Discussion
I did about 18 months ago.
I got the 718 because it was a newer car, it has better tech, still in warranty (I know the last 2 can still apply to 981) and it was a spec I liked at a price I was willing to pay. I've done nearly 14k in it and I'm still very pleased.
The engine is ultimately what all these discussions come down to. Sure the 4 cylinder engines don't make such a good noise, but it's no where near the issue most road testers make it out to be - mine my daily so I'm not really smashing into the rev limiter on my trundle round the M25. If you do want to crack on then buy a manual - keep it above 3000 rpm and off you go.
I did 40k in a 987.1 Cayman a few years ago - which was the same, had to be kept in the revs to crack on.
Obviously all of the above is only relevant if you're talking 718 base or S, if you're talking GT4 or GTS etc then that's a whole different conversation.
I got the 718 because it was a newer car, it has better tech, still in warranty (I know the last 2 can still apply to 981) and it was a spec I liked at a price I was willing to pay. I've done nearly 14k in it and I'm still very pleased.
The engine is ultimately what all these discussions come down to. Sure the 4 cylinder engines don't make such a good noise, but it's no where near the issue most road testers make it out to be - mine my daily so I'm not really smashing into the rev limiter on my trundle round the M25. If you do want to crack on then buy a manual - keep it above 3000 rpm and off you go.
I did 40k in a 987.1 Cayman a few years ago - which was the same, had to be kept in the revs to crack on.
Obviously all of the above is only relevant if you're talking 718 base or S, if you're talking GT4 or GTS etc then that's a whole different conversation.
esuuv said:
Obviously all of the above is only relevant if you're talking 718 base or S, if you're talking GT4 or GTS etc then that's a whole different conversation.
I had a 987 Cayman 2.7 from new in 2006. Now I find myself looking again, but the price of a later 981S is so close to a new 2.0 - more tech and new car warranty etc. - that I wondered what others had done.Exceptional times I know, but if my wait for a GR Yaris wasn't heading into the second year I might not even be looking. As it is, I've arranged to try a manual 718 and I'll go from there.
I owned a 981 Boxter S for 3 years and thought I was going to replace it with a 718. The test drive put me off not so much because of the engine note although I did much prefer the 981’s flat 6 rasp. It was the turbo lag of the 718 that in my view made a it far less satisfying A/B road weapon. Surprising really given Porsche’s long history of turbocharging. The 991 and 992 911’s I have owned since have nothing like the same issue.
Whilst both 911 are considerably faster than the Boxter and satisfying to own, I wouldn’t really say they are more fun. I had many memorable drives with the roof down in the 981…
Whilst both 911 are considerably faster than the Boxter and satisfying to own, I wouldn’t really say they are more fun. I had many memorable drives with the roof down in the 981…
shoestring7 said:
Has anyone here found themselves choosing between an almost ten year old 981 and a new/almost new 718? Which did you plump for, and why?
yes and I went with a Cayman R instead of either of them. Why? All the tech turned me off. I wanted zhuzh pep and beauty. As the automotive vlogger 'JayEmm on Cars' says, "the R is without peer". But, if you really are settled on those two then I'd go 981 over 718 for the sonics and feel....all this tech in the 718, why do you need all that cr@pola. if you need it that bad buy a Tesla or a food blender. Edited by julian987R on Tuesday 8th February 20:40
k progress…
^^ The 981 steering is awful, probably the weakest part of the car.
Anyway, a major problem I have with the 718 engine besides the noise and the lag, is the insane NVH that enters the cabin.
At idle the 4 pot quite literally shakes the car apart and then fills the cabin with a resonance under WOT. Compare that to a 981, where the engine is so smooth at any rev that you wouldn't even know the engine was running if not for the rev gauge and noise.
On the flip side the suspension is greatly advanced on the 718, so take your pick between having a nice engine with OK handling or an awful engine with god like handling.
Anyway, a major problem I have with the 718 engine besides the noise and the lag, is the insane NVH that enters the cabin.
At idle the 4 pot quite literally shakes the car apart and then fills the cabin with a resonance under WOT. Compare that to a 981, where the engine is so smooth at any rev that you wouldn't even know the engine was running if not for the rev gauge and noise.
On the flip side the suspension is greatly advanced on the 718, so take your pick between having a nice engine with OK handling or an awful engine with god like handling.
T1547 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Funny, all completely subjective, but I find the 981 looks a bit tonka toy and the back end a bit dated. Whereas the 987 looks all curvy in a classic sports car kind of way. Obviously completely biased opinion, because I am lucky enough to have both...
Ordered a 718 Cayman in 2016, got it in 2017. Basic spec, loved it in every way, put 17,000 miles on it in about 18 months. Then a "dream" 981 GT4 turned up at the local Porsche centre, and the 718 got traded in.
A couple of years later realised I needed an "all year" car, because GT4 needs not to meet salty roads. So I decided to buy something new, usable every day, and that I could genuinely enjoy. Could have been a used 981 Cayman or Cayman S, but I really like the little turbo 4-pot engine, particularly on the motorway. I also like the steering precision and the outstanding ride quality coupled with perfect firmness in corners. Rapidly became a no-brainer that I'd get another 718 Cayman, and as it turned out in exactly the same "pov. spec." as my last one.
2 months in, absolutely no regrets. I can't wait for the weather to improve enough for the 981 to hit the road again, but if I could only own one of them, the 718 would win for me every time. It's a really close battle though, and there is no wrong answer. Both are exceptional car models, and if it turned out I could only own a 981, I'd still feel pretty lucky. (Especially if it had a rear wiper.
)
Liam
Ordered a 718 Cayman in 2016, got it in 2017. Basic spec, loved it in every way, put 17,000 miles on it in about 18 months. Then a "dream" 981 GT4 turned up at the local Porsche centre, and the 718 got traded in.
A couple of years later realised I needed an "all year" car, because GT4 needs not to meet salty roads. So I decided to buy something new, usable every day, and that I could genuinely enjoy. Could have been a used 981 Cayman or Cayman S, but I really like the little turbo 4-pot engine, particularly on the motorway. I also like the steering precision and the outstanding ride quality coupled with perfect firmness in corners. Rapidly became a no-brainer that I'd get another 718 Cayman, and as it turned out in exactly the same "pov. spec." as my last one.
2 months in, absolutely no regrets. I can't wait for the weather to improve enough for the 981 to hit the road again, but if I could only own one of them, the 718 would win for me every time. It's a really close battle though, and there is no wrong answer. Both are exceptional car models, and if it turned out I could only own a 981, I'd still feel pretty lucky. (Especially if it had a rear wiper.
)Liam
SkinnyPete said:
^^ The 981 steering is awful, probably the weakest part of the car.
Wow I must be missing something. Even coming To my 981 Spyder from a 997.2, M2Comp, Elise, Caterham, E30 M3 I don’t find the steering ‘awful’. My Defender maybe, or my Z4M. In fact, I’d go the other way and say my 981 Spyder feels pretty spot on. Billy_Whizzzz said:
SkinnyPete said:
^^ The 981 steering is awful, probably the weakest part of the car.
Wow I must be missing something. Even coming To my 981 Spyder from a 997.2, M2Comp, Elise, Caterham, E30 M3 I don’t find the steering ‘awful’. My Defender maybe, or my Z4M. In fact, I’d go the other way and say my 981 Spyder feels pretty spot on. Wondering what every single 5 star review of the 981 missed or got wrong compared with some random angry bloke off the internet.
You don’t notice the steering on isolation because you adjust to it. It is numb though. If you went back to one of the other cars you mention, you’d feel it immediately.
The 987 looks old now. Especially those awful side i takes. 986 looks better.
Sadly, the market has elected to make 718 the latter day 996. Unloved in its time.
The 987 looks old now. Especially those awful side i takes. 986 looks better.
Sadly, the market has elected to make 718 the latter day 996. Unloved in its time.
I owned a 981 Boxter S for 3 years and thought I was going to replace it with a 718. The test drive put me off not so much because of the engine note although I did much prefer the 981’s flat 6 rasp. It was the turbo lag of the 718 that in my view made a it far less satisfying A/B road weapon. Surprising really given Porsche’s long history of turbocharging. The 991 and 992 911’s I have owned since have nothing like the same issue.
Whilst both 911 are considerably faster than the Boxter and satisfying to own, I wouldn’t really say they are more fun. I had many memorable drives with the roof down in the 981…
Whilst both 911 are considerably faster than the Boxter and satisfying to own, I wouldn’t really say they are more fun. I had many memorable drives with the roof down in the 981…
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