iceman030303

Car looks great! Love the color. I was actually impressed on the bases performance when I test drive it. Especially when sport mode is on. I loved the way it drove and felt and of course the modern look of it compared to my 911. I'm sad to see my 911 go but I'm looking forward to getting into something more modern

iceman030303

I agree! The 981 is about as much of a car as I need. I never thought I'd buy a boxster but the 981 is sexy. It was a hard pill to swallow going from my 911 to a boxster but the 981 is the better car

fast1

It's actually worse than what you describe in terms of HP utilization for the street. I started my racing in a GT6 in the early 70s, when there were zero mechanical aids. Hell, there wasn't even ABS, much less stability control and all the other goodies that are standard on almost all sports cars.

For survival we all began with 100HP cars, and slowly worked our way up to the more powerful cars. It's not unusual for buyers today to have something like a 650 HP Vette as their first sports car, and of course they have not had the benefit of attending any performance driving school where they could learn their limitations and improve their driving skills.

So the highways are full of novices driving very high HP cars on the street. Armed with all the driving aids, these novices drive their cars far above their capabilities, and rely on mechanical aids to keep their cars under control.

squid42

What do you think about 987 cars then?

I have to admit they look a bit wimpy (the 981 rear end really upscaled the car). But there are some cool ones out there in rare 997 color, full leather and the Bose at the time.

MJBird993

I haven't read all four pages of responses. I went from a 997.2 to a 991.1 to the 981. We'll skip the 991...

As mentioned, the gearbox is much better than the 997. Handling, ride, interior, all better.

IMHO you don't need sport exhaust, but you do need the "S" over the base, if you can afford it.

MJBird993

In response to caymannyc, he makes an excellent point. But it's not all about "fast" as it is about torque. It's the increased torque of the "S" that makes all the difference.

caymannyc

I would love to have the hydraulic steering of the 987 in the 981. However, the looks (exterior) of the 987 just doesn't do it for me. Interior means absolutely nothing to me

I think essentially it boils down to the same thing. Larger displacement = more HP and more torque. Faster speeds and faster acceleration. The Cayman S I think does 0-60 in around 4.2 seconds. I'm sorry, but why would you ever do that on a public road? 4.2 is incredibly quick. I mean, that's so dangerous in an environment where you have moms driving their kids to and from school or extracurriculars, senior citizens, new drivers, pedestrians, cyclists..

So the question is, where do you use this extra torque, outside of autocross or a DE? When passing another car? Well I'd just like to point out that you don't need a 0-60 in 4.2 second car to make a pass and if you are in a passing situation clearly there are other cars on the road in close proximity meaning you should probably be driving even more cautiously than normal. I guess if it makes you feel good to blow past other cars rather than making a safe pass, then that would explain things. And if you do want to unleash all that "S" torque and HP even though it's dangerous and against the law, please do invest in DE and track time to actually learn how to drive the thing before you hurl 3000lbs of steel down the road.

So unless you're planning on tracking, racing, or otherwise endangering yourself and others on public roads, I really think the "S" (and really, most sports cars) comes down to a purely emotional decision (as opposed to a rational decision, as some of you seem to be trying to argue), knowing that you have a faster, more expensive (and exclusive) car, without ever really harnessing that faster, more expensive ability. That's completely fine, but at least let's be honest about it instead of talking about torque and HP in a vacuum assuming that more is surely the logically better option, as if we are not all constrained by the realities of traffic laws and the presence of other people on the public roads. Our cars even in their most basic trim are pure luxury, far more than we need and in many cases far more than we are qualified to handle at their limits.

I just have to quote Motortrend, who say it better than I do:

"But my advice is to assuage your guilt by contemplating the truly crazy $64,750 base price of its 325-hp (4.2-sec 0-60) big brother, the Cayman S. Sure, it’s faster. Pardon me, but the base Cayman is just as magnificently crafted, just as dead-bolt solid, and nearly as life-altering to drive, at least in a corner.

All of which should remind us to never question the axiom ‘Less is More.’ I don’t, and so much so that I won’t mince words here: this base Cayman, with a little 2.7-liter engine, is Porsche’s Best Sports Car. Hyperventilate all you like about it, 911-philes. If I were driving this car way back in my formative sport-car years, those golf/driving gloves would have quickly come off and been tossed in the glove box."

Volnomad

Like you and a few other posters on this thread, I have moved from a series of 911S cars to a 981 Cayman GTS this month. I don't regret the move at all. Once you get past the 911 mystique and iconicity, I think the Cayman/Boxster models are better sports cars. Mid-engine designs are inherently superior no matter how much engineering Porsche invests in the 911. I loved my 911 cars but the newer ones are HUGE. The 981 Cayman/Boxster cars are wonderful sports cars and cost far less than a 991.2. You can't go wrong buying a 981 in my opinion.

CFIMarco

"I would love to have the hydraulic steering of the 987 in the 981"
IMHO electric vs hydraulic is more like a mental thing than practical.
I own a 981S and I owned 986s and 987S. Honestly I can't feel the difference in steering's accuracy. It was good on the 987S, it's good as well on the 981S. Very good steerings, not as fantastic as the steering I had on my Lotus Elise MK1, but good enough to know where you are going to put your wheels within a couple of inches.
And to tell you the truth, I have never had any problem with the electric steering of the 981S, but I had to pull to the shop the 987S due to hydraulic leak of the steering.
Therefore I would say the electric is better, it's more reliable, lighter and even if personally I don't care, they say it gives a better fuel economy. (Boys, may be I saved a couple of $ this year thanks to this steering, I can afford a Bud tonight!)

Noah Fect

+1. No one would have noticed the move to electric steering if the reviewers hadn't settled on it as a useful nit to pick in a car that otherwise left them with little to write about. They just needed a virtue-signaling talking point, that's all.

iceman030303

thanks for the response!! It's nice to hear from so many prior 911 owners whose the switch and are happy!

westwest888

Regarding the steering, I didn't know it was electric until I googled it after my test drive. Frankly I still find it stiff enough to be mildly fatiguing on longer trips. The $270 power steering option might not be bad for the low speed maneuvers, but I see how it would disastrous to the car for autocross or other parking lot exercises. Dealer can apply that software after you get the car. I like the way they did it on the 2017+ Audi cars. Really helps on trips.

Marine Blue

Having driven both I personally think Porsche did a great job with the electric steering but there is without question a difference in the "feel" between the two. It has nothing to do with response or accuracy. Personally I think the steering response is better in the 981 and the accuracy is equal. The primary difference is the feedback you receive through the steering wheel. The granular feel that tells you when you're driving over a rough surface, or when the tires are starting to lose grip. It's not evident in the electric steering IMHO.

I think it's also important to mention that as technology advances the steering feedback has continued to filter out of the equation. As far as feedback goes, No Power Steering > Hydraulic Steering > Electric Steering.

But I'll go back to where I started and say that Porsche did a great job with their electric steering and I wouldn't be disappointed owning one.

YMMV

caymannyc

Well owning both a 997 and a 981, I beg to differ Just yesterday I drove my 997 to the gas station to get a fill and buy some coffee, dropped the car off and hopped into the 981 to go to work. Huge difference in feeling in the steering.

Now whether that means the 997 steering is "better", I don't think so. Porsche did a great job with their electric steering and it is incredibly accurate. Hydraulic steering is heavier and it can be unsettling to people how the steering feel changes depending on grip situationand how fast you are going. Car feels more "alive" if that makes sense.

Phil G.

As good a job as Porsche did with electronic steering, there is no substitute for hydraulic steering, IMO. My 996 had it - was great, as was the steering on my wife's former '09 328 x-drive. The BMW steering on the 340 is OK, but nowhere near the precise feel of the older car.