Porsche 981 Boxster / Cayman Buyers Guide (2012-2016) Common faults and reliability

Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman 981 buyers guide review for reliability in years 2012-2016 covering 2.7 flat-six Boxster Cayman, 3.4 flat-six Boxster S Cayman S, Boxster GTS, Cayman GTS. 3.8 Porsche Spyder, Cayman GT4. Avoid buying a broken Boxster or Cayman 981 and find the Porsche 981 that can go along a country lane and on track without breaking the bank. If you have already bought a Porsche Cayman or Boxster 981 our guide can help pinpoint some issues to check. Avoid the mistakes of buying a Boxster with common faults as a project and attempting to fix a broken Porsche Cayman. This buyer's guide covers the 981 generations of 2012 Porsche Boxster and Cayman, 2013 Porsche Boxster and Cayman, 2014 Porsche Boxster and Cayman, 2015 Porsche Boxster and Cayman, and 2016 Porsche Boxster and Cayman in all trims from Boxster 2.7 and Cayman 2.7 and Boxster S 3.4, Cayman S 3.4, Boxster GTS, Cayman GTS, and the Boxster Spyder or Cayman GT4 3.8. Owners of the Porsche 981 will also find our guide useful for its common problems and faults.

The issues discussed in our buyer's guide to the reliability of 981 Cayman and Boxster include PDK faults, roof module failures, and air condenser failures.

If you have previously bought or sold a Porsche Boxster or Cayman 981 why not add a comment below about your experience.

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Legal and disclaimer - Any content not originally created by The Miles Driven remains the property of the original owner and is editorialised for media reporting. All content is used within the confines of media reporting/editorial use and is transformative in nature to inform others with new information and content about cars and vehicles. We use no more of the original content than necessary in alignment with U.S copyright law for fair use and U.K fair dealing. We accept no liability for the purchase of vehicles using our guide and suggest thorough due diligence by individual professional inspections before making a buying decision.

Porsche Boxster and Cayman 981 running costs and reliability as well as common fautls and what to know before you buy.

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[mattgallagher]

A 981 Boxster S on the X73 suspension, with a short shifter and a mild tune...perfection.

[S-fq]

I own a 2015 981 GTS. I believe I’ve got the highest mileage 981 GTS ever at 284k Kms haha. Still running.

[zorrbock]

2013 Boxster base with the PDK and 120k on the clock. Suddenly lost the Distance Position Sensor causing the dash to light up with all the flashing warnings and the car to drop into limp mode (35 mph to limp the 15 miles back home). Dealer and a couple of fancy Porsche shops recommended buying a new transmission ($15k not including labor 😮 ). I took it to Vortex Motorsports in Tampa, FL who builds and services tons of very high end cars and track cars. They replaced the Position Sensor module ($1900) and the Speed Sensor ($1140) which is another failure prone component - both buried deep in middle of the transmission. They also said these sensors are the 981's version of the IMS bearing. A dirty little secret that's very common and very expensive. Buyer beware and just buy a manual - you'll like it better anyway.

Edit:
Just some additional notes. the car has some miles but is regularly maintained and is in really great condition. Ran fine, drove like a dream, etc. no issues whatsoever and then all of a sudden - BAM! No warning beforehand.

Total cost = $5500 ($6k after taxes). Car was in the shop for a week (almost all of that was waiting for the parts).

Vortex Motorsports was great to work with and gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance. The $6k gave me the parts and repairs, complete transmission service, software update and calibration, differential fluid flush, etc. They even threw an oil change (using the oil and procedure that they use on track cars, GT3's, etc etc. Their shop is like going to Cars and Coffee... walking through the shop is something..) and full service inspection for free.

Edit 2:
Finally got the car back after 3 months. Ended up replacing the distance sensor, speed sensor, and main control module. The car was still screwed up so they went in and replaced the Distance sensor again. Finally shifts right so fingers crossed

[nelson]

3rd owner of a 2014 Cayman S. 50K+ nearly faultless miles. Passenger side engine mount has failed, still driveable, and I'll change in the future...not a difficult repair. The song it sings over 4K rpm is blissful. Just changed pads and rotors for under a thousand, another dyi, compared to a dealer...was quoted $1200- $1500...PWR AXLE!!! Truth. I'll do whatever I can before taking to them.
Replacing tires and then an alignment...many quotes from Euro shops at $300, dealer wants $650..for an alignment!!?
The car is a keeper though. Many looks and I get questioned a lot. Last week on the freeway I was being phone recorded by a passing truck...they weren't interested in me. Truly enjoy every minute in it, has PTV, Porsche Torque Vectoring aka limited slip= better handling in the twistes. Get one soon.

[stephenoliver]

I’ve the 981 cayman 2.7 PDK superb car main gripe 20” wheels give harsh ride

[tonibarcelonaspain]

I ve owned two 981 Boxster S (2012 and 2015 current) and both had faulty ignition coils..It produces PSM and engine malfunction codes and car misfiring. Not expensive to fix but common fails. In my current 2015 was coil on cylinder number 5.

[brianroberts]

I have a 2013 Boxster S. The maintenance issues have been 2 Coils and a snapped belt that allows the roof to be raised and lowered without triggering a fault. It requires a 2 stage open and close now. The Porsche OEM Sports exhaust does not provide any HP gain at all but it does increase fuel usage as it injects fuel on the exhaust stroke to get the pops and burbles. The car has had performances tweaks and now puts out 370 HP. Measured on MAHA Dyno. (PDK) All available Porsche options installed including TV Tuner. The car was further modified that anything that was exposed plastic internally was either refinished in leather or redone in Carbon Fibre. Anything external was replaced with Carbon Fibre. And yes I even got the air-conditioning slats in leather option. 🥰 They had to be dismantled individually and swapped into the new carbon fibre housing. Shoutouts to DB Carbon Germany, FVD Germany, TPC Racing USA, Fabspeed MotorSport USA, Exclusive Options USA, Porsche Centre Willoughby, for all the help through this process. I'm now going to stage 2.

[Collioure]

I miss my old 981 boxer GTS. Fantastic car and we took it on many a trip from the UK down to the south of France. Mechanically the car was perfect for me. What I did have repeated problems with was the PCM module (I believe everyone eventually had problems with it) which seemed poorly designed and prone to resetting itself repeatedly.

[shawnkelly]

2014 Cayman Base manual. 80k miles and zero mechanical issues. Rock solid. I’d dive it from NYC to LA tonight without a worry. Yearly service as needed. Headliner replaced and door cards rebuilt (2021- 65k) replaced a couple of interior plastic bits. Otherwise issue free.

[poco]

Common 981 issue in hot climate areas is door card delamination. Ugly and annoying. Fix is ridiculously expensive so I did it myself. Easy enough except for one big mistake. Not only does the vinyl delaminate but the plastic frame also warped. Didn’t realize this until I put it back together. Looking for a fix now. Other wise my 2013 Boxster has been flawless with 36000 miles.

[ianhortonplant]

The 981 Boxster and Cayman for me the best looking and sounding options. I loved my 987S but it didn't look anywhere near as good as these cars. Following a 718 with its flat 4 engine was the most disappointing sound I've ever heard come from a Porsche!

[stephenmcnamara]

Exhaust nuts are exposed & known to rust badly they need replacing with stainless they are a fitted bolt so difficult to remove without heating the flange

[WFORacer]

Here in the United States I was under the impression that the Boxster S had 315HP?

[powong]

Hi Miles Driven, Will 718 flat 4 has more issues than 981 intrinsically ???

[SebaBREE]

Is there any difference between a 2013 and a 2014 Boxster 2.7? Estetically?

[Alans]

The 981 ran from 2013, not 2012 through 2016!

[brianroberts]

I have a 2013 Boxster S. The maintenance issues have been 2 Coils and a snapped belt that allows the roof to be raised and lowered without triggering a fault. It requires a 2 stage open and close now. The Porsche OEM Sports exhaust does not provide any HP gain at all but it does increase fuel usage as it injects fuel on the exhaust stroke to get the pops and burbles. The car has had performances tweaks and now puts out 370 HP. Measured on MAHA Dyno. (PDK) All available Porsche options installed including TV Tuner. The car was further modified that anything that was exposed plastic internally was either refinished in leather or redone in Carbon Fibre. Anything external was replaced with Carbon Fibre. And yes I even got the air-conditioning slats in leather option. 🥰 They had to be dismantled individually and swapped into the new carbon fibre housing. Shoutouts to DB Carbon Germany, FVD Germany, TPC Racing USA, Fabspeed MotorSport USA, Exclusive Options USA, Porsche Centre Willoughby, for all the help through this process. I'm now going to stage 2.