I’ve had my 987.2 2.9L cayman for about a month now and wanted to share my impressions having had a 981 base Cayman in the past.
First of all I am a big fan of the base Caymans. I think they are the hidden gems of the Porsche family. To me the Cayman is not, and was never intended to be, a high horsepower drag car. As such I truly believe one can get just as much enjoyment out of the lower powered base cars that you can out of the CS. The joy of the car is in its sublime handling characteristics which can be exploited just as easily in th base car. Having said that, more power is never a bad thing if the chassis and brakes can handle it and this car can so get a CS if you can but I just don’t see the base cars as playing second fiddle.

So 981 vs 987.2.....aesthetically I think the 981 looks better on the inside and out. Perhaps More well balanced and a little more aggressive on the exterior and just a fresher, more up to date interior as you would expect.

Chassis/handling wise, they feel very similar which is to say both are amazing. Slight edge here to the 987.2 for its better steering feel.

Only perceptable downsides I saw in the 987.2 were the shifter feel (a bit loose), the laggy throttle, and just how damn quiet it was, both from the exhaust and the intake. Apparently the 987.2 is even a good bit quieter than the 987.1.

Good news is that I have addressed all 3 issues easily. I picked up the oem SSK and it is terrific. Much shorter throws and much tighter gear engagement. Perfect.
Second, and I was a little skeptical of this one, but the Sprint Booster V3 absolutely transformed the throttle input for the better. Actually quite astonished how much more enjoyable it has made the driving experience. The new device has like 18 settings so you can tailor your throttle sensitivity accordingly. Best $300 I’ve spent on a car in a long time.

I also picked up a SOUL catback and love it. Amazing build quality and screams like a banshee at WOT. Full review coming on this later.

So I am really quite pleased with the car now and for damn near half the price of my 981 I am ecstatic to have a Porsche back in the garage.

Thats it just thought I would share for anyone who was curious about the 987 vs 981 debate. Thx

I’m keeping my 987 Spyder as “OEM stock” as possible, but the Sprint Booster looks very intriguing. It looks like once you’ve established a preferred setting, you can also remove the switch control and it will still work at that setting, which is even more appealing to me as it would help retain the stock look to the car.

Fantastic news. Thanks for the post and congrats on your new ride!

I actually confirmed this with them just the other day. You can disconnect the wired controller after you have picked your favorite settings. The main device stays in place behind the pedal but the wired controller can be removed so no need to snake any wires. A big plus in my book too.

In my case I reluctantly sold my 981. We were expecting our first child and I needed something with a back seat so I picked up a B8.5 S4 which I still have. The S4 is an awesome DD and fast as hell but after the 981 I yearned for a small agile sports car and began searching for something to compliment the S4. Between the 2 cars I really can’t complain. I have a powerful, luxurious, practical, modern sedan in the Audi and then the 987.2 with all of its amazing handling characteristics that the S4 just can’t match due to its sheer size and weight. And both combined are not much more expensive than the 981 was by itself so I am one happy guy right now. Not looking forward to detailing 2 cars though!