Are Spyders Becoming Extinct At OPCs!
- Thread starter daro911
- Start date
With the new roof there is no lifting, no poppers to mess around with, no manual tensioning system in the boot, and no manual release from the windscreen. There is far less risk of damaging the car accidentally when removing or refitting unlike example below[
] The roof on the new car is good for 180 mph and presumably will be a lot quieter at 70mph than the Gen 1 effort ever was To see how it is better will only be obvious when driven but my past experience with a GTS with sport chassis the ride was more compliant, the grip and handling moved on again to even higher levels, the PSE sound track-volume was far more in keeping with a sports car today, the improved cabin architecture, materials and extra space for the occupants are all more examples of how Porsche can move the game on despite what you might read from certain quarters [] 
MrDemon
PCGB Member
needs the more powerful engine to cope with the extra weight and even longer gearing due to larger wheel/tyre dia combo. so in the real world will it have any real extra performance ! the 987.2 Spyder kept with the 414bhp 997 GTS to a ton any way side by side. better gearbox is moot point. the 987.2 gearbox is great. to me and this is only my view ;-) the 981 seems to have all the worse bits from the old car and adds the worse bits from a 981 and now the worse bits from a 991 and no trick GT3 bits and now no PDK. the roof is still noddy esp now you cannot even open the boot with the roof on, it has electric steering, electric hand brake, I guess over servo brakes, sub 20 mpg, and a high tax band, more weight, less sexy lines esp on the humps, 85 mph 2nd gear, no 918 seats and a fat arse
and false exhaust noise ! you gain what, ? a car which can do 130+ mph with the roof on, cannot say I do 130 mph in any car bar at Vmax and then best to do that in a 918 (I got 211mph last time out ) My view and it is only that is the 981 Spyder sits a bit in no mans land now. for a more usable posers car the R8 cab has it licked, V8 gated box, electric roof etc and you can spec DSG if one wish's as I know a lot here love automatics. and the 987.2 is more focused drive and £20k less. if it's more power one wants then my cars out drags a GT3 997.1 RS from 40 to 90 mph so for £3.5k you can have GT3 performance on your 987.2 car. yes above 100mph a GT3 will pull away, BHP always wins but again speeds above a ton is another moot point, unless you are a ring whore. (not that any Spyder could out drag a GT3 with my mods, as a lot of performance comes from having to move less mass) add your turbo wheels, chair's , AC ,PCM, PDK and you loose the Spyder advantage straight away ! I guess a 3.8 allows you to put all the weight back in to keep the performance. It's just another nice car with a crap roof imo, so not on my radar as car I desire although I can see why others will love it, so not knocking what other people want to own. As I say ONLY MY view on it, some will love it as some love the GTS and some love the 991 and some love the Macan, we cannot all hanker after the same car. ps also in reply to the new above post and daro GTS love as I did not gel with that car at all and have driven quite a few 981 now even with x73 it all feels to VAG to me. And yes a lot of these concerns do also relate to the GT4 of which I have ordered, but we all know they will sell for more money so a no risk try if you can get one and not sell your old cars.Hi daro911 I think what it will come down to is that if someone wants a brand new car, then there is little deterrent. I can see the points being made for and against the new roof but anyone wanting a brand new Spyder I think it's not going put them off. If the car had no roof at all they could possibly still sell 150 in the UK. Some people might never put the roof up on the new car despite Porsche's efforts to make it easier erect. Who knows, making the car more 'all weather' might not make much difference to who buys the car. I'm not a typical drop top owner despite owning a Spyder and running it as a daily, but maybe some will decide on whether you have to get out to operate the roof or whether you have a push button electric job and in that regard, both Spyders are the same are in the same category vs a Boxster. If you buy either Spyder you have to be prepared to pull over and work the roof, regardless of the mechanism. If the roof is in any way a considered a faff, on either Spyder, then maybe for that person they'll not be one of the 150 who buy one and they'll buy a brand new Boxster instead. Would be interesting to hear from a potential Spyder buy who doesn't own or hasn't owned a 987 Spyder who is deciding on whether to buy a 981 Spyder or 987 Spyder by weighing up the pros and cons of each roof. I expect you'll be sticking to dry miles again and be our 'roof off' record breaker a second time around[
]The 997 Speedster didn't follow the exact blueprint of it's predecessors. It wasn't lightweight and in fact was fully loaded. It wasn't pitched with any tilt towards driver focus. Yet still, with it's limited numbers, for those who want one, they change hands for strong money for the small number of people after an even smaller number of cars. I think if this new Spyder is heavier, more practical, is devoid of side stripes or whatever else vs the original, what defines the market for it is how many people are actually going to buy it vs how many cars are available. So like the 997 Speedster, it may be different criteria upon which the new car holds its own and looking to the original as a reference model may not have any relevance. There are still many 987 Spyder owners unaccounted for on forums, so we don't really know who will buy the new car. What will really interest me is if we eventually hear that they are all sold out. Then every other point is moot and we'll have a handful of owners on here owning one of the most exclusive cars in the current Porsche line-up.ORIGINAL: daro911 Wind the Porsche clock back to 1989 911 Speedster brand new £55500 OTR and then after 12 months of madness where cars did change hands for 6 figures the bubble burst and the cars were stuck at circa 30-36k for the next 18 years then bingo today we see the same cars for between £100-160k depending on miles and history of course New Page New Pic
I dont expect the differences in the 981 to the 987 will be issues, they are just that, differences. The assembly of the 981 parts bin will bring characteristics to this car that will, for some, be more appealing and for others less appealing. The 987 has a special character, I'm a big fan and if I get the right offer I'll be sad to see it go.....but along will come a 981 with a different character that will still amount to a great car - Porsche aren't going to get it that wrong. Will it be as SPECIAL as the 987 IMO, I don't think so but it will be a great car for all the reasons already expressed by those in favour. It will also be unique, purely down to the production numbers and even if it's only a good (not great) car they'll be more demand than supply for a good while yet, so still a rock solid investment. Will I be disappointed if I don't sell my 987 - NO..... Will I be disappointed if I do and take a 981, I very much doubt it. I'll look back and remember with great fondness the 987 and enjoy the pleasure of driving it's modern successor with it's own unique character.
MrDemon
PCGB Member
again depends what one is after, I waited for a new 981 Cayman and was very excited by the 981 until I drove it, I think it's dull , add PDK and it's even more dull. So while it's a nice car as are many cars, the 981 Spyder is just a GTS with a 3.8 lump , it's going to drive about the same as a GTS in most ways as it's the same car ! I really dislike the GTS so imo yes Porsche can get it that wrong for the type of car I want to drive, again that does not make it a bad car. but then the car before my R was a V8 M3 competition and the car before than was a GT3 and before that was a CSL so the 981 GTS is not aimed at me anyway. I think every now and again quite a special thing comes along, the CSL, the Noble the 987.2 Spyder 3 of the cars which tick that hidden box and make you want to go for a drive because you can. the other 47 cars I have owned have just come and gone and while I have had many nice cars and great times in some of those cars, they were not "SPECIAL" It's a long time since I have driven a new car which I have thought WOW, the only one I can think of was a 458 speciale and that's way over my funds ! and doing 211mph in a 918 in the wet was interesting. as for numbers , all that does it make the car ownership less painfull, that does not make a car a "SPECIAL" car it just makes it free to use.
Hi Flat6 So as I've mentioned before, I have an order down for a New Spyder and I am very excited about getting to drive this car. I currently have a 987.1 Boxster S, which has been a great car to own over the past 3 years. But over the past year or so I have slowly been winding myself up to trade up to a newer model. For me it was going to be another BS, but a 981 as I feel the car has really moved on from the 987. I was looking to buy secondhand for approx 40k. Then I started getting a bit excited about the GTS, with all the road testers videos just raving about all aspects of this new model. Next news of the GT4, which again just looks to be a brilliant bit of kit (even though I'm a dedicated roof down driver!!). I enquired, but alas my local OPC already had a dozen deposits down [&o] Then Spyshots of a rumoured new Sypder start to appear...... This looks like it could be my car !! Car gets launched in NY, I get my bottom down to the OPC pronto and hand over my credit card [] So then I arrive on this forum, and start to read the passion many here have for the 987 Spyder. For me though i didn't consider the 987 Spyder over my BS because at the time it was my only sportscar and the basic roof wasn't going to work for me, as I use the car whenever I can. Tescos, Beach, Pub, Work so the roof is always being put up whenever I'm leaving it. Also I wasn't convinced that the Spyder was worth the extra premium I would have to put into it, although having read the views here and seeing the many pictures posted I am happy to say I might have been wrong there ! But back to the New Spyder... To me this IS a very special car. I love all the Boxster and Cayman cars from 986-981 and to think I will soon own what I believe to be the pinnacle of the bred is very cool. I love the aggressive styling, power, interior, CF seats, steering wheel, gear change etc etc... Even the roof is doable !! Although I'm thinking I will be keeping the BS for the Tesco run and use the Spyder for those sunny day dream drive outs. All in the safe knowledge that this is a sure safe investment. I guess at the end of the day we are all looking for that special car that just hits the mark for our own circumstances but as for me...... I'm a very happy Boxster Boy. [][]
] So then I arrive on this forum, and start to read the passion many here have for the 987 Spyder. For me though i didn't consider the 987 Spyder over my BS because at the time it was my only sportscar and the basic roof wasn't going to work for me, as I use the car whenever I can. Tescos, Beach, Pub, Work so the roof is always being put up whenever I'm leaving it. Also I wasn't convinced that the Spyder was worth the extra premium I would have to put into it, although having read the views here and seeing the many pictures posted I am happy to say I might have been wrong there ! But back to the New Spyder... To me this IS a very special car. I love all the Boxster and Cayman cars from 986-981 and to think I will soon own what I believe to be the pinnacle of the bred is very cool. I love the aggressive styling, power, interior, CF seats, steering wheel, gear change etc etc... Even the roof is doable !! Although I'm thinking I will be keeping the BS for the Tesco run and use the Spyder for those sunny day dream drive outs. All in the safe knowledge that this is a sure safe investment. I guess at the end of the day we are all looking for that special car that just hits the mark for our own circumstances but as for me...... I'm a very happy Boxster Boy. [][]I think we're entirely agreeing - except for you mistakenly linked 'special' with the numbers which I didn't. The 981 won't be as special as the 987 but it will appeal to many buyers for different reasons that you or I might ordinarily select a car on. I'm curious to see what it's like, curious enough to move on from the 987. I may be in an Ariel Atom after the 981, I'm curious about the latest version of that one too.
I have just returned from my PEC experience and can say hand on heart that the PDK is now my choice it is awesome and no way does it take anything away from the driving experience as some people keep going on about ..in fact it adds to it you can concentrate on the driving being in the correct gear at the right time . I drove the 991 GTS PDK and PCCB and also a Cayman in the same spec and a Boxster GTS manual and on steels .It was the drive I most disliked . I love my 987 Spyder which I have had from March 2013 and think it is a great car and looks amazing .I have never had any issues re the roof ,it is totally waterproof and never reached the limit to where it will blow off[] I think the new car looks amazing and will prove to its new owners just as satisfying as the old one
] I think the new car looks amazing and will prove to its new owners just as satisfying as the old one
MrDemon
PCGB Member
you have to say imho other wise you get jumped on, ;-) because for me the PDK DOES detract from the driving experience 10 fold, yes you can concentrate on driving more if driving is an issue, but that's the fun of manual, having to make sure you ARE in the right gear before the bend, heal and toe that shift while threshold braking while doing the steering and looking ahead, take half the driving experience away and it's 1/2 the fun. PDK track driving just seems steer, turn in, floor it, brake, steer, turn in, floor it, brake, it's mind numbing dull. and while I could lap a car faster in a PDK, that's not the point of the fun I get from driving. so always say imo
other wise people want to take comments as fact lol.
MrDemon
PCGB Member
we are agreeing , you did say the 987.2 car will be more special ;-) the 981 Spyder will be a great car, just not that once in a life time Special car imo . I would like to be proved wrong and would love to say Porsche got it 100% right, but you have to go on gut feeling and on paper spec atm plus past driving of 981's non of which I have liked at all yet. I am so concerned that I will put my R in storage in Sept and keep it till I have had the Gt4 a few months to see where the lay of the land is and what I want to sell. I don't think I want 2 porkers any more any way, my Spyder now it's so close to being finished, it is for me amazing, it's 95% of what I want from a car (I don't like the roof much, hence it's a summer toy for me) but it's drives so well and with the £8k I have spent honing it to my liking and close to 300bhp/ton I cannot think of a car I would want to sell it for. I don't bond with many cars and have owned loads, as I said for me it's a "SPECIAL" thing.
MrDemon
PCGB Member
the thing is when EVO drove both my R and Spyder (April ed) every one said yes we love the new cars and the steering is ok if not a little long geared. (saying that EVO then slated it when it got wet and said "there is no feel" they all drove mine and said " we have forgot just how good the steering is on the older car" "we had forgiven electric steering, but after driving your two we cannot forgive it." true story ;-) I guess when people drive new stuff day in day out and EVERY car now has electric steering BAR I MIGHT ADD the new maclaren range, who now state they are making drivers cars at last. Porsche electric steering must be 10 fold better that what else is out there, but then drive a 981 back to back with either of mine and as EVO said to me unforgivable !!!ORIGINAL: daro911 He seems to be enjoying himself in a crap 981 GTS [
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