I also prefer a taildragger over tricycle gear

three months into ownership of a new S which we bought off the showroom floor( long story) and thus had no direct say over its options and therefore its final cost you find yourself thinking about the subject of value for money:-

we are delighted with what we have but, to an extent, we indulged it being our last ever new car...what seems to me now an outstanding value would be a new Base 981, 6MT, with minimal options...assuming a discount around 6/7% that car could be bought in the high 40's...an Impala is now 40K and there are many such examples...

if there's anyone out there sitting on the fence , likes a manual gearbox and has no truck with frippery go do it! you likely will find it hard to find one to this spec on a dealer's floor...so order one!

these 981's are magnificent cars, the Base no less...within 10 grand of an Impala? Please!

... way better engineered than the 986 or 987.
I was impressed with the undercarriage's new design.
They dotted their "i"s and crossed their "t"s in that they fixed a lot of lose ends that had, such as the floating rear suspension which is now tied together as in the Carrera., also a redesign of the undertrays that allows for much better air circulation. They've added several NACA ducts to cool fluids and included aggressive rear brake cooling ducts among other things.
When you consider all of these improvements and compare with what was offered in a 986 Base or 987 Base and the devaluation of the currency, the 981 is a much better bargain car than those!
But again, it's all of the Nanny-Car / Big Brother crap that I can't seem to accept for my taste.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Quote
Pedro (Weston, FL)
... way better engineered than the 986 or 987.
I was impressed with the undercarriage's new design.
They dotted their "i"s and crossed their "t"s in that they fixed a lot of lose ends that had, such as the floating rear suspension which is now tied together as in the Carrera., also a redesign of the undertrays that allows for much better air circulation. They've added several NACA ducts to cool fluids and included aggressive rear brake cooling ducts among other things.
When you consider all of these improvements and compare with what was offered in a 986 Base or 987 Base and the devaluation of the currency, the 981 is a much better bargain car than those!
But again, it's all of the Nanny-Car / Big Brother crap that I can't seem to accept for my taste.
Happy Boxstering,
Pedro

I look at the 981 and the MSRP on a model similar to my 986 is about 5 to 10% less. On the other hand, I had a 2001 BMW 325i and for the same money today, I can get a comparably equipped model. All cars, have become relative bargains, and much of it relates to the Nanny-car/Big-brother crap that you refer to, as it's all electronics, which is far cheaper to manufacture and install. It used to be that Porsche was a low-volume manufacturer, and the associated costs of parts in small runs was costly. Today, Porsche is, like just about every other manufacturer, a parts assembler. The reason why cars (in my opinion) are hugely devoid of individual character is because so many parts are all common. I drove a Mercedes-Benz C300 recently, which felt pretty much like an Audi A4, and I suspect the reason why is because much of the parts are similarly sourced.

Porsche has been able to reduce costs, dot the 'i' and cross the 't's largely because of reduced manufacturing costs. That they deigned it necessary or desirable to do this speaks volumes about their continued efforts to make the car quite trackable. On the other hand, driving the 981 is a relatively (in my opinion) far less engaging drive -- it's a remarkable car as the limits and high, but there is still something a bit disengaging about it. I remarked to my wife after driving the 981, back into the 986, then into our A6 that the 981 feels much like a high limit A6. Not that that's a bad thing -- just not my cup of tea today. I still love the way the 981 looks from the outside.

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2013 04:42PM by Joanne in OC. (view changes)

Interestingly, lots of cars are going the way of an automatic, and for Porsche, I get it. Performance with PDK is better than it is with the 6spd, because no longer is there a torque converter sucking power. Computer have become so smart, they know when to shift, because they have accelerometers, and other telemetry telling the computer what it is that you're doing, so it knows, for the most part, when to cut and thrust. The 993 has PDK only, because the car performs better with PDK than it otherwise would. F1 is clutchless, because shifting is faster with modern direct coupling transmissions. For me, it's one more skill that will be lost -- along with handwriting, which I've already lost. I just got an AT car (with a torque sucking converter), and I have to admit, I kind of like it in traffic. I still like the third pedal variety, and while, unlike Guenter, I think Porsche will continue to make MTs for a long time (considering still much of the European marketplace is full of MT cars), ATs have come a long way. The PDK is a remarkable piece of technology -- simple, elegant, and adds to going fast.

... is not an automatic transmission.
It's a double clutch manual that can be shifted electronically.
At least according to the manufacturer.
Happy PDK'ing
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Quote
Pedro (Weston, FL)
... is not an automatic transmission.
It's a double clutch manual that can be shifted electronically.
At least according to the manufacturer.
Happy PDK'ing
Pedro

Ah, right -- how could I forget??!! That makes up for everything! That much being said, it has no torque converter, and it's stupid fast in its shifting. On the other hand, my A6, which has a torque converter, is stupid fast in its shifting too. Way faster than I can do with my feet and hands.

Quote
Pedro (Weston, FL)
... is not an automatic transmission.
It's a double clutch manual that can be shifted electronically.
At least according to the manufacturer.
Happy PDK'ing
Pedro

To be correct, I think that should read "can only be shifted electronically". Without electronics, how do you activate either of the clutches?

When the battery went on my 06, I parked it on a hill. I was able to turn on the ignition, let it roll down hill, put it into second and pop the clutch and I was off and running. Can you do that with PDK?

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Guenter in Ontario

Quote
Pedro (Weston, FL)
... is not an automatic transmission.
It's a double clutch manual that can be shifted electronically.
At least according to the manufacturer.
Happy PDK'ing
Pedro

To be correct, I think that should read "can only be shifted electronically". Without electronics, how do you activate either of the clutches?

When the battery went on my 06, I parked it on a hill. I was able to turn on the ignition, let it roll down hill, put it into second and pop the clutch and I was off and running. Can you do that with PDK?

When my IMS went on my 03, and the engine died, I had my blonde partner in a red skirt and heels push the car, because she couldn't get enough leverage on the wheel. Once you've done that, all bets are off.....

I need the full visual.

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Roger987
I need the full visual.

Red heels, bare legs, sweaty. That was the good part.

Pissed off.

That was the bad part.

Quote
Pedro (Weston, FL)
... is not an automatic transmission.
It's a double clutch manual that can be shifted electronically.
At least according to the manufacturer.
Happy PDK'ing
Pedro

BMW announced today that the new M4 (old M3) due next year will not have a third peddle on the floor and will have a double clutch for better gas economy and faster car. For those who have not heard, the new GT3 will only come in PDK.

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Joanne in OC
n/t

And Mike

MIKELLIG

...she went PDK so her spouse could drive it, like a fibbing lawyer at BRBS

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

Do you know something I don't know? If so, where is he? He must be slacking, nothing's getting done on that "honeydew" list.

Even if I was married, I'm driving (maybe that's why I'm still single). Should I reconsider???

I went PDK so I could drive FAST when I'm 80

Joanne

Not you....the GA/SC shady lawyer at BRBS

Driving fast at 80....ummm, that's going to be one old Boxster, and by then the nanny state probably will be able to force us to stay under 55 MPH

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

Also, the nice thing about aerobatic flying compared to HPDE is that I could do it to my heart's content at high altitude without fear of crashing. I used to own a Citabria, no longer an active pilot.

[www.youtube.com]

Great Music !!!!!

"ants in my pants," the cure for which is not rubbing a carpet, but driving all over the continent!
And yes, the music is sublime, however ironic and incongruous with the video.
A proper video to take the "wait" off your mind:
[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

Happy Porscheing,
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/21/2013 07:16PM by Laz. (view changes)

When I was in the USAF many years ago, I was an autopilot specialist. I still bet an F111 or F106 autopilot can outfly you!

Fines planes, but I was happy with an F-4E and an F-15C

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."