What are your long term plan with your 981?
10-07-2018, 04:46 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
What are your long term plan with your 981?
As a proud owner of a 2014 Boxster, I am planning to eventually keep this car for as long as possible. I know these newer cars are not the same as the Porsches from the 70s or 80s where you could do almost everything yourself. The older these cars get, the more issues we will have to expect and giving the complex technology I assume that with increasing age cost of maintenance will significantly go up. The 718 is not an alternative for me, so I don't have many choices than staying with my 98
I was wondering what other people plan to do with their 981? Keeping it for ever, keeping it couple more years and sell it or sell it once the warranty is over and move to the next car. What do you think about potential cost of ownership of the older 981?
I was wondering what other people plan to do with their 981? Keeping it for ever, keeping it couple more years and sell it or sell it once the warranty is over and move to the next car. What do you think about potential cost of ownership of the older 981?
10-07-2018, 06:17 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
10-07-2018, 06:42 PM
#4
Instructor
I just got mines and its in the shop for upgrades, and basic maintenance! after learning about porsche a little bit more and especially the 981's im happy with my purschse! will hold on as much as i can till my next crazy project idea comes....
10-07-2018, 07:06 PM
#6
Like many of us, I've gone through my share of cars over the past 2+ decades and would have what some would call "car ADD" because nothing seems to hold my attention for too long. I'm always window shopping... browsing my favorite used car sites, reading car reviews, watching YouTube reviews, etc. The first thing I do when I get my issue of Panorama is flip to the classified section and see what's there.
That all said, I have two paths that I'm actively considering:
1. Keep the car "forever" (or at least for 10+ more years). The reasons for this are numerous. Of all of the sports cars I've owned, this has been the most fun. It's a joy to drive with the 6MT, it sounds great with the flat 6 and the PSE, it handles great, it looks beautiful...it's everything I want in a sports car. Also, I now have 3 kids (all girls) that aren't getting any younger, and finding money for frivolous personal things like sports cars is getting more and more difficult. There's always about 10 things more important to spend the money on or save the money for. So as much as I enjoy looking at new sports cars, I'm not really intending on buying one. My daily driver (currently a 2018 Acura RDX) is the vehicle I swap out every couple of years to keep things fresh.
2. While I don't see myself buying another sports car, at least not for the next 10-12 years, there's also the thought if I can find one car that truly could do it all... have enough fun and styling to satisfy the sports car guy in me, but also enough space and practicality to satisfy the homeowner and dad of 3 in me...then I would consider consolidating to one vehicle. The reason I think this is more unlikely though is that I swear I've considered everything out there, and nothing quite fits the bill. Because my "do it all" car needs to have seating for 5, that really limits the sportiness. There are a lot of fun vehicles out there with seating for 4... but very few with seating for 5. I've considered the Cayenne GTS a few times, but it really doesn't excite me. I've also looked at a Supercharged Range Rover, a Jeep SRT, and a BMW X5M. Every time I think about it though, none of those vehicles seems better to me than keeping my car and driving something more vanilla as a daily like my RDX.
So, the plan is option 1. Keep the car for the long haul. If something comes out that would fit the bill in option 2, I could possibly do that. But I do not see myself getting another sports car until the kids are out of college, which is a long way off.
That all said, I have two paths that I'm actively considering:
1. Keep the car "forever" (or at least for 10+ more years). The reasons for this are numerous. Of all of the sports cars I've owned, this has been the most fun. It's a joy to drive with the 6MT, it sounds great with the flat 6 and the PSE, it handles great, it looks beautiful...it's everything I want in a sports car. Also, I now have 3 kids (all girls) that aren't getting any younger, and finding money for frivolous personal things like sports cars is getting more and more difficult. There's always about 10 things more important to spend the money on or save the money for. So as much as I enjoy looking at new sports cars, I'm not really intending on buying one. My daily driver (currently a 2018 Acura RDX) is the vehicle I swap out every couple of years to keep things fresh.
2. While I don't see myself buying another sports car, at least not for the next 10-12 years, there's also the thought if I can find one car that truly could do it all... have enough fun and styling to satisfy the sports car guy in me, but also enough space and practicality to satisfy the homeowner and dad of 3 in me...then I would consider consolidating to one vehicle. The reason I think this is more unlikely though is that I swear I've considered everything out there, and nothing quite fits the bill. Because my "do it all" car needs to have seating for 5, that really limits the sportiness. There are a lot of fun vehicles out there with seating for 4... but very few with seating for 5. I've considered the Cayenne GTS a few times, but it really doesn't excite me. I've also looked at a Supercharged Range Rover, a Jeep SRT, and a BMW X5M. Every time I think about it though, none of those vehicles seems better to me than keeping my car and driving something more vanilla as a daily like my RDX.
So, the plan is option 1. Keep the car for the long haul. If something comes out that would fit the bill in option 2, I could possibly do that. But I do not see myself getting another sports car until the kids are out of college, which is a long way off.
10-07-2018, 07:36 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Not a 981, but the 987.1 is likely the last truly analogue car I'm gonna own. Row my own, hydraulic steering, gas-powered flat six, limited electronics (ABS and PSM). Yup, as analogue as I'm likely to see for awhile. I think I'll keep it until further notice.
Trending Topics
10-07-2018, 09:49 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for all your answers. What do you all think about potential higher maintenance cost? Again, I love my 981 and want to keep it for ever, although thinking of a blown PDK or blown engine makes me a bit nervous. I think the higher the miles and ago go, the higher is the risk of a major issue. So far the 981s are max 7 years old and I haven't seen anywhere cars above 80k miles, so it is really difficult to predict how these cars are going to age. I know one should not worry too much and enjoy the car.....
10-07-2018, 09:58 PM
#9
Instructor
2015 GTS ordered exactly the way I wanted it, PDK, PTV, GTS interior, 18 way sofas, NAV. Might sell if I order a new Spyder, but otherwise plan on keeping it a long, long time.
10-07-2018, 11:03 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
Definitely a long-term keeper. I don't cling to guns or religion, but my 981S is a different story. Nothing like the 981 platform -- an NA 911 engine in an affordable sports car designed by engineers rather than marketers -- will ever be built again.
My thinking is that instead of upgrading to a future sports car, I will probably end up buying this one twice. If the convertible top fails, the engine grenades itself and the PDK falls apart, that's still going to be cheaper to fix than a new car would be to purchase. As long as I prefer to own this car over any given new car in the $40K-$60K class, that will drive the decision.
Right now that's true for any other car in the sub-$200K class. If you gave me a brand new McLaren or 488, I'd sell it and use the money to order three or four more new 981s to squirrel away. If Porsche would sell them to me, that is...
My thinking is that instead of upgrading to a future sports car, I will probably end up buying this one twice. If the convertible top fails, the engine grenades itself and the PDK falls apart, that's still going to be cheaper to fix than a new car would be to purchase. As long as I prefer to own this car over any given new car in the $40K-$60K class, that will drive the decision.
Right now that's true for any other car in the sub-$200K class. If you gave me a brand new McLaren or 488, I'd sell it and use the money to order three or four more new 981s to squirrel away. If Porsche would sell them to me, that is...
10-08-2018, 01:10 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/1100...e-story-3.html
This is one of the issues I am scared of when the car is out of warranty.
This is one of the issues I am scared of when the car is out of warranty.
10-08-2018, 09:30 AM
#12
What do you think about this?
10-08-2018, 11:42 AM
#13
Rennlist Member
Great question, and something I've thought about since this is my first Porsche and I think I have some time ahead of me. My dream car since I was 12 was a 993, which has shifted to a GT3 of some sort over the past few years as the 911 has become more of a GT car. I've loved the Cayman since it got released, as I saw it as a purist's car that got back to the basics of what a car should be, and I figured I should have one while I don't have kids. I'm coming up on 2 years of ownership on my 981 CS, and this past year I just started to dip my toe and autocross my car. One realization I quickly came to is that there's little point in owning a sports car if you don't do some sort of driving like autocross/DE events. You just can't get to the same limits on the street as you can in a controlled environment, and just commuting in the car doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you're not exercising it every now and then. At the same time, driving is not my job, and I realize that I'm probably never going to wring the most out of my Cayman, much less a GT3. I got to drive a GT3 on the track and absolutely loved it, but if I'm not going to maximize the speed of my Cayman, it's tough to justify a GT3 (although the noise it makes might just be worth it). There's definitely a part of me that questions the point of the GT3 now, and I'm not sure whether it's a street car for the track or a track car for the street, and what the real point of that is. For the time being, I'm going to stick to my 981S, although I do have my name on a list for the Spyder, and admittedly I keep on looking at 987 Spyders. I wonder whether less is more, and I should just get something like a 987 Spyder or that original 993 that I've wanted and go back to driving something like a GTI daily.
10-08-2018, 02:08 PM
#14
Maintenance doesn’t really scare me. With my trusty Durametric and a well stocked tool box, I can do much of it myself. Back when I raced Formula Ford’s, I rebuilt engines and transmissions and did my own suspension alignments. I did all of the maintenance on my 2002 986 S, and of course that one had the flaky IMS Bearing that never gave me a problem.
I think these cars are incredibly reliable. I owned my 986S for 12 years and the most major issue I had was replacing a couple of wheel bearings. I know people on some of the message boards that have well in excess of 300K miles on their 986’s. Without the IMS bearing, I think the 981 will be at least a reliable as the the 986, and probably more so.
Of course the PDK thing might be something be wary of. As cars have become more capable, they have become more complex and more difficult to service. I am glad that I don’t have to worry about that one.
I think these cars are incredibly reliable. I owned my 986S for 12 years and the most major issue I had was replacing a couple of wheel bearings. I know people on some of the message boards that have well in excess of 300K miles on their 986’s. Without the IMS bearing, I think the 981 will be at least a reliable as the the 986, and probably more so.
Of course the PDK thing might be something be wary of. As cars have become more capable, they have become more complex and more difficult to service. I am glad that I don’t have to worry about that one.
10-08-2018, 02:37 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
If the 718 Spyder is a NA 6 and I can get it for MSRP, I'll likely spec out my own and replace the 2016 Spyder. If not, I'll probably keep this car for at least another 2 or so years and let it go right before the CPO expires.
