Bean981

Mine has the 20" rims, pdk, bose and leather interior. Not many options and I was happy with it. Had it a week and cant find enough opportunities to take it out for a drive. Got lucky I was more set on the color combination over the features as it has enough get up and go for what I need.

clutchplate

Mine has sport exhaust which is my favorite feature so far. They really got it right. Not sold on the Bose yet, it has a midrange glare that makes it hard to listen to at higher levels. Hopefully the speakers just need to break in but we'll see.

sfo

I think the speakers do need to break in .. mine has definitely improved over time.

make sure that there is gap of at least 2in between the seats and the speakers behind the seats.

Jim 'n' SC

Never heard of "breaking in" speakers? Is that true?

Le Chef

I've looked and driven and would keep the order skinny-ish. Premium package, ventilated seats, voice activation. Done. With 19" you don't need PASM. With stick you don't need SC. Unless you;re tracking it you don't need PTV either. Full leather in a convertible just seems a waste.

orthojoe

I don't understand why 19" wheels would preclude PASM? PASM is the one thing I would order. You sit 10mm lower so the car doesn't look like a 4x4, and the suspensive is adaptive. I think PASM is more desireable than the premium package, voice activation, and ventilated seats, which is a lot fluff if you ask me... but that's just my opinion..

Le Chef

The Premium "fluff" includes the following:
Wind Deflector
2-zone automatic climate control
Seat Heating
Automatically Dimming Mirrors
Power Sport Seats (14-way) with Driver Memory
Bi-Xenon Headlights with Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS)
Those seem like the options you might want anyway, except the power seats if only one person drives the car.

You can probably get a better coil-over setup (which is what I would do) that will allow you more control over how you want your suspension to behave rather than having SPASM tell you what you're supposed to have. And you can lower it further than SPASM too.

But each to his/her own which is why Porsche gives you a long options list.

clutchplate

I ordered a heated steering wheel thinking it would be nice to have on a cold night run with the top down. Turns out the heater vents, which are about 8" from the steering wheel and blow like a hurricane, do a better job of heating the steering wheel than the embedded heater so you can safely skip that option.

sfo

there's a Sport Chassis non PASM option coming for the 981:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/roadtes...p?c=47&i=26243

orthojoe

Perhaps 'fluff' is too strong of a word, but the OP was asking about minimal options. 14 way power and 2-zone climate control (in a small convertible??) just aren't needed. I can see why people would want heated seats, bixenon, and the wind deflector, but those can be optioned seperately. The car can still be enjoyed without any of those options. If want to go with aftermarket, sure, you can skip the PASM. Otherwise, if you plan to stay stock, PASM would be the minimal option I would get. Everything else is gravy (not fluff).

orthojoe

I'm not a fan of PTV for anything. At the track you will see premature wear of your rear rotors and you'll be replacing your rear brake pads every other event. That's what happened to my buddy's TTS.

Z356

sfo, this is big news! Thanks for bringing this upcoming 981S option to our attention! I think this is a significant development because the key to our beloved 987 Spyder is both the lighter weight and the NON-PASM based 'sport chassis'. This new 981 option might be the closest (to date) we get to make the new 981S feel & handle like the acclaimed Spyder! This could be THE option many of us have been hoping for!

Saludos,
Eduardo
Carmel

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/roadtes...p?c=47&i=26243
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jeffsnavely

I just rented a '13 base with only 20's & PDK (plus some interior options) and drove it hard for 140 miles in the canyons/hills around LA.

The handling was a revelation - no matter now hard I took a corner I never felt the PSM kick in (later was told it's much less intrusive on the '13) and never felt a loss of grip ever. The car was just glued to the road. PASM or PTV just seem pointless to me. Granted the 20's had something to do with this, and I would order mine with 18's, but still...

Didn't feels a need for Sport Chrono either.

For anyone interested, it was from Olympic rent-a-car in Beverly Hills. They are the only place so far that has the '13.

jeffsnavely

that the ride over bumps was fine, not too harsh with the 20's.

clutchplate

I have the same experience with 19's and no PASM. The handling is remarkable. No matter how hard you push through a curve the car just goes. No tire squeal, no body roll, it's absolutely effortless. Compared to my last two sports cars, a 997S and a Lotus Elise, the 981 is a couple of levels above either and that's saying a lot considered how well the Lotus handled. Mine came with the Pirelli P zeros FWIW.