£70k 981 GT4 or £85k 718 GT4?

[R33FAL]

I have the opportunity to buy a 981 GT4 around the £70k mark. Has all the essential options incl cage, PCCBs, chrono pack etc. I had a cursory look at the 781s and they are cheaper than i would have expected given its a 4 year newer car- around £85k

I get the newer one doesnt sound as visceral but wouldnt a £5k exhaust from someone like JCR sort it? You could then sell the exhaust come sale time.

I guess my question is- what would you do, newer car + exhaust so totalling £90k or 70k for a 4 year older car? What do you think is a safer bet money wise?

[jcosh]

The older car is far better VFM in my view. It's a brilliant car, sounds great and subjectively looks better. A £20K difference is not work it my view.

[giles panizzi]

I’ve owned both, the 718 lasted 6 weeks.

[Twinfan]

All IMHO:

The 981 is cheaper, sounds better, is more raw feeling but has an asthmatic engine.
The 718 is more expensive, more useable day-to-day as it's more compliant and has a far superior and meatier engine.

If it's your only car then it would always be a 718 for me. If you want a car to thrash around a track (a lot) and/or fancy modifying the engine to Clubsport spec the 981 is the way to go.

[R33FAL]

This would be purely a weekend/track car. My only concern really is how the 718 prices are developing, there might be a decent chance they put downward pressure on the 981 if things continue this way.

[MannyLon]

R33FAL said:

This would be purely a weekend/track car. My only concern really is how the 718 prices are developing, there might be a decent chance they put downward pressure on the 981 if things continue this way.

If you’re concerned about future price movement, then maybe this is not the car for you. Go for something cheaper..

[diffstar]

R33FAL said:

I have the opportunity to buy a 981 GT4 around the £70k mark. Has all the essential options incl cage, PCCBs, chrono pack etc. I had a cursory look at the 781s and they are cheaper than i would have expected given its a 4 year newer car- around £85k

I get the newer one doesnt sound as visceral but wouldnt a £5k exhaust from someone like JCR sort it? You could then sell the exhaust come sale time.

I guess my question is- what would you do, newer car + exhaust so totalling £90k or 70k for a 4 year older car? What do you think is a safer bet money wise?

For me a £15k gap for a 4 year older car is a no brainer, at that price point I would get the new one. Yes the old car sounds a little better, but don’t believe the hype the new one doesn’t sound at all bad.

There are pro and cons to both, for me the 718 pros far out weights the 981’s.

[av185]

diffstar said:

R33FAL said:

I have the opportunity to buy a 981 GT4 around the £70k mark. Has all the essential options incl cage, PCCBs, chrono pack etc. I had a cursory look at the 781s and they are cheaper than i would have expected given its a 4 year newer car- around £85k

I get the newer one doesnt sound as visceral but wouldnt a £5k exhaust from someone like JCR sort it? You could then sell the exhaust come sale time.

I guess my question is- what would you do, newer car + exhaust so totalling £90k or 70k for a 4 year older car? What do you think is a safer bet money wise?

For me a £15k gap for a 4 year older car is a no brainer, at that price point I would get the new one. Yes the old car sounds a little better, but don’t believe the hype the new one doesn’t sound at all bad.

There are pro and cons to both, for me the 718 pros far out weights the 981’s.

Having owned a 981 GT4 and 718 GT4 both from new both same spec I would agree entirely with this. The higher revving and stronger pulling engine alone on the 718 GT4 is worth the extra over the detuned and strangled C2S engine of the 981. Yes the 981 is a decent package and the exhaust sounds better than the 718 due to gpf but the 718 proper Porsche GT engine is streets ahead of the 981 and induction noises are far better as is economy which is frankly dire on the 981 and actually far worse than even a manual 991.2 GT3.

OP says a 5 year old 981 CS with ceramics is £70k and an identical spec 718 CS is £85k but unless this is a private sale am unaware of any 718s in this spec CS with ceramics at £85k unless it is high mileage most understandably are £90k plus and more at OPCs.

£20k more for a current model 4 year old newer car with better engine and full manufacturers warranty really a no brainer imo but the OP is advised to drive both cars to see which is preferred.

[R33FAL]

Interesting perspectives, thanks. This would indeed be a private sale- so a bit of an opportunity. At a dealer it would probably be up at £75k.

This will be my first Porsche- I have considered just getting a manual 991.2 GT3 (as rare as the seem to be), but i figured I want to enjoy the “progression” in cars rather than just go straight to the “top” of the tree. Enjoy a GT4 for a year or 2 then get into a GT3- perhaps the new one softens prices a bit there by then.

[kevs 172]

I’ve recently bought a 981 GT4; I tried both the 981 and 718 before I committed and chose the 981.
Preferred the 981 so seemed like a total bargain, came with a 2 year Porsche warranty too.

[Maxym]

982 (718) for me. 981 a fine car but relatively flawed engine-wise alongside the 982.

But the 981 is rather cheaper.

[MannyLon]

Maxym said:

982 (718) for me. 981 a fine car but relatively flawed engine-wise alongside the 982.

But the 981 is rather cheaper.

Flawed?

[Twinfan]

MannyLon said:

Maxym said:

982 (718) for me. 981 a fine car but relatively flawed engine-wise alongside the 982.

But the 981 is rather cheaper.

Flawed?

Feels restricted, poor fuel economy, hole in the midrange, doesn't like to rev. I'd call that flawed too.

IMO, other opinions are available

[MannyLon]

Twinfan said:

Feels restricted, poor fuel economy, hole in the midrange, doesn't like to rev. I'd call that flawed too.

IMO, other opinions are available

Naa, let’s agree to differ.
“Poor fuel economy”, not sure that’s relevant to performance cars?
“Hole in midrange”. Not experienced it.
“Not like to rev”. You are kidding me.

Seems 718 owners just don’t like the 981
For me it’s a screamer of an engine and the Spyder version is one of the most fun road cars..

[Twinfan]

MannyLon said:

Naa, let’s agree to differ.
“Poor fuel economy”, not sure that’s relevant to performance cars?
“Hole in midrange”. Not experienced it.
“Not like to rev”. You are kidding me.

Seems 718 owners just don’t like the 981
For me it’s a screamer of an engine and the Spyder version is one of the most fun road cars..

The 981 Spyder is mapped differently remember even though it has the same 3.8 lump, and I preferred to the 981 GT4 but we're talking Caymans here

Just to show you what I'm talking about:

[MannyLon]

Twinfan said:

The 981 Spyder is mapped differently remember even though it has the same 3.8 lump, and I preferred to the 981 GT4 but we're talking Caymans here

Just to show you what I'm talking about:

Not sure how graphs equate to driving fun.
Probably best to test drive both.
I enjoy my Spyder more than the GT4 on the road.

[av185]

MannyLon said:

Not sure how graphs equate to driving fun.
Probably best to test drive both.
I enjoy my Spyder more than the GT4 on the road.

Yep 981 Spyder is a great car and in many ways apart from over farty exhaust in Sport plus mode is more convincing as a package than the 981 GT4. Thing is the pre Porsche GT focused(non GT brakes and suspension and standard Pirellis v Cups) 981 Spyder doesn't have to try furthermore it doesn't NEED a proper Posche GT engine unlike 981 GT4, and the Spyder I found invariably to be the more usable car of choice between the 2 for weekends away to the Lakes/Scotland etc.

Perhaps the OP should consider the 981 Spyder too. After all they are rare with only c220 UK cars v over six hundred 981 GT4s. Just a thought.

[TDT]

OP should drive both.

718 4.0 is a better engine out of the box.
981 engine can be easily tweaked with a light stage 1 tune and filters to smooth out the torque curve and optimised power delivery. For a very small outlay - c£3k all fitted.

Then it’s down to the characteristics of the car.
As has been said, If it going to a pure weekend toy- b-road blaster 981, has more to offer and gives the immediate GT car feel. Steering, clutch, gearshift, sound.
718 has been refined to broaden appeal and therefore loses the immediate feeling of edge. It’s more like a series 718 up until you want to get on it and extract the performance.
So you need to go faster to ‘feel’ it.

Drive both and take your pick… depends what you want from the car.

Something to consider:

981 GT4 can be make to perform as well as, and better than standard 718 GT4.
However 718 GT4 cannot recapture 981 GT4 or be what it is: For many reasons - Iconic and historically significant.

Edited by TDT on Sunday 21st March 13:14

[av185]

Interesting points TD but should most buyers of 981 GT4s have to seriously consider immediately throwing £3k at it to improve the engine and make it perform as well as a 718 GT4?

The true and fair comparison would be to also throw £3k at a 718 GT4 engine and see what transpires. OK I get there would be warranty issues.

Simpler and fairer merely to compare both cars as stock.

I find the gearbox action in the 718 identical to the 981 btw. The 718 clutch is lighter which is a minus imo but bizarrely it is still heavier than the GT3.

Edited by av185 on Sunday 21st March 13:20

[TDT]

av185 said:

Interesting points TD but should most buyers of 981 GT4s have to seriously consider immediately throwing £3k at it to improve the engine and make it perform as well as a 718 GT4?

The true and fair comparison would be to also throw £3k at a 718 GT4 engine and see what transpires. OK I get there would be warranty issues.

Simpler and fairer merely to compare both cars as stock.

I find the gearbox action in the 718 identical to the 981 btw. The 718 clutch is lighter which is a minus imo but bizarrely it is still heavier than the GT3.

Edited by av185 on Sunday 21st March 13:20

It’s up to the individual.... it’s not a must. But c3k is still much less than the 15-20k difference between 718 and 981 GT4
Yep I do understand the standard v tweaked argument... I raised it specifically to address the point about power delivery and the charts.... just to say this point can be easily negated, and then you still have an immediately more ‘exciting’ car in the 981.. and you’ve avoided spending £12-18k for apple carplay.

Clutch feel on manual GT3 is at odds with how my mind works... it’s really so, so light.