Hello,

I have been a long time lover of the Boxster and fell in love when they released the 981. Since then I have been saving my pennies as I do not want to regret a purchase as well as place myself in a horrible financial situation.

I have a few questions on the purchase though:

- manual versus PDK (I know, personal preference). However, I do prefer the manual, but I am skeptical about the potential of 'rev hang' which seems to be found in all newer manual transmission vehicles. Is it really bad in the Porsche?

- Daily driver - I live in a cold climate and the summers are great, but winter is equally bad - how are they to drive in all seasons? I would assume a good set of winter wheels and tires and everything would be fine (or I get a winter beater).

- Porsche options list - this is where I struggle the most. Where do I draw the line of need versus want. I look at the choices and feel that I 'must have' or that a particular item would be nice. The biggest question marks for me are the Sport Chrono, PASM, Sport Exhaust and Bose/Burmester.

Thanks for the help and feedback, I appreciate the great atmosphere of the forum and hope that I can soon be an active contributor.

 

I have a '16 981 GTS with a manual transmission have not had an issue with "rev hang". Maybe I just don't know to look for it. Looks like you want to option Sport Chrono, so that will give you Sport Plus with faster throttle response, which I assume would reduce the problem further.

The Boxster is a awesome year round car. I don't have the problem in Atlanta, but I know plenty of Boxster owners in the northeast that drive their cars year round with winter tires. Some even drive in the snow without a problem. Maybe with 12 inches on the roads, it might be a problem, but generally winter driving is not an issue.

You can spec a Boxster to a cost above a 911 with options pretty easily. It is a real challenge to not tick every box. A lot depends on if you are going to track the car - in which case Sport Chrono, PASM, and PTV are handy to have. If you are going to strictly drive on the street, then you don't need those as much. Boxsters are not exceptional for listening to music, except for the sound of the engine and the wind in your hair. I would never option the Burmeister in a Boxster. Spend that money on something else.
PSE (sport exhaust) is a nice option to encourage you to drop the hammer and burn more gas - I highly recommend it! I like having heated seats (top down driving down to 50 degrees F). I have ventilated seats too, and haven't been very impressed with that option. The litronic headlight options are also good to have to really light up the night.

Boxsters are amazing cars! Have fun with the configurator (I assume you are buying a new 718). Let us know when you pull the trigger and post pix!

 

2015 GTS, 6MT. Love it. So balanced it makes me feel like a much better driver than I am. Classic convertible sports car, IMO.

Comments on the options you noted:

Bose/Burmester: It's a small convertible so not exactly the most acoustically refined environment. Personally, I wouldn't spend the $ for Burmester.

PASM: I like it. In "Normal" mode it's actually a decent highway cruiser. Stiffen up the suspension and there's practically no body roll. If you're more track oriented, consider X73.

Sport Chrono: It's part of the GTS trim package and I've actually never driven a P-car without it. Probably overkill if you're not going to track it but fun to have nonetheless.

PSE: Honestly, the sport exhaust is what sold me on my car. I test drove a Boxster without it and it wasn't even close. It just feels so <expletive> good to hear that exhaust note.

 

The 981 Boxster is a fantastic car. Mine was a ‘13 Boxster S with MT. Even after two 991s, I still have fond memories of how well that car handled. That mid engine gives the car perfect balance. I lived in Maryland when I owned mine but never took it out in the snow. I probably could have without too much difficulty, but I never wanted to chance it with other drivers not knowing how to drive in winter conditions and all the crap that’s used on the roads. BTW, there’s surprisingly good storage in the front and rear areas. The only downsides I can think of are that you’ll want to always drive with the top down and sometimes you can’t and the cockpit can get warm and cramped. I say, do it!

 

Sorry to revive an old thread, but instead of creating a new one, I thought I would add to an existing one.

My life had a few surprises and changes, which means I am now forced to rebuild some finances and focus on home expenses. This means I won't be in a position to buy an amazing German Automobile for a few more years. My dilemma now is whether I should continue to pursue the 981/982 or if I should give consideration to a 911 variant of similar price (although it would likely be a 997.2, maybe stretching to an early 991). I have to re-assess budget, but I know that factory new or demo models will be out of my projected price range (for the short term). I am also quite fond of the attitude and soul found in the older models (although missing new-age features like Adaptive Cruise Control, CarPlay, etc), which are not necessities, just fun toys to have

Any feedback on whether going with the 911 makes more sense as a daily, or should i continue to research and target a Boxster/Cayman model.

 

 

I am just asking what would make the 911 better or worse than a Boxster/Cayman. As I begin doing my financial assessment, I feel a max price of $45-50k would be reasonable (also need to note I am in Canada and pricing is very different here)

I personally like the longer wheelbase of the 911 to make it more of a GT car as I would be using whatever I get as a daily driver and for road trips. However, the better balance and more storage is better on the Cayman/Boxster models.

 

 

That is where I am torn. I would enjoy the practicality of a Carerra 4, but I also appreciate the fact the Cayman would be a newer/more optioned car.