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Shopping for a 981

megabeans

megabeans

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Hi,

I'm planning on buying a Boxter 981 over the next few weeks. I've picked out a few nice to haves such as PASM, Cruise, PSE, but other than that I'm pretty easy going. The S vs non-S doesn't bother me too much, although the S seems to come with more "out of the box". Looking for low-ish mileage around £28-35k

I'm always open to any thoughts on the above, and advice that you can give (things to watch out for), but I had one specific question for the forum. I am aware that the 987 had two gens, are there any disadvantages between purchasing a 2012 981 and a 2015 981, or were there no changes or revisions made during it's short model run?

Reuben
Currently drive a 30i 2010 Z4
 
Not too much to wary of as long as you follow similar rules to buying any other car. A good check over, pre-purchase inspection by a trusted independent specialist can be the best value for money item that you will ever do in regards to the 981. Personally I wanted the S, I also wanted to ensure that if it was PDK, as it ended up being that I had sport chrono on board. There are so many options out there, colours, interiors, wheels etc, etc that it may be worth noting down what you really like and going for that.

Best of luck with the hunt and keep us posted on the results!

 
Thanks for coming back to me.

For "budget" reasons, I will have to either go for a slightly less well spec 981 S with more miles, or take a lower miles better spec version of the normal 981.

I'm going to start viewing cars tomorrow, I have an S and an non S, the non S has PSE so I can toggle that - best to see for myself.
 
Good for you, get out and drive as many as you can. PSE can always be retrofitted if you find the right S and it doesn't have it. The engine sounds glorious regardless !
 
As noted, PSE can be retrofitted, as can Sport Chrono and Cruise Control (for a price!) should you wish, so not a game-changer. I’m a tin-top rather than rag-top chap but maybe a heated seat would come in handy on the latter. [;)]

Both versions of the 981 (3.4L and 2.7L) have the DFI engine carried-over from the Gen2 987S and as such avoid the documented problems associated with the Gen1 987 cars. As far as I know there weren’t any significant updates to the engine during its term in the 981, maybe some DME revisions?

As always buy on condition and service history, and I agree that a PPI could save you both money and aggravation.

Good luck with your search.

Jeff
 
One small thing that changed during 981 production was the PCM. The hardware was updated for MY2013 to add Jukebox, Online Services (as an option, with real time traffic information, albeit limited) and Email and Text support. It also added the ability to add a reversing camera.
 
Interesting, I have been looking at newer versions, this gives me a "small" reason to keep doing so but by no means a deal-breaker.
 
Hi, apart from the usual mechanicals/ body to look at, timing regarding services and replacement of brakes etc is worth bearing mind. I have found that although the basic schedules don't look too expensive, even with the intermediate services you may need need brake fluid and aux belt and air filter changes etc. Majors include plug changes so it is possible with an OPC to spend over £1k every other year. Add in a 111 point check and 2 year warranty that's another £1,400 every other year too. Buying car at the end of the schedules (i.e. needing brakes, a major service and a warranty extension) could add £4k+ to car car cost...or something negotiate with. Obviously you can go to independents (at approx 70% of the cost) or skip the warranty. There seem to be very few problems with 981s discussed on this forum...common issues that crop up are seized PSEs and condenser corrosion, alarm issues. I had a condenser replaced under warranty at 5 years...that nearly balanced out the warranty cost.
 
Thanks for the help guys. I ended up buying a base 981 Back edition with most options ticked (only two I could see that were missing were sports+ and the "fully electric" seats, both of which aren't the most important things to me. I chose the base because having driven the 3.4L earlier in the day I felt like the base would be easier for me to live with, personally - and keep my licence. I did note that the idle exhaust in the 981 base did have a better tone to it, both viewed outdoors about an hour apart. I am sure I will have further questions / requests for advice when it comes to living with, maintaining and such, for now I'm just looking forward to picking it up next week!
 
I spent some time looking in 2016, but didn't pull the trigger. Regret it now because they haven't dropped much so would have essentially owned it for free (ish).

Was just a case of picking up my notes from there, doing a bit of research and making sure I wasn't missing anything important by checking in with PCGB.

Saw an S and a Base, S was 36k miles 5k CHEAPER, 5 owners... went with 2 owner, black edition with 21k miles - not usually blown away by black cars, but the mixture of comfort and "goodies" such as PASM, PSE in a black car that really made the dash, sports wheel, paddles, and chrome trim elements pop was too much to turn down. Sometimes "you just know".

Now I just need to shift my Z4!
 
many happy and memorable miles ahead. The Z4 should shift along easy enough, especially with the Spring and Summer seasons landing upon us
 
megabeans said:
Saw an S and a Base, S was 36k miles 5k CHEAPER, 5 owners... went with 2 owner, black edition with 21k miles - not usually blown away by black cars, but the mixture of comfort and "goodies" such as PASM, PSE in a black car that really made the dash, sports wheel, paddles, and chrome trim elements pop was too much to turn down. Sometimes "you just know".
Click to expand...


Sounds brilliant congratulations on your new Porsche !!!

The 2.7 with PSE will keep you engaged. [:D]
You cant really go wrong with either Base or 'S' but the condition and spec of the Black Edition sounds great.
You're right, sometime "you just know"

I've had my 2.7 four years on Wednesday [8D]

Enjoy

 
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