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First Test Drive of 718 Cayman

6251 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  dc2112fan
This last Saturday I took my first turn in the new 718 Cayman as they've started arriving at one of my local dealerships. I was highly impressed with it! I had the driven the 718 Boxster back in July when they arrived at my local dealership. I was impressed with it as well, but I've decided that I don't want a convertible this time around. The Cayman is definitely at the top of my list when my lease comes due next year on my 228i. Hopefully, I can get the numbers where I want them.

My impressions were that it's definitely quicker than my 228i. Not surprised at that. I know that the purists are unhappy with the loss of two cylinders and the sound. I personally don't care about cylinder count as I've owned/leased 4, 6 and 8 cylinder cars. I'm also unfazed by the new sound. I didn't find it obnoxious in the cabin as I drove it. Overall, I believe this will be my next car. The hard part is going to be choosing the color! :laugh:
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Glad to hear you really liked it. The best part is that you're open minded in the sense of, you're not looking at it as it's "missing" two cylinders or it apparently sounds like a "subaru"

That's the mentality you have to go with when test driving a new car, completely free and open. Seems like you really enjoyed it. Was there anything there that you felt was lacking though ?
I didn't feel anything was lacking. It was easy to go in with an open mind as I've never driven any of the previous models. I'm also not a gear head, or someone who takes cars to tracks. I've read or seen most of the reviews out there. My checklist is probably different than most. It's things like "Do I feel comfortable in it? Can I see out of it? Does it reach a level of performance I'm looking for? Do I love looking at it? Is it going to make me turn back to look at it when I walk away? Does it reach my minimum daily driving utility?" Things like that.

How it handles is really not that high on my list for the simple fact that I live in Oklahoma. We build our roads completely straight on a grid system. A car that carves up corners, regardless of what it is, is essentially useless here. Color me envious of those that get to drive canyon roads or at least curvy roads on a daily basis. I'm stuck driving hours to get to someplace I can do that. If I was trying to make a rational decision, I'd get an American muscle car that's built to go in a straight line. This isn't a rational decision. I've always dreamed of driving a Porsche. I just hope the numbers will be right next year when it's time to turn in my 2 series. It's going to have to be better than what they are now otherwise I'm probably going 440i coupe.
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I find that those who test drive the new 718 with an open mind instead of constantly trying to compare it to the previous model finds the car to be a great performance vehicle that's more than adequate for their daily needs.
I've always dreamed of driving a Porsche. I just hope the numbers will be right next year when it's time to turn in my 2 series. It's going to have to be better than what they are now otherwise I'm probably going 440i coupe.
If you can't afford a Porsche...you drive a BMW, If you can't afford a BMW...you drive a Toyota. But don't expect Porsche to lower it's price, and standards just so you can afford one.

I've owned BMW and they are RAGS compared to Porsche! Nice cars, but Porsche is a whole new world (yes, that world is expensive)
If you can't afford a Porsche...you drive a BMW, If you can't afford a BMW...you drive a Toyota. But don't expect Porsche to lower it's price, and standards just so you can afford one.

I've owned BMW and they are RAGS compared to Porsche! Nice cars, but Porsche is a whole new world (yes, that world is expensive)
I wouldn't confuse "hope" with "expect". Of course they're not going to lower their standards. I wouldn't want them to. But residuals do in fact change. They will be lower on a new model and after several months they will go up. That reduces what I have to pay. It's also not unrealistic to believe I can do a deal for a % off MSRP especially once the model has been out for some time.
I drive a 228i as well and am considering a 718 cayman replacement when lease is up. The Porsche dealer here is currently sort of balking at giving any kind of reduction from MSRP. They have this "well see Porsche is different than Audi, BMW, Merc etc." "They have to offer incentives to sell their cars, but we don't" "So you usually don't see anything on our cars". Really?! At the end of the day it is my objective to get the best deal for my pocketbook that I can. I know of several that have gotten at least something off from Porsche, even on the new 718, so I wouldn't take that upfront BS.
I drive a 228i as well and am considering a 718 cayman replacement when lease is up. The Porsche dealer here is currently sort of balking at giving any kind of reduction from MSRP. They have this "well see Porsche is different than Audi, BMW, Merc etc." "They have to offer incentives to sell their cars, but we don't" "So you usually don't see anything on our cars". Really?! At the end of the day it is my objective to get the best deal for my pocketbook that I can. I know of several that have gotten at least something off from Porsche, even on the new 718, so I wouldn't take that upfront BS.
Exactly! The sales guy I'm working with at the dealership where I took my test drive (not my local one BTW) didn't think my ideas were out of line when I said I hoped to see about 3-5% off MSRP, and base MF (which I believe is .0020). He told me right now residuals are crap. Completely expected considering it's just been released. He expected them to come up in the coming months. He also seemed to think that what I'm willing to pay shouldn't be a problem considering I'm going lightly optioned on a base model. So far, it's been a positive experience. He even proposed taking advantage of Porsche's 12 month pull ahead to leverage getting a lower mileage lease (3yr/12 instead of 3yr/15) to gain the higher residual. That's a good way to save a few thousand dollars as long as I intend to get another Porsche.

I don't expect leasing a Porsche to ever match a BMW. You can't beat BMW leases on cars in this price range.

My desires are pretty basic with this car. That allows me to keep my build to between 62k-67k MSRP. If I didn't have to have the PDK I could really go "cheap" and be perfectly happy.
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It's also not unrealistic to believe I can do a deal for a % off MSRP especially once the model has been out for some time.
That's not unrealistic at all! I worked 5% off MSRP on my $97K S
Did you work 5% off MSRP on a vehicle you ordered from the factory or on a vehicle sitting on the dealership's lot?
That's not unrealistic at all! I worked 5% off MSRP on my $97K S
If I could get 5% and the 3yr/15k residuals get to 57%, this would most likely be a done deal.
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