No point arguing Cayman vs. 911 if you need a backseat.

You say you want the hydraulic steering the 981 doesn't give you, this tells me you care about steering feel and for this reason I would go for a 2 wheel drive 911 over a 4 or 4S.

But you also want the widebody, so that means you would need a 4 wheel drive variant (assuming you aren't stepping up to a .2 GTS or RS). So, what is more important to you, steering feel or the widebody?

If you are used to the performance of the PDK in your 981, I do wonder if you may be disappointed with the 997.2 PDK as I do hear folks claim they are a step behind the 981/991 generation both in terms of performance and reliability.

Sounds like you'll be making a concession with one or more of your preferences here.

 

The other massive difference that was the main reason I paid the extra for the .2 is the interior. In my eyes the .1 interior looks so dated and the .2 looks light-years newer.

That's where you are going to be sat and I think it's really the biggest win for the .2

 

Well if the engine rebuild was done by some bloke from Romford how can you go wrong :-)

Looks like a lovely car, enjoy........

 

The radio is what really dates it…I put in a new Pioneer with Wirless Apple CarPlay and all the bells and whistles. To me it’s now a modern classic, to frills, no over the top Electronics which is why we have the 997’s

 

I cant speak to any of the mechanical differences or the risk between M9x and 9A1 engines or the PDK in the 997.2 vs the PDK in the 981 but I will tell you my personal anecdote about 981s PDK to a 997.2 Manual

I was told by many people the cayman was a great drivers car, and it is but the steering for me felt like a video game above 50mph, on the track the 981 was nimble but again the steering was detached and feathery and I didnt get any road feel. The PDK was awesome on the track.

my 997.2 has so much more road/driving engagement. you can feel all the road, camber, etc. Im glad I switched just in terms of the feeling of 'am I driving the car' or 'am I just riding in a point and shoot car'. The act of semi mechanical driving is what I was after and thats what I got with the 997 and was lacking in the 981. In hind sight a 996 gt3 would have been even closer to what I was looking for but no back seat and I have 3 small boys that all want to ride.

 

Having owned a 981 and now a 997.2, I can't argue with your assessment of steering feel between the two. If you think the 997.2 is good, however, you should try a 987.2.

 

@850tgul Im starting to come around to the idea that tracking my GTS is a bit rich for my blood and risk tolerance levels and have started looking for a dedicated track car that I will cry less about if when I damage/total. I was looking at a 986 for spec boxster racing but I also see spec cayman is a thing, Ill have to try and swing a drive in a 987.2 before I buy. Thank you.

 

Great advice imo. So many important improvements on the 997.2 over the 997.1 that the little corner of the tail light should be a non issue all things considered as I see it. And I have much more manual time than the OP but I would not want to go back to a manual after having two PDK cars. Wasn't sure it would but it grew on me.

 

My issue with the 997.2 is its upgradability. In the UK the 997.2 is about 2 grand cheaper than a 991 Base. If I can't do anything to my car that actually makes it look more unique, I'd just go for a 991, which is probably a lot better than a 997.
Unless someone can point me to a place where I can make my car my own with light upgrades, interior systems and nice bumpers?
Those lights, on all fronts, are not upgradable. There are no lightbar/LED upgrades and IMO it's what makes the car look 10 years old.

I've seen 997.1s on youtube with about 2 grand of upgrades and they look like a modern car, the 997.2 doesn't compare. I understand and appreciate that you're all saying the 997.2 is just simply a better car on every front but is it really miles better?

 

This concept of upgradeability being a deciding factor between models is, in all honesty, very odd to me. To each their own but, IMO, putting those aftermarket headlights and taillights on an older car in an attempt to modernize it, comes off as cheesy to me and cheapens the look of the car. The 997, either generation, is now an older car, and there is nothing wrong with embracing that.

The aftermarket for Porsches is not what it is for Hondas. Not disparaging Honda’s I’m any way, it’s just that the mindset of the Porsche owner tends to be more skewed towards originality or the “OEM plus” methodology of modding.

Also not sure of your assessment that the 991 is probably better than the 997. Many would disagree there from a driving perspective.

 

I think these do persuade towards OEM+ though. Apart from the rear lights (which I still think look cool), they're genuine parts that work with the 997. You can find them on design911.co.uk
None of the mods I've mentioned are out there. The car will literally look like a 911 Sports classic with better lighting. A lot of car restomods usually implement LED's, including Singer Porsche.

 

I agree with you. Those aftermarket LED tail lights and front fog light units to me look, well, aftermarket and like Christmas lighting. I don’t think they make the car look more modern or any better when put on (in fact, I think they look worse) but it’s their car so whatever floats their boat I guess. There’s no shame in owning an older 911 in my view…why not embrace it and enjoy it the way it was provided from Porsche? I have a couple of photos of mine from my IG that Porsche themselves posted on their website (one of them below), and I have the original tail lights. Doubt they would’ve posted it if I had those crazy LEDs on, not that it matters to those who like em, but I don’t think they make the car look better. I also don’t think .1 interior looks so bad. To me, those aftermarket NAV units that folks put in actually look very aftermarket, so I kept my original in as well. I even ended up buying extra sets of each item on the entire center stack (PCM/radio, HVAC unit, sport spoiler button, etc, just to have good spares in case my current ones go bad or if the finish wears off one day). I guess I’m old fashioned or just old. LOL.

 

The only thing that might presuade me the 997.2 tinted rear lights. Not sure how these were done though.

I do like them and would fix all the other issues I have with the 997.2.

 

@Baker92 unsure if this matter, Im pretty sure the bottom right pic is a 981 generation cayman, I dont think that those lights would fit a 997 if that exact light was something you were after.

 

Lower right pic shows a round headlight which shouldn’t be a Cayman. It’s prob a 991 headlamp, not a 981.