Notices
981 Forum Discussions of the 3rd Gen Boxster and 2nd Gen Cayman (2012-2016)
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

981 base or 987.2S for a fun commuting car?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 10-22-2017, 07:18 PM
  #1  
Kg11
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
 
Kg11's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 489
Received 61 Likes on 31 Posts
Default 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.
Old 10-22-2017, 08:45 PM
  #2  
Macster
Race Director
 
Macster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Centerton, AR
Posts: 19,034
Likes: 0
Received 254 Likes on 224 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Kg11
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.
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.
Old 10-23-2017, 12:57 AM
  #3  
Kg11
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
 
Kg11's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 489
Received 61 Likes on 31 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Macster
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.
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.
Old 10-23-2017, 12:16 PM
  #4  
Macster
Race Director
 
Macster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Centerton, AR
Posts: 19,034
Likes: 0
Received 254 Likes on 224 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Kg11
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.
Your car and you can do what you want to it, but for me the stock exhaust is perfect. I spend a lot of time in my cars and a louder exhaust is not something I want to hear mile after mile.

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.
Old 10-23-2017, 05:49 PM
  #5  
bgsntth
Racer
 
bgsntth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Marin, CA
Posts: 319
Received 15 Likes on 14 Posts
Default

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.
Old 10-23-2017, 05:58 PM
  #6  
extanker
Banned
 
extanker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,161
Likes: 0
Received 5 Likes on 5 Posts
Default

no way around it some how you will have to get some good road testing before you buy
Old 12-21-2017, 12:22 PM
  #7  
taylor15
Advanced
 
taylor15's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Gainesville, GA
Posts: 98
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

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.
Old 12-21-2017, 04:19 PM
  #8  
Dom991.1
Burning Brakes
 
Dom991.1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,141
Received 55 Likes on 42 Posts
Default

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!
Old 12-23-2017, 02:23 PM
  #9  
Jack-Porsche
Instructor
 
Jack-Porsche's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 187
Received 27 Likes on 17 Posts
Default

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!
Old 12-24-2017, 10:19 AM
  #10  
Macster
Race Director
 
Macster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Centerton, AR
Posts: 19,034
Likes: 0
Received 254 Likes on 224 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Jack-Porsche
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!
The lighter weight of the car certainly helps. My Boxster weighs in around 2800lbs. (Shortly after I buy a car I generally seek out a place I can get the car weighed. Most often I get this done at truck stop that has scales -- most do. I check with the clerk in station first to get his/her ok. The only real problem is often any speaker/microphone or other interface between the operator of the scale in the station and the operator of the vehicle on the scale is way up high so once at least I found myself standing outside my car shouting up at the sky -- where the microphone was located. Another time I had to engage in a series of hand/arm waving/signals with the operator. At other times I've used the scales at a local ice plant. This worked without issues as the operator was right next to the scales in a glass enclosed office.)

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.



Quick Reply: 981 base or 987.2S for a fun commuting car?



All times are GMT -3. The time now is 04:46 PM.