# @threepiece.us on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DeHKkL-Dslt
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/71421562-threepieceus-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/d63ed07051.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-10-05T12:03:41.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** threepieceus (@threepiece.us) — https://gondola.cc/threepiece.us

## Caption

Porsche spent fifteen years building a car it wasn't allowed to let win. Mid-engine, lighter than the 911, better balanced than anything else on the lot — and detuned every single time so the guys in the showroom didn't stop buying rear-engine cars. Here's how the generations actually stack up.

1. 987 (2006-2012). The "Boxster with a roof" era, and the joke was half true — but it was a stiffer shell with a real trunk. Early 2.7 is slow-ish, 3.4 S is the one. 2009 refresh brings direct injection and PDK, and that's the split that matters on the used lot.

2. 981 (2013-2016). Peak. Longer wheelbase, wider track, electric steering that Porsche actually got right, and the last naturally aspirated flat-six in a standard Cayman. GTS at 340hp is the sweet spot for people who drive them. GT4 3.8 at 385hp, manual only, is the collector car and priced like it.

3. 718 flat-four (2017+). Faster on paper, quicker out of a corner, and it sounds like a Subaru shopping cart. That's the whole argument. The 2.0 makes 300hp and nobody's heart rate has ever gone up because of it.

4. 718 GTS 4.0 / GT4 4.0. Porsche admitting it went too far. Six cylinders back, 394 and 414hp, and priced so far above a clean 981 GTS that the value math falls apart.

5. The move: buy a 981 S or GTS, budget for an IMS-free peace of mind you already have, and put the savings into wheels and tires. 5x130, 71.6 hub bore, staggered from the factory — which is the good news, because "I'll just throw square setup on it" is a Saturday morning phrase that ends Sunday night with a spacer order and two trips to the hardware store for a socket you already own.

Save this — future you at the parts counter will thank you.

#ThreePieceUS #Cayman #981 #718Cayman #Porsche #WheelFitment #Stance #CarCulture #SportsCarBuying #CarBuyingGuide

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 767
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## Tags

stance, sportscarbuying, threepieceus, 981, cayman, porsche, 718cayman, wheelfitment, carculture, carbuyingguide

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