New member in San Francisco, first post:

I had been eyeing 2009-2010 997 cabios for my lady and we went out to the suburbs to go test drive one, but by the time we made it out there someone had put a deposit on it. We went to another Porsche dealer but all he had was a 2008 Turbo cabriolet for about $85,000. Before we left he convinced us to take a 2014 Boxster out for a test drive, and within 90 minutes we had agreed on a price (5.1% off MSRP) and placed an order (June build, August delivery):

2014 Boxster
White exterior
Agate Gray / Pebble Gray two tone interior
PDKicon
Rear Park Assist
PDLS
Rollbars painted white
Adaptive cruise control with pre crash avoidance system
Convenience package (dual zone climate, heated seats)
Heated Steering Wheel, Multifunction

The main idea was to add every safety and crash avoidance feature to it that we could, and not much else. My S4 is my track car and Audi and BMW club won't let me take a Boxster on track, so the S model or the GTS didn't make much sense to us.

My last two cars over the previous 10 years have been six speed manual, but I must say the PDK is an unbelievable technology. I've recently driven the RS5 DSG on track and I think it's conservatively 2 generations behind what the PDK is in the entry level Porsche. I know I'm going to love this car. The closeness of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear ratios just feels right. The shifts are so fast you can't tell they are happening.

If this car lives up to what I think it is, I think I may go for a Porsche when it's time to retire the S4 in 2 more years.

 

Your gal will love it. I just bought my a loaded out boxster S this past weekend at my local dealer's Macan launch party.

 

My wife has a new Boxster S with PDK and it is a great improvement over the last generation Boxster. I can't think of anything I don't like about the car. Enjoy.

 

The 981 is a great car. And will be tons of fun in the CA weather. Enjoy!

 

The Boxster is a great car and superb driver.

 

Audi DSG (even in a 2004 TT) is way quicker shifting than my 2009 997S PDK was under normal conditions even in Sport Plus mode (unless you're wide open throttle shifting at redline, which is only where the 997S PDK shifts quick). Downside of the Audi is the system needed to predict what the driver wanted. For example, you wouldn't get a smooth downshift while applying throttle as the system was set up to prepare for downshifts only when off throttle. But I agree the PDK in the 981 is much more like Audi's DSG. Shifts are quick. I found DSG quite good, especially 10 years ago. BL with dual clutch gearboxes, it's how the electronics are set up whether they shift slowly or lightning quick. My guess is the manufacturers think most people like a shift more like a slush box and therefore give it to you for what's considered normal driving. I hate slow shifting, which is one reason I traded my 997S PDK for a 981 Cayman S PDK.

If you plan to drive PDK in manual mode often, you may want to rethink your steering wheel choice. The Porsche Design steering wheel is the way to go.

 

I am a recent owner of a 997.2 and I agree that my 981 shifted faster and smoother. That being said I prefer the feel of the 997.2 overall more. Both are great cars though.

 

Interior pics? I'm especially curious about how the center console looks without the PCM/screen.

 

Update: it arrived 4 months after ordering, as a 2015 model. The OEM wheels are in the classifieds, and I put these HRE FF01 in 20x8.5 and 20x10 on it. The 20x10 weighed 25.3 pounds. They're wrapped in 235 and 265 width Michelin Pilot Super Sports. HRE painted them in gloss white.

I thought the stock pads didn't have enough bite, so I switched them to Porterfield R4-S front and rear for about $160 per axle.

 

Looking good!