981 Cayman GTS or 991 Carrera?
Discussion
Hi guys,
New to the Porsche side of the forum here, I apologise if I posted in the wrong place. I’ve been looking for a car for a little while (around £50k). I’m going to see a 981 Cayman GTS in a couple of days and have noticed (what looks to be) a really nice 991 Carrera. I’ve never owned a Porsche and have little experience with them (besides sitting in a couple at various motor shows).
The Cayman is a couple of years younger, has a higher spec level, and (significantly) less miles on it (10k vs 50k) and seems like the smarter choice. However the 911 is just quite appealing and at a similar price point!
I want something I can have a bit of fun in as a semi daily driver (I don’t do a lot of miles) but I can sell on in a couple of years time without it costing me too much (in terms of depreciation). Which option would you go for?
Many thanks in advance
New to the Porsche side of the forum here, I apologise if I posted in the wrong place. I’ve been looking for a car for a little while (around £50k). I’m going to see a 981 Cayman GTS in a couple of days and have noticed (what looks to be) a really nice 991 Carrera. I’ve never owned a Porsche and have little experience with them (besides sitting in a couple at various motor shows).
The Cayman is a couple of years younger, has a higher spec level, and (significantly) less miles on it (10k vs 50k) and seems like the smarter choice. However the 911 is just quite appealing and at a similar price point!
I want something I can have a bit of fun in as a semi daily driver (I don’t do a lot of miles) but I can sell on in a couple of years time without it costing me too much (in terms of depreciation). Which option would you go for?
Many thanks in advance
Having similar thoughts myself, although I think I'd actually rather own the Cayman GTS.
Issue for me is with two small children the 911 would surely get more use.
I would have thought the Cayman would do slightly better residually although it remains to be seen what the 718 4.0 GTS may do the value further down the line.
To drive I would expect to be Cayman to be much more entertaining if you can live with two seats.
Issue for me is with two small children the 911 would surely get more use.
I would have thought the Cayman would do slightly better residually although it remains to be seen what the 718 4.0 GTS may do the value further down the line.
To drive I would expect to be Cayman to be much more entertaining if you can live with two seats.
You don't say wether it's manual or auto your after , the Gts would be nice in manual form but not at £50k, personally wouldn't touch an early 991 but £50k gets a much better Porsche although may be older ie any non GT model of the 997.2 or 987.2 manual from 2010/11 era. A late 997.2 much better buy than any non GT 991 if it's a 911 you are after. Why not start with a 987.2 boxster or Cayman S at about £25k both great cars for the money, buy well and should be pretty much depreciation proof but on the 981/991 I would say you will loose about £10-15k over 2-3 years.
But if you wait and can stretch your budget and like a bit of drama then the 981gt4 is heading below £60k
But if you wait and can stretch your budget and like a bit of drama then the 981gt4 is heading below £60k
Edited by GT4P on Tuesday 13th October 19:18
Edited by GT4P on Tuesday 13th October 19:19
bencollins4 said:
Having similar thoughts myself, although I think I'd actually rather own the Cayman GTS.
Issue for me is with two small children the 911 would surely get more use.
I would have thought the Cayman would do slightly better residually although it remains to be seen what the 718 4.0 GTS may do the value further down the line.
To drive I would expect to be Cayman to be much more entertaining if you can live with two seats.
I like the look of both cars, and having the newer car and the significant decrease in miles would be nice. I'm not too bothered about only having the 2 seats, I don't have kids and probably wont have any for the foreseeable future! Issue for me is with two small children the 911 would surely get more use.
I would have thought the Cayman would do slightly better residually although it remains to be seen what the 718 4.0 GTS may do the value further down the line.
To drive I would expect to be Cayman to be much more entertaining if you can live with two seats.
GT4P said:
You don't say wether it's manual or auto your after , the Gts would be nice in manual form but not at £50k, personally wouldn't touch an early 991 but £50k gets a much better Porsche although may be older ie any non GT model of the 997.2 or 987.2 manual from 2010/11 era. A late 997.2 much better buy than any non GT 991 if it's a 911 you are after. Why not start with a 987.2 boxster or Cayman S at about £25k both great cars for the money, buy well and should be pretty much depreciation proof but on the 981/991 I would say you will loose about £10-15k over 2-3 years.
But if you wait and can stretch your budget and like a bit of drama then the 981gt4 is heading below £60k
They are both manuals, and I am only looking at manuals at the moment. £50k is just the max of my budget, the GTSs I am looking at are a little bit less (but granted not much). Are the early 991s known to be a bit dodgy? But if you wait and can stretch your budget and like a bit of drama then the 981gt4 is heading below £60k
Edited by GT4P on Tuesday 13th October 19:18
Edited by GT4P on Tuesday 13th October 19:19
I did look at the 987s (there is also a Cayman R 987 I am debating having a look at) but overall I prefer the aesthetics of the 981s.
I could probably stretch to a 981 GT4 at the moment, but I'm not sure if I want to spend that much at the moment!
Edited by WakeFlakes on Tuesday 13th October 19:39
Geneve said:
I am a 911 fan.
But in this instance I’d go for the newer, lower mileage, higher spec Cayman GTS.
Out of curiosity would it change your opinion if it was a PDK 991? I’ve just had a quick look on Autotrader and I can get a low/mid 20k miles with a PDK (there’s actually a Carrera S as well). But in this instance I’d go for the newer, lower mileage, higher spec Cayman GTS.
Geneve said:
PDK v Manual is a personal choice.
I’ve had PDK on 4 out of 5 of my last new Porsches and, whilst excellent and well suited to certain situations, I still find a really good manual much more satisfying in a sporting Porsche.
Absolutely. While the PDK from the 981 was arguably the best in the industry, the manual gearbox on them is a true cherry.I’ve had PDK on 4 out of 5 of my last new Porsches and, whilst excellent and well suited to certain situations, I still find a really good manual much more satisfying in a sporting Porsche.
WakeFlakes said:
Royal Jelly said:
Absolutely. While the PDK from the 981 was arguably the best in the industry, the manual gearbox on them is a true cherry.
That’s quite interesting (having driven neither) I read a few posts that say the 7 speed manual is not very nice to drive. Is this not true? The 991 has the 7-spd manual, which had some critics when new, but was improved on later models.
991.1 Early cars had build quality issues so if buying a 991.1 go post 2014 model year .The electric steering of the 981 and 991 is highly critized on here it improved on the 981gt4 and the gen2 eps was fitted on the 718 and 991.2 which is regarded as being a vast improvement . Porsche interiors have always been pretty basic which is what I like you are buying the driving experience not to have bells and whistles in the cabin. The manual manual 997.2 is highly regarded as the last proper analogue Porsche hence good ones are few and far between the 987.2 also fits in this category hence a lot of love for cars like the CaymanR or the 987.2 Spyder but at £25k the regular S models represent good value sports cars.
If I was buying a 911 it would have to be either the 997.2 model or a 991.2 which is post 2016. A lot of people snub the engine as its turbo but it's a 3.0 flat6 so what's not to like but prices start around £60k for a good one.
Pdk v manual debate is personal choice but yet again the newer pdk is better. The manual box on the 991.1 is not that good but improved on the 991.2.
So the above leaves the 991.1 in no mans land between the 997.2 and 991.2.
By the way 50k is a lot of miles for a newish Porsche and although perhaps cheaper than other cars with lower miles it will cost more in the long run.
Happy hunting
If I was buying a 911 it would have to be either the 997.2 model or a 991.2 which is post 2016. A lot of people snub the engine as its turbo but it's a 3.0 flat6 so what's not to like but prices start around £60k for a good one.
Pdk v manual debate is personal choice but yet again the newer pdk is better. The manual box on the 991.1 is not that good but improved on the 991.2.
So the above leaves the 991.1 in no mans land between the 997.2 and 991.2.
By the way 50k is a lot of miles for a newish Porsche and although perhaps cheaper than other cars with lower miles it will cost more in the long run.
Happy hunting
What about a very well kitted out 981 Cayman S? Like for like around £7k to £10k less than a GTS but no where near £7k+ less of a car. That's what I did (actually Boxster S) and have no regrets. Incidentally my previous car was a 997.2s - I prefer the Boxster!
Edited by bbob on Wednesday 14th October 08:12
WakeFlakes said:
That’s quite interesting (having driven neither) I read a few posts that say the 7 speed manual is not very nice to drive. Is this not true?
I can’t speak for the 991 manual, but the 6 speed manual in the 981 is beautiful. It’s short, crisp and deliberate. It’s very highly regarded. The previous owner of my S had the slightly shorter GT4 stick installed, so it’s ergonomically just right, too.I’ve driven a 981 PDK, and while it’s extremely effective and no-doubt quicker, it lacked what I am after with a fun b-road car.
Excellent dilemma to have, by the way.
My personal opinion is that after the 997, Carreras became more GT car than back road blasters (GT3 etc aside). Brilliant bits of kit, but for a spirited country drive, they’re quite big and heavy now.
I’m obviously biased, but the 981 really does represent itself very well in the U.K... it’s ideally proportioned for our roads, sounds beautiful and handles like no car under silly money should. They’re powered such that you really feel like you’re getting to enjoy the whole range of the car on our roads, rather than something more powerful, where you’d really feel like you were holding back. I particularly enjoy that aspect of them. A friend has a 991 turbo S, and as impressive as it is (it’s ludicrous), he notes that it is frustrating in a way to be only exploring a tiny fraction of the car’s potential.
A GTS will hold its value better, but it is a lot more money than a Cayman S, but not a great deal more car. 10 grand less than a GTS will get you a highly specced S, with only 15bhp less grunt. Perhaps worth considering.
You really can’t go wrong either way. 981s are brilliant. I’m sure you’d be thrilled with a 991, too.
Edited by Royal Jelly on Wednesday 14th October 09:24
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