ORIGINAL: kitchens Just had the Spyder's first service done at 5036 miles and it was Free part of the negotiations when i bought it in May 2013 with 1450 miles on the clock . No advisory points .hand brake was adjusted and that was it . I spoke to the salesman who sold me the car and i was telling him about the following we have on the PCGB forum.He was amazed at the number of hits . He was the one that specked the car when they ordered it in Sept 2011 and i told him he did a good job and ticked all the right boxes . I said some have non Spyder wheels and Sports seats etc he said at one point buckets and wheels where in short supply this may answer why some have what is considered the wrong bits.[
] I was given a loan 981 manual Boxster 2.7 with Sport Mode and PSE but have to say was not taken with it .Had Alcantara seats not sports fitted if you think Buckets are firm you should try these the buckets fell like a comfy arm chair in comparison .I did like the gear shift to be fair a lot easier to select than the short shifter . He had 4 inquiries after he sold my car and has people on a list if a car becomes available . Have to say i prefer the Spyder over the car i drove did not like the electric park brake or the stop start mode it suits PDK but not a manual the boot is small also no chance of golf clubs fitting in .
Earlier this week I had this for a couple of days.
It's the 3.4S PDK. Drove it home in auto but the following day I drove it to work in manual for a bit a I used the gear lever rather than steering wheel buttons. It didn't have paddles and without much thought I just opted for the gear lever. Doesn't take advantage of shifting from the steering wheel but I wasn't going flat out. Was quite nice when accelerating through the gears and keeping the throttle open. When driving slowly all I could think about was "I bet the car knows better shift points". In a manual you don't think about economy and just shift up when you feel a certain pull from the engine, whether that be a strong pull to know its safe to shift up without dropping the revs too much, or if you're pushing on, when the acceleration flattens out at the top end. The engine is so smooth that I just shifted up at what felt was good for normal driving and I think that was around 2000 rpm. When I was accelerating hard it was easier to get the signal from the engine when to shift. Down-shifts were smooth when slowing to a halt but did feel a bit pointless trying to manually, smoothly slow a car down to stationary when it has an auto box that does it so seamlessly. On the motorway, and back in auto, the kickdown was instantaneous. In fact, driving anywhere that was the case. But on the motorway, opening the throttle full, the kickdown from 7th to 2nd was quick. The 987 PDK (in my limited experience) would ponder for a bit and say "What the... Oh ok, you need to be somewhere in a hurry. I'll give you, erm, 3rd" by which time i'd lost all confidence in diving out into traffic in auto in normal mode again (I appreciate I don't own a 987 PDK and not so used to how to use it best). Not so in 981 PDK which is so responsive in normal mode, giving you gears you didn't know you'd prefer, even swapping between 7th, 6th and 5th when you're not on a charge, just mildly accelerating (or sneezing[
]). I'd be happy to drive it round in auto all day long and communicate with it on the throttle rather than doing manual shifts. Communicating with 987 PDK via the throttle didn't work for me (in normal mode - sport mode is fine). I'd have to leave the 981 PDK in auto as it shifts so often, so seamlessly and so right that i'd feel inferior picking cogs for it. I'm sure the fuel economy would drop when I drive it is manual as my shift points will be sub-optimal, but I don't measure these things. Coasting was a good feature. It was as if the car was rolling quicker, or with less retardation than if clutch was engaged in 7th. A little odd at first as you can feel that free-wheeling feeling but the feature works seamlessly. What's it like to be in. Feels like you sit higher in the 987 but I think that's because the shoulder line is higher on the 981 and hence the doors are taller relative to the seating height. Try resting your elbow out of the window on a 981, its not as comfortable. Also as i've said before, the height of the rear affects getting a sense of the dimension out back. As bad as the Spyder in that regard, and as I don't have parking sensors on the Spyder, i'm very conscious of it, but I wouldn't expect to have to tolerate that in a standard Boxster. Makes me feel a bit clumsy not being able to sense dimensions of a 2 seater car from the driver's seat. Minor stuff. Mesh wind deflector, why have they gone for a design that impairs rear vision when a clear perspex option works well. If it saves a fiver i'd rather they put a fiver on the RRP. In this car the seat belt buckle did keep moving around to the side to knock on the side of the seat. In my car if I move it into the seat, it stays. I think all the buttons below the centre console screen are a bit fiddly to reach around the gear lever and are plentiful. This car had a Navi and a Map button but said the functions weren't available? Whilst it had parking sensors, the visual display showing what it is sensing, didn't come up on this one, like on others i'd driven. Didn't push the car much as I wasn't in the mood but its such a smooth drive that you forget you're in a sports car. On an occassion that I needed to swerve sharply gives some body roll that I guess a PASM suspension would have reacted to and countered a bit. Other than that, the standard suspension has the comfort side covered perfectly and i'd never guess it was on 20 inch rims from the driver's seat. From how i've driven other 981's previously it's accomplished in all the driving scenarios that I didn't check out this time. I wonder how well it handles a really aggressive drive vs a PASM suspension. I haven't drive a 981 with PASM or PSE. When I picked my car up, first it always feels like i've no brakes. I reckon the 987 brakes give more range of how much you can choose to apply them but after driving the 981 where they grab much sooner, it felt like the discs on my car were covered in grease until I got used to it again. I now realise that Bose gives a much richer and fuller bass. My car's bass, which was perfectly acceptable to me in that it does reach low frequencies, seemed thin in comparison when getting back in my car [&o] Must admit, after setting off in my car, I had forgotten about the 981 straight away. The engine pulls just as much, it steers just as well, has all the same toys that matter to me. The harshness of the ride compared to a standard suspension was the only thing that stood out for me once getting back in my car. But the 981 is pretty epic. Porsche makes sports cars that can be driven every day but yet are as accomplished a sports car as it's rivals, typically better. For the 981 that is epic IMO because of the levels of comfort under normal driving. You
can have your cake and eat it. That's my last 981 review, for fear of repeating myself. Would be really good to hear from someone on here who's got more experience with a 981 than just test drives; a 981 owner on here to really blow its trumpet. Yes it's a 987 Spyder corner but some Spydermen are in anticipation of a 981 Spyder, so would be good to hear what it's like living the 981 on the road and track days. The heat doesn't get too hot in this kitchen for them I hope[
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