4 cylinder 718s sound terrible
 

the cars have a lovely shape --probably nicer looking than the neo 911 shape which seems so bloated nowadays.

but gawd. that engine note at idle and pulling away from a stoplight is so terrible.

I agree. I haven't driven one and I'm sure they are faster/torquier than my 981, but I really love, love the flat-6 engine sound.

The 987.1S had good torque and good sound, didn't rev out wonderfully smooth..
The 987.2S had much less sound, but man the engine was smooth at high rpm. I added a Remus to that car to hear it.

All 981's have more sound than 987.2's, even as they share engines. I have PSE but keep it off most of the time. I also don't like artificial pops/bangs too much, so I either drive in Normal or in Sport Plus (but not in Sport).

Yeah- I had the same reaction when I heard one idling the other day. My first reaction was "is that horrible sound really coming from that Porsche?!"

Yes, they sound really terrible. Supposedly they drive great with the PDK but are underwhelming with a manual due to the turbo lag.

Perhaps this is a bit OT, but I might as well say my piece here.

I'm really bummed out about the (MT) Boxster/Miata situation.

New Boxsters have become very expensive (718 GTS starts at $83k) and the FI H4-only option is terrible. Also, used prices are pretty high and selection is poor for H6 models. This is highly annoying. Good 981S's are going for $40k+ and they are 6-7 years old. That's crazy.

On the flip side, the Miata option has deteriorated. Yes, my NC has enlightened me to how much fun can be had for less. That guilt and worry-free element is a huge deal for an occasional car.

But I'm annoyed that the ND is weak in the early years and continues to have a highly suspect transmission. This impacts my ability to rinse and repeat what I did with my NC in a few years. At some point I will probably want to upgrade and the options are not looking good.

I hate the idea of a too-new ND ($30k). And that assumes the transmission gets fixed. I also hate the idea of overpriced 981's, and cannot consider the new, predicted $100k 718 Spyders with an H6.

This thread could almost be merged into the "the world has won" thread. New cars are too expensive, come with weak + bad-sounding engines, and are continually less and less fun to drive with each iteration.

Is the Z4 really not available in a manual transmission? That seems like a travesty.

THIS! The perfect one I found is a 2013 for $49K!

I keep going back to this though. Still $43.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...3724/overview/

I agree that new cars are STUPID expensive. Where is all this money coming from keep these prices on the rise. I fear unless I want to drive an appliance there will be no more new cars in my life. Well maybe if i find a rich partner. =)

The GTI aside, part of my rationale for pulling the trigger on the M3 was its end of production, the high risk of no more MT M3's, and the fact that all cars are F'n expensive. Oh, and the whole Euro Delivery/trip of lifetime thing. But at least that is a 4-door car that I could use a lot.

The justification goes south quickly on an expensive, occasional car. I wish I could get those early 981S's for $30k. You'd think one could given their age, but nope.

What I need to do, is keep my eyes open for a high-mileage, mechanically sound 981. That strategy worked well with the 997TT and Miata. I don't drive them much, so the depreciation drop to a minimum and running costs are low. That will be a tough find. Boxsters seem to have increasingly low miles.

I'm in the same boat with the 135. Its the first time I've ever owned a car and not had the next two or three cycles of replacement laid out in my head.

I keep vasilating between the AMV8 and the 981, but neither would make a good 3 day / week commuter, both are more than I want to spend, both limit my flexibility due to 2 seats, etc. I guess a 997 / 991 manual vert would be a possibility, but $$$ are an issue with that idea as well. I hope I can get another 3-4 years out of my 1er, but I'm already at 98k miles. Whatever I get next will need a manual, a soft top and some semblance of useabilty (with the requisite trade offs for soft top sporty car) for dailyish commuting.