Just another take on the 981, drove an S today

[AndyA6]

Good thing the local Porsche dealer is a very good friend of mine.

I stopped by over lunch and took a 981 S for a short drive. PDK and a few other options = $ 80,000 plus.......

I wanted to compare a few things to my current ride.

A/C, after my repair/refill no difference, nice!

Handling, specifically quick left/right transitions. My car feels really "light", seems the 981 reacts a bit slower, still very agile, though. Another observation is that after I turn the wheel the 981 takes just a moment to settle into the new direction, don't know how to better describe this.... Is this the electric power steering effect?

Power, obviously the 981 S is faster. But not as much faster as I thought. Maybe difficult to judge because the 981 is so much smoother. My car feels so raw compared to the luxobarge the 981 has become.

Sound, when cruising the 981 is very quiet. Stepping on it makes it really loud, louder than mine even with the mods I have...

Surprisingly my car is a bit more comfy in terms of spring/damping. The 981 had the PCM and was sometimes a bit to "rice". Had 20" wheels as well, mine 17".

Quality of the new car is fantastic, no question about it. Big huge step.

Well, just a few observations.


All in all I'd love to have a new S but with minimal options, sport seats with heat and air and very few other things. It has to wait, though, 70,000 for a new one is serious bucks in my book and my current car is so much fun! Reality check worked for me.

Later,
Andy

[southernstar]

Andy, having driven a 981 Base with PDK and 19 inch wheels I agree with a number of your comments:

1. the quality of the interior materials is vastly superior.
2. I'm not sure if the turn-in seemed more sluggish, but the car definitely felt heavier and less 'tossable'. Of course, it IS quite a bit heavier than my car (2000 Base at 2780 lbs with 17 inch rims).
3. Braking felt comparable - great feel, easy to modulate and no perceptible fade.
4. The steering did feel a little numb by comparison - but then, I like the additional feedback (and even kickback over some bumps) just to let me know what is happening on the road.
5. The PDK is definitely state of the art. Unfortunately, it is an art that does not appeal to me. Yes, it shifts faster than I do. Yes, it seems to intuit the gear I want. Yes, it matches revs on downshifts better than I could ever do (and I take pride in double-clutching on every downshift). But to me, hearing the electronically controlled throttle blips began to make it seem like I was driving a video game!

In spite of all that, I still like the new 981. It is lighter than the 987, faster, more fuel efficient, better finished and, if not over-optioned, pretty reasonably priced. It also has a nicely integrated appearance that seems, if more generic than the 986, also more like an 'exotic' car. And who knows, if I had been driving an 'S' with a manual transmission, I might have even found the driving experience to be superior, in spite of the steering.

Brad

[fusionist]

The 986 is the holy grail!

[moresquirt]

Unfortunately,i have not had the pleasure of driving a 981,however i own a 987-1 S and a friend has a 03 986 S which i have driven many times,i definately like the look inside and out better on mine BUT i feel the 986 was nicer to drive,more raw,just as quick if not more torque,maybe it just felt more ,not sure but still a very nice car.Honestly i am not in love with the new 981,s looks regardless of the performance over the others.Looks more like a version of a corvette ot a Ferrari,but i feel its lost some of the Porsche look.If i ever sell my 987 ill probably look at a 911,they still got the look that takes me back.

[Ian c]

I'm not sure how a Bluetooth navigation screen can make a car ride different , but Pasm on normal mode is generally softer than the conventional passive suspension .
Did you have sport , or sport+ engaged ?
You can still do this and turn off the sport suspension with a quick button press .

[Johnny Danger]

Although I have a profound respect and appreciation for the new 981, the price places it in a category whereby my interests are assuaged by other vehicles. Have I mentioned 360 Modena before ?

[Ian c]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Although I have a profound respect and appreciation for the new 981, the price places it in a category whereby my interests are assuaged by other vehicles. Have I mentioned 360 Modena before ?

Last time I looked , late last year , you could only get a 13-15 year Old 360 for 981 money .

That will be enough to put most people off .
Besides them being too different to compare ...

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Ian c

Last time I looked , late last year , you could only get a 13-15 year Old 360 for 981 money .

That will be enough to put most people off .
Besides them being too different to compare ...

Late model (2002 - 2004) , low mileage, excellent condition 360's can be had in the 80k+ range. That doesn't put me off. That being said, they're both two seater, mid-engine platform vehicles. How different is that ?

[Ian c]

One is an f-car , and one is a p-car .

One is a highly strung thoroughbred , one is a more than competent-more than sports car .
One costs twice as much new , and one costs twice as much to maintain .

On top of model placement being in different "leagues" ( i dont consider the 981 leagues below) .. Driving experience , running costs , and maintenance costs are all vastly different .

I was looking at 03-04 cars last November and they where all around 100k .

Take a good look at the f1 clutch life expectancy compared to the pdk version before you buy .
I would be needing a new Ferrari clutch by now , just with the miles I've put on my 911 pdk since October .......

Beautiful and awesome car , but do your homework before you buy .

V8 Ferraris are an awesome weekend toy , but be aware they cost you money while they're stored during the week

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Ian c

One is an f-car , and one is a p-car .

One is a highly strung thoroughbred , one is a more than competent-more than sports car .
One costs twice as much new , and one costs twice as much to maintain .

On top of model placement being in different "leagues" ( i dont consider the 981 leagues below) .. Driving experience , running costs , and maintenance costs are all vastly different .

I was looking at 03-04 cars last November and they where all around 100k .

Take a good look at the f1 clutch life expectancy compared to the pdk version before you buy .
I would be needing a new Ferrari clutch by now , just with the miles I've put on my 911 pdk since October .......

Beautiful and awesome car , but do your homework before you buy .

V8 Ferraris are an awesome weekend toy , but be aware they cost you money while they're stored during the week

I'm very well versed when it comes to 360's. I was merely speaking in generalities . And, I'm very much aware of the cost of maintenance and ownership between the two. At least neither vehicle requires an IMSB retrofit ! Which is about the cost of a belt service on a 360 ! You should revisit the 360 market. Prices have come down considerably

[TeamOxford]

IMHO, this proposition is ridiculous.

You want to drive a 360? Rent one. $$$$$

Wanna drive a 981? Buy one. $$$$$$$

To me, this is a no brainer.

Better yet...................drive what you got.

TO

[TeamOxford]

The key word here is......................drive.

TO

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by TeamOxford

IMHO, this proposition is ridiculous.

You want to drive a 360? Rent one. $$$$$

Wanna drive a 981? Buy one. $$$$$$$

To me, this is a no brainer.

Better yet...................drive what you got.

TO

Don't make me drive down to Dallas to prove my point !

2003 Ferrari 360 Modena F1 for Sale - 1760949 - duPontREGISTRY.com

[Johnny Danger]

On the other hand, this jitney could easily win me over !

[Ian c]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

I'm very well versed when it comes to 360's. I was merely speaking in generalities . And, I'm very much aware of the cost of maintenance and ownership between the two. At least neither vehicle requires an IMSB retrofit ! Which is about the cost of a belt service on a 360 ! You should revisit the 360 market. Prices have come down considerably

Too old now ......

The 360 , not me

Tbh , they where to old late last year .
I might visit the 430 market in a couple of months though

But to be honest the 991 and 981 have my attention at the moment .

[Ian c]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Don't make me drive down to Dallas to prove my point !

2003 Ferrari 360 Modena F1 for Sale - 1760949 - duPontREGISTRY.com

That advert proves my point exactly

On top of the depreciation in the last year , All that work done and it hasn't hit 20k yet .......

An awesome toy , but a very expensive toy .

I could buy a 986 and use it for a year for what it cost to get that to a "selling state"

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by Ian c

Too old now ......

The 360 , not me

Tbh , they where to old late last year .
I might visit the 430 market in a couple of months though

But to be honest the 991 and 981 have my attention at the moment .

In all honesty, I tend to agree with you on the issue of age regarding the 360. In addition to the already expensive costs associated with upkeep and maintenance, most 360's have reached the age where one thing after the next will either need fixing or replacing. That would be enough to make anyone crazy !

p.s. Drove one of these for a bit last summer. Quite a machine indeed !

[cfos]

Strong or Garff?

[Ian c]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

In all honesty, I tend to agree with you on the issue of age regarding the 360. In addition to the already expensive costs associated with upkeep and maintenance, most 360's have reached the age where one thing after the next will either need fixing or replacing. That would be enough to make anyone crazy !

p.s. Drove one of these for a bit last summer. Quite a machine indeed !

Nice machine

This is my daily , but the 986 has been used for most of this week ... Simply too much fun with the wind in my (non-existent) hair !!!

[AndyA6]

Strong.

BTW, in sports mode that PDK is HAMMERING the gears in!

And even in "normal" mode the car is not exactly soft......

Coming back to the left/right transitions (quick lane change or auto cross type driving), to me it is like this:- turn wheel, front tires react, car starts to turn, so far all ok but here is the thing, the rear end seems to "follow" until the car is settling down. There is this split second when the car is like floating.
Strangely I drove a WRX years ago and it had exactly the same thing going, that's why I never bought that piece. At that time I thought tires, but with 20" on the 981 I believe it is more a chassis issue.

Love the car but I will keep mine for some time! Raw and direct, just like a Porsche should be!


And Dangerman.... Buy a 360 please and let us know how we can set up a help fund to finance repairs and service, no joke!!! Trust me, these things are a nightmare.