bminingham

Hi All - Strongly considering a 981CS manual in the spring, but now I just drove the new 718CS manual at the PDE in Atlanta last week and I'm all confused. Does anyone have experience with both? My main concern is being let down with the power and power delivery of the 981CS. How much slower is a 981CS going to feel compared to the new 718CS(I know how turbo vs. non-turbo power delivery works)? I previously did the 2017 911S manual and could definitely feel the power difference there compared to the Cayman. That said, the 981CS would financially be the more attractive deal as they are "rarer" and have taken a good amount of depreciation already. My list of non-negotiable options are manual trans, sport chrono, sport exhaust...thanks in advance for the comments.

khoahtran

I have a 981 CS and I’ve run it against a 718 CS, the 718 is so much faster, in a straight line it pulls hard on me and I have race headers which hopefully gives me an extra 20whp. Stock form the 718 does handle better and is a more neutral car, feels like a GT4. But overall my car is a more much fun experience, sound and feel...the 718 driver is always surprised at how much more fun my car is despite being down on power. The throttle response and winding out the car is much more satisfying than having a faster car that sounds like a muted dentist drill. Unless you are going to be comparing the 718 and the 981 head to head everyday you won’t notice the difference. If you can find a highly spec’d 981 S or even a GTS, i’d Go with that imho.

bminingham

Good advice from a relevant perspective - thank you. Exhaust noise has also always been important to me so I need to factor that in as well. I personally think the only way I can make a good decision is to find a 981CS at my local dealer and take it for a test drive. I think the answer will be obvious after that.

lajoiedp

I was in the same boat a year ago and I went with the 718. The main two reasons for me were, one, way more Low End Torque (something the 981, to my surprise, sorely lacks) and more interior seating options (I went with Black/Bordeaux leather). Most 981's you will find have black interior, which I don't care for. To me, the ONLY thing the 981 has over the 781 is the sound. I've never been a huge sound guy, but if sound is your #1 priority, go with the 981, but if it's not the 781 has much more to offer.

CaymanSinAR

I recently went through this with the Boxster. As there are no Porsche dealerships in my state I went to the closest large city (Dallas) and rented a 718 Boxster S via Turo. Had it an entire weekend. Went home and bought a 981 Boxster GTS.

The 718 S is objectively the better car in every way. But I still liked the 981 GTS better. And yes, I am a cliche, it is the flat six that swayed me to the 981. The first time I wound out a PSE-equipped 981 Boxster S the wail of that flat six nearly brought me to tears. It was magic. The 718 S just left me cold. Instead of a glorious wailing crescendo right behind my head it sounded like an industrial vacuum pump. No emotion. No soul. Bonkers torque everywhere though.

For me it boiled down to two things: purpose and availability.

My car won't be tracked. I'll daily drive it a lot, but the primary purpose is spirited backroad drives and trips with my wife. The wail of that flat six is so much a part of that.

The bottom line is the naturally aspirated flat sixes are gone from the Boxster/Cayman (GT4/Spyder likely excluded). I fell in love with that engine and I wanted one. So I bought one before it was too late to (easily) get a new or clean one. I have zero regrets. I can have one of the new turbo four Boxsters any day. And will, eventually.

Rent a 718 S for the weekend. Provided the exhaust isn't a deal breaker for you I think you'll find it is superior to the 981 S in every other way.

EDIT: As I was driving my 981 Boxster GTS home tonight I thought of a simpler comparison. The 981 is a manual transmission and the 718 is a PDK. Sure, the PDK is technically superior and faster in all measures, but I'd still rather row my own gears.

lajoiedp

Drive them both back to back. That's what I did and the decision came easy.

Phil G.

For at least $80K, well equipped $90K plus I wouldn't consider a four cylinder Porsche. I agree that from a performance standpoint, there is no comparison. The torque, steering, brakes, etc. are superb on the 718. As I use mine as a weekend toy, the sound, especially with PSE, is glorious. For me, sound and the "heft" of the boxer six makes the 981 an overall more satisfying car for my purposes. Each to his own.

lajoiedp

For at least $80K, well equipped $90K plus I wouldn't consider a six cylinder Porsche that had as such poor low end torque as the 981. Each to his own.

pc4ever

Owned a 981 Cayman GTS and now a 718 Boxster S. If you enjoy the performance aspect of a sports car, its an easy choice, imo. For me, engine sound was less important than the superior driving characteristics of the 718. My 981 GTS sounded impressive, but the 718 has what the 981 didn't - tons of useable low end torque. Depends on what's important to you.

PorscheAddict

Porsche's have never been about low end torque outside the 911 turbo, they're about feel and charisma. I test drove 981, 981S, 718, 718S, and the call was easy for me too -- to get a 981S while they're still relatively new. To claim it is "only" the exhaust note is also a little facetious, since the throttle response and lack of lag are also significant draws for those of us who actually drive these cars hard. I noticed much more lag in base 718 than S, though. That being said, the 718 is much torquier if that is important, and can be tuned to be even faster. For me, that's not what this is all about.

bminingham

Thanks again, everyone...easier said than done finding a manual 981CS to test drive locally - but I'll keep my eyes peeled...hopefully a dealership can assist if needed.

PorscheAddict

Yep, you're definitely going to have to see for yourself what you place more value on. More thoughts in here to the extent you have not read this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/987-981-...-vs-718-a.html.

bminingham

I should mention that this will be my first car after 8 years of living in NYC, and also my first Porsche. So this adds to the pressure of the situation. I think best case scenario is a 981CGTS if the right one is available at the time to buy...it comes with everything I want and exhaust note is still very important to me. I also wont be driving to work, so this will be an evening/weekend toy.

jsykes

I suggest you watch a few videos on youtube of tests of both cars by the same people and you'll find that almost all of them come to the same conclusion. The 718 is faster and the better track car if you're after outright performance, but the 981 is more fun to drive as the 718 gets boring, quiet and souless when it comes to normal street speeds.

Chris Harris in his 981 review said he would sell a 987 to buy a 981. But in his 718 review, even though faster, he said he'd be looking for a used 981.

Carfection loved the 981 and the reviewer (dont know his name) called it the best car Porsche made at the time. When he tested the 718 he said the 718 was better in almost every way, except when it came to the sound and soul of the car. He also said he'd be looking for a used 981.

Carlos Lago with Motor Trend Ignition giggled like a little schoolgirl with the 718 on the track, but when he got onto the canyon roads said it lost all that joy and became boring and sterile. He also said he'd rather have a used 981.

Of course there are many that like the car as well, so it will certainly come down to personal preference.

The 718 is faster, the engine has more power and torque. It also handles slightly better (though the 981 was already one of the best handling cars out there at any price so do we really need something better). 718 has a newer interior, some like it, some dont, but it definitely has a better PCM if that matters to you.

However, only you can decide what is important to you. If speed and outright performance is your thing, the 718 is the car to go with. If you like the overall driving experience and sound is also important, I think you'll like the 981 more.

I knew that the total experience is what I wanted and the 718 would never feed the needs I had. I dont care that the 718 can get to 60mph a half second quicker than me, nor lap Button Willow a couple seconds faster. I drive my car on the street and I like that I can drive the car in second gear at 45mph and listen to the flat 6 growl. I'm not a 4 cylinder turbo guy. To me, the 981 feels and sounds like a proper sports car at any speed, the 718 is fast, but sterile unless really pushing it.

You should be able to find that spec in a 981 if that is what you decide you want it. There are plenty out there, but it may take a bit of time. Wait for what you want and get what you want though. Dont let the flat 6 fanatics talk you out of the 718 if that is what you want, likewise, if you really like the flat 6, dont let the marginally better performance that you'll hardly ever touch on the street sway you into something you dont want either.

Good luck with the search.

John Ferguson

If I wanted a turbo Porsche, would have owned one before today. If I wanted a four cylinder turbo it would not be a Porsche. Flat sixes made Porsche famous. My BGTS with race headers, protune, sound symposer / PSE SHRIEKS at redline and has plenty of power down low. No huff and puff for me.