Open mind or lost my mind?
Discussion
Back to this forum after a year or so away, so I'm not expecting much change in response to this thread. 
Having been madly in love with my 981 CGTS and getting rid towards the end of summer 2017, I have spent the last 15 months in an Audi S5 coupe. Not a bad car at all - really well equipped and a very comfortable place to be.
Now, I have definitely been among the 'what a shame about the F6 to the F4T' brigade since the start, but after a casual browse through the Porsche Approved site I have ended up purchasing (without seeing in person, hearing or driving!) a 2018 718 Cayman S. I just completely fell for the Sapphire Blue.
It's not a massively specified car, but certainly has enough kit for me to be happy. The only thing I might have wished for would be the PSE which it does not have. I wonder why the first owner felt the need to get out of it after only 8 months....
I know I can retro-fit the PSE for less than £2k at a Porsche dealer (and there seems to be a few aftermarket options these days for similar prices), but I will have to see how I feel after living with it for a couple of months. If the sound becomes the one thing that spoils the car for me, then I will spend the money.
Anyway, I am going from arguably the 981 to have (certainly for every day use) to a 718S...so will be (after a while) able to genuinely express an opinion on the two as cars to live with every day.
Watch this space!
Phantom
Having been madly in love with my 981 CGTS and getting rid towards the end of summer 2017, I have spent the last 15 months in an Audi S5 coupe. Not a bad car at all - really well equipped and a very comfortable place to be.
Now, I have definitely been among the 'what a shame about the F6 to the F4T' brigade since the start, but after a casual browse through the Porsche Approved site I have ended up purchasing (without seeing in person, hearing or driving!) a 2018 718 Cayman S. I just completely fell for the Sapphire Blue.
It's not a massively specified car, but certainly has enough kit for me to be happy. The only thing I might have wished for would be the PSE which it does not have. I wonder why the first owner felt the need to get out of it after only 8 months....
I know I can retro-fit the PSE for less than £2k at a Porsche dealer (and there seems to be a few aftermarket options these days for similar prices), but I will have to see how I feel after living with it for a couple of months. If the sound becomes the one thing that spoils the car for me, then I will spend the money.
Anyway, I am going from arguably the 981 to have (certainly for every day use) to a 718S...so will be (after a while) able to genuinely express an opinion on the two as cars to live with every day.
Watch this space!
Phantom
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I had a 718 GTS for a day, it's the fastest mid engine current Porker you can buy, be a nice daily over say a golf, even if I did set the pads on fire !cars now under braked !
But drives and steers better than any 981 also, it's just a better driver car, so you either have to have a the 981 which is the worse steering model Porsche ever made in current years with the flat 6 or a 718 with better steering and the flat 4
better to buy a 987.2 car, you get better steering and the flat 6 win win and 1/2 the price.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
like me though you would have neither, the steering is night and day 718 back to 981 I thought but still crap, the smaller steering wheel and faster rack just makes the car turn in so fast at normal speeds, the 981 lacks any feel and has the slower rack, bith you drive on faith alone in the wet and for that both feel dire over the older cars.Thanks for the responses and also thanks for the alternate forum suggestion - signing up now.
No cryptic reason why I sold the 981GTS - my wife went back into fun time education and aside form the money saving aspect, we also needed the extra 2 seats (such as they are) - hence the S5.
One of the things for me with the 718S, is that I am looking for something a little less raucous than the 981GTS. It's why I've gone for the spec I have (by and large), but ultimately I just really liked the colour!
Nothing wrong with that!
I would never consider myself a good enough driver to fully exploit the chassis of either the 981 or the 718, so as far as I'm concerned, I will have just as much fun in the 718 on the weekends as I would have another 981GTS - but I also get a little more comfortable a daily with all the up-to-date toys such as Apple CarPlay, heated steering wheel, etc, etc.
I also found out this year that I am not a very well chap, so whilst I can still leap in and out of a sports car, I intend doing so. At some point I won't be able to, but until then I intend trying as many things as possible. So 718/981/991/Huracan/458/Aston Martin...whatever...I am going to open my eyes and mind and try each thing that comes my way without prior judgement - and if it's not right, I will make a change.
No cryptic reason why I sold the 981GTS - my wife went back into fun time education and aside form the money saving aspect, we also needed the extra 2 seats (such as they are) - hence the S5.
One of the things for me with the 718S, is that I am looking for something a little less raucous than the 981GTS. It's why I've gone for the spec I have (by and large), but ultimately I just really liked the colour!
Nothing wrong with that!I would never consider myself a good enough driver to fully exploit the chassis of either the 981 or the 718, so as far as I'm concerned, I will have just as much fun in the 718 on the weekends as I would have another 981GTS - but I also get a little more comfortable a daily with all the up-to-date toys such as Apple CarPlay, heated steering wheel, etc, etc.
I also found out this year that I am not a very well chap, so whilst I can still leap in and out of a sports car, I intend doing so. At some point I won't be able to, but until then I intend trying as many things as possible. So 718/981/991/Huracan/458/Aston Martin...whatever...I am going to open my eyes and mind and try each thing that comes my way without prior judgement - and if it's not right, I will make a change.
Porsche911R said:
But drives and steers better than any 981 also
I've been driving the 2.0l all day today and you are right... I want that steering! I think buying the smaller 718 wheel may be 1/4 of the battle. It's almost certainly sharper and more direct and makes the car feel more agile, I don't think the 981 is bad per se but I agree that it feels like an improvement.The car was pretty nasty on p-zero 20s without pasm though, but that's the fault of our roads mostly.
testdrive_tv said:
Porsche911R said:
But drives and steers better than any 981 also
I've been driving the 2.0l all day today and you are right... I want that steering! I think buying the smaller 718 wheel may be 1/4 of the battle. It's almost certainly sharper and more direct and makes the car feel more agile, I don't think the 981 is bad per se but I agree that it feels like an improvement.The car was pretty nasty on p-zero 20s without pasm though, but that's the fault of our roads mostly.
Any car can be improved and no car is perfect these days, but for its getting the most fun out of the package you find best fits your needs. I love having the GTS on the ragged edge, roll on 2019, can't wait for summer
OP - Enjoy your car!!
PhantomPH said:
<snip>
Anyway, I am going from arguably the 981 to have (certainly for every day use) to a 718S...so will be (after a while) able to genuinely express an opinion on the two as cars to live with every day.
Watch this space!
Phantom
I went in the other direction a couple of months ago. For me the 718 Cayman (base model) was a pretty well perfect daily drive that I really enjoyed for long distances too. Just an excellent road car in every respect, and the 2.5 turbo is in many ways even better (less lag, more torque especially off boost, only drove one at PEC for 30 minutes and decided the extra power wasn't worth the extra money, but was on a tighter budget back then). I even think they sound great.Anyway, I am going from arguably the 981 to have (certainly for every day use) to a 718S...so will be (after a while) able to genuinely express an opinion on the two as cars to live with every day.
Watch this space!
Phantom
Went in the other direction because I don't know how many chances I'm going to get to own and use a 981 GT4, so I jumped at it. It's an epic car and all that, but I can't use it for everything in the same way I did the 718. 718 is a really good road car with enough advantages over the 981 to outweigh the perceived negatives (not sure I really perceive many of them, used mine pretty much every day for 16 months and put 18,000 trouble free miles on it) - you have most definitely not lost your mind.
Liam
Porsche911R said:
Both you drive on faith alone in the wet and for that both feel dire over the older cars.
I’m glad to see it’s not just me who thinks that! The latest generation of Porsche’s are incredibly difficult to drive in the wet as they have zero feedback through the steering wheel or the arse of your cheeks.
When driving quickly I just turn in and hope for the best!
Crispystork said:
So wierd... i did the opposite.. i had an Audi S5 (2010 V8 one) and now have a 981 GTS.
718 is the better car overall, but 981 has the better engine.
So did I! V8 S5 but now a 987 CS. The S5 was fast, safe and made a lovely noise, but just wasn’t sporty enough. Much happier with the Cayman 718 is the better car overall, but 981 has the better engine.
Don’t think the OP is mad.
For all of the criticisms of the 718 models, I found it brilliant at the PEC. I went in expecting not to like it, but they had carried over many of the good things from the better 981s (quicker steering rack of Boxster Spyder for example - I’m sure someone will tell me it’s even better but I didn’t feel that).
I didn’t particularly love the 4 pot turbo engine, but as a daily driver they will be brilliant, it’s just for the weekend personally I like a bigger NA engine in my sports cars. Especially with them being phased out. Function wise the 4 pot seemed effective.
It does niggle me that it’s a 4 pot and yet no lighter than the 6 pot cars though! If it was 100kg lighter than the outgoing models, the argument would be less clear cut for me as you’d be heading towards lotus....
For all of the criticisms of the 718 models, I found it brilliant at the PEC. I went in expecting not to like it, but they had carried over many of the good things from the better 981s (quicker steering rack of Boxster Spyder for example - I’m sure someone will tell me it’s even better but I didn’t feel that).
I didn’t particularly love the 4 pot turbo engine, but as a daily driver they will be brilliant, it’s just for the weekend personally I like a bigger NA engine in my sports cars. Especially with them being phased out. Function wise the 4 pot seemed effective.
It does niggle me that it’s a 4 pot and yet no lighter than the 6 pot cars though! If it was 100kg lighter than the outgoing models, the argument would be less clear cut for me as you’d be heading towards lotus....
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