911 owners, did you also get a 981/718 later on?
#76
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#77
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Spoken like a true 987 owner! Damn, you guys are fiercely loyal to your cars
Something tells me the 982 Spyder might not share the moniker of "great value," which can be applied to the 987 and 981 cars, but we will see. Plan to dig deep in the wallet for the privilege of 982 ownership is my guess, and then look to raid the kids' college fund if it is a GT offering.
Something tells me the 982 Spyder might not share the moniker of "great value," which can be applied to the 987 and 981 cars, but we will see. Plan to dig deep in the wallet for the privilege of 982 ownership is my guess, and then look to raid the kids' college fund if it is a GT offering.
Yeah both 987 and us 981 Spyder owners are a bit crazy for our cars !!
Both bargain motors for the smiles they bring, but deliver those smiles in different ways.
I wouldn’t want to swap mine for a 987, but fully understand why others wouldn’t want a 981 over a 987.
Both great cars that fit slightly different driver/owner types.
All power to the Spyder Collective :-)
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have enough seat time in the 981 Spyder to really explain what makes it great but my short drive in Nick’s car immediately told me that Porsche took a different approach on the 981. They didn’t necessarily take things away and I can say that very few of the cars were specked without AC and Radio if at all. So with the expectation that the buyer wasn’t going to remove some standard features they instead gave the car razor sharp steering response using a different steering rack, a bunch more power from a bigger NA engine and an exhaust sound to die for. My primary takeaway was that even when the 981 Spyder is driven at slower speeds it still engaged the driver primarily due to the exhaust and more immediate power. I didn’t get that same sensory feedback I get in the 987 but again it didn’t matter because it had other components that made it an amazing drive.
So it just comes down to what you want, both are amazing and we are fortunate to own them.
Getting back on topic, I think the S and GTS models are amazing bargains in the used market and they don’t give up that much on the Spyder/GT4.
#78
There’s no doubt both cars are amazing but how they go about accomplishing that connection with the drive IMHO is very different. The 987 accomplishes an amazing driving experience by paring down the extra’s which leaves the driver to only focus on the connection with the car. Porsche went a step further to enhance parts of the car that provide feedback to the driver including the suspension, mild tune of the engine and IMHO the LWB’s. The 987 doesn’t really feel all that exciting or different until you start pushing it in the corners, it’s at that point when you start pushing it that you connect with the car and all of a sudden everything else around you no longer matters. Your only focus is driving that car through the corners and feeling all the nuances of the road hitting your hands and body. PSE helps with the sound although not nearly as much as with the 981.
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have enough seat time in the 981 Spyder to really explain what makes it great but my short drive in Nick’s car immediately told me that Porsche took a different approach on the 981. They didn’t necessarily take things away and I can say that very few of the cars were specked without AC and Radio if at all. So with the expectation that the buyer wasn’t going to remove some standard features they instead gave the car razor sharp steering response using a different steering rack, a bunch more power from a bigger NA engine and an exhaust sound to die for. My primary takeaway was that even when the 981 Spyder is driven at slower speeds it still engaged the driver primarily due to the exhaust and more immediate power. I didn’t get that same sensory feedback I get in the 987 but again it didn’t matter because it had other components that made it an amazing drive.
So it just comes down to what you want, both are amazing and we are fortunate to own them.
Getting back on topic, I think the S and GTS models are amazing bargains in the used market and they don’t give up that much on the Spyder/GT4.
Nice summary Afshin on all points.
#79
The mid engined cars are great. I have a 2004 996TT and my buddy used to have a 2007 base Cayman. Taking that thing on a twisty road it was just wonderful to drive. It should handle better weighing something like 500 lbs less than mine, but what a thing. Those cars are tremendous value as well. I've test driven a lot of quick newer cars lately and still am clinging to the idea of replacing my Turbo with a nicely optioned 987.2 Cayman S, but either everyone that has them loves them or there aren't too many of them. They seem to rarely come up for sale.
Also don't forget about the Cayenne. That thing is still helping keep the lights on over there.
Also don't forget about the Cayenne. That thing is still helping keep the lights on over there.
#80
have a 997 GT3 and a GT4. i don't think they are redundant or overlaps at all. i'm not a convertible person, but if i was i would probably do GT3 + Spyder so that i have more 'use cases' covered.
#82
I just traded a 991.1 C2 for the 981 Cayman GTS.
I’ve only driven the GTS a couple times at this point, however, feel it’s going to be somewhat more engaging. Somehow the engine sounds much better in this build. Mid Engine on the track, I’m sure will drive more confidence.
I’ve only driven the GTS a couple times at this point, however, feel it’s going to be somewhat more engaging. Somehow the engine sounds much better in this build. Mid Engine on the track, I’m sure will drive more confidence.
#83
Instructor
Thread Starter
Interesting, how does a 991.1 NA engine sound vs the 981’s? I was assuming that it will be similar? Or less feel since engine is positioned back further?
Took my 981 C GTS on the twisties yesterday and find it a little more nimble vs the 991.2 CS especially on turn in. The ride is very compliant as well and not crashy at all for a short car. But the sound is really nice , much better than the 991.2 or my older 997 turbo.
Although the 991.2 has a lot more power and luxury amenities.
Took my 981 C GTS on the twisties yesterday and find it a little more nimble vs the 991.2 CS especially on turn in. The ride is very compliant as well and not crashy at all for a short car. But the sound is really nice , much better than the 991.2 or my older 997 turbo.
Although the 991.2 has a lot more power and luxury amenities.
#84
Interesting, how does a 991.1 NA engine sound vs the 981’s? I was assuming that it will be similar? Or less feel since engine is positioned back further?
Took my 981 C GTS on the twisties yesterday and find it a little more nimble vs the 991.2 CS especially on turn in. The ride is very compliant as well and not crashy at all for a short car. But the sound is really nice , much better than the 991.2 or my older 997 turbo.
Although the 991.2 has a lot more power and luxury amenities.
Took my 981 C GTS on the twisties yesterday and find it a little more nimble vs the 991.2 CS especially on turn in. The ride is very compliant as well and not crashy at all for a short car. But the sound is really nice , much better than the 991.2 or my older 997 turbo.
Although the 991.2 has a lot more power and luxury amenities.
the same engine in the 981 GTS with sport exhaust sounds absolutely amazing, with cracks/burbles, an engine note that is not even remotely comparable to the 991.1 configuration.
Could be engine location, exhaust geometry, no idea, but much much better.
#85
Instructor
Thread Starter
It makes sense. While I personally didn't experience a 991.1 as I jumped straight to .2 coming from 997 Turbo's, I felt that 991.2 CS sounded much better than the 997's even if both are turbo cars. Coupled with PSE, the 991.2 engine sounded more like an NA especially when windows are up and you are only hear the boost clearly when windows are down. Porsche must have done something with the sound flowing into the cabin. The 3.0 Turbos also feels a bit more like an NA vs the 997 Turbos although of course you will still notice the turbo lag in lower gears.
Then with 991.2 professional car reviews, I almost never hear complaints on how bad the 3.0 turbos sounded vs previous NA version. Which is the opposite for car reviews comparing the 981 Cayman/Boxsters to the new 718's, although I thought the 718's sounded fine at least on videos as I've yet to encounter an actual car.
Then with 991.2 professional car reviews, I almost never hear complaints on how bad the 3.0 turbos sounded vs previous NA version. Which is the opposite for car reviews comparing the 981 Cayman/Boxsters to the new 718's, although I thought the 718's sounded fine at least on videos as I've yet to encounter an actual car.
Last edited by speed_kills; 05-04-2018 at 06:20 AM.
#86
Addict
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Speaking of sound, I drove the 981 Spyder to work today. At full throttle under an overpass with the top down the sound prompted me to think that it sounded almost identical to the RSR race car. The engine is that loud and outrageous.
#87
I regularly drive my Spyder to work and my preferred route takes me through a tunnel that runs under the local airport runway.
The noise when in "SP full attack mode" is totally outrageous.... how this can be street legal is crazy :-)
#88
Rennlist Member
I just traded a 991.1 C2 for the 981 Cayman GTS.
I’ve only driven the GTS a couple times at this point, however, feel it’s going to be somewhat more engaging. Somehow the engine sounds much better in this build. Mid Engine on the track, I’m sure will drive more confidence.
I’ve only driven the GTS a couple times at this point, however, feel it’s going to be somewhat more engaging. Somehow the engine sounds much better in this build. Mid Engine on the track, I’m sure will drive more confidence.
Interesting, how does a 991.1 NA engine sound vs the 981’s? I was assuming that it will be similar? Or less feel since engine is positioned back further?
Took my 981 C GTS on the twisties yesterday and find it a little more nimble vs the 991.2 CS especially on turn in. The ride is very compliant as well and not crashy at all for a short car. But the sound is really nice , much better than the 991.2 or my older 997 turbo.
Took my 981 C GTS on the twisties yesterday and find it a little more nimble vs the 991.2 CS especially on turn in. The ride is very compliant as well and not crashy at all for a short car. But the sound is really nice , much better than the 991.2 or my older 997 turbo.
#89
So I finally bit the bullet and ordered the low mileage 2016 Cayman GTS I found on sale recently. It will be my first "small" and naturally aspirated Porsche (coming from a 997 TTS and 991.2 C2S) and looking forward to enjoy it when I get back from a business trip next week.
Thanks for all the advice!
Thanks for all the advice!
I'm a recent 981 Cayman 6MT base owner. I love everything about the car except the road noise, which I believe is primarily from the OEM P-Zeros. I do plan to put Michelin P4Ss on this fall after a couple of track days on the Pzeros, but the tire noise on the worn freeway concrete I drive on quite a bit is so bad that I've taken to using my active noise reduction ear buds on those drives and have been thinking about moving into a 991.1 just for the noise reduction. Can either of you who have owned both comment on the tire/road noise difference between the 981 and 991 specifically? Otherwise the Cayman is just a delight to drive, the best handling car I've ever owned or even driven.