SMLaker

Just took delivery of my Spyder, trading in a '15 Boxster GTS. These cars were night and day apart in performance, and the GTS was an awesome car!

Traded: GTS jet black metallic, two tone agate/pebble int., premium pkg plus, 18way heated/vented, burmester, PLDS plus, PDK etc

Purchased: Spyder black, black w yellow stitching alcantara, ceramics, 2way seats, CDR w Bose, sat radio, carbon fiber

In order of increasing importance( to me of course!)
1) comfort- gave up the most comfortable seats I've ever owned on any car with the 18 way, but the 2 way being the same basic seat are fine. Burmester was unbelievable, even in the Boxster, but not worth the added expense. The CDR is too basic though...no USB, sat menu doesn't display names of preset stations although they are in the dashboard dial. No BT audio, but probably will buy the Arcam talked about on the BT thread. Have manual A/C, crazy this is still standard on an 80k+ car these days but in all honesty works fine in that small cabin.

2) styling- it doesn't get much Hotter than the lines on the Boxster Spyder. Aggressive yet elegant...the black w ceramic and yellow stitching had me at Hello. And I was loving the two tone agate/ pebble!

3)last but not least..Performance- amazing! Obviously much more power, readily appreciated. Sport suspension is much more impressive than PASM IMHO. Tighter, better cornering, and amazingly smooth, not near as rough as I thought. Steering is so much more responsive, turn-ins are quick and decisive. I had PTV on the GTS, but this is noticeably better. Do I need to mention the audio signature?!! Didn't think so...

All that being said, the GTS is an amazing car, probably better suited for the DD with the electric top and creature comforts. I will, however, plan on challenging that assumption!

masti99

Congrats! Post some int pix...

Milehigh981

Excellent, congrats. Jeez those are 2 gorgeous cars

Underblu

Great shot of the cars. Congrats.

I'm going from a 2013 981BS black to the Spyder. I was thinking of 18w but right now I have the LWBS ordered.

I tell you I love your GTS, turbo wheels are killer on that car and the agate interior never my choice in A black car but looks really good. Any reason why you gave up the 18w for the 2 way?

Gravs

I agree the colour combo on the GTS is unexpectedly great!

spyderphile

Congratulations! Gutsy move dumping a nearly-new GTS; but, the Spyder is worth it! :-)

Your brief narration seems to debunk claims that the Spyder is a glorified GTS. Remember reading such commentary from one or two commercial reviewers. Somehow, Porsche manages to make the end result more than the sum of its parts. It's all about subtle tweaks here and there and make them all work together in harmony.

How did the light interior in GTS hold up?

jeanrabelais

Wow, you are one lucky person. Those are two gorgeous iterations of the 981. Thanks for the review. Coming from a GTS it means a lot.

Carcam

Congrats SMLaker- beautiful car!!! I sat in your car and ordered a GT4 like it (with Matt and Mark's help). You're going to love it. The yellow belts and stitching compliment the PCCB's perfectly and it looks downright sinister in black! From one amazing car to another

Underblu

I wouldn't trust half of these commercial reviewers. They are the types that would swear they were high after smoking oregano.

The GT4 is a Cayman GTS with a bigger engine, GT aero package, some weight reduction mods and an upgraded GT front suspension and wider tires.

The Spyder is a Boxster GTS with a a bigger engine, speedster type rear humps, aero package, manual roof/weight reduction and a more aggressive X73 setup.

Somehow according to these reviewers the GT4 is Gods car and the Spyder is an overpriced Boxster with limited appeal.

Honestly, give me a Spyder with those cup tires and I'd happily race someone of equal skills in a GT4. And if for some reason the X73 proved so inferior to the adjustable GT bits on the GT4 there's always JRZ, MOton, and other highly adjustable suspension upgrades that can be tailored to a track just like the GT setup.

And I can get a tan on the way home from the track. Evidently the charm of open air motoring eludes some reviewers. For me I'll take the rigidity hit to have the wind blowing through my hair.

Don't get me wrong, I think the GT4 is a phenomenal car a near perfect PCar in almost every way and I love that the 981 platform finally got the GT treatment it richly deserves but I also feel the same way about the Spyder. While the X73 suspension may not have the the adjustability of the GT suspension, I think it's fair to say you need to be a pretty damn good driver to exploit these differences

Archimedes

True, but I think you're oversimplifying/understating the differences between the GT4 and the Spyder. From a pure performance perspective, they aren't insignificant.

Underblu

I agree, if you have two highly skilled professional drivers the additional torsional rigidity of the GT4 along with the GT treatment, lowered, adjustable suspension, wider tires, track optimized aero dynamics is a sure winner.

But these are also road cars and again the charm of a specialtyconvertible 2900lbs, stiffer than a 911 cabrio with a 3.8L engine seemed to elude the reviewers. While the GT4 is certainly the better track car as that's its mission, that doesn't make the Spyder any less good

Archimedes

Agree and I'd much rather have a Spyder, but I can understand why the media is focusing on the GT4. Honestly, I think over the long term, the Spyder is going to be viewed as a special car, while the GT4 will lose some initial luster. I simply don't see the GT4 holding its initial desirability like say a GT3 or GT3 RS.

Underblu

You're right. I'll tell you, the thing about the GT3, yeah its handling is brilliant connected, taught and precise but it's that free revving acceleration mated with the engine note that makes me think about even now. Not to sound cliche but intoxicating it definitely is. Of course if I owned one I don't see how I keep my license. But what a car.

Getting back to the OP. Sorry for steering your this thread away from the topic at hand. I think many of us Spyder buyers are jumping form a 981 to the Spyder so any more insights you have regarding both cars would be really appreciated and of course anymore pictures. Damn, those PCCBs look badass with the black. Congrats again.

SMLaker

Thanks for the comments....I was planning on building with the 18 way seats, but when this care arrived, it had the look and feel I was looking for. The numbers were right so I decided I probably didn't "need" them. They are the same basic seat and seem to be just as comfortable, I'll know better on the next jaunt to the NC mountains!

SMLaker

Thanks! "Gutsy" may be a nice way of saying "stupid" but my ADD acts up after I have a car for a year....the GTS was awesome, but the Spyder is unbelievable. Most fun car I've owned( 981GTS, 991 S, Audi S5, CLK 55..)

The interior of the GTS held up perfectly(after 14mos though)... Limited cleaning options with ventilated seats. But no stains or fading. Two-tone helps with dark mats.