meteor10

So this post may tend to ramble on a bit but I have been watching and reading about the new 981 Spyder for a while. First off I think it is a stunning car visually and having been bitten by the Porsche bug (and specifically the Boxster bug) a few years ago I follow with great interest. Having had a 987.2 Boxster and now a 981 BS I am a great fan, the 987 is great, has a few awkward angles visually but generally a good looking convertible sports car. The 981 in my opinion is a big improvement visually and has a much better stance, and now the 981 Spyder is really awesome looking. (Damn you Porsche for always upping the ante) Love the streamliners, duck tail spoiler and aggressive front fascia..
It does still have a few weak points in my opinion, and being a designer of 3 dimensional objects I understand how difficult it is to get it right all the time, and especially so when you have the technical aspects of a car involved. But for a company as accomplished as Porsche I wonder why they would rush it and not get it 100% correct.

My questions for those who own the new Spyder are:

The roof- I just realized that most of my questions center around the roof.

-Do the roof wing attachment points bother you, technically and visually? (they don't actually touch the body, the fabric that is , so really fakey fake. Also I have read that they don't lock in particularly securely.

-The interior of the roof is all exposed bars and such. For a $100,000 sports car it seems that they could have at least put some kind of headliner over the roof ribs. If it was a 50 year old Austin Healy or something similar I could except it, but with the 981 and it's plush and awesome interior I can't see it. The 20 pounds or so of weight savings for this manual roof does not seem at all significant, and not being able to open the trunk with the roof up also seems ridiculous to me.

- 981 Spyder owners, how is the noise factor with the roof up on the highway? I am used to the regular Boxster roof, and although 75% of the time I am driving with the roof down, for the remaining 25% it is is quiet and great, so just wondering from those who have driven both what the difference is like.

-Is the rear window rigid plastic, glass or thin sheet (vinyl?) like on the 987 Spyder, and how is the visibility out the rear window?

Sorry if this sounds like a rant don't mean it to be, just wondering about these things with the roof.

I think I will have to find a dealer with a Spyder to go look at in the flesh, (this could be very dangerous on the wallet). I believe there is one 1.5 hour drive south and one 1.25 hour drive north of me at this time.

In closing I want to say congrats to all of those that presently own a 981 Spyder, you have very beautiful cars that I am sure drive incredibly well with that 3.8 engine.

s2ktaxi

Agree about the attachment points - the 987's seemed better engineered and better visually.

The interior is meant to be raw for weight reduction and to stay with the spirit of the car.

if the 987 spyder was any indication, the 981 Spyder will not be that quiet with the roof up. But the benefit is you get to hear the exhaust better

djlynch

Hi Meteor. If you can see the car and drive it do it. The top is fine. It just takes practice no big deal. The wing buttress look looks awesome with top up. The clips snap into place fine just takes getting used to. The back window is solid piece of plastic again fine. The noise level is not bad on highway and remember it's a roadster! I love the car more than any I've owned and these nit picks about top may bother some but add to the experience of the car for many more.

Just look at how great this top looks up and remember it is completely invisible when down with no opening or cover required.

Bud 981

I upgraded from an 05 987 Boxster base to the new 981 Spyder so I'll try to answer some of your questions. I drove 4hrs to drop off my old Boxster and then returned in my new Spyder, top up both ways. I was surprised how close the sound levels were, a bit more tire and engine noise (when under load) could be heard but cruising at highway speeds I talked comfortably with my passenger and after 4hrs never thought it was too loud at all. I also like the look of the roof up and am fine securing the attachment points (but I probably will "not" trust anyone else to secure it when putting the roof up just in case they don't engage it right). The plastic windows looks fine (it's flexible but thick plastic) and rear visibility was better then I thought it would be, I really do forget that it's plastic it's as clear as glass. I was worried about the headliner missing and exposed metal after seeing pictures online, after seeing it and sitting in it I felt relieved, it really looks fine, there are a few elastic fabric pieces behind your head but you really can't see them unless you try.

When I was looking at this car to buy I really wanted a finished, powered roof with a glass rear window, I wanted regular door pulls, and shorter ratio 1st & 2nd gears, and I wanted 400hp just because. After buying this car sight unseen; something I've never done, I can honestly say I have no regrets, None of those things bother me at all. This is truly an awesome car in every way.

I will concede that the rear trunk not opening without unlatching the roof seems like an oversight, but I can live only using the frunk when the tops up.

Mark Dreyer

For me this car is all about that 3.8 engine. It is incredible. Would I choose an automatic roof if given the choice? Yes, I'd pay the 20 lb penalty for that convenience. However, I would not for a nanosecond consider missing out on this engine over some slight inconvenience related to the top.

As for the road noise with the top up, it's not Lexus level quiet, but isn't bad either. I can have a phone conversation at highway speed no problem. And I don't mind the unfinished interior top. It is actually kind of cool.

If you have the opportunity to buy a Spyder, do it. You'll love it.

djlynch

Agree with everything Mark said

meteor10

Thanks guys for your responses, I think a trip to the dealer is in order to check it out.
Sounds like the positives definitely outweigh the negatives, price tag notwithstanding

Boxster7

I also agree with all everyone has said above.
I actually came from an Austin Healey 3000 via a 987BS, so the roof is actually a bit of cool retro for me.
The whole experience just makes you feel the car is very special.

I've yet to read or speak to any owner who isn't really pleased they bought this car.
It is an awesome thing.

Go look and drive it and let us know what you think.

RWR

The only convertible I had where I operated the top often was a 1965 Corvette stingray convertible. The process dropping and raising the top on the Spyder sounds like much the same. The corvette did not have a trunk but did have some cargo space you accessed from the passenger compartment when the top was up. The fasteners to the windshield were manual. It was really no trouble for me but then again I was young and it was all I knew. On a few occasions I had to pull over to the side of the road or under some canopy to put the top up when it started to rain, but was no big deal.

Edit: Come to think of it, my corvette was also MT with a 327 and 365 horsepower. White with Blue leather interior. I am thinking of several similarities of that corvette and the Spyder. Perhaps the top of the Spyder fits its "vintage" aspects!

SteveInNj

A copy and paste from another post I made:

2 weeks in and 600 miles, all I can tell you is that the car is ABSOLUTELY worth it. It is unbelievable. The extra torque and power, steering crispness, X73 with larger sway bars, and even the top (so easy you wonder what the heck people are complaining about). Pics cannot do the aesthetics justice. And those wheels!

I did a good amount of highway driving both top up and top down. The car is wind-noisy compared to my GTS or the other models with the insulated roof, BUT THATS EXACTLY WHAT THIS CAR IS ABOUT! It has a rawness to it that you can really connect with. For me, it adds to the 'feeling like I'm in a high performance car' experience. Also, The exhaust sounds amazing even under 4K rpms. When I can rev past 4K rpms, it will be unreal.

dd356

I'm new to the 981 scene and have only had 911's in various generations. I've been looking at some of the spyders on dealer lots and was wondering what those more knowledgeable about the spyder are seeing as a "realistic markup" on dealer cars? It seems like everything is around the 100k mark which i guess i'm asking is it fair for a dealer stock car? Any input appreciated. thx

John Boggiano

I have always thought of the Spyder (especially the 987, but also the 981 - mine arrives on Jan 4) as open cars to which one can fit a roof (if you really must...).

The roof's nature and basic finishing might not be very necessary but they do help with the psychology of that special flavour. Similarly to the fabric door pulls: they achieve nothing objectively, but much subjectively.

Mark Dreyer

Just had a guy approach me wanting to know what it is. He said it is"gorgeous" and a "show stopper". Inside the place of business he was telling others they needed to go out and see it.

This response is not rare and has been somewhat surprising to me. I figured that to the general public this would just be another Boxster. Not so. Everyone is noticing it.

taibo

i see a lot of post where posters say the roof is not purely functional and therefore a compromise to the purpose built intent of the new spyder. don't the flaps help to stabilize the top allowing it to survive at 180mph?

also w the streamliners, you can't have a roof that stows in the same way as on a standard 981. so between having a roof at all, stowing it, and allowing for full speed operation with a roof on, i'd categorize the new roof as an engineering triumph!

or have i been duped by clever porsche marketing?

Jamie140

In the past two decades I've owned an F40, 2 16M's, 3 CGTs, a bunch of Fiat's an unccountable number of turbo porsche's, a flock of BMW M cars and a lot of NA Porsche's.

Aside from the 16M's, the Boxster Spyder is the funnest car I've had of all of them.

The only thing I don't get is the roof. I can't get the thingy's on the wings to go in unless I get frustrated and pound them in in frustration. Other than that, the car is a revelation.