I drove MT most of my life. A couple of years ago, my wife started enjoying cars. She does not drive MT, and has no interest in learning at this stage of her life. So, the compromise is fantastic cars, but not with MT. My point is more one of nearly every other Euro auto maker that makes high ends sports cars is, and has been, using double clutch auto-manuals. It seems inexcusable, and not competitive, do stick a reprogrammed ZF (that can be found in a 320i BMW) into a sports car at this price point.

Side note, the local dealer won't even get a MT FType, unless someone orders it, and even then, they really don't want to in case the buyer backs out.

 

Funny, one of the benefits of having MT's in my cars is that my wife refuses to drive them.

 

I guess I like my wife more than you like yours.

Seriously though, I'm happy that she enjoys it as much as she does instead of begrudging me for spending so much on a car.

 

5 carreras since 1998 (996.1/996.2/ 997.1/997.2/991) I thought I wouldn't miss it having grown tired of the same accoutrements with mild evolution over time. Im a year and 7k into an awd r and I miss my 911. The laser handling and pure driving experience is a long term benefit- Brute force and brash noise are ethereal. Then again theres that 30 k premium a normally outfitted 911s requires. Maybe a theres 718 boxster in my future??

 

Wait until you HEAR the 718. Sounds like a Subaru. Ugh.

 

718 uses speaker to make engine noises, just ask them and they could make it sound (on the inside) just like F-type.

 

Owned a 2006 Cayman S for 7 years before swapping out for my current 2014 F Type V8 S. Modded the Cayman substantially including a TPC installed turbo boosting the HP to 485. Had a lot of fun driving the Cayman as the performance and handling were superb. Really got annoyed of the flaws with the fit and finish of the interior and Porsche's refusal to acknowledge their defect. Always dreamed of a muscle car and/or roadster and the F Type fit the build perfectly with the styling and beautiful leather interior. As with Klakeman above, my wife could not believe I would get rid of the Cayman after all that was put into it. But when I brought the Jag the home, she said she understood. We both still get a thrill every time we get in to take a leisure or spirited drive.

 

Because it's German. I remember the battle eons ago when they were refusing to put cup holders in BMWs. Loved my German spec 528i, but it was sterile.

 

Really? Then WHY haven't they done it? A four will never sound like an F Type.
There are many videos on You Tube of the 718.

SUBARU sound.

 

I've had a MY03 Boxster S & then most recently, a MY08 Boxster S that I traded for the MY14 F-Type V8S. Both Boxsters were MT. This Jag is my first non-MT DD in almost 2 decades.

I was shopping for a Boxster GTS or MY12 Spyder when I started looking at the F-Type. The exhaust note of the V8S & the sheer power wooed me to make the change over to Jag.

IMHO, the Boxster is a more precise machine. While not nearly as powerful as the the F-Type, the mid-engine platform allowed directional changes immediately. Plus, it didn't give me the sense of wanting to kill me if I over-accelerated coming off a corner. I could drift the Boxster with much more control than the Jag.

The Boxster is more of a driver's car & the F-Type more of a GT. As such, I find the F-Type to be a much more comfortable place to be in no matter the situation.

I've had all my cars on the track (including my wife's MY13 Cayenne, Subaru STI, racecar, etc -- I'm a certified Instructor & hold a competition license). I could flog the Boxster on the track all day & not worry about brakes or tires. After just three, 20-minute sessions on the track with the F-Type, I boiled over the brake fluid in the first session with the DSC set to "Track" mode (turned it completely off for the next 2 sessions). Getting a tremendous amount of oversteer out of almost every single corner & tons of tire smoke trying to get the power down, I burned through 1/2 the tread life of the rear tires in the next 2 sessions.

Smoking the tires & driving sideways out of every corner was tremendously fun & left me with huge smiles until I thought about how much the rear tires were gonna cost to replace. (I parked her for the rest of the weekend.) I also got lots of backslapping from people on the sidelines saying stuff like, "I can't believe what you were doing with that car!"

The Boxster is more like a scalpel & the F-Type more like a Henckels boning knife. Maybe now that I'm older & want for more creature comforts, I enjoy the F-Type more than I would the Boxster. But the sheer power of the F-Type brings out the mischievous 4-year old in me every time I mash the accelerator.

 

Still in the throes of debating a move to an f type and since I first posted I have also driven an r and a v6 manual.


All the versions feel bigger, clumsier and less precise than my 981, but I think they look and sound better.


It's the classic debate as to whether to give up some driving engagement and precision, for a drive that will be a bit more of an event...

 

You summed it up perfectly in that one sentence. Only you can decide which one you value more.

I get much more enjoyment out of making my daily commutes and errands fun "events." Superb track handling characteristics are wasted (or should be) on the street. The F-Type gives you quite capable, if not the best, handling more than adequate for the street, but if I were still doing a lot of track stuff, I'd be in a Porsche.

 

I drove one season in a 2600 lb. Rousch prepared GT-1 Mercury Capri (600+hp). Now..that was an event (and like burning through thousand dollar bills every time you fired the thing up). No finesse, no precision, just raw power/weight, and a throttle used for steering. The slow speed turning radius was often larger than some corner radii on tight tracks.

Yet, you can tell from the s***-eating grin that the fun quotient was still there.

 

...or a 'vette, or a Viper...you've hit the nail on the head as usual.

Cheers,
Dave

 

Reviving this thread as I am back to contemplating this move again. Since I lasted posted I have driven a 2016 R AWD and a 2015 V6 type S. I loved the R awd. The complaints I had about the non-accessible power of the R RWD were gone with the AWD. Instant power at any rpm and you can put your foot down whenever you want. Car made me grin like I did the first time I drove a 981S, which hasn't happened since, despite having test driven over 15 cars in search of a replacement for the 981CS.

There are few things holding me back from making the move
1> will I miss a manual?
2 will the bigger size and worse visibility annoy me (I really disliked these aspects of the C7 I briefly owned)
3 will the car be as reliable as my Porsche (warranty yes, but still annoying to get warranty work, both my porsches have had zero warranty issues)


Any thoughts on my reservations would be very welcome!

 

Haven't owned a Porsche, so not qualified to answer 1 and 2.

As for 3, I've had my 16' AWD R for 2 years. In that time - 0 maintenance.

As for stick vs paddle? MHO - I'm a huge F1 fan. In my R, pretending Isn't far from reality in this thing.

My brother has Porsche's. He smiles a lot.

When he drives mine, he laughs a lot.

He laughs with me.

I like to laugh. Do you?

 

Had a 911 for 16 years before swithing to the R AWD 2016. So:
- I loved the 911 and felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend when I sold it. It was reliable except for cratering an engine at 80,000 miles. Tracked it a few times and loved driving it every day for 16 years. Not much went wrong other than the 17000 dollar enhine replacement but when something did go wrong it was expensive. Drove like a go cart and was huge fun.

- I have had the Jag for 2 years and have put 48,000 km on it. Literally not a single problem of any kind. Not one. Have tracked it twice - huge fun and spectacular every day. I live this car.

The difference I think comes from pure personal preference. If you like a more pure “skateboard” type driving experience then the 911 is for you. If you want all the performance and all the handling you will ever be able to handle as an amateur driver - with a bit more refinement - then the Jag is for you. I do also believe tou get more “stuff” included re equipment with The Jag that you would have to pay for with the 911.

Both great cars - in the end in my mind it comes down to the driving experience yiu want. Hope that helps.

 

yes I was definitely laughing in the brief test drive


good to hear no issues, there are horror story threads on here that make one wonder

 

cheers for the thoughts, was your 911 a manual?

 

I moved from a Cayman S to the R and have been smiling ever since. The only thing that the Cayman did better was really twisty roads, which I almost never get to do. Even when I do, the speed limit is such that the R performs just as well. I did not have legendary quality in my Porsche and I have also had a couple of warranty issues in my Jag. The Jag is a far better GT car. The power and roar are the real smile factors. Finally, the Jag is just beautiful to look at, could never say that about a Porsche.

Larry