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Originally Posted by dghii
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I did like the 987...who knows?
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Well, I can probably chip in here as I have to own up. I bought a manual 987s just a month ago. Sadly my manual 986 base is for sale. I've probably spent way too much on it in the 3 years that I had it, spoiling it with a new IMS, brakes etc etc. It will always be special, there's nothing quite like the feeling of getting your first Porsche, and what a fantastic fun car it's been. As others have pointed out, it's real fun driving a slower car fast than the other way round. I'm in the Porsche club here, and it's been a blast thrashing the revs out of my 986 to keep up with the far newer and exotic stuff you get in the club. The 986 has never fallen behind. I've never tracked it, that may have been a different story. It's a real seat of the pants experience, you just can't beat it, especially for the money.
So, why a 987s? We do a lot with the Porsche club and the 986 was a bit of a toe in the water, not knowing what the costs of Porsche ownership would be like. As I've said I've spent a bit on the 986 but, it's never because it's let me down. I'm not getting any younger, nearly 57, and although P cars in Australia are really expensive I thought I'd get something newer with the intention of keeping it long term, maybe forever, especially after my test of a 718 that I posted about. I decided I wanted a really good 987s, or maybe a 981 base if I could stretch it. I had a look at one or two 981s but I'm not convinced about the seating position with the high gear stick. They always seem really big when you sit in them, even though they aren't really. My biggest issue though, is the complete lack of recent manual cars in Australia. Pretty much everything from 987.2 on is PDK in Aus. I wanted a manual. Not easy to find one at all, and late manuals actually sell for a premium as a result. I was intending to try and get a 987.2 if I could, but after 6 months of looking, this manual 987.1 s came up locally from a private seller. 2007, absolutely immaculate condition with only 50,000 kilometres on it.
It's Atlas Grey, and is pretty much what I was after apart from the 18 inch wheels. More later. So my initial impressions compared to the 986? It felt much heavier, bit like a GT car
The ride was much smoother, partially because of the bigger profile tyres I assume, but much less coming back through the steering. I didn't start to push it on bends for the first few drives because I didn't feel very confident in it. Performance wise, obviously a lot more torque. So much in fact that revving the balls out of it isn't really necessary on normal roads. It's a different style of engine than the base 986 which loves to rev. The 987s is more like the 718 I drove in some aspects, but still miles better in that pushing the revs is actually fun. :dance: Now I've had it a few weeks, I'd say there is quite a big jump in performance, but not so much on the bends, if at all. It could probably do with more rubber.
Finally, is it more fun to drive? I'd say not really overall, but it is different. The grunt of the engine is certainly entertaining. The interior is also a step up for me so I've no complaints there.
Ahh yes the wheels. I've been agonising over what to do because I really like the look of 19s, especially the Carrera classics. This came with a brand new set of Bridgestones, which is hard to throw away. I've looked at all sorts of options, including aftermarkets like Victor wheels. I've found out that 19s however, weigh more and have a negative effect on performance, maybe small but there. 19s are also more likely to get rim damage from bad roads. That has happened twice to me with the 986, and it's really inconvenient and annoying. In the mean time, the stock 18s have grown on me somewhat, so I've decided to leave it for now. Nothing to do apart from enjoy the car!
I'm going to be so sad to see my 986 go, what a great car. Good luck and thanks to everyone here who's helped with information and advice!
