981S vs 718 base

[ODRALLAG]

AJB88 said:

not bad, when I was looking I only wanted Sport Crono and PSE, I ended up with them all + GTS bodykit etc.

Some of the options can be enabled through getting an activation code and PIWIS II. Such as auto wipers.

Why was sports chrono a must? From what I read, with the standard sports button, unless you track the car, its not that essential?

Edited by ODRALLAG on Tuesday 10th December 13:23

[AJB88]

ODRALLAG said:

Why was sports chrono a must? From what I read, with the standard sports button, unless you track the car, its not that essential?

Edited by ODRALLAG on Tuesday 10th December 13:23

My cars Stage 2 modified anyway now but I wanted the clock, makes the interior more complete, also wanted the launch control.

[bbob]

ODRALLAG said:

Why was sports chrono a must? From what I read, with the standard sports button, unless you track the car, its not that essential?

Edited by ODRALLAG on Tuesday 10th December 13:23

I have Sports Chrono on my car but it wasn't on my must-have list. The clock in the dash looks nice, especially with the leather dash and it gives you rev-matching in both manual and pdk cars if you like such things. I'd be inclined to agree that it's probably only really worthwhile if you take it on track where you'll probably see a benefit with the active engine/gearbox mounts. Mine has PASM too which gives a really good ride/handling compromise in normal mode with the 20" wheels. I find the sports mode too stiff for my liking. Saying that I tried a non-PASM car on 20" wheels before buying mine and I don't remember it feeling particularly compromised.

[LordGrover]

ODRALLAG said:

Thanks for the replies on the no. of owners

Spec is Pdk, PSE, pasm, bose, park sensors F+R, extended leather, 20” classic wheels, sports seats plus 2 way, PCM (does PCM include Bluetooth for mobile connectivity?) and a couple of other small bits. Ideally would have had sports chrono and dual zone but other than them two, any must haves missing?

Sounds good to me. PDK & PASM are must-haves for me.
My Black Edition has sports chrono pack which is nice to have, but not a deal breaker, I'd think even less so on an S.
Again, dual zone is nice, but who actually uses it? Mine's set to Auto all the time - I get twitchy if the passenger and drivers' side don't match.

[Twinfan]

LordGrover said:

Again, dual zone is nice, but who actually uses it? Mine's set to Auto all the time - I get twitchy if the passenger and drivers' side don't match.

The thing is, the option is Dual Zone *Climate*, versus the standard Manual Air Conditioning.

Lots of people missed this when configuring their new cars.

[anonymous-user]

Dual zone climate is nice. I specified it but wouldn't turn away from an otherwise good spec' on a used car just because it was missing. IMO manual a/c isn't usually much of a problem in UK climate (especially if your car's a convertible....)

Sport Chrono is IMO not one to fret about at all.

PASM I don't have but whenever I get a loan car it tends to come with PASM. It doesn't seem essential to me, although I'm on 19" wheels not the 20's with skinnier tyres.

Bose is a significant step-up from the base audio, even though it's not the be-all and end-all.

Parking sensors are definitely handy on these cars.

Enjoy!

[carspath]

AJB88.... please could you elaborate/ list those items that can be added. On with an activation code and PIWIS ( ? What is PIWIS?. )

You mention auto wipers for instance ..... what else

I have a 2016 981 Boxster S , and might like to add on additional options if they are relatively easy and inexpensive ...... so am keen to know what else is available through an activation code .

Thank you

[bcr5784]

carspath said:

AJB88.... please could you elaborate/ list those items that can be added. On with an activation code and PIWIS ( ? What is PIWIS?. )

You mention auto wipers for instance ..... what else

I have a 2016 981 Boxster S , and might like to add on additional options if they are relatively easy and inexpensive ...... so am keen to know what else is available through an activation code .

Thank you

I'm pretty sure Power Steering + can be added, but infotainment upgrades can be very expensive.

[tedblog]

bcr5784 said:

I'm pretty sure Power Steering + can be added, but infotainment upgrades can be very expensive.

I think power steering plus is a program change

[ODRALLAG]

While I almost closed the deal one the one mentioned, I’ve come across another one which has the climate control and sports chrono plus a couple of other small extras, is a year newer and only £3k more but has partial leather seats instead of full leather which is the only thing that’s putting me off this one. Someone tell me partial leather seats is ok? 😀

[testdrive]

ODRALLAG said:

While I almost closed the deal one the one mentioned, I’ve come across another one which has the climate control and sports chrono plus a couple of other small extras, is a year newer and only £3k more but has partial leather seats instead of full leather which is the only thing that’s putting me off this one. Someone tell me partial leather seats is ok? ??

Full leather interior including the dash etc would be worth 100x more to me than climate control. It really lifts the interior.

[anonymous-user]

IMO the base interior is absolutely fine.

The problem with all "extras" is they depreciate faster than the car to which they are attached - so be careful not to overpay for shiny toys. Just because the original customer paid a lot for them doesn't mean they add huge value in the used market.

Sport Chrono - you'll probably push the button a couple of times in the first week of ownership and then never touch it again.

Dual zone climate - will be used every time you drive the car.
Sport steering wheel is IMO a lot nicer than the base wheel - would be used every time you drive the car.
Parking sensors - would be used every time you drive the car.

[bcr5784]

testdrive said:

Full leather interior including the dash etc would be worth 100x more to me than climate control. It really lifts the interior.

It really is a personal thing. Mine had partial leather and I was fine with that - I'd take climate. I 'd check on the seats - everyone in my family complained about the standard "sports" seats.

I think sports chrono is a waste of time - the engine mounts might be an advantage on track, but seem to give a lot of trouble.

You have to view/try as many cars as you can and see what is important to you. As others have said there are lots of things - like bluetooth phone preparation which are NOT standard. Cars with sat nav command a premium, those without are harder to sell.

To me PASM would be way up my list - most impressive single option on my car. With 19" wheels sport is quite useable on good roads. I'd avoid 20" wheels anyway - spoils the ride for no dynamic advantage. I'd be careful about the sports exhaust - it drones on the motorway and the car is already rather noisy at motorway speeds. Mostly tyre noise.

Bose is rubbish - but others say the standard system is even worse (hard to believe). In any case, as I say, the car is noisy at speed so it's not worth getting a decent system.

Just my opinion - you'll find a wide variety of other opinions.

[ODRALLAG]

Thanks for the replies. I just thought, newer car, more options and only £3k difference, seemed like a better deal. Decisions decisions

[carspath]

What is Power Steering + , and what is PIWIS please ?

AnyOne else have any idea as to what can be added on purely with electronic codes , as per above ?

Thank you

[bcr5784]

carspath said:

What is Power Steering + , and what is PIWIS please ?

AnyOne else have any idea as to what can be added on purely with electronic codes , as per above ?

Thank you

Power Steering Plus (+) makes the steering lighter at low speeds. Personally like it, makes parking a bit easier (for the OH) but also makes the car feel more agile round tight roundabouts for example. Not a common option. PIWIS is the Porsche magic box which allows upgrades to be made and accesses diagnostic info.

[bbob]

I would try and find one with the sports exhaust if possible as it really does make the car sound fantastic. It wasn't on my must have list but my car came with it. Now having experienced it for a good while I think it's worth seeking out or having fitted if it doesn't already have it. I don't notice any droning when cruising.with it switched off. It would now be on my must have list one way or another if I was looking to change.

As others have said the Bose system isn't great but that just means the standard system or sound package upgrade is probably worse.

Edited by bbob on Wednesday 11th December 18:16

[AJB88]

carspath said:

AJB88.... please could you elaborate/ list those items that can be added. On with an activation code and PIWIS ( ? What is PIWIS?. )

You mention auto wipers for instance ..... what else

I have a 2016 981 Boxster S , and might like to add on additional options if they are relatively easy and inexpensive ...... so am keen to know what else is available through an activation code .

Thank you

Auto wipers doesn't even need an activation code, you literally go into PIWIS II and tick auto wipers. Find a local specialist with PIWIS II and ask them to enable it. Takes 2 minutes.

[DJMC]

AJB88 said:

Auto wipers doesn't even need an activation code, you literally go into PIWIS II and tick auto wipers. Find a local specialist with PIWIS II and ask them to enable it. Takes 2 minutes.

That's interesting. I have manual intermittent wipers but I'm not rushing out to change them to auto as it's been refreshing, after 20 years of auto wipers, to be able to stop "mad wiper" syndrome and actually set them to wipe when I want them to. Having said that, the car is PDK so I should perhaps like the auto function.

[anonymous-user]

Yes, in terms of progress auto wipers have a bit of the Paula Abdul about them,

"I take--2 steps forward, I take--2 steps back." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xweiQukBM_k