Tommy L Garage

Hi there.
I currently own a lovely 981 Cayman S which I pretty much converted to a GTS. It also has an amazing SOUL exhaust and I love the sound.
I also own a 2017 BMW M3. Both cars are manual.

I want to consolidate from 2 cars to 1 and need one which will handle daily, track, weekend, baby duty.
I am leaning towards a 991.2 C4S or T. Must haves would be sport exhaust and 18 way (or 4 way) seats.


Has anyone gone from a similar setup to the one I plan on getting? Any regrets? My biggest concern is missing the NA motor. And yes I could do the .1 but I don’t like that body style after seeing the .2.

Thanks!

desmotesta

You will love the 991.2 as long as your statement about "It also has an amazing SOUL exhaust and I love the sound" has almost no role in why you enjoy your 981S

This is not meant to offend or start a debate, strictly from an N/A owner ( you) perspective e, one who loves his Soul exhaust on a high revving N/A engine, you will be disappointed in sound and visceral feel department every time you drive the .2 car.

​​​​​​​Performance wise, luxury wise, handling and practicality wise, it will be better than your 981S in almost every way.
In the sound department, the .2 turbo cars idle really well, even cruising around they sound OK, but get on your car like you hope it, and it either sounds too quiet, change the cats and headers and you are left with Ford Turbo pickup like turbo whine and whoosh whoosh
Which is NOT a bad thing, its just not how I envision a 911 to sound. Pull up YouTube videos of even the big brother 3.8L TT and you will find Its the same

Again, for .2 crowd, read my statement, it talks strictly FROM and TO an N/A owner's perspective

​​​​​​​No offense intended
Hope this helps

subwoofer

I went from a 981 Boxster S with PSE to a 991.2 4s without PSE. Both factory-ordered cars. Both manuals. Same situation. Wanted to consolidate to one car. I’ve had my 911 for 4.5 years now. Frankly, I enjoyed driving my Boxster much more. Plenty fast for me. I don’t track my cars.PSE in the 991.2 generation was too farty in sport mode so I nixed that option. The car is very fast, almost too fast for the street because one can hardly rev the engine given the tall gearing and how quickly it builds speed. Engine sound is non-existent. I think it needs a good aftermarket exhaust. My 911 is a very enjoyable car but it doesn’t feel like as much fun as my 981S. Don’t know if this helps.Regrets? Somewhat but I couldn’t use my Boxster all year round in NH whereas I can with my 911. So the 911 is more user-friendly and might work for you.

Tommy L Garage

So you guys are really making me question my decision. Now I wonder if I should just them down to .1… I absolutely love revving the engine up and hearing the exhaust.

Tangerine

Do you want to go fast? Upgrade for sure. If you don't need to go fast, consider you can have more fun on the street with the slower yet more soulful car. To some people fast equals fun. To me I care about how fun it is, how good it feels. And if I haven't been arrested, that's a huge bonus! Sadly some cars are so fast and capable that you can't even begin to enjoy them on the street. Just food for thought.

maschinetheist

OP, back in early 2020, I test drove a 911.2 T and a 981 base on the same day. I picked the 981 base. Why? The engine is a mere 6 inches from my head and I can wind the damn thing without losing my license. Puts a grin on my face every day for half the price. T sounded way too quiet even with PSE turned on. Wild, I know. And the rear jumpseats in the T were useless for the kiddos.

Yes the T will be worth more down the line and will be more special, but I don’t care about that. I just want to have fun and not get busted doing it. Food for though, YMMV, yadda-yadda-yadda.

LWG

You could do a .1, then change out the tails, change out steering wheel, etc.

.1 GTS would be nice choice.

Ill give you some seat time in mine soon if you want. See if the exhaust does enough justice to make the switch to the .2

Yc911Kid

back seat in 911 would be a chore for baby duty(before they can climb in/out the car seat by themself)
this would be a great .2 if you decide to go that route btw https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...che-911-gts-5/

subwoofer

If you like revving the NA engine, the 991.1 GTS manual may be what you want. Very hard to find one and prices are high. I think the turbo six in my 991.2 C4S suits the 992 better with its modern tech, 8-speed PDK, larger size and touring personality. A very capable car in a robotic way and soulless personality IMO. Haha.

Tommy L Garage

All these posts are making me think that I’m crazy for trying to sell…and then you post this link and I start drooling .

Martin S.

About a year ago, I sold my 2015 cayman GTS, and the exhaust note with Sport Exhaust was enchanting. Remember, 991.2 cars have Turbos and they tend to muffle the cound a bit...they trade off is monster torque in contrast to Cayman S peak torque and naturally aspirated sound effects, enhanced in the cabin by a "Symposer" that pipes induction noise into the cabin.

Baby duty? Baby cars seats generally face rearward....that kid, fo as long as it can sit in that rear facing seat will be looking at a wall of leather and be hard for hiis parental units to see. You could put a cameras on the baby. If I were a parent with a young child, I'd buy a Macan GTS, Macan S or a Cayenne S.

I don't miss the N/A motor, recaling that it put out a mere 340 HP. The 991.2 Base is good for 370 HP, and monster torque, the Carera S, 430 HP,also with monster torque, \and my little car, a 2017 Carrera GTS piuts out 450 HP and monster torque as well. It is also my recollection that my former Cayman GTS with PDK in the Sport + mode, took me to 6,000 RPM, minimumm. Sport + on a 2017 GTS allows the driver controlling the shift points and resulting RPMs.

As a GrandPop with a 19 month old grandson, no way I'd stick him in the back of a 991.1....check out that Macan GTS; it's bad ***, and it has a more spacious back seat, the Cayenne is even more bad ***...I drove by pal's Cayenne S, damn it was fast...and roomy to.

As to your original question, any regrets going from a Cayman GTS to a 991.2, as my wife referes to a Cayman with its Boxster roots, as a Porsche Miata....my Cayman GTS apeared fast, made all the right sounds. My 991.2 GTS is fast, bloody fast at that, and a lot more comfortable with added interior room.

eonflux

I can't really address the 981 NA to 991.2 turbo part, but perhaps the baby part.
With 2 garage spaces, my car is my only/daily car, so completely understand needing 1 car to cover everything.

In the past 5 years, have had 5 cars trying to find the right one.

5 years ago, had a 991.1, which a forthcoming baby forced me out of.
Couldn't find a rear-facing seat, click-in system with a stroller that would fit.
But losing the 991.1 wasn't completely devastating because I got bored of PDK (previously had a manual 987.1 Boxster, and other manuals).



Took the opportunity to cover baby, bike, and boarding (snowboarding), so picked up a X6M (F86).
Loved the engine sound/feel, power/torque, and such a nice interior.
But that was 2,000 lbs heavier than 911, and I missed having something smaller and more agile.



That led me to an M3 (competition package) with a manual transmission.
Quite practical, and loved the color and wheels.
But the steering feel was sorely lacking, interior quality subpar (X6M was really nice), and suspension was too harsh.
And the aftermarket bike hitch I thought I could install didn't work out.



So next tried a Macan GTS.
Covers baby, bike, and boarding, and overall, I enjoy driving (my wife's car now) it more than the M3.
OEM hitch provides more clearance than the aftermarket hitch I had installed on the X6M.



But really what I missed was driving a Porsche sports car.
And with our child old enough for a front-facing rear seat, got back into a 911 last summer, and manual this time.
Finally, the "right" car for me that all 3 of us can enjoy.

Tommy L Garage

this really resonates with me, especially since I also own the same Yas marina f80 M3, and when I’m alone I always pick the 981.

Both my kids are now of forward-facing age and the distances we cover aren’t that vast (we have the Tesla for it) so I think it’s finally time to upgrade.

….but T or S….that’s the question.

Zylinderkopfdichtung

Why these two? They’re very, very different cars.

Regarding N/A vs. turbo; I traded a GT350R for a Carrera T. I added Vektor headers to the T, and will soon be installing Soul sport cats and track back exhaust thus deleting the muffler. I recognize that I am chasing an uncatchable sound given the GT350R is among the best sounding production cars ever made. I want more sound from the T.

The spool and blow off of turbos makes for an experience that, IMO, is special unto itself. It adds layers to the exhaust note that are faster to respond to throttle and shifts that simply engine RPM. Not better, but wonderful for sure.

Jack F

If you drive the different variants you should know what is best for you. The 991.2 is such a great platform. Don’t know how it compares to 981. The base is great and the S excellent. The GTS is wonderful. The 4 GTS is planted in ways it’s difficult to explain. So much power that gets delivered so well and the turbo 3.0 with PDK is such a great package. For me. You have to drive them all and decide. There is no bad option. Hopefully you can drive a bunch of them in manual and PDK and various trims and rwd and AWD.