[sevencyclist]

I ordered a manual transmission Cayman back in May, and the order just got picked up because of limited allocation, and will get the 2019 model in February. Overall a nine months wait.

One thing I realized as I kept on checking for availability of 2018 Cayman is that there are so few manual transmission cars available here in US.

My questions is why doesn't Porsche make more manual transmission cars? I have heard that "no one wants manual transmission anymore" argument. But I, and presumable some others, would have gladly taken a 2018 manual transmission car if it had been available. There seems to be a mismatch of PDK cars sitting in Porsche dealer lots when quite a few of us are waiting for that manual car to pop up. What gives?

 

[JakiChan]

Porsche makes as many manuals as dealers order. The cars sitting on lots are spec'd by the dealers themselves. The dealerships want an impulse buyer to be able to come in and buy something. They think PDKs sell better.

 

[greywing]

In my browsing for Cayman 718's on dealers lots, there seems to be more mt's than pdk's at dealers on the east coast - NJ, NY, CT, MA, PA. I suspect that this is dictated by what the dealers order.

 

[sevencyclist]

In my browsing for Cayman 718's on dealers lots, there seems to be more mt's than pdk's at dealers on the east coast - NJ, NY, CT, MA, PA. I suspect that this is dictated by what the dealers order.

Wow, indeed the manuals are more readily available in NJ from my quick look! I had checked Boston and Providence area (my son lives there) in addition to sourcing pretty much all of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and Texas for manual transmissions and they are few and far in between. Perhaps Porsche needs to send them out West.

Also, the listings for the cars at dealers are not accurate. I checked inventories car by car with the actual pictures at different dealers, since half of PDKs are listed as manual, when they meant "manumatic."

 

[sevencyclist]

Porsche makes as many manuals as dealers order. The cars sitting on lots are spec'd by the dealers themselves. The dealerships want an impulse buyer to be able to come in and buy something. They think PDKs sell better.

Perhaps more of the manual drivers are enthusiast oriented and would have order anyways.

Just puzzles me why the dealers don't order more manuals if they keep on having no stock available while PDKs are sitting here in California lots.

 

[Viffermike]

Perhaps more of the manual drivers are enthusiast oriented and would have order anyways.

Just puzzles me why the dealers don't order more manuals if they keep on having no stock available while PDKs are sitting here in California lots.

Because dealers aren't stupid: Manual cars are very, very hard to sell these days.

Think about this: Two years ago, four percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. were manuals. Today, that number has likely dropped to below three percent.

Let's assume that on a sports car like the 718, the manual 'take rate' is 20 percent. Why would you order a buttload of manuals for your lot that will be five times as difficult to sell as a PDK car? Taken further: With allocations so precious, why would you waste more than one or two a year on a car that will be five times as hard to sell as a PDK car?

From a dealer's perspective, stocking manual cars makes little sense. In 2018, if you really want a manual, order it. At least Porsche allows for this -- some never did before killing manuals entirely. (I'm looking at you, Audi.)

 

[GTS]

The manual 718 Cayman S I test drove before ordering my GTS sat on the dealer's lot for more than 5 months - it was an abandoned customer order. They don't order them because they don't sell. Healthy dealerships want inventory turn times to be 60 days or less, which makes it hard to justify manual cars.

 

[JakiChan]

The manual I test drove wasn't an abandoned customer car but it was a bizarre spec. Interior trim in exterior color with Lava Orange...it's something. Not what I would do.

 

[hkginlax]

My dealer also mentioned MT customers are usually more specific on what they want n options. So to the dealer, it makes little to no sense to order a dealer car in MT, since even MT buyers maybe not want the specific car.

 

[Guaji]

I must of done the opposite from the norm, since I ordered a 718 GTS with a PDK, then later got cold feet and found a nice dealer spec GTS with a manual transmission . Unfortunately for the dealer that I originally went to, my original spec is still for sale......since late March.