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981 GTS vs 981Spyder??

ireid

Well-known member
Joined
11 Nov 2008
Messages
48
I'm trying to decide which to buy. My initial thoughts are:

GTS: much lower initial purchase price, automatic roof, PDK available
( desirable IMHO), fast enough for me.

Spyder: even more gorgeous + wow factor, serious power/torque, probably better VFM in the medium to long term. BUT, premium purchase price and that bloody manual roof.

TBH, it's the manual roof on the Spyder that really gives me pause for thought. I'd sacrifice the extra weight for the convenience in a heartbeat.

Help, me decide - I'd love to hear the thoughts of people who own either of these cars.
 
Sounds like you know the differences, problem is getting to test drive a spider is not easy. I went for a well specced GTS. I've had convertibles before and know I like the roof down as much as possible but like today that often means up / down mid drive. Being able to do it at 40mph is ace. I even took it to ASDA today and opened the roof as I walked up to it. Faffing about with the roof would do my head in.

I don't regret my decision at all. The spyder would be financially the better choice but they will be more mileage sensitive and I wanted a toy I would drive this time which I have been doing.
 
I currently have a 981 S so I'm already familiar with the convenience of being able to put the roof up and down whilst driving. Hence my wariness about the Spider's roof.
 
jonttt said:
I wanted a toy I would drive this time which I have been doing.

Spoken like a true Illuminati member :roll:

Spyder would be out as the price is too close to a GT4 which is the clear top of the tree :grin:
 
Zingari said:
jonttt said:
I wanted a toy I would drive this time which I have been doing.

Spoken like a true Illuminati member :roll:

Spyder would be out as the price is too close to a GT4 which is the clear top of the tree :grin:

Not for me. Back on topic . . .
 
If you've already got a 981 S for the price does the GTS offer the VFM factor in terms of performance :dont know: I'm presuming you've got PDK already.

Spyder looks great but even with the roof up insulation won't be anywhere near as good as you've got now. Reversing camera essential as they dont come with parking sensors. Also it will be harder to source so you'll be limited to find ideal choice.
 
Yes mine has PDK. This all started of course because I was thinking I'd get a sports exhaust fitted and maybe some power upgrade mods /remap . . .
Then one thing led to another, as it so often does 😉
 
Zingari said:
jonttt said:
I wanted a toy I would drive this time which I have been doing.

Spoken like a true Illuminati member :roll:

Spyder would be out as the price is too close to a GT4 which is the clear top of the tree :grin:

:hand:

GT4 needs a true GT engine in it and the spyder suits the road better (apparently as I've never driven one, but I have driven a GT4 :wink: ) :bandit:

Anyway its irrelevant as IMHO you either want a tin tip or roadster first and that dictates which is "top of the tree" :judge:

Ps I'll open that can of worms :grin:
 
Anyway back on track to the OP....

If you already have a 981 S with close to "holy grail" spec of :

PASM
PSE
Sport Chrono

Then I would not bother with the GTS ....... with a sensible head on .......but with a petrol head on......

The GTS would be the cheaper total cost of ownership IMHO if you can afford to tie up the capital and are paying cash as depreciation will be less for the same running costs and then you get:

- a better looking car
- all the desirable goodies (PSE, PASM or sport suspension, sport chrono)
- a much nicer cabin with full leather / alacantra
- guaranteed sport steering wheel (which if PDK makes a massive difference)

There are some good spec examples at OPC currently but its summer and they are commanding c£10k more than I paid for mine in Jan (Zingari look away now :floor: )

Personally I would look out for:

- dual climate (ie full climate)
- NAV
- Full phone prep (not just Bluetooth, makes a massive difference to phone integration and its a £1000+ retrofit)
- BOSE
- GTS interior pack
- GTS exterior pack
- Cruise
- Parking aid front / rear (camera a bonus but not essential)
- a bit more power/torque but its more about the tweaked map .......
- and last but not least THE NOISE, yes despite what everyone will tell you who has an S, the GTS does sound better again, the power delivery and noise is one of the most addictive I have every driven period and believe me I have driven most exotica. In fact I've been running around as a passenger in a F12TDF today by way of example.

Mine came with all of the above so was perfect for me but I was not expecting to get everything. PCCB I was not interested in as commands a premium and overkill / high cost risk, VTS I was not sure about, not many with it and heard horror stories re brakes pad / disk wear with it but I guess most boxsters don't do the mileage to suffer ?

So with some man maths I managed to get a GTS to work both financially and you get a much nicer package for the money, all in my opinion of course :bandit:
 
jonttt said:
Anyway back on track to the OP....

If you already have a 981 S with close to "holy grail" spec of :

PASM
PSE
Sport Chrono

Then I would not bother with the GTS ....... with a sensible head on .......but with a petrol head on......

The GTS would be the cheaper total cost of ownership IMHO if you can afford to tie up the capital and are paying cash as depreciation will be less for the same running costs and then you get:

- a better looking car
- all the desirable goodies (PSE, PASM or sport suspension, sport chrono)
- a much nicer cabin with full leather / alacantra
- guaranteed sport steering wheel (which if PDK makes a massive difference)

There are some good spec examples at OPC currently but its summer and they are commanding c£10k more than I paid for mine in Jan (Zingari look away now :floor: )

Personally I would look out for:

- dual climate (ie full climate)
- NAV
- Full phone prep (not just Bluetooth, makes a massive difference to phone integration and its a £1000+ retrofit)
- BOSE
- GTS interior pack
- GTS exterior pack
- Cruise
- Parking aid front / rear (camera a bonus but not essential)
- a bit more power/torque but its more about the tweaked map .......
- and last but not least THE NOISE, yes despite what everyone will tell you who has an S, the GTS does sound better again, the power delivery and noise is one of the most addictive I have every driven period and believe me I have driven most exotica. In fact I've been running around as a passenger in a F12TDF today by way of example.

Mine came with all of the above so was perfect for me but I was not expecting to get everything. PCCB I was not interested in as commands a premium and overkill / high cost risk, VTS I was not sure about, not many with it and heard horror stories re brakes pad / disk wear with it but I guess most boxsters don't do the mileage to suffer ?

So with some man maths I managed to get a GTS to work both financially and you get a much nicer package for the money, all in my opinion of course :bandit:

Thank you, a thoughtful post. I spoke to a Spyder owner today and as an everyday user I am leaning to the GTS. My current S does not have the 3 things you mention, hence I would be getting a serious upgrade. AND I'm totally with you on the exhaust sound - that's a major attraction for me.

Re the extras, I think I've used the AC in my S once in 3 years. If it's that warm the top comes down! I'm with you on most of the other stuff, although I'll need to research the interior and exterior pack though . . .

That said, if I get a major rush of blood then it'll be an R8 V10 Spyder. Now that is serious NOISE 😀 I must try and control myself though . . . .
 
PS. I agree the GTS will hold its value better than my S will do from this point, which is a great way of justifying the GTS purchase to yourself 😀
 
"There are some good spec examples at OPC currently but its summer and they are commanding c£10k more than I paid for mine in Jan (Zingari look away now Floor ) "

Were you exaggerating? If not then maybe I should wait until the Autumn . . .
 
I'm not totally won over by the GTS interior and exterior package - but not because they don't look good. As someone who bought his GTS new and agonised repeatedly over the spec; given a reasonable but ultimately limited budget, I chose functional things that I would use and/or be impossibly expensive to retrofit later. So:
18 way adjustable seats. Its not that they are electric, it simply that they are so damned comfortable to sit in and I 100% needed the lumbar support. They have the added bonus that when you switch off the engine, the seat pulls itself back and the steering wheel raises to make entry and exit that little bit easier. And the process reverses of course. Trust me, once you try it you'll not think its a gimmick.
PTV. You won't feel it most of the time, but its uncanny how well it works if you have really shot into a bend faster than you might have planned or at the other end of the scale when running slowly on icy roads or loose gravel (yes, I know - how often that?!). Also, when new it was about the only 'bargain' option on the list. It would cost a fortune to retrofit even if it were possible, I think.

Regrets: leather covered sun-visors as it turns out they are about the only non-leather covered thing you touch and again they weren't expensive. I should probably just order some. Also, I'd have loved PCCB but that was where the money truly ran out. Lastly PTS. The b'stards won't even consider you for this unless you are a preferred customer... :x

Oh, and either a Spyder or a GTS would be perfect. No wrong decision there I think.
 
ireid said:
"There are some good spec examples at OPC currently but its summer and they are commanding c£10k more than I paid for mine in Jan (Zingari look away now Floor ) "

Were you exaggerating? If not then maybe I should wait until the Autumn . . .

I was not exaggerating by much, I paid £55k for the above spec with 30 months Porsche warranty (bought from OPC Leicester). Mileage was higher than the average for sale at the time (10k) it also benefited from a £1500+ PPF to the front half of the car. I think the same car now would be £62-63k from an OPC :dont know: ps I could have got the price down to c£53.5k with only 6 months warranty but wanted the the extra 2 years.

Re the GTS interior pack I agree it was an expensive option BUT used cars don't seem priced dependant on having it so I held out for one with it as its effectively free on the used market and does finish the interior off IMHO. The GTS exterior pack is even rarer (gloss black external GTS trim instead of mat) but again I wanted a white car with it as I think it really works well with that colour.

I knew what I wanted and as soon as the right spec came up I jumped. I would have happily paid £5k more for the car than it was listed at and managed to get £3k off it which was a real bonus. I think the fact it was February, gritters where out and that I drove 100miles to see it within a couple of hours of phoning about it made the deal easier ie they knew I was a serious cash buyer.
 
ireid said:
"There are some good spec examples at OPC currently but its summer and they are commanding c£10k more than I paid for mine in Jan (Zingari look away now Floor ) "

Were you exaggerating? If not then maybe I should wait until the Autumn . . .

:hand: That's the dealer selling price you neglected to mention the kick in the gonads when they offer to buy it :what:

Surely everybody knows you don't buy a soft top in summer :dont know: I certainly wouldn't :grin:

I must admit I'm faltering over the 981 when it starts to get closer to 718 prices, despite the opinions of the engine the 718 is a more modern car with 991.2 interior features which is where it's at.
2013 981 Cayman 2.7 PDK prices seem to have held firm though over the last 6 months as I was pitching 35 bags for one of these :roll:
 

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