Discussion
Having been looking for a while now, I took the plunge & test drove a Cayman 2.9 a low mileage 61 plate just before Christmas , I really liked the car but had a few reservations & hence have not bought it yet. It had 19 Turbo 2 wheels which looked great however on the standard suspension I found the ride through town quite hard causing the rear of the car to rattle & shake a bit. It was superb on the 50 -60 MPH flowing country roads , on the Motorway around 75 - 80 a lot of road/wind noise around mid ships on the car. I intend to keep the car for 10 years & really would like to some advise, is worth saving around £12,000 more & to buy a new 981 2.7 riding on standard 18 wheels.
Will the 2.9 be a more reliable lump than the 2.7 dfi long term ie in 7- 8 years time , I quite liked the 987 traditional handbrake & simplicity of the gauges.
Having sat in the showroom 981 I found the more cabin more comfortable & I guess it will be more refined on the motorway & the build quality seemed better.
It will be an only car which will driven approx 8 - 10k a year.
Will the 2.9 be a more reliable lump than the 2.7 dfi long term ie in 7- 8 years time , I quite liked the 987 traditional handbrake & simplicity of the gauges.
Having sat in the showroom 981 I found the more cabin more comfortable & I guess it will be more refined on the motorway & the build quality seemed better.
It will be an only car which will driven approx 8 - 10k a year.
My previous Gen 1 3.4 had PASM and 19" wheels and it was slightly too firm for me. I fitted 18" wheels and it was just about right.
I've now got a Gen 2 2.9 with standard suspension on 18" wheels, and it is fine - about the same as the Gen 1 with PASM on 18"s. The Gen 2 Caymen were fitted with a slightly softer damper than the Gen 1 cars. When I looked up the options on my car, it was originally fitted with 19"s, so I guess the previous owner must have felt it was too firm.
I've now got a Gen 2 2.9 with standard suspension on 18" wheels, and it is fine - about the same as the Gen 1 with PASM on 18"s. The Gen 2 Caymen were fitted with a slightly softer damper than the Gen 1 cars. When I looked up the options on my car, it was originally fitted with 19"s, so I guess the previous owner must have felt it was too firm.
I think you should try a 981 too. Objectively it is a better car. It rides and handles better and wheel size isn't such an issue. Ride is really OK on 20" wheels and remarkably good on 19s, let alone 18s. As you have noted it's more up market inside. BUT steering feel has been lost and you might find the car less engaging - particularly at modest speeds where the 981 simply goes round corners with no apparent effort. Engine noise is not an issue at motorway cruising speeds in a PDK 981 (7th is much higher than 6th in a manual car) but tyre roar remains the dominant noise - to the point where it renders an expensive sound system rather pointless.
I bought one of the last pdk 2.9 2012 before they finished. its on 18 boxter s wheels that it came with
drives like a dream love the cabin, i wasnt a great fan of the new high centre consul, electric handbrake thing on the new cars so i bought the 2.9.
You mentioned only 12k difference i assume a pretty basic car for that.most of the new stuff with decent spec is coming out mid 50k plus
drives like a dream love the cabin, i wasnt a great fan of the new high centre consul, electric handbrake thing on the new cars so i bought the 2.9.
You mentioned only 12k difference i assume a pretty basic car for that.most of the new stuff with decent spec is coming out mid 50k plus
I had a 2.9 riding on 19" without PASM....drove and handled like a dream ..lots and lots of grip, what I like ...replaced with a 981 due to running up nearly 90K miles in it over 3 years.
Here they are! (any excuse for some pics!!)
Two guards together
Here they are! (any excuse for some pics!!)
Two guards together
Edited by FrankCayman on Monday 12th January 17:03
I drive a high spec (19", PCM Nav, cd/dvd changer, Bluetooth, full phone prep, full cocoa leather interior, Bose, PDLS, cruise, heated sport adaptive 18-way seats, parking sensors, multifunction steering, special paint, exterior bits painted, extra leather bits/ aluminium bits inside, etc., etc.) low mileage 2.9, exterior/interior in excellent condition, always garaged etc., not a mark on it.
Even the base 981 on 17" puts it to shame in every possible way. The new car may only be 3 years younger than my 2.9 in years released time but seeing it and driving it makes my car feel like it is 20 years old. The 2.9 although released in 2009 is based on a car that is now 10 years old the 2005 987. If I was buying a car today ESPECIALLY one that I would like to keep for 10 years I wouldn't even think of looking at 987's and this is from someone who loves their car and appreciates the significant price difference. I suggest you seriously start looking at 981s or you will regret it maybe not today but certainly sometime down the line. If you have to scratch a Cayman itch for a year or two sure a 987 would fit the bill but otherwise no way, sorry.
Even the base 981 on 17" puts it to shame in every possible way. The new car may only be 3 years younger than my 2.9 in years released time but seeing it and driving it makes my car feel like it is 20 years old. The 2.9 although released in 2009 is based on a car that is now 10 years old the 2005 987. If I was buying a car today ESPECIALLY one that I would like to keep for 10 years I wouldn't even think of looking at 987's and this is from someone who loves their car and appreciates the significant price difference. I suggest you seriously start looking at 981s or you will regret it maybe not today but certainly sometime down the line. If you have to scratch a Cayman itch for a year or two sure a 987 would fit the bill but otherwise no way, sorry.
pugfun said:
I drive a high spec (19", PCM Nav, cd/dvd changer, Bluetooth, full phone prep, full cocoa leather interior, Bose, PDLS, cruise, heated sport adaptive 18-way seats, parking sensors, multifunction steering, special paint, exterior bits painted, extra leather bits/ aluminium bits inside, etc., etc.) low mileage 2.9, exterior/interior in excellent condition, always garaged etc., not a mark on it.
Even the base 981 on 17" puts it to shame in every possible way. The new car may only be 3 years younger than my 2.9 in years released time but seeing it and driving it makes my car feel like it is 20 years old. The 2.9 although released in 2009 is based on a car that is now 10 years old the 2005 987. If I was buying a car today ESPECIALLY one that I would like to keep for 10 years I wouldn't even think of looking at 987's and this is from someone who loves their car and appreciates the significant price difference. I suggest you seriously start looking at 981s or you will regret it maybe not today but certainly sometime down the line. If you have to scratch a Cayman itch for a year or two sure a 987 would fit the bill but otherwise no way, sorry.
So you think the steering feel in the 981 is better than in the 987?Even the base 981 on 17" puts it to shame in every possible way. The new car may only be 3 years younger than my 2.9 in years released time but seeing it and driving it makes my car feel like it is 20 years old. The 2.9 although released in 2009 is based on a car that is now 10 years old the 2005 987. If I was buying a car today ESPECIALLY one that I would like to keep for 10 years I wouldn't even think of looking at 987's and this is from someone who loves their car and appreciates the significant price difference. I suggest you seriously start looking at 981s or you will regret it maybe not today but certainly sometime down the line. If you have to scratch a Cayman itch for a year or two sure a 987 would fit the bill but otherwise no way, sorry.
) of people on PHs, no one cares.Interesting comments.
I have a 987.1 S and have driven several 981s, one at the PEC and one on the road for a couple of days.
Each time I jumped out of the 981 into my car I though the driving experience was practically identical, it certainly didn't feel like jumping into an 'old' car. The brakes on my car are less servo'd and the interior is obviously older but as far as driving goes they felt very similar to me.
Others may disagree but I certainly don't feel there has been a massive jump in 10 years.
I have a 987.1 S and have driven several 981s, one at the PEC and one on the road for a couple of days.
Each time I jumped out of the 981 into my car I though the driving experience was practically identical, it certainly didn't feel like jumping into an 'old' car. The brakes on my car are less servo'd and the interior is obviously older but as far as driving goes they felt very similar to me.
Others may disagree but I certainly don't feel there has been a massive jump in 10 years.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
So true that. I really enjoyed the 987 and indeed it felt like a step up in many ways compared to the 986. But something got lost at the same time as the car got refined and "NVHed" to death to please the "consumer" and tickle their exposure to placebo. A certain rawness and purity kind of got lost.And guess what, exactly the same happened with the 981, it's the "superior product" compared to the 987, quite clearly.
Does it make it the better driving car ? I don't think so, even if you can forget the on-off switch overservoed brake pedal (but who cares apart from a weirdo like me who do appreciate modulation, we live in a fairly binary world...).
But I just got back into what the 986 2.5 MO30 felt like recently. It just happens to have a Toyota badge, how bizarre.
I have a 987 Boxster 2.9 and recently spent a few days with a 981 Boxster 2.7 PDK which I did about 400 miles in. My Boxster has standard suspension with 19"s and I think it rides really well for the type of car that it is, certainly seems no different from my 986 with 18"s.
The 981 is a vastly improved car in terms of the interior design. I'm still not convinced by the rear of the car, the bumper looks a bit too straight and high if that makes sense. I think the Gen 2 987's look the nuts from the rear due to the LED rear lights. Driving the 981, it felt slower with the 2.7 and PDK, you really have to rev it to get the best out of it which is similar to my 987 but the gearing seem to go on forever. I love the PDK gearbox, especially with a sports exhaust but i'm not convinced it's the right choice on the smaller engines.
I drove it to London and back from Bristol and was just amazed by the difference in comfort levels. There is virtually no noise inside the cabin from outside although even though it did not have a sports exhaust, the engine sounded a lot louder on throttle than my 987 due to the way the engine noise is piped into the cabin. For me it didn't matter but for some people it may get a bit tiresome after a while.
Speaking to the techies, the 981 uses a lot more VW group parts than the 987. A lot of the behind the scene stuff interior parts aren't up to the usual Porsche standards which means that they are getting a lot more cars with rattles etc.
If I was in your position, I would look at getting a Cayman R. If its a car you are going to be keeping for 10 years then this is what I would go for. The extra outlay will be worth it in the long run!
The 981 is a vastly improved car in terms of the interior design. I'm still not convinced by the rear of the car, the bumper looks a bit too straight and high if that makes sense. I think the Gen 2 987's look the nuts from the rear due to the LED rear lights. Driving the 981, it felt slower with the 2.7 and PDK, you really have to rev it to get the best out of it which is similar to my 987 but the gearing seem to go on forever. I love the PDK gearbox, especially with a sports exhaust but i'm not convinced it's the right choice on the smaller engines.
I drove it to London and back from Bristol and was just amazed by the difference in comfort levels. There is virtually no noise inside the cabin from outside although even though it did not have a sports exhaust, the engine sounded a lot louder on throttle than my 987 due to the way the engine noise is piped into the cabin. For me it didn't matter but for some people it may get a bit tiresome after a while.
Speaking to the techies, the 981 uses a lot more VW group parts than the 987. A lot of the behind the scene stuff interior parts aren't up to the usual Porsche standards which means that they are getting a lot more cars with rattles etc.
If I was in your position, I would look at getting a Cayman R. If its a car you are going to be keeping for 10 years then this is what I would go for. The extra outlay will be worth it in the long run!
giltranator said:
The 981 is a vastly improved car in terms of the interior design. I'm still not convinced by the rear of the car, the bumper looks a bit too straight and high if that makes sense. I think the Gen 2 987's look the nuts from the rear due to the LED rear lights. Driving the 981, it felt slower with the 2.7 and PDK, you really have to rev it to get the best out of it which is similar to my 987 but the gearing seem to go on forever. I love the PDK gearbox, especially with a sports exhaust but i'm not convinced it's the right choice on the smaller engines!
On the assumption the PDK gearing is the same across the whole boxster range, you'd definitely not want a manual 2.7 if you felt the PDK was too long! Manual will do 84mph in second at 7.4k rpm, PDK will only do 75.The BGTS I'm trying to make happen in the coming weeks will def be a PDK. The long manual gearing is a bit of a deal breaker for me even though I'm traditionally a manual person. Luckily for me, in this instance the PDK was the planned choice anyway given the other cars I run. If I was buying a BGTS as my only car and was after a manual, I'd be mightily hacked off
Mario149 said:
On the assumption the PDK gearing is the same across the whole boxster range, you'd definitely not want a manual 2.7 if you felt the PDK was too long! Manual will do 84mph in second at 7.4k rpm, PDK will only do 75.
The BGTS I'm trying to make happen in the coming weeks will def be a PDK. The long manual gearing is a bit of a deal breaker for me even though I'm traditionally a manual person. Luckily for me, in this instance the PDK was the planned choice anyway given the other cars I run. If I was buying a BGTS as my only car and was after a manual, I'd be mightily hacked off
Have to agree. There is clearly some misinformation going the rounds (from Porsche not from you) about PDF gearing. It's now clear on the GTS that both PDK and manual use a 3.89 diff ratio. Porsche originally quoted that both PDK engined cars had 3.25 ratio diffs compared with 3.89 for the manual. That would make the PDK cars HIGHER geared in the first 6 gears than the manual. That is certainly not the case with my (Mar 2014) Cayman S. I am tempted to believe that both manual and PDK use the same diff ratio (3.89) - except that using GPS to correct the speedo readings on my car the calculations would lead me to believe the diff ratio was 3.7! It could well be that the rev counter on my car underreads, but I can't confirm that. However I AM sure that current PDKs are geared lower in the first 6 ratios than manuals.The BGTS I'm trying to make happen in the coming weeks will def be a PDK. The long manual gearing is a bit of a deal breaker for me even though I'm traditionally a manual person. Luckily for me, in this instance the PDK was the planned choice anyway given the other cars I run. If I was buying a BGTS as my only car and was after a manual, I'd be mightily hacked off
All that said I drove a 2.7 pdk and considered the ratios rather long - and bought a 3.4 PDK instead. I'm sure I'd consider a 2.7 manual geared definitely too high, and even a 3.4 manual longer than desirable.
Gassing Station | Boxster/Cayman | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff