Upgrade from 981 GTS to 782 GTS 4.0?

[Boxsterjon]

I love my Boxster 981 GTS: it’s the best car I’ve ever had.

But the thought of something newer, shinier and (maybe) even better is tempting. And the increasing value of my 981 over the last few months means that the price to change has reduced.

Has anyone moved from a 981 GTS to a 4.0 GTS (Boxster or Cayman)? Was it worth it? How significant is the difference? Should I or shouldn’t I….

[Boxsterjon]

Twinfan said:

I would say everything is better, bar the exhaust sound. Which isn't easily fixed if you don't want drone.

The decision really boils down to how much you love the 981 pops, bangs and crackles and/or whether you want something your 981 doesn't have e.g. bucket seats, different colour etc.

Thanks - the pops and crackles are epic but could be a small price to pay…

[Boxsterjon]

OPOGTS said:

I moved from a 981 Cayman GTS (3 years) to a 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 (4 months!)

Personally, I'm exceptionally happy to have made the change but only you can decide if its worth the extra money!

Pros:-

• The engine is an absolute peach, significantly more low down torque and noticeably more powerful - which makes it nicer to use as both a daily and when pressing on.
• The setup feels a bit more 'alive'. It's small margins but slightly more pointy, slightly more precise, slightly more on its toes - meaning overall its a better steer (and by the way I thought the 981 was already superb)
• Looks, subjective, I wasn't originally a fan of the 718 Vs the 981 but it's really grown on me having it sat on the drive
• Infotainment - much better (still not amazing) and has CarPlay which I like (although you have to plug it in, which I don't like as my phone usually stays in my pocket!)

Cons:-

• The noise. The 981 GTS sounded like a mini race car - bit childish at times but personally I loved the outrageous noise. The 718 is nowhere near as good and a much more mature / muted experience. That said......... 1) it gets noticeably louder after being properly run-in and 2) it still actually sounds superb, just different (people I have in the car always comment on the noise).
• The suspension setup is a tad on the firm side - and take into account I deleted the -20mm and went for the -10mm. I use mine as a road car (it will never go on a track) and for every kind of journey possible (from the evo triangle to taking the dogs out, from 2 miles to the supermarket to 2000 miles roadtrips (god willing people!)). I prefer the suppleness of the 981 GTS, the 718 is right on the limit of what I personally like from an everyday road car. I notice a couple of the journos made a similar point around the new GT3, but ultimately each to their own...... some people will tell you they happily run GT3s everyday, others that they are unbearable - only you know what works for you. For what I enjoy and how I use the car I'm glad I didn't keep the -20mm.

Overall: My old 981 GTS was an absolute stunner, I utterly loved that car and was gutted selling it. But goodness me, I'm soooooo happy with the 718 and ultimately really happy I made the swap.

At the end of the day, you can't lose with either car (other than financially), they're both excellent

Really helpful - many thanks for taking the time to share your experience. With current 981 prices the differential is more like £25k: still a lot of money but very tempting.

[Boxsterjon]

Thanks everyone. I have a test drive booked which may clarify things (and potentially cost me quite a bit of money!)