[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I've done some poking around FBJ and stick is a major, major difficulty. 90% of them are PDK.

The PDK is a fine transmission, I use mine in M mode all the time and select my gears. However, if it breaks it is a marriage breaker.

A PDK would be a marriage breaker for *me*. I just can't, can't, can't wrap my brain around a roadster with an automatic-- I guess I'm a dinosaur. I've never owned an automatic (my wife's RDX is solely hers, thankyouverymuch), and don't intend to start now.

Long story short, she had an early-gen MT Miata. She got tired of it and decided that she was out of the MT game as every car she'd owned to date was a MT.

So, we sell the MT Miata and her MT Speed 3 and get her a nice Acura RDX-- her "little old lady" vehicle (in her words).

You see where this is going, don't you?

Barely a year later, it's "I *miss* my Miata, and automatics are *boring*."

So, now she has her MT Miata RF-GT and loves it.

So, a MT Boxster is definitely the way we're going to go.

For my sanity if no other reason!

R.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Everything he said is right and if I shall be allowed to stereotype, i suspect a) your missus will prefer the 981.1 over the 987.2 and you will need to increase budget for a fine example in an actual colour not a shade of grey.

Weirdly enough? She *likes* the grey.

I told her "No white, no black-- other than that, I don't care."

R.

[chassis]

Porsche silvers are great. Mine is Dolomite Silver Metallic and I love it. GT Silver is also good. Azzurro Thetys is a great PTS color on the silver spectrum. Quartzite is OK.

Porsche metallic colors have a large quantity of small size flake or sparkle material which makes them gleam in the sun, more attractively imo than MB and BMW metallic colors.

PTS colors are uncommon to find in preowned cars.

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I went down this rabbit hole a few years back when I decided I wanted a Cayman.

Googled "2011 987.2 Cayman Base 6MT" and your post on rennlist is the first result: https://rennlist.com/forums/987-foru...ong-story.html

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by jkoral

Googled "2011 987.2 Cayman Base 6MT" and your post on rennlist is the first result: https://rennlist.com/forums/987-foru...ong-story.html

Haha, too funny. I recommend anyone considering buying a 987.2, read my thread first. I am not alone in my experiences. I absolutely love my Cayman and I'm very happy with the one I bought, but damn, it's been a labor of love. I need to fix the sagging headliner (happened last summer) and install the Cayman R suspension.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

A PDK would be a marriage breaker for *me*. I just can't, can't, can't wrap my brain around a roadster with an automatic-- I guess I'm a dinosaur. I've never owned an automatic (my wife's RDX is solely hers, thankyouverymuch), and don't intend to start now.

When I bought my manual 981 Boxster S, the salesman remarked that it was the first non-PDK car he'd seen. Manual by all means but understand that the pickings may be slim. Best of luck!

[baege]

the crowd here have steered you right, 981 boxster is the car, timeless looks (subjective but to my eyes much prettier than the 987.2) NA flat six, great chassis, great manual

i would say try to get one with 20 inch wheels, pasm and sports exhaust, but really no deal breakers as long the color (inside and out) works for you

My 14 Caymans S was a stripper with no options other than the 20 in wheels and the metallic paint and it was such an amazing car

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by flybigjet

A PDK would be a marriage breaker for *me*. I just can't, can't, can't wrap my brain around a roadster with an automatic

Define automatic I guess. I have been a solid car guy since i could walk and talk, I enjoy a manual tranny but TBH it's always been more about the selection of the gear than the act of using the left leg for me.

I get in my car, put the shifter in M, press the SPORT button to sharpen throttle input, turn OFF the stiffer suspension SPORT automatically engages and either flappy paddle or push/pull the shifter to select gears. I never let the car select gears. So if not for the eye watering repair cost i'd be fine with PDK. My issue was I could not find a manual Aqua Blue Metallic 997 to save my life in 3 years.

Grey is so dull man, it's a roadster, i'd do white before grey as you can at least get some contrast going with black wheels or whatever. I dunno, each to his or her own but i'd be looking at the 981.1 because the 987.2 is defiantly a harsher, if more engaging, ride. I would just avoid the 4 banger at all costs as it just butchers the experience despite being a better engine on paper. I also agree with baege that unlike the 911, where the 997 looks better than the newer 991, I feel the 981 looks better than the 987 which looks like it has two fronts on no rear.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I enjoy a manual tranny but TBH it's always been more about the selection of the gear than the act of using the left leg for me.

To each their own. I enjoy the action of manual shifting, synchronizing feet and hands and feeling the engine and transmission work together.
Yes, having the car in the gear I want is also a part of that, but manually shifting an automatic barely does anything for me. I much rather have the automatic be at the right gear and just work. No matter how much I try to use the paddles or the shift lever, no matter how good the transmission is, it just doesn't work for me at all. It feels like a way to overcome the limitations of an automatic transmission (not being in the right gear) rather than replicating a manual transmission driving experience.

For my E93, I got an xHP tune and it helped (both for D/S and for manual mode), but I still rarely use manual control.
For my wife's C8 Corvette, I found that in Track mode (or Z mode with the engine/transmission set to the most aggressive) the transmission works well for me, but again I don't find manual shifting to be engaging or fun.

I'll be renting a 718 GTS 4.0 PDK Boxster in the summer from Turo, hoping to be amazed by the PDK (I only drove a family member's Macan and 911 for a bit and it was nice for regular driving).

With all that being said, the long gearing, high power and isolation on most modern manual transmission sports/sporty cars are a real turn of for me, so I can't get myself to replacing my (manual) BRZ (except maybe a 2nd gen one), and I'm okay with a good automatic.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Define automatic I guess.

It automatically shifts gears for you

[erickonphoenix]

You mentioned you were BMW person, have you tried to sell her on the Z4? Or is the MT the deal breaker? It's not as good as the Porsche but a more economical choice and it drives quite nice, imo.

FYI: Some of my buddies on the Porsche maintenance floor think the IMS bearing issue affected the "garage queens" more than the daily drivers. Probably not a major issue give the age of the 996/early 997s since the upgrade has probably been done by now. This seemed to bite buyers of low mileage 996s in the early 2000 teens. However, cylinder score is a real issue in cold climates so watch out for that.

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

FYI: Some of my buddies on the Porsche maintenance floor think the IMS bearing issue affected the "garage queens" more than the daily drivers. Probably not a major issue give the age of the 996/early 997s since the upgrade has probably been done by now. This seemed to bite buyers of low mileage 996s in the early 2000 teens. However, cylinder score is a real issue in cold climates so watch out for that.

As noted earlier, the IMS is a nothing-burger issue compared to bore scoring which seems to eventually affect every 987.1-997.1 car minus the 2.7 port fuel injected motors. Once the motor bore scores, it's toast.

[XutvJet]

Regarding the PDK vs 6MT debate, there's really no perfect transmission for these cars (or any car for that matter).

The PDK is a bit quicker/faster and is probably the best dual clutch on the market. It can give the car multiple personalities depending on the mode you're in. If you track the car and want the best times, PDK is where it's at. The scary part is the cost to repair and service. We're talking 5 figures to replace one, even with a low mileage used one. In many cases, you can get them repaired by specialty shops, but it's still going to cost you $$$$.

The 6MT in the 987 and 981 have pretty good feel and action, but there's no getting around the fact that the shifter is attached to the transmission by two 5' long flexible rods. There is extra movement in the shifter because of this and there's nothing you can do to remedy this (believe me, I've spend over a thousand dollars trying to fix it). The shift action is really quite good, but don't be mislead into thinking it has a rifle bolt action of a shifter connected directly into the transmission like an S2000 or Miata with a good aftermarket shifter.

The biggest issue with the Porsche 6MTs is the damn gearing. It is clearly designed for autobahn running and longer track driving. For daily driving and B road fun, the 6MT is not perfect. My 987.2 Base has deeper gearing than the equivalent year S models, been even so, at 7400rpms, the car does 42mph in 1st, 74mph in 2nd, and 106mph in 3rd. The gearing in 4th through 6th is actually quite good and well matched to the motor, but again, clearly designed long track stuff. At 80mph in 6th, the car is turning 3100rpms.

If I were in the market for a 981, I'd definitely get the 6MT. The take rate was like 30% so they are out there.

My other car is a stock 2018 M2 DCT. I got that car 4 months ago and it replaced my 8 y/o M235 6MT with an LSD and Stage 1/2 mods. I loved the M235 but never quite warmed up to the 6MT. BMW really screwed things up with the clutch pedal placement, delay valve in the clutch slave, and the general tuning of the motor matched to the 6MT. It felt like they intentionally made it kinda bad just so folks would lean towards the 8AT. I am now of the opinion that well sorted automatics are ideal for turbo cars. The DCT is not perfect (a bit lurchy leaving the line), but damn, the M2 absolutely rips with the DCT and the car has all sorts of different personalities depending on mode and if you're manually shifting. In Comfort auto, it feels so docile and relaxed. In DSC Off, it is a freaking beast. It has far better gearing (ideal really) and no boost is lost on shifts. It makes the N55 feel like a completely different animal and from the seat of pants, the M2 feels quicker than my Stage 2 M235 at any speed.

For an NA car though, I think I'd always go manual if it's an option, especially on a motor that revs high and even if the gearing isn't exactly ideal.

[Alfisti]

Not sure if there's a thing for the Cayman/Boxster but almost every guy in my 997 chat with MT has installed the Numeric shifter to improve the action. The super long gearing is seriously annoying, I have 7 gears and use only 4, 1st,2nd, 3rd and 7th. What 4th through 6th are there for is beyond me. 3rd gear, WOT and the car is absolutely CLAPPING along at ferocious speeds and asking for more but I have to bail or risk jail time.

https://numericracing.com/collection...7-transmission

[XutvJet]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Not sure if there's a thing for the Cayman/Boxster but almost every guy in my 997 chat with MT has installed the Numeric shifter to improve the action.

https://numericracing.com/collection...7-transmission

There's still no getting around the slop due to the shifter rods. Addressing the shifter bushings, either through a new shifter assembly, refreshed bushings, or the Numeric shifter, can help, but there will still be some play and slop. It's not terrible at all, but guys that claim all these shifters make a world of difference are just trying to justify the money they spent.

I would also caution anyone with a 987 or 997 to first drive a car with the Numeric shifter cables before diving in. They can be loud, create vibration, and cause shift gate issues unless adjusted just right. Porsche revised the 987 shift cables, a cable mount (same part that comes stock on the 981), and transmission pivot lever (same part that comes stock on the 981). Those parts do make a big difference in improving feel and shift action, especially the updated pivot lever. However, due to the design of the updated pivot lever (a solid piece of metal vs a 3 piece setup with internal rubber bushing), it does create a little more vibration felt through the shifter. Those internal rubber bushings on the original pivot lever wear out and cause a ton of slop. The Numeric shifter cables don't work with the updated Porsche parts.