Firstly, thanks for all the helpful replies and the warm welcome. Very much appreciated!
Hi. First, I pick up my car tomorrow.
I have owned and driven manual transmission vehicles most of my life due to the additional car control of driving a manual. Currently, I have a 2006 Mazda MX5 (Miata) with a 6 speed manual that has been setup for autocross in the STR class. With that said, when I drove a Cayman S with a PDK, OMG, the smile on my face. It was so quick and fun, and IMO, the best of both worlds. I will be racing this car as well, so for me, it makes sense. So, that main point here is get what is going to put the biggest smile on your face.
Enjoy your new car (today). You cannot beat new car pickup day! I too, have driven manuals all my driving life and to be honest an auto might just bore me a little. I test drove both manual and PDK prior to attending the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone and was set on manual. The PEC is very much aimed at PDK. The tracks are short and twisty so going up and down through the gears is difficult and at times completely unnecessary. They also demonstrate launch control and emergency stops on the straights. It was only after the PEC that I think I finally 'got' PDK but I'm still in two minds. I enjoy a manual and although my heel/toe skills are pretty poor (my present car is nigh on impossible to do effectively), sometimes it's the taking part that counts. I haven't got long to make my decision though.
First: Welcome to the forum!
Second: GREAT screen name. Love the pun on multiple levels ...
Now: How much of a must-have are 20" wheels to you? The leather is a must-have option for the price, IMHO, and it will significantly enhance both your ownership of the car and its resale value down the road. Wheels will not -- and tires for 20s cost more, the ride will be harsher, 20s will be a greater risk for bent rims unless they're forged (the only forged OEM option are the 911 Turbo wheels), etc. I would seriously consider one of two options:
- Order 19s and have them powder coated black after delivery (should cost $600 or so) or by the dealer (likely about $1k), or
- Order the OEM 18s and invest in good aftermarket wheels or used Porsche OEM wheels at some point in the future.
I first saw the 718 in Boxster form in Stuttgart, long before the Cayman was released and at the time the 19" Boxster S were my favourite. I don't know if I the (UK) dealer would be able to powder coat them in black or platinum. It's certainly something to think about. However, the Carrera Sport in black is my current pick but as I said, it comes down to budget and I also like the Carrera S so I might yet plump for those.
You may want to consider the multifunction steering wheel; it is a very useful and convenient feature to have many of the common controls at your fingertips. Also I see you specked the GT steering wheel....good choice. I selected it but never test drove a car with it, and I am glad I did very nice feature on my CS. I am not sure were you live and what the climate is like but in Texas ventilated seats are great and they are very effective in cooling the seats off. The LED's are great too......close to day light brilliance at night but a little pricey.
If resale is not an issue for you then not to worry but, if it is, I would drop the PASM and add sports chrono and the sports exhaust. I know in the case on the PSE you can go after market but from a warranty perspective you need to be a little careful. Does PSE add to performance......no but it kicks a$$, and the dashboard wart looks real nice too.
I did consider the multi-function wheel and it was on my original spec but I took it off after a lengthy test drive. It appeared you cannot change tracks using the multi-function wheel and adjusting the volume up/down seemed to take forever. I use the multi-function wheel on my present car all the time but it would appear I can do a lot more with it than the Porsche equivalent. I can change driving modes (too many options though), skip tracks, fast forward etc etc. I also prefer the uncluttered look of the plain wheel but I must admit I could do without the fake bolts.
I added PASM as although I found the standard suspension on 20's perfectly acceptable, the PASM seemed slightly more compliant in normal mode. Although the drop is only 10mm, I also prefer the dropped look, it's just a shame that SPASM is only available on the S. I considered the sport exhaust but during test drives and my day at the PEC, I did not think it was worth it as there are no performance benefits and the difference (inside the car) was negligable and obviously I'm trying to stick to a budget, hence no PSE or Bose etc.
I have a lava orange Boxster. I also like the multifunction steering wheel. Look at the interior trim package in guards red. It really sets off the interior of the car and with the red belts you have a nice combination. I have it on my lava orange and it really enhances the interior. I also like ACC but it costs quite a bit. If you don.t drive at night much then PDLS might be a waste. No matter what you get you are getting a wonderful car. My 718 is far superior to my 2014 981 in every respect. To me the sound is also better except at the extremely high RPM's which i very seldom get to because of the great acceleration at low RPM's.
I don't think I have seen the painted trim in a Guards car. I liked it in Lava orange and white but not in Miami blue for some reason. The one thing that puts me off ACC is the sensor/lens on the front of the grille. It doesn't look right and I cannot fathom why Porsche didn't raid the parts bin from one of its partners.
Agreed, painted interior trim package is really nice in any color. Even more so in combination with the full leather. But I'm not sure about the multifunction steering wheel. You get that in any car these days. For a toy I like the clean no frills sports car look of the GT steering wheel better.
I agree re. the cleaner look of the GT wheel.
I'm going to the OPC in a few days to have a look around. I have yet to see Sport-tex so it's another option but my main aim is to see if I could live without the full leather and take it from there. Once I've decided on that I still have the deliberation of going manual vs PDK. Decisions, decisions eh?!
