test drive, I could figure out it was way more than I'd ever use for casual weekend cruising. Factor in that the BGTS was about a third the cost and I went with the BGTS. Loved it! After a couple of years, a work colleague offered me a 2016 Boxster Spyder, so I bought it. Only performance mod I did was installing CarGraphics exhaust headers (surprising to me was that these fit both 3.4 and 3.8L engines), so now it's probably close to 400HP--pretty nice in a car that's less than 3000 lbs.

So while it doesn't carry the prestige of the 911, especially amongst a subset of Porsche fanatics, I've been very happy with my choice.

AdamIsAdam

How does the 981 Spyder compare to the 981 Boxster?

various cheeses

Definitely makes me appreciate my 981 2.7 more. Was one of the last ones built before they switched over to 718 production. My only regret is not spec'ing PTV for the LSD and maybe getting a slightly nicer interior.

anderson930

Love to see this! I just gave up my '22 Boxster GTS 4.0 (which I even had the pleasure to spec from allocation) for a 981 Spyder. I even spent time behind the wheel of a 718 Spyder to make sure this was the right choice. Well, my God. Absolutely zero regrets. This is an amazing machine.

Ernest72

using a PIWIS you can turn on the braking part of PTV. No LSD but you get some braking of the inside wheel in a turn.

sachin981s

So true. Prior to my Boxster s 981 I had a bmw 640d, it was a torque monster with over 390bhp and 700nm torque with some hardware upgrades. Surely It was a rocket but I wasn't enjoying it to be very honest. It was an overkill and had to take foot off gas pedal way too often. After buying Boxster S 981 3.4 I am actually enjoying it to the core, love how gradually it picks up speed and after 60kmph it's just takes off with a roar. Little worry is that it's consuming oil when driven hard like 1quarts in 600miles.