Does anyone love their 981 Boxster? - Page 4 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

As a former Spyder owner I'm surprised that there's so little love shown on this forum for the 981 Boxster. Am I alone in loving my 981 Boxster S? Electric steering or not, I think it's a fabulous car. Do 981 owners think the GTS front end is actually an improvement? Let's show the 981 some love!!

Loving mine. Epic car. I think the GTS front end is way too fussy. Bottom of the stelvio last august. P1010861 by R1chard Anderson , on Flickr At home with friends Porknfriends by R1chard Anderson , on Flickr Edited by _Leg_ on Friday 4th April 00:41

I love my Boxster 2.7 PDK Special once in a lifetime purchase for me. Its a second car so each trip out is something to be savoured. I do not like the front end of the GTS as much as a Boxster or a 'S' The colour coded slats on mine seem much more integrated. Leg, I like your triple garage, BTW what is the bike leaning against the house?

Not a Boxster, but a 981 nonetheless and I couldn't be happier with my CS PDK, regardless of the opinions promulgated on this site occasionally

ituned said: As a former Spyder owner I'm surprised that there's so little love shown on this forum for the 981 Boxster. Am I alone in loving my 981 Boxster S? Electric steering or not, I think it's a fabulous car. Do 981 owners think the GTS front end is actually an improvement? Let's show the 981 some love!! not alone as they are selling well, it's just not an exciting car anymore, Pistonheads is aimed more at geeks who love cars to drive. ;-) It's a very nice car but Audi make very nice cars as do Merc, BMW etc all these people don't post on car forums and are mostly kept women lol every new Boxster I have seen has had a female driver, women again don't in the main go on car forums. GTS looks loads nicer imo. but still not a car I would sell my cars for. I still think it looks like a 2005 MR2 though every time I see one on the road lol

Never disappoints Only a couple more regulars to go and we will have the full, predictable set - happy days.

ignore mrbigmouth,(well I do), I love Boxsters, particularly the looks of the 981 though very happy with my 87.2 , or will be once back from the body shop. I just don't feel the need to dribble on about my likes and dislikes, though very happy to read others doing so.

I like very my 981cs very much and it's had 17 faults. When I get my replacement 981cs in June I may love it. I missed it when I was on holiday and I've never felt this way about a bird. Lol

17 faults in a new 981? Are porsche swapping you a new one?

nsm3 said: ...promulgated ... I like that. Word of the day

Loving ours. Just waiting for the sun to come out:

Zyp said: nsm3 said: ...promulgated ... I like that. Word of the day I thank yaawl

truck71 said: 17 faults in a new 981? Are porsche swapping you a new one? Yup, it's due in May. (I'm not psychic, Mark is my brother). Right load of hassle he's had. All sorted now though.

PowerMalc said: I love my Boxster 2.7 PDK Special once in a lifetime purchase for me. Its a second car so each trip out is something to be savoured. I do not like the front end of the GTS as much as a Boxster or a 'S' The colour coded slats on mine seem much more integrated. Leg, I like your triple garage, BTW what is the bike leaning against the house? That's a zandup mate. I have an NSU Quickly too although that's half way through a restoration so it's in about 25 pieces right now. I love the three bay too although if you look closely, it's a 5 car garage (2 lifts). Just about to commence construction of a 7 bay garage on some land I just bought adjoining my garden to compliment the three bay. Very excited! Boxster looks top notch in red btw. Edited by _Leg_ on Saturday 5th April 17:30 Edited by _Leg_ on Saturday 5th April 17:30

NicD said: ignore mrbigmouth,(well I do), I love Boxsters, particularly the looks of the 981 though very happy with my 87.2 , or will be once back from the body shop. I just don't feel the need to dribble on about my likes and dislikes, though very happy to read others doing so. Towing the company line I see :-) Does not stop the new one looking like a mr2 ( which is a good thing, the MR2 is a fine looking car lol) Always say it like I see it, bit dull other wise, and you would have to be blind not to think it looked like the mr2.. Not sure why you would Ignore me though, that's just rude :-)

truck71 said: 17 faults in a new 981? Are porsche swapping you a new one? Yeah it's coming beginning of June now as I have swapped order to bucket seats which delayed it. They've given me 4 years of free servicing to apologise(£1300 worth)

mrdemon said: NicD said: ignore mrbigmouth,(well I do), I love Boxsters, particularly the looks of the 981 though very happy with my 87.2 , or will be once back from the body shop. I just don't feel the need to dribble on about my likes and dislikes, though very happy to read others doing so. Towing the company line I see :-) Does not stop the new one looking like a mr2 ( which is a good thing, the MR2 is a fine looking car lol) Always say it like I see it, bit dull other wise, and you would have to be blind not to think it looked like the mr2.. Not sure why you would Ignore me though, that's just rude :-) towing? maybe toeing? No company line me. I loved the Boxster from the moment I saw the Detroit show prototype, bought one of the first ones in 1996 and became unpopular with PCgmbh by saying 'more power' and 'fix the RMS'. Adored my track day 6.2 GT3 But for normal everyday UK driving, a 987.2 is streets ahead, certainly with the top down. The 981 should be as good and looks even better. Now, finally the 981 looks the car the 986 should have been and you are saying I have to be blind not to confuse it with an MR2? Weird man, stay off the weed! here are some MR2s, I can tell the difference.

i took out the boxter before deciding on the cayman the boxter seemed a bit like a hairdressers car like the merc slk convertable just didnt do it for me

Maybe you would have preferred the Boxster.

NicD said: towing? maybe toeing? No company line me. I loved the Boxster from the moment I saw the Detroit show prototype, bought one of the first ones in 1996 and became unpopular with PCgmbh by saying 'more power' and 'fix the RMS'. Adored my track day 6.2 GT3 But for normal everyday UK driving, a 987.2 is streets ahead, certainly with the top down. The 981 should be as good and looks even better. Now, finally the 981 looks the car the 986 should have been and you are saying I have to be blind not to confuse it with an MR2? Weird man, stay off the weed! here are some MR2s, I can tell the difference. The confusion arises as the pictures you show of MR2s all have the same (or similar) colours as Boxsters. So obviously they look the same!

Love the car! It's a basic manual S with a decent stereo and climate control. Great value. ....utterly detest the electric parking brake.

Mark981cs said: Yeah it's coming beginning of June now as I have swapped order to bucket seats which delayed it. They've given me 4 years of free servicing to apologise(£1300 worth) Sounds reasonable, you'd have thought Friday afternoon cars were not possible with modern production methods but I guess not. Glad you're getting sorted.

yeah basically volkswagon the guy that builds your wifes golf today is building your boxter tommorow.

S S S S S

freddy the frog said: the guy that builds your wifes golf today is building your boxter tommorow. Which model is that again?

Trev450 said: Which model is that again? I've just given him some spare S's.

Zyp said: Trev450 said: Which model is that again? I've just given him some spare S's. Yes he can add some to his last post as well.

Anyone got an R he can use in tomorrow?

He cud swop one off his M's for one

What a bunch of douchebags people show themselves to be at times! The 982 Boxster (unlike the 987) is a very good-looking car. As for everything but looks, it is 99% the same as the 981 Cayman (which isn't said to be a hairdressers car). MrD and Freddy need to grow up and/ or realise that it doesn't matter if your car isn't as masculine as a sweaty scrotum

sorrY Mr ORD but the arse end of the boxter looks nothing like the cayman a much sleeker look on the cayman in my opinion, when i test drove i also didnt like the restricted view through the canvass when making left and right hand turns and the whole cockpit seemed cramped compared to the cayman which is why i bought the cayman. And i do see a lot more women driving boxters hence the hairdressers remark nothing personal. But i do beleive we are buying VW cars in the cayman boxter dept at least. each to there own

ORD said: What a bunch of douchebags people show themselves to be at times! The 982 Boxster (unlike the 987) is a very good-looking car. As for everything but looks, it is 99% the same as the 981 Cayman (which isn't said to be a hairdressers car). MrD and Freddy need to grow up and/ or realise that it doesn't matter if your car isn't as masculine as a sweaty scrotum must get me one of these 982's very rare. people can disagree all they like , I have posted my opinion, people need to respect it :-). It's not like what I have said is "out there" it's been reported loads of times on just about every forum about the Mr2 style. But Porsche call it GT style, I think the shapes no where near as nice and like Audi wanted to tie in all the models to look more like 911's, so if a cars behind you it has that 911 look. The 987.2 shapes much more individual and you can tell what it is, the curves and rear sections flowing and looking loads better. But it's all personal, regarding looks, some like the GTS front better, (I do) some don't that's life. Edited by mrdemon on Monday 7th April 09:13

Ticks all the boxes for me - simply cannot fault it ...

I suspect the reason that the 981 doesn't get any "love" on here is because owners (like me) are a bit sick of posting to be told they've bought a homogenised product that is only acceptable to buy, inexplicably, if you are a women are a hairdresser (a view, btw, I find as funny as a Bernard Manning joke in 2014).

I don't know if it's just me but I just don't like those wheels. Those flat multi spokes. See them a lot on the recent Porsches and I think they look too 'go-faster' Halfords. IMHO of course. The top 7 cars listed here all have them: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/porsc...

Yeah, that's really uncanny. Why have I not seen the similarity before? I feel I should immediately sell my 981 and but something older and more demanding to drive. Maybe I can find something with a non synchromesh gearbox and very very small wheels. Might also start replying to those penis enlargement E mails I keep getting.

There are several discussions running on this forum full of praise for the 981. Just the prospective buyer's one runs to 99 pages... http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=113... Plenty of love, as far as I can see. (And quite a few insecure males too, if one is to judge by the number of rather sad "hairdresser car" comments...)

yeah i think the desighner of the 981 worked for toyota in a previous job before moving to the new volkswagon porche factory

JonN981 said: Two pictures of two very nice cars. Can't see a problem myself. As it happens, I parked next to one of those MR2s the other day and what's most striking is how small the Toyota is in comparison. I guess the design dates from mid-1990s when cars were much smaller. Drove one once back in the day - absolutely wonderful! Never understood why they didn't sell better. Brilliant cars. There's so much macho twaddle around sportscars in UK.

i love the 981 and now we have the 981 GTS i am sure it will be a realy nice car. the only thing that put me off buying one new was the depreciation on a new Boxster (just like most other new cars) so i went for the 987-2 Boxster Spyder. they are holding good prices at the moment

I’ve got one on loan at the moment whilst my RS SatNav is being updated – great car, much more fun than I was expecting. I had thought I would hate the steering, but it’s acceptable and the PDK I can live with (but would like paddles on the wheel rather than the buttons this car has) and the styling of the car works well. I’m not used to having no ‘over the shoulder’ view with the hood up…it may take a little getting used to. Overall however, a great car; I can definitely see the attraction and would be proud to own one.

i am glad some one elso agrees about the limited vision over the shoulder with the hood up not to mention the electric handbrake what were they thinking also think the centre consul is too high with the manual version just glad i bought the very last of the gen 2 caymans in 2012

Sure, some limitations to sight over shoulder... it's a fantastic 2-seater, mid-engined sports car, be prepared to make a few tiny compromises! I hear Kangoo's have perfect all-round visibility, if that's your thing. The handbrake is simply a question of habit, and the centre console's height is perfect. Looking for issues, methinks?

The "Volkswagen" comments are extremely annoying. You are talking to a group of Porsche enthusiasts, not some envious idiot in the pub. We all know the actual position (which, as to ownership, is arguable either way) and that Porsche still make their own cars. Even the Macan is still mostly a Porsche product, although the position is not so clean there. If you want to argue that the Cayman/Boxster is a VW, go and talk to someone who knows nothing about Porsche's recent history and manufacturing practices. The 981 is (like the 987 before it) about 90% the same as the current 911 (which, last time I checked, is a Porsche). At the moment, you just sound like someone who cannot afford a 981 and wants to slag it off for that reason alone. (I am not saying that you are that person, just that it sounds that way - I couldnt give a sh*t what you can actually afford.)

Ozzie Osmond said: JonN981 said: Two pictures of two very nice cars. Can't see a problem myself. As it happens, I parked next to one of those MR2s the other day and what's most striking is how small the Toyota is in comparison. I guess the design dates from mid-1990s when cars were much smaller. Drove one once back in the day - absolutely wonderful! Never understood why they didn't sell better. Brilliant cars. There's so much macho twaddle around sportscars in UK. I had one, bloody brilliant little cars. I keep trying to find an excuse to get another as they're so cheap at the moment. All I can level against them is a complete lack of storage space really.

never said the boxster was a bad car just that when i took it out those were the things i didnt like so i had a cayman. also the VW thing could be good for the brand early days yet only years production under the belt bit like bmw and the mini i had one of the last gen 2 caymans because thats the shape i liked each to their own. i also like mercs AMG C series estate but do not like the 2014 new shape coming out its not slaging off just an opinion we cant all like the same things nothing to do with what we can or cant afford

If you have a 981, Boxster or Cayman, you are a very lucky person. They look beautiful, sound fantastic and drive brilliantly. Enjoy!

Had a black 987 Gen 2 and just traded up to a 981 in GT Silver. The 981 looks meaner, much more road presence with wider track, longer wheelbase and bigger air scoops - for these reasons, and the way it drives, I love it! The interior is much more upmarket, love the centre console. Manual gearbox is a joy to use, tried PDK but didn't like it at all. I think the Cayman 981 is slightly better looking, but I preferred the flexibility of a convertible! Electric steering is fine, only thing I don't like is the hand brake switch! Suppose I will get used to it, but there is no substitute for a traditional hand brake lever between the seats! Here's a couple of pics of the 981, spec:_ GT Silver, Full Black Leather, PCM, Mobile phone prep, 20 inch Carrera S alloys, park assist front and rear, heated seats, sound package plus, climate control, light design package, twin sports tailpipe, wind deflector, rain sensor, dipping mirrors, wheel caps, tyre pressure monitoring system. The car has also had XPEL Ultimate self healing protective film applied to the frontal area, bonnet, mirrors, windscreen surround, side sills, headlights, side pod surrounds, rear wheel arches. This stuff is amazing, 5,500 miles and not a single mark on the car! Here come the pics...

Beautiful car I would buy that!

ORD said: What a bunch of douchebags people show themselves to be at times! The 982 Boxster (unlike the 987) is a very good-looking car. As for everything but looks, it is 99% the same as the 981 Cayman (which isn't said to be a hairdressers car). MrD and Freddy need to grow up and/ or realise that it doesn't matter if your car isn't as masculine as a sweaty scrotum Indeed. I await 'here is my wife's boxster...' post on this thread for added humour I know there are many on here with no shame on this matter.

I made the switch from my much loved Spyder earlier in the year and have not regretted it one bit. Absolutely love the 981 S as it offers the best of both worlds. With the changeable weather up here, I've also enjoyed the benefits of a roof that closes quickly and is still quite refined when up. I've actually had the roof off considerably more so far in the several thousand miles I've covered already. I'd highly recommend a 3.4S.

I love my 981S, albeit a Cayman, but a 981 all the same. People complain about the electric steering, but I doubt they have lived with it for long or perhaps not even tried it. It's easy to regurgitate the same lines we hear from a journalist, I however quite like the steering. It does not communicate every little bump 'n' pebble but it talks to you and as an everyday/non track day proposition it is arguably better. The chassis is beatifully taught and balanced. And the shape is a massive improvement on the 987. Where that was rather feminine and a little awkward like the way the roof finished before the tail and the intakes, the 981 simply flows better with a much more pert bottom and far more aggressive lines. To regurgitate a journo, the Cayman is now a car you can be proud to say you own, it is no longer the poor man's Porsche. Do I love my 981? Yes I do, there's nothing as good for the money out there.

TackMEU said: To regurgitate a journo, the Cayman is now a car you can be proud to say you own, it is no longer the poor man's Porsche. I dont think anyone who had ever driven a Cayman would say its a poor mans Porsche, its a great car that stands on its own merit as a Porsche sports car and all owners should be proud. The 'poor mans Porsche' statement was usually voiced by those who dont own any Porsche in any variant, I always thought it was a strange statement to make too. You dont hear people saying this about any other marque do you?

V8KSN said: I dont think anyone who had ever driven a Cayman would say its a poor mans Porsche, its a great car that stands on its own merit as a Porsche sports car and all owners should be proud. The 'poor mans Porsche' statement was usually voiced by those who dont own any Porsche in any variant, I always thought it was a strange statement to make too. You dont hear people saying this about any other marque do you? I was getting at that point and I think the tester was also. On a side note, I was driving my car into a campsite to visit some friends at the weekend. I overheard a teenage lad say to his dad "That's a nice Porsche", to which his dad replied "Yeah, but it's the poor man's one" I did chuckle. I thought about asking which model of Porsche he drove? But I didn't fancy any new decorations on my paintwork.

TackMEU said: I was getting at that point and I think the tester was also. On a side note, I was driving my car into a campsite to visit some friends at the weekend. I overheard a teenage lad say to his dad "That's a nice Porsche", to which his dad replied "Yeah, but it's the poor man's one" I did chuckle. I thought about asking which model of Porsche he drove? But I didn't fancy any new decorations on my paintwork. That's Britain for you - a country in which a minority of hateful, envious small-minded people have been allowed to control public discourse to the extent that otherwise decent people say stupid things without thinking.

Chances are, that with private plates on, said "Dad" would not be able to distinguish between a "proper" £12k 996C2 and a "poor mans" £65k 981 CS? Thankfully such morons don't occupy a lot of my awareness.

nsm3 said: Chances are, that with private plates on, said "Dad" would not be able to distinguish between a "proper" £12k 996C2 and a "poor mans" £65k 981 CS? Thankfully such morons don't occupy a lot of my awareness. just what I was thinking to be perfectly honest.

nsm3 said: Zyp said: nsm3 said: ...promulgated ... I like that. Word of the day I thank yaawl You *have* to be a civil servant to be using that word. ;-)

nsm3 said: Chances are, that with private plates on, said "Dad" would not be able to distinguish between a "proper" £12k 996C2 and a "poor mans" £65k 981 CS? Thankfully such morons don't occupy a lot of my awareness. In the eyes of the average person that feels the need to comment on someone else's car, my "Poor Man's Porsche" is worth about £20k more when clean than when dirty. Sophisticated thinkers.

A couple of weeks ago I was driving along in my 996 when I spotted a mean looking red sports car was rapidly catching me up so decided to pull over and let whatever fancypants mobile past. Turned out to be a new boxster - very mean looking things compared to the older versions and very nice looking indeed, I definitely didn't think it was an MR2! Having said that I would take the Spyder over the 981 just because I like the idea of it being lightweight and no frills. Having said that if a 981 spyder came out that would be ideal.

Mr Ping said: A couple of weeks ago I was driving along in my 996 when I spotted a mean looking red sports car was rapidly catching me up so decided to pull over and let whatever fancypants mobile past. Turned out to be a new boxster - very mean looking things compared to the older versions and very nice looking indeed, I definitely didn't think it was an MR2! Having said that I would take the Spyder over the 981 just because I like the idea of it being lightweight and no frills. Having said that if a 981 spyder came out that would be ideal. I'm guessing it will only be a matter of time before they bring out a 981 Spyder, Porsche are far too smart to miss that trick

Just picked up a courtesy 981 non S manual Boxster. Have to say, it's actually very good - gearbox is nice, brakes are great and it sounds incredibly good considering it has no PSE. In fact, it sounds better than my Spyder with the PSE off. Only thing I find confusing is that it has a 'sport' button - doesn't appear to do anything noticeable when pressed, apart from deactivating the stop/start. What does it do?

The sport button changes the throttle and steering maps. On PDK equipped cars it changes the shift points and aggressiveness On PASM cars it firm up the dampers I'm not sure but it might also change the PSM action to allow a but more slip.

Well there you go - I had it on all the way home and didn't notice anything! I think from this we can deduce I am a crap driver, not noticing the little nuances of a different throttle map. I clearly couldn't drive a greased stick up a dogs arse....