981 base or 987.2S for a fun commuting car?
10-22-2017, 07:18 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
981 base or 987.2S for a fun commuting car?
Hello everyone,
I have approx. $40k to spend on a commuter. 2 seats are all that I need; originally I was thinking Japanese fun hatch to keep costs down, but with a bit more money, why not look at a Cayman?
At that price, I am into either a 987.2 or a 981 base. It has to be a manual, and it has to be reliable. I will be putting around 1,000 miles a month on the car, give or take, depending on season and how nice the weather is for commuting on my bicycle.
I can't find a 981 base to drive locally. Nobody is stocking the Cayman or Boxster going into winter. I have driven the 981 S, and it was amazing. My question really comes do to: will the 2.7L be enough engine for daily driving and taking the long way home? My other P-cars have had larger engines: I currently own a 991.1 C2S 7MT (wife's main car) and previously owned a 997.2 C2 (345hp). Not that I need a big engine: I think my Tacoma makes 231hp, but I don't expect much out of it, aside from reliability and usefulness.
I plan on taking the plunge on a Cayman, but whether to look for a clean 987.2 S or a 981 is the big question. I have thought about a 997.1S in that price range as well, but the mileage will be quite high and the car quite a bit older. Lack of depreciation may be outweighed by extra maintenance.
I have approx. $40k to spend on a commuter. 2 seats are all that I need; originally I was thinking Japanese fun hatch to keep costs down, but with a bit more money, why not look at a Cayman?
At that price, I am into either a 987.2 or a 981 base. It has to be a manual, and it has to be reliable. I will be putting around 1,000 miles a month on the car, give or take, depending on season and how nice the weather is for commuting on my bicycle.
I can't find a 981 base to drive locally. Nobody is stocking the Cayman or Boxster going into winter. I have driven the 981 S, and it was amazing. My question really comes do to: will the 2.7L be enough engine for daily driving and taking the long way home? My other P-cars have had larger engines: I currently own a 991.1 C2S 7MT (wife's main car) and previously owned a 997.2 C2 (345hp). Not that I need a big engine: I think my Tacoma makes 231hp, but I don't expect much out of it, aside from reliability and usefulness.
I plan on taking the plunge on a Cayman, but whether to look for a clean 987.2 S or a 981 is the big question. I have thought about a 997.1S in that price range as well, but the mileage will be quite high and the car quite a bit older. Lack of depreciation may be outweighed by extra maintenance.
10-22-2017, 08:45 PM
#2
Race Director
Hello everyone,
I have approx. $40k to spend on a commuter. 2 seats are all that I need; originally I was thinking Japanese fun hatch to keep costs down, but with a bit more money, why not look at a Cayman?
At that price, I am into either a 987.2 or a 981 base. It has to be a manual, and it has to be reliable. I will be putting around 1,000 miles a month on the car, give or take, depending on season and how nice the weather is for commuting on my bicycle.
I can't find a 981 base to drive locally. Nobody is stocking the Cayman or Boxster going into winter. I have driven the 981 S, and it was amazing. My question really comes do to: will the 2.7L be enough engine for daily driving and taking the long way home? My other P-cars have had larger engines: I currently own a 991.1 C2S 7MT (wife's main car) and previously owned a 997.2 C2 (345hp). Not that I need a big engine: I think my Tacoma makes 231hp, but I don't expect much out of it, aside from reliability and usefulness.
I plan on taking the plunge on a Cayman, but whether to look for a clean 987.2 S or a 981 is the big question. I have thought about a 997.1S in that price range as well, but the mileage will be quite high and the car quite a bit older. Lack of depreciation may be outweighed by extra maintenance.
I have approx. $40k to spend on a commuter. 2 seats are all that I need; originally I was thinking Japanese fun hatch to keep costs down, but with a bit more money, why not look at a Cayman?
At that price, I am into either a 987.2 or a 981 base. It has to be a manual, and it has to be reliable. I will be putting around 1,000 miles a month on the car, give or take, depending on season and how nice the weather is for commuting on my bicycle.
I can't find a 981 base to drive locally. Nobody is stocking the Cayman or Boxster going into winter. I have driven the 981 S, and it was amazing. My question really comes do to: will the 2.7L be enough engine for daily driving and taking the long way home? My other P-cars have had larger engines: I currently own a 991.1 C2S 7MT (wife's main car) and previously owned a 997.2 C2 (345hp). Not that I need a big engine: I think my Tacoma makes 231hp, but I don't expect much out of it, aside from reliability and usefulness.
I plan on taking the plunge on a Cayman, but whether to look for a clean 987.2 S or a 981 is the big question. I have thought about a 997.1S in that price range as well, but the mileage will be quite high and the car quite a bit older. Lack of depreciation may be outweighed by extra maintenance.
Heck I initially commuted around 10 miles each way in my 2002 Boxster (with a 2.7l 5-speed configuration) mainly on county roads. But it was also great on the freeway. And for the long way home, well great. Example? Hundreds of miles in one day driving around mid-MO from KC to Jeff City to Springfield and then Branson (for a nice steak dinner) then north back to home. That was when the car was nearly new.
Since then the car has averaged nearly 20K miles per year and even with 315K+ miles is still a joy to drive.
Since March of 2004 the car has been my primary commuter for a 20+ mile commute initially then when I moved a bit further out and away from work this increased to 30 mile commute to work every day. That is the car covers at least 60 miles a day and does this at least 3 days out of 5. The Turbo gets used 2 days a week to keep the battery topped up.
The Boxster was taken on many a long road trip too, 4K miles or more often covering this distance in a week's time. (Leaving home on a Saturday and being at my destination by late Sunday or early Monday then after a few days of visiting leaving for home and after 2K miles being home by the next Saturday or Sunday.)
The engine is quite powerful and moves the relatively light Boxster down the road with ease. While the newer Cayman is probably heavier than my 2002 Boxster the newer 2.7l engine I believe has more power and torque.
To me a plus with the smaller (2.7l) vs the larger (3.2/3.4l) engine is the 2.7l engine is a stronger engine in that it has thicker cylinder walls and is a bit stronger for it. I like to believe this is one reason the engine has held up so well all these years and miles.
OTOH, the bigger engine doesn't have to work as hard. By this I mean in order to move my Boxster down the highway on level ground with no wind takes about 40hp. (This is true with my VW Golf TDi, my GTO, and my 996 Turbo.) I base this on the (calcuationed) load I get when I check this engine load metric with an OBD2 code reader/data logger.
For my Boxster and its 2.7l engine 40hp is about 18% engine load. (The 2.7l engine puts out max not quite 220hp.) However, a 3.2l or 3.4l engine while each would have to put out the same approx. 40hp because of their higher output this would represent less than 18% output and thus each of the larger engines would work not as hard.
Still the 2.7l engine doesn't seem to be afraid of working. After lunch today I filled up the gas tank and headed out for a drive. Around 25 miles consisting of some county highway and some freeway. Still impressed how well the engine runs and how willing it is to rev. Still get a kick taking an on-ramp and giving the engine some whip and letting it stretch its legs. What an engine!
My 2nd car is a 996 Turbo. 420hp. (On the road this engine only requires around 10% of its output to maintain highway speed over a flat stretch of road.)
Really believe it or not the two cars are in some ways quite similar but at the same time quite different. But I don't feel the Boxster is any less a sports car regarding sports car handling, performance, and whatever else goes into the sports car pot compared to the Turbo. Sure the Turbo would blow the doors off the Boxster but the roads here are not filled with Turbos but with just for the most part ordinary cars. The Boxster is certainly able to keep up with these cars leaving the stop lights and on the open highway pass slower traffic with relative ease. Furthermore it is the numerous times I have had it in higher elevations (passing through Flagstaff for instance) unaffected by even 7700 feet elevation. (Obviously though the Turbo wins the comparison here as the car is a beast even at elevations close to 9K feet. That is the beauty of a turbo-charged engine.)
With all that said though it comes down to what you feel is best for you. Only your butt dyno can make the call.
So test drive both examples and make up your own mind if the smaller engine car is suitable (more than just "suitable") or if the car with the larger engne is the only car for you.
10-23-2017, 12:57 AM
#3
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
The 2.7l engine is plenty of engine to suffice for a commute be it over county roads or freeway and for any mix of roads in taking the long way home.
Heck I initially commuted around 10 miles each way in my 2002 Boxster (with a 2.7l 5-speed configuration) mainly on county roads. But it was also great on the freeway. And for the long way home, well great. Example? Hundreds of miles in one day driving around mid-MO from KC to Jeff City to Springfield and then Branson (for a nice steak dinner) then north back to home. That was when the car was nearly new.
Since then the car has averaged nearly 20K miles per year and even with 315K+ miles is still a joy to drive.
Since March of 2004 the car has been my primary commuter for a 20+ mile commute initially then when I moved a bit further out and away from work this increased to 30 mile commute to work every day. That is the car covers at least 60 miles a day and does this at least 3 days out of 5. The Turbo gets used 2 days a week to keep the battery topped up.
The Boxster was taken on many a long road trip too, 4K miles or more often covering this distance in a week's time. (Leaving home on a Saturday and being at my destination by late Sunday or early Monday then after a few days of visiting leaving for home and after 2K miles being home by the next Saturday or Sunday.)
The engine is quite powerful and moves the relatively light Boxster down the road with ease. While the newer Cayman is probably heavier than my 2002 Boxster the newer 2.7l engine I believe has more power and torque.
To me a plus with the smaller (2.7l) vs the larger (3.2/3.4l) engine is the 2.7l engine is a stronger engine in that it has thicker cylinder walls and is a bit stronger for it. I like to believe this is one reason the engine has held up so well all these years and miles.
OTOH, the bigger engine doesn't have to work as hard. By this I mean in order to move my Boxster down the highway on level ground with no wind takes about 40hp. (This is true with my VW Golf TDi, my GTO, and my 996 Turbo.) I base this on the (calcuationed) load I get when I check this engine load metric with an OBD2 code reader/data logger.
For my Boxster and its 2.7l engine 40hp is about 18% engine load. (The 2.7l engine puts out max not quite 220hp.) However, a 3.2l or 3.4l engine while each would have to put out the same approx. 40hp because of their higher output this would represent less than 18% output and thus each of the larger engines would work not as hard.
Still the 2.7l engine doesn't seem to be afraid of working. After lunch today I filled up the gas tank and headed out for a drive. Around 25 miles consisting of some county highway and some freeway. Still impressed how well the engine runs and how willing it is to rev. Still get a kick taking an on-ramp and giving the engine some whip and letting it stretch its legs. What an engine!
My 2nd car is a 996 Turbo. 420hp. (On the road this engine only requires around 10% of its output to maintain highway speed over a flat stretch of road.)
Really believe it or not the two cars are in some ways quite similar but at the same time quite different. But I don't feel the Boxster is any less a sports car regarding sports car handling, performance, and whatever else goes into the sports car pot compared to the Turbo. Sure the Turbo would blow the doors off the Boxster but the roads here are not filled with Turbos but with just for the most part ordinary cars. The Boxster is certainly able to keep up with these cars leaving the stop lights and on the open highway pass slower traffic with relative ease. Furthermore it is the numerous times I have had it in higher elevations (passing through Flagstaff for instance) unaffected by even 7700 feet elevation. (Obviously though the Turbo wins the comparison here as the car is a beast even at elevations close to 9K feet. That is the beauty of a turbo-charged engine.)
With all that said though it comes down to what you feel is best for you. Only your butt dyno can make the call.
So test drive both examples and make up your own mind if the smaller engine car is suitable (more than just "suitable") or if the car with the larger engne is the only car for you.
Heck I initially commuted around 10 miles each way in my 2002 Boxster (with a 2.7l 5-speed configuration) mainly on county roads. But it was also great on the freeway. And for the long way home, well great. Example? Hundreds of miles in one day driving around mid-MO from KC to Jeff City to Springfield and then Branson (for a nice steak dinner) then north back to home. That was when the car was nearly new.
Since then the car has averaged nearly 20K miles per year and even with 315K+ miles is still a joy to drive.
Since March of 2004 the car has been my primary commuter for a 20+ mile commute initially then when I moved a bit further out and away from work this increased to 30 mile commute to work every day. That is the car covers at least 60 miles a day and does this at least 3 days out of 5. The Turbo gets used 2 days a week to keep the battery topped up.
The Boxster was taken on many a long road trip too, 4K miles or more often covering this distance in a week's time. (Leaving home on a Saturday and being at my destination by late Sunday or early Monday then after a few days of visiting leaving for home and after 2K miles being home by the next Saturday or Sunday.)
The engine is quite powerful and moves the relatively light Boxster down the road with ease. While the newer Cayman is probably heavier than my 2002 Boxster the newer 2.7l engine I believe has more power and torque.
To me a plus with the smaller (2.7l) vs the larger (3.2/3.4l) engine is the 2.7l engine is a stronger engine in that it has thicker cylinder walls and is a bit stronger for it. I like to believe this is one reason the engine has held up so well all these years and miles.
OTOH, the bigger engine doesn't have to work as hard. By this I mean in order to move my Boxster down the highway on level ground with no wind takes about 40hp. (This is true with my VW Golf TDi, my GTO, and my 996 Turbo.) I base this on the (calcuationed) load I get when I check this engine load metric with an OBD2 code reader/data logger.
For my Boxster and its 2.7l engine 40hp is about 18% engine load. (The 2.7l engine puts out max not quite 220hp.) However, a 3.2l or 3.4l engine while each would have to put out the same approx. 40hp because of their higher output this would represent less than 18% output and thus each of the larger engines would work not as hard.
Still the 2.7l engine doesn't seem to be afraid of working. After lunch today I filled up the gas tank and headed out for a drive. Around 25 miles consisting of some county highway and some freeway. Still impressed how well the engine runs and how willing it is to rev. Still get a kick taking an on-ramp and giving the engine some whip and letting it stretch its legs. What an engine!
My 2nd car is a 996 Turbo. 420hp. (On the road this engine only requires around 10% of its output to maintain highway speed over a flat stretch of road.)
Really believe it or not the two cars are in some ways quite similar but at the same time quite different. But I don't feel the Boxster is any less a sports car regarding sports car handling, performance, and whatever else goes into the sports car pot compared to the Turbo. Sure the Turbo would blow the doors off the Boxster but the roads here are not filled with Turbos but with just for the most part ordinary cars. The Boxster is certainly able to keep up with these cars leaving the stop lights and on the open highway pass slower traffic with relative ease. Furthermore it is the numerous times I have had it in higher elevations (passing through Flagstaff for instance) unaffected by even 7700 feet elevation. (Obviously though the Turbo wins the comparison here as the car is a beast even at elevations close to 9K feet. That is the beauty of a turbo-charged engine.)
With all that said though it comes down to what you feel is best for you. Only your butt dyno can make the call.
So test drive both examples and make up your own mind if the smaller engine car is suitable (more than just "suitable") or if the car with the larger engne is the only car for you.
I would need to upgrade the exhaust immediately. Hopefully there are some affordable mods like the Gundo on my 997.
10-23-2017, 12:16 PM
#4
Race Director
Thanks for the detailed response! Very helpful. I like the idea of the base Cayman, part of the simplicity of the base car appeals to me. I had a base 997 and it was plenty of engine for the street. Sure, the 2.7L is slower, but it can't be too much slower. The base 2.7L makes about 93% as much HP/lb as the 997 did; it's about the same as a base 997.1 engine for HP/lb.
I would need to upgrade the exhaust immediately. Hopefully there are some affordable mods like the Gundo on my 997.
I would need to upgrade the exhaust immediately. Hopefully there are some affordable mods like the Gundo on my 997.
Both my Boxster and Turbo are stock. Well, when the Turbo shifter broke -- under CPO warranty -- the tech suggested installing a I think a factory 997 shifter. He said this was better than the stock 996 Turbo shifter. I agreed and the new shifter is way better than the stock shifter was.
10-23-2017, 05:49 PM
#5
My manual 2007 base Cayman was my commute car, and it was fabulous. Great transmission, clutch, and very flexible engine. With the 14 ways, very comfortable too. The only negative is that it had very little torque below 4K rpms, so shifting or running at RPMs was required for passing\merging\squeezing. This problem was solved with my current 718 base, but the 2007 had a better clutch and was easier to drive.
12-21-2017, 12:22 PM
#7
Advanced
I know I'm a bit late to the party here, but I purchased a 987.2 last December and daily drive it. I put 16k on it so far and it has been really reliable. I've replaced tires and front brakes but I knew these items would be needed from my PPI. Other than the three oil changes and air filter changes with each oil change I haven't done anything else to it. Obviously YMMV but I have been extremely happy with the car so far.
It is a 2009 2.9L manual.
It is a 2009 2.9L manual.
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12-21-2017, 04:19 PM
#8
I think that the updates to the styling, interior, DFI make it worthwhile to go with 981 (i did..
. We also have a 991.1s w/powerkit, so that satisfies the raw 'power' urge.
I know this will put me in the minority here but I think the power in Cayman is great, blast to drive! Good luck!
. We also have a 991.1s w/powerkit, so that satisfies the raw 'power' urge.I know this will put me in the minority here but I think the power in Cayman is great, blast to drive! Good luck!
12-23-2017, 02:23 PM
#9
I have a 2007 base Cayman. It is not my daily driver, but I can tell you that the 2.7l engine is plenty for hills and back roads. 245 hp in a car that weighs less than 3,000 pounds...plenty. get the Manila transmission and keep the revs up...fun!
12-24-2017, 10:19 AM
#10
Race Director
Anyhow, the main reason I chipped in again is if the sale of one of my Porsches happens I think I'll be back in the Porsche market and I'm seriously considering a new Cayman base wtih a 6-speed. (To avoid that damned engine stop feature.) My Boxster base has been a super car all these years and I am hoping to repeat this experience with a base Cayman.