981 what to buy?

[Dubdubz]

Ok title is a a little obscure but I fancy moving from my well appointed manual 987.1 to a 981

I want an S, just because the base 987 didn’t ever feel rapid, it was quick enough and handles well. I also think I want a pdk but I’m not sure. 

There seems to be like when I bought mine, a raft of options that don’t always affect price. I wanted extended leather and heated seats and PSE, in my 987 and it took awhile to find one with those and the miles and colour. 
if I go for an S what should I make sure it has, I’m confused over sports and the Sports plus for example. If I found the one and it didn’t have sports plus is that really bad and can you retro fit? I do want it with some sports exhaust, the PSE on the 987 is one of the best bits as I am a little kid.

I am bit concerned on the residuals too, buying an early car circa 30k will it be worth 15 in 5 years? Been spoilt as I bought low on my 987 which has crept up slightly…

so in summary a well spec’d 12/13 or 14 plate 981s pdk with 50 k miles what should I look out for? 
and I guess is it worth the outlay over my 987?

cheers and thank you
 

 

[iborguk]

Go drive some and see what options you like ? You'll also get the feel of the slightly bigger cabin and things like PDK.

I also wouldn't buy one worrying about residuals, they are cars, not an investment and no one has a crystal ball as to how their value will go, although currently the 981S is commanding a good premium. 

I'd buy the car you like at the money you feel comfortable at.

Electric steering rack, PADM mounts and aircon fans are not uncommon failure points.

Enjoy the hunt.

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by iborguk

[iborguk]

https://www.porscheclubgb.com/regions-registers/registers/modern/boxster/boxster-buyers-guides/981-buyers-guide

 

[daz05]

My advice, find a nice S in a colour you can live with, PDK or manual is up to you, but you won't be disappointed with PDK, manual ratios might annoy you.

Get PSE  ✅ - essential 

PASM feels nice and 10mm lower ✅ 

PCM 3.1 with nav ✅

Extended leather ✅

Chrono is nice to have but not essential.

Anything else is a bonus.

Residuals look solid to me, the only alternative is an £80k 4.0l 718!

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by daz05

[Dubdubz]

Thanks … this is helping loads.
 

Is PSE stated as such or is that part of a sport package?

Guessing a 981 sports exhaust is £££

 

[moonshine]

For me, “essentials” were

PSE

PASM

PDK With Sports Design steering wheel (this has paddles, rather than the buttons) 

Sports Plus Seats (as opposed to Sports seats)

35W Xenons (you can tell they are 35W as they have washers - the lower powered 25W xenon’s don’t have washers)

2 Zone climate

Extended leather

Front and rear PDC

heated seats

PCM 3.1 with Nav

“nice to have” were

20” Carrera Wheels

Folding Mirrors

TBH, not fussed about

Sports Chrono - (due to reported fragility of the Dynamic engine mounts) , but i like the clock - i got this anyway  

I got them all with my car

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by moonshine

[moonshine]

1 hour ago, Dubdubz said:

Guessing a 981 sports exhaust is £££

I think it s about £2,500 as a retrofit - but supply is an issue at the moment, with long back order IIRC

[Jon61]

3 hours ago, Dubdubz said:

if I go for an S what should I make sure it has, I’m confused over sports and the Sports plus for example.

All 981 models have a Sport button; it's standard equipment (although the extent of what it does depends on what options your car has eg PDK). The Sports Chrono option is what gives you the Sport Plus button.

If you're at all confused about the various features and options, I'd suggest reading through the original sales brochures - and it's worth being aware that the 981 specification changed somewhat a year or two after launch (at least concerning the PCM features, I can't remember it is affected anything else major), so it may be also worth looking out both an early and a late brochure online to see what the differences were. You'll find an early UK brochure on this page: https://www.stuttcars.com/porsche-boxster-981-sales-brochures/ but may have to look elsewhere if you want to refer to a late model UK brochure (I think the last standard/S UK brochure was a 2015 one).

[Dubdubz]

Cool thank you. I am wondering if a 987.2 with the 3.4 might get me the oomph I’m after with the lower tax bracket. I’ve not gone to a 987.1 3.2 as the RFL is stupid, daft as it sounds 3 or 4 years saving is a service or tyres…

[Topbox]

Sports Plus is wasted unless you track the car, it's fun once or twice on the road but manic as it revs each ratio to the redline under even modest acceleration.   PDLS (head lights) would be much more useful.

[Lonewolfgjp]

51 minutes ago, Topbox said:

Sports Plus is wasted unless you track the car, it's fun once or twice on the road but manic as it revs each ratio to the redline under even modest acceleration.   PDLS (head lights) would be much more useful.

I used to think the same and never really used it but it is now my go to on a country lane blast. As long as you’ve got the paddles and put it in manual it really sharpens up the ride, it automatically puts the PASM into Sport which isn’t too firm as in the 987👌

 

1 hour ago, Dubdubz said:

Cool thank you. I am wondering if a 987.2 with the 3.4 might get me the oomph I’m after with the lower tax bracket. I’ve not gone to a 987.1 3.2 as the RFL is stupid, daft as it sounds 3 or 4 years saving is a service or tyres…

Having had the 3.4 987.2 the 981S feels like a totally different car even though it shares the same engine. The PDK is greatly improved and feels much smoother. 

They are both great and I would recommend test driving both 👍

[CMA]

6 hours ago, Dubdubz said:

if I go for an S what should I make sure it has, I’m confused over sports and the Sports plus for example. If I found the one and it didn’t have sports plus is that really bad and can you retro fit? I do want it with some sports exhaust, the PSE on the 987 is one of the best bits as I am a little kid.

 

Sports is standard on all 981's. Sports Plus is an option which gives you a nice clock, dynamic transmission mounts and an extra driving mode (more slip on traction, faster gear changes in PDK, launch control, and probably more) as said it holds all the gears in a PDK until almost the redline, but I use it in manual mode, which avoids that and gives a more connected feedback for the spirited drives. It also has a stiffer mode in PASM if the car has that option too. Something to bear in mind is the dynamic transmission mounts are about £900 each for the part alone, and are known to be a bit flaky, had one of mine go about 40k. Waiting for the other one to go, but I change it myself so saved the £400+ labour costs

If you thought PSE on the 987 was the best bits, from my experience the PSE on the 981 is even better, well worth the money.

Edited May 28, 2023 by CMA

[daz05]

Worth saying the mounts have been known to go but they don't always fail, I personally think it's linked to corrosion getting into the connections but strangely it's still happening today on almost brand new cars so hard to say, I wouldn't let it put you off a car with Sports Chrono, we will be able to code them out if they fail and you can replace them with the standard mounts.

[iborguk]

16 minutes ago, daz05 said:

Worth saying the mounts have been known to go but they don't always fail, I personally think it's linked to corrosion getting into the connections but strangely it's still happening today on almost brand new cars so hard to say, I wouldn't let it put you off a car with Sports Chrono, we will be able to code them out if they fail and you can replace them with the standard mounts.

Yes have heard of this still occurring on 718 GT4s as an example.

As you say the electrical side of this is often cited as the failure root cause.

[Dubdubz]

Is there any other YouTube or media I can consume in the mean time ☺️. There are not many close to me and I know from when I was looking for my 987, examples seem to feel different. It depends on the ownership and the condition of course and a cosseted higher mileage felt tighter than the abused 10+ owners ones. I’m in no rush so can afford time wise to be selective. 
 

I'm looking at another make too, I won’t say what, not to spark interest but I want this to be about ‘sell me the 981 experience’ and not why x make is poop. 
 

but advice is heard, drive lots and see what suits. Thank you 

[Menoporsche]

55 minutes ago, Dubdubz said:

I'm looking at another make too, I won’t say what, not to spark interest but I want this to be about ‘sell me the 981 experience’ and not why x make is poop

2 sides of the same coin. Many here have driven/owned several makes, and most have settled on a 981 as they consider it better value than the alternatives. A few have gone for other makes and are happy with them (eg TTRS, Alpine, Alfa, Merc AMG, Jag F Type) - logically, not many of them hang around a Boxster forum so the voices here won't be representative.

[JurassicBGTS]

19 hours ago, moonshine said:

For me, “essentials” were

PSE

PASM

PDK With Sports Design steering wheel (this has paddles, rather than the buttons) 

Sports Plus Seats (as opposed to Sports seats)

35W Xenons (you can tell they are 35W as they have washers - the lower powered 25W xenon’s don’t have washers)

2 Zone climate

Extended leather

Front and rear PDC

heated seats

PCM 3.1 with Nav

“nice to have” were

20” Carrera Wheels

Folding Mirrors

TBH, not fussed about

Sports Chrono - (due to reported fragility of the Dynamic engine mounts) , but i like the clock - i got this anyway  

I got them all with my car

 

That looks an absolute beauty😍😉

[daz05]

3 hours ago, Dubdubz said:

Is there any other YouTube or media I can consume in the mean time ☺️. There are not many close to me and I know from when I was looking for my 987, examples seem to feel different. It depends on the ownership and the condition of course and a cosseted higher mileage felt tighter than the abused 10+ owners ones. I’m in no rush so can afford time wise to be selective. 
 

I'm looking at another make too, I won’t say what, not to spark interest but I want this to be about ‘sell me the 981 experience’ and not why x make is poop. 
 

but advice is heard, drive lots and see what suits. Thank you 

There's a guy on here that makes click bait type videos associated with the 981. No affiliation honest ..😜🫣

www.youtube.com/testdrivescotland

 

 

 

 

[moospeed]

23 hours ago, daz05 said:

My advice, find a nice S in a colour you can live with, PDK or manual is up to you, but you won't be disappointed with PDK, manual ratios might annoy you.

Get PSE  ✅ - essential 

PASM feels nice and 10mm lower ✅ 

PCM 3.1 with nav ✅

Extended leather ✅

Chrono is nice to have but not essential.

Anything else is a bonus.

Residuals look solid to me, the only alternative is an £80k 4.0l 718!

 

I like how one of the essentials is one you ditched 😂

However, yes that is the essentials list for sure.

 I put mine up on the for sale section a few days ago which has a load of options, but it’s lowly, weedy, 2.7.  Luckily on a couple of runs I’ve been on with S’s and a 4.0 GTS they must’ve all been kindly holding back because no-one was ever pulling away 🤔

I may be wrong but didn’t the base 981 have more (or the same) power as the previous S and less weight?  Though PDK added it back maybe…

 

[daz05]

8 minutes ago, moospeed said:

I like how one of the essentials is one you ditched 😂

However, yes that is the essentials list for sure.

 I put mine up on the for sale section a few days ago which has a load of options, but it’s lowly, weedy, 2.7.  Luckily on a couple of runs I’ve been on with S’s and a 4.0 GTS they must’ve all been kindly holding back because no-one was ever pulling away 🤔

I may be wrong but didn’t the base 981 have more (or the same) power as the previous S and less weight?  Though PDK added it back maybe…

 

True but it's a step too far for most people.

On the good roads they all keep up just fine to be honest, it's all about the nut behind the wheel I find. I've found the same with a 4.0l gt4 it only seems to have more grunt at the very end of its rev range. 

Not far off the gen 1 but PDK helps with acceleration, goes through the gears quicker.

 

 

[Dubdubz]

1 hour ago, moospeed said:

I like how one of the essentials is one you ditched 😂

However, yes that is the essentials list for sure.

 I put mine up on the for sale section a few days ago which has a load of options, but it’s lowly, weedy, 2.7.  Luckily on a couple of runs I’ve been on with S’s and a 4.0 GTS they must’ve all been kindly holding back because no-one was ever pulling away 🤔

I may be wrong but didn’t the base 981 have more (or the same) power as the previous S and less weight?  Though PDK added it back maybe…

 

I have looked at yours chap, it looks mega but for now I’m searching for a 3.4. I note not many seem to have the PSE from current checking I’d say less than 10%?
 

wonder if a 2.9 with some mods might be an option as in get a better optioned base model? 
maybe I’ll keep things open then…

[CMA]

5 minutes ago, Dubdubz said:

wonder if a 2.9 with some mods might be an option

If its a 981 you're looking for it's a 2.7 for the non S version

[moospeed]

35 minutes ago, Dubdubz said:

I have looked at yours chap, it looks mega but for now I’m searching for a 3.4. I note not many seem to have the PSE from current checking I’d say less than 10%?
 

wonder if a 2.9 with some mods might be an option as in get a better optioned base model? 
maybe I’ll keep things open then…

I can definitely see the appeal with a 987 2.9.

I also fully understand wanting a 3.4.  Whilst it may not be real world quicker apart from on the dual carriageway or track (easily offset by a better driver in a 2.7) it’s a case of more=more playing on your mind.  I do wonder if I had a 3.4, or a 3.8 as was suggested, then would the gun be over quicker?  There’s something to be said for whizzing up and down that PDK.

I did try a 3.4 before the 2.7 and don’t feel shortchanged with my choice. But a half hour test drive is different from living with it. And like I said, more is more 😉

[cozzykim]

50 minutes ago, Dubdubz said:

I have looked at yours chap, it looks mega but for now I’m searching for a 3.4. I note not many seem to have the PSE from current checking I’d say less than 10%?
 

wonder if a 2.9 with some mods might be an option as in get a better optioned base model? 
maybe I’ll keep things open then…

I've just come from a 2009 2.9 manual, to a 981S PDK.

As I'm sure has been said many times, the 3.4 PDK is quicker, louder (even without PSE, but mine does have PSE as well) a massively (IMHO) better, more compliant chassis...

But, it's a less engaging drive than the 987.2, not as connected, not as raw.

I wanted an auto cruiser for my missus to drive if we go European touring and it's definitely better for long distance cruising.

The suspension/chassis is superb, even with Carrera 20s as opposed to the 987's 18s its a better ride by far.

Maybe surprisingly, it feels better planted than the older chassis too so chuckability is, if anything, better.

The "less engaging" is probably the only (imaginary?) thing that I can find  wrong with it.

[iborguk]

2 minutes ago, cozzykim said:

 

The "less engaging" is probably the only (imaginary?) thing that I can find  wrong with it.

The move to an electric steering rack ?