Seriously want a Boxster GTS

[Huskyman]

Hi everyone,
I'm going to buy a Boxster GTS with my dad to spread the risk if such an expensive car between the two of us. I spend a lot of time abroad (four weeks out four weeks back), so the idea of being the sole user of a car that could spend up to six months of the year sat at secure air-port parking is really silly. My dad gets use of it when I'm out of the uk, so it's a win-win as far as I am concerned . He bought a brand new Boxster S in 2001 and put me in the insurance, and we had no problems back then.
The reason I am posting is that the spec I've chosen is giving me some dilemmas.
Between the two of us we have chosen the following spec-
White coach work with a blue hood
Yachting blue interior
Automatically dimming interior and exterior mirrors
Reversing camera with park assist front and rear
Porsche Torque Vectoring
PDK
20" turbo design alloys (they are 20" as standard)
Seat heating
Cruise control
2-zone auto air con
adaptive sports seats plus with 18 way electrical adjustment and memory
Elimination alcantara
Key pouch leather (matches interior colour)
Sport design steering wheel
Prep for mobile phone
Audio system CDR plus with sound package plus

I'm having a dilemma about specifying the PDK and not specifying the PCM. What do you guys and gals think? This will be a second car for both of us. PDK and PCM both come in at around the same option price.

Any comments greatly appreciated

Forgot to mention I'm also thinking of specifying Bose. Is it worth it?

[Huskyman]

Hi,
Thanks for the replies. I really like the PDK with the sports plus and the sports exhaust. Had a great time playing tunes with the exhaust changing down the gears and listening to the flare of revs, followed by the fusillade of pops and bangs on the over run also specifying the PDK drops the co2 from 211 to 190 and that brings it down from band K which is £635 to band J, which is £485. I'm not too bothered about resale as we intend on keeping the car for around 5 years and even the very best sat nav's will be out of date by the time the car might be sold.
Regarding the blue leather I might stick with the black leather and alcantara

[Huskyman]

Righty o I have finally been in an extended test drive of a Boxster GTS
Alcantara standard interior is really rather lovely, and the over-riding impression is of improved build quality over the 986. I'm forgetting the yachting blue interior, the alcantara is a GTS signature, so why change it?

I drove it on a mixture of different roads, and even with the Sports-Plus button engaged I was very impressed with the ride, and the car would breathe with the road surface, agility and wheel control was exemplary. The car felt extremely stable and mechanical grip was huge, and the crackle and pops from the exhaust on the over-run made me laugh out loud
I managed to tear myself away from the dealership to have a think about it, not because they were being pushy, but because I wanted the car so very badly but I'm putting a deposit down tomorrow for April delivery. I'm buying the car with my dad, and it would be lovely for him to have it on his Birthday. factory collection ahoy methinks

[Huskyman]

cardigankid said:

Before you take this decision you want to spend a few hours with a configurator and sit in one or two
You have omitted a couple of basic crucial items:-

1. Roll bars in body colour
2. Wind deflector
3. Red seat belts

The GTS comes standard with leather/ alcantara sports seats. It also comes with sport design steering wheel. They are first class and upgrading them is a pure waste of money. If you want speed limit alert which is very useful on continental motorways you have to have the PCM. The GTS interior pack does I think give you a lot of leather incl the door caps and dash which does help. The 20" Carrera wheels look good but even better with the satin platinum finish.

I would bin the blue leather and hood? Red hoods can look good but always IMHO a bit effeminate.

Dual zone AC. Why? You are sitting six inches apart and you think you can create a separate climatic zone?

Forget PCCB very nice to be sure but standard Porsche brakes are the biz.

The big decisions are do you go with the creamy manual or the perfect PDK, and do you have the GTS interior with the signature embroidery. It is a con but you know that you are going to wish you had taken it.

Edited by cardigankid on Wednesday 6th August 23:03

Hi there cardigan kid,
I am sticking with the GTS interior and the black hood, and I don't think PCCB is worth it either. I think that the dual zone climate is a must as I do not like cars without climate at all. That's just me. Red belts with white?!? Err no thanks. PDK is a must as it adds more to the driving experience and it may be asked to do the occasional commute to London Heathrow.... This is going to be a keeper and I want it to be just the way I want it. It has the wind deflector as standard afaik so I will check when the deposit goes down today

[Huskyman]

Budweiser said:

Huskyman said:

Hi there cardigan kid,
I am sticking with the GTS interior and the black hood, and I don't think PCCB is worth it either. I think that the dual zone climate is a must as I do not like cars without climate at all. That's just me. Red belts with white?!? Err no thanks. PDK is a must as it adds more to the driving experience and it may be asked to do the occasional commute to London Heathrow.... This is going to be a keeper and I want it to be just the way I want it. It has the wind deflector as standard afaik so I will check when the deposit goes down today

Good for you, sounds great to me, congratulations..

Thank-you. I saw an S with the body coloured roll bars and it did look awesome, box ticked
3k deposit paid for the car for March delivery! Can't wait

[Huskyman]

curley said:

Huskyman said:

Thank-you. I saw an S with the body coloured roll bars and it did look awesome, box ticked
3k deposit paid for the car for March delivery! Can't wait

I presume March is what you asked for as there seem to be slots available for November .

I was only asked for £2k deposit !!?

Yes I did ask for March as it's a birthday and the new reg comes out First new car since 1998!! With regards to the deposit I didn't feel it was unreasonable, but a bag of sand less sis easier on the wallet...

[Huskyman]

jredram said:

TDT said:

They build the engine and then tune it down with the ECU - in order to create the 'different' outputs for each application.

350 - 991 Carrera
340 - Cayman GTS
330 - Boxster GTS
325 - Cayman S
315 - Boxster S

This saves Porsche time and money - and maximises profits as they charge you significantly to step up in performance for something that is already built into the car. It's perfect.
Tuning vendors that have been doing work on this engine believe that 350 of the 991 Carrera is also a capped limit and that the 3.4 could potentially output upto 370/hp in its best tune.
It has been ascertained that the ECU controlled throttle system starts to close down the throttle and inbound airflow at higher revs restricting the power that can be created - this is also why intake side modifications have limited effect. The key is to crack the ECU - if this is done - it could get really interesting.

As a person with little knowledge of the oily bits beyond a dip stick and even less knowledge or interest in all things with a chip in it-unless it comes with a fish- would it not be possible(with some mods, I'm sure) to change the ECU to gain a power increase in a Box/Cayman?
If not and there is nobody working on this full time ......there should be.

Hi jredram,
Companies such as DMS are already doing remaps for the S version that take it up to 342, so this engine is pretty much there already. I think there could be some more ponies to be released from race catalysts, but the exhaust note is so good in sports mode I would be weary of making any changes. The GTS felt about as quick as it needed to be for the road

[Huskyman]

mrdemon said:

"PDK is a must as it adds more to the driving experience "


lol can see we are on the Boxster section.....

Hello troll,
Thank-you for being rude and sarcastic, and in this sweeping generalisation are you including 991 GT3 drivers?!? Err no.

[Huskyman]

cibble10 said:

Am enjoying this thread, particularly the debate around what to spec or not spec. It took me a week to settle mine. At the end I got a bit stuck on colour and whether to go for the sports suspension. Eventually settled on racing yellow, and sports suspension. My GTS is currently being built (allegedly). Without speccing anything extraordinary the final price of the car can get very hairy! FYI I have shared my spec below. I am now wondering whether black painted 911 wheels were such a good idea... Sadly I had to forego the internal GTS pack because of another option I wanted which precluded it (forget which now). Similarly the Alcantara went due to another clash of spec. Note, PCCBs are not included, mainly because I think they don't add that much edge, and also, please see total price of car at the bottom!

Exterior Colour 4V Black convertible top £ 0.00
P3 Racing Yellow £ 0.00
Interior Colour AZ Black leather interior £ 0.00
Exterior 089 GTS Black exterior package £ 680.00
625 Porsche Entry & Drive £ 599.00
636 ParkAssist front and rear £ 599.00
748 Electric folding outside mirrors £ 203.00
P13 Automatically dimming interior and
exterior mirrors with integrated rain
sensor
£ 332.00
XYB Fuel cap in aluminium Look Exclusive £ 89.00
Transmission / Chassis 220 Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) £ 890.00
250 Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) £ 2,351.00
658 Power steering Plus £ 179.00
X73 Sports suspension (20 mm lower)
Exclusive
£ 0.00
XLS Sports tailpipe Exclusive £ 365.00
Wheels 429 20-inch 911 Turbo Design wheels £ 890.00
Wheel Accessoires XDG Black (highgloss) painted wheels
Exclusive
£ 801.00
Interior 342 Seat heating £ 284.00
454 Cruise control £ 267.00
509 Fire extinguisher £ 101.00
541 Seat ventilation £ 632.00
573 2-zone automatic air conditioning £ 518.00
608 HomeLink® (programmable garage door
opener)
£ 194.00
630 Light design package £ 203.00
631 Speed limit display £ 284.00
714 Elimination alcantara £ 0.00
CGJ White - Sport Chrono stopwatch Exclusive £ 234.00
P04 Sports seats Plus (2-way, electric) £ 0.00
XFJ White instrument dials Exclusive £ 332.00
XHN Racing Yellow seat belts Exclusive £ 179.00
Interior Leather CFX Personalised floor mats with leather
edging Exclusive
£ 215.00
CPE Key pouch in leather Exclusive £ 77.00
XSC Porsche crest embossed on head
restraints Exclusive
£ 138.00
XUV Storage compartment lid with model logo
Exclusive
£ 155.00
Interior Carbon EEJ Carbon interior package (with leather
interior/with PDK) Exclusive
£ 1,008.00
X69 Carbon door sill guards Exclusive £ 365.00
XHL Carbon heated multifunction steering
wheel Exclusive
£ 348.00
XHM Carbon centre console trim Exclusive £ 341.00
Interior Aluminium XXV Footrest in aluminium Exclusive £ 179.00
Audio / Communications 641 Electronic logbook £ 356.00
666 Telephone module £ 527.00
671 Voice control £ 308.00
680 BOSE® Surround Sound System £ 801.00
691 Digital radio £ 324.00
P23 Porsche Communication Management
(PCM) incl navigation module with
universal audio interface
£ 2,141.00
UN1 Online services £ 122.00
Others A01 Third Year Porsche Assistance £ 169.00
W02 Third Year Warranty £ 660.00
Total price £ 71,490.00

OK, so there were a couple or three small extravagances in there, but it puts into perspective the prices quoted when the vehicles are being marketed/tested and the real world price when you spec one to, say, a similar spec to an F-Type Jag where most of the above comes as standard!

My AM has gone and I am driving the Freelander for now so I hope they hurry with my build!! (But do it well ;-)

Hi Cibble10,
That sounds like a lovely spec, but I am going to have to cap myself off at around 60-65K on the total price, and there is some lovely options you have there, especially the PTV torque vectoring, I have debated on dumping the PCM system and having that instead I was advised by the sales-person not to spec this umless I was a track-day goer, but I had the locking diff on my old 928 S4 manual and did like it when powering out of junctions .
I am slightly jealous of your spec, but I hope you enjoy it, I know I will when I get mine!
Husky

[Huskyman]

SFO said:

additional spec for GTS over S:

+15hp
+10NM
Additional center radiator in front bumper
PASM/X73
PDLS
Tinted rear lights
PSE
Sport chrono
20" wheels
different front and rear bumpers
Sports Seats Plus
Sport Design Steering wheel
Full leather/alcantara interior

All for an additional £5844

Seems a good deal!

Hi SFO,

It does seem a good deal, and when I did the comparison it seemed like a steal, or as much of a steal as you can get with a Porsche The half alcantara interior really lifts the interior in my opinion, I wanted the yachting blue leather, but after taking soundings on here realised it was a bit daft.

Husky.

[Huskyman]

FrankCayman said:

Yellow wheels looked great on the 968 Clubsports...

Yes I did like the look of the Club-sport model, especially with the rear of the bucket seats painted yellow to match

[Huskyman]

cibble10 said:

So, supposedly they start building mine on Sept 22, a month(ish) from now. I don't usually bet, and this is a pointless one as I will lose my money, but I bet nearer the time news of a further (but hopefully modest) delay will be forthcoming... I am very positive about my negativity!

Sometimes the anticipation makes the experience all the sweeter, or so they say. I have a self enforced 7 month wait for mine as I want it for my birthday Do you think they will limit the numbers of the GTS? It would make sense, but I have heard rumours of an extreme GT4 variant that would be strictly limited. It is one way to keep the values high though.

[Huskyman]

Well thanks for your suggestions and I love some of the cars specced on here, but at the end of the day I went for the specification I wanted

White
Standard alloys
Roll-bar in body colour
Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors with rain sensor
Park assist front and rear
Aluminium look fuel filler cap
PDK
Standard interior
Heated seats
Bose
Mobile phone prep
cruise control
2 zone automatic air-conditioning(should be standard!!)
The car exists physically and was at build station 8 when I spoke to the dealer last week, and is being delivered to them on the 12th of Feb, that is going to be a test of my mettle to see if I can wait until the 23rd of March to take delivery..... I'm getting exited now!

[Huskyman]

cibble10 said:

Huskyman said:

Well thanks for your suggestions and I love some of the cars specced on here, but at the end of the day I went for the specification I wanted

White
Standard alloys
Roll-bar in body colour
Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors with rain sensor
Park assist front and rear
Aluminium look fuel filler cap
PDK
Standard interior
Heated seats
Bose
Mobile phone prep
cruise control
2 zone automatic air-conditioning(should be standard!!)
The car exists physically and was at build station 8 when I spoke to the dealer last week, and is being delivered to them on the 12th of Feb, that is going to be a test of my mettle to see if I can wait until the 23rd of March to take delivery..... I'm getting exited now!

And your spec is good!

I know most people don't like the elements of yellow inside my car but like you, it is what I wanted, and am now enjoying

Congrats on your new steer, I know I will enjoy mine

[Huskyman]

Freakuk said:

Huskyman said:

Well thanks for your suggestions and I love some of the cars specced on here, but at the end of the day I went for the specification I wanted

White
Standard alloys
Roll-bar in body colour
Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors with rain sensor
Park assist front and rear
Aluminium look fuel filler cap
PDK
Standard interior
Heated seats
Bose
Mobile phone prep
cruise control
2 zone automatic air-conditioning(should be standard!!)
The car exists physically and was at build station 8 when I spoke to the dealer last week, and is being delivered to them on the 12th of Feb, that is going to be a test of my mettle to see if I can wait until the 23rd of March to take delivery..... I'm getting exited now!

Only thing there that doesn't tick the box for me is the fuel filler, it's still plastic and you can't see it which baffles me.

Otherwise the GTS is awesome, I toyed with a Carmine red model but ended up going down the Cayman route.

Well I am a bit of a tart and it did appeal

[Huskyman]

g7jhp said:

Going on today's Cayman GT4 launch it's be interesting to see when the Boxster Spyder/GT4 is launched.

That's likely to be a very special limited run car.

I know that will be an awesome car, but I would like to try one before I would change it for my GTS, and I ordered mine back in August/September. Maybe I could bag a drive of one

[Huskyman]

bcr5784 said:

BishBosh said:

Having just driven a GTS with the sport steering wheel and coming from a manual gearbox I found my left hand would stray to the gear lever, to that end I found it more fun to use the PDK feature in manual mode to change gear. It may be my big fingers but I kept hitting the indicator and wiper stalks when using the paddle shift.

Aside from that it was frustrating to turn on the wipers when I wanted to change the view of the MFD using the small stalk under the wiper lever.

So dilemma 1 now sorted and current BGTS order is staying with the carbon MF wheel



M.

Edited by BishBosh on Saturday 7th February 09:36

FWIW my PDK S is my first auto - and agree entirely with what you say about the paddles. I wouldn't have specced the paddles either, but my car is secondhand and came with them. In manual I almost invariably use the gearstick - you know exactly where to find it regardless of amount of lock.

BUT I have found with more extended use that when in auto (which I use perhaps 50% of the time) that the paddles are more much convenient than the switches on the wheel. I often preselect a lower gear prior to overtaking - it stays in "manual" for 10 seconds or so afterwards which can be handy, as can be the fact that it (effectively) also goes into sport mode and hangs onto lower gears for a bit - but quite often it best to "calm it down" by changing up manually with the paddle.

This Boxsrer will be my second automatic car, I just find it relaxing in traffic and for a long drive on the motorway, but the PDK is just such an intuitive system to use it was a no brainer for me, and since I prefer the sports steering wheel and the paddles I left well alone. Also I hate paying road tax and the PDK slips into the lower bracket sealed the deal for me

[Huskyman]

bcr5784 said:

BishBosh said:

Having just driven a GTS with the sport steering wheel and coming from a manual gearbox I found my left hand would stray to the gear lever, to that end I found it more fun to use the PDK feature in manual mode to change gear. It may be my big fingers but I kept hitting the indicator and wiper stalks when using the paddle shift.

Aside from that it was frustrating to turn on the wipers when I wanted to change the view of the MFD using the small stalk under the wiper lever.

So dilemma 1 now sorted and current BGTS order is staying with the carbon MF wheel



M.

Edited by BishBosh on Saturday 7th February 09:36

FWIW my PDK S is my first auto - and agree entirely with what you say about the paddles. I wouldn't have specced the paddles either, but my car is secondhand and came with them. In manual I almost invariably use the gearstick - you know exactly where to find it regardless of amount of lock.

BUT I have found with more extended use that when in auto (which I use perhaps 50% of the time) that the paddles are more much convenient than the switches on the wheel. I often preselect a lower gear prior to overtaking - it stays in "manual" for 10 seconds or so afterwards which can be handy, as can be the fact that it (effectively) also goes into sport mode and hangs onto lower gears for a bit - but quite often it best to "calm it down" by changing up manually with the paddle.

This Boxsrer will be my second automatic car, I just find it relaxing in traffic and for a long drive on the motorway, but the PDK is just such an intuitive system to use it was a no brainer for me, and since I prefer the sports steering wheel and the paddles I left well alone. Also I hate paying road tax and the PDK slips into the lower bracket sealed the deal for me