[phroenips]

About four years ago now, I sadly wrecked [and totaled] my brand new Audi S4 (it was 8 months old, with 5000 miles). Fortunately, my only injury was a very small airbag burn on my left forearm. When looking for its replacement, I decided I'd take the opportunity to shop around again, and see if I came to the same result. I did choose to no longer limit myself to sedans. Test drove a BMW 3-series coupe (this was before the 4 series), Audi RS 5, and a Cayman.

Didn't care for the BMW (though I honestly don't remember exactly why). And the salesman totally rubbed me the wrong way, my perception was that I should be so lucky to be his customer. That was reason enough to eliminate BMW.

Next up was the RS 5. Holy crap fast. So much power! And V8 noises. Glorious V8 noises. It was also comfortable, albeit a little stiff on the suspension (Europe got the adaptive dampers, US market did not for whatever reason).

Then the Cayman. I've described it as a life changing experience. The way it drove, and handled around even a cloverleaf highway on/off-ramp was intoxicating. Coming off the RS 5, and even the S4, the base Cayman's acceleration felt relatively anemic. The dealer didn't have a Cayman S to demo, but he did have a Boxster S. Ok, this is much better. Still a little less power than the RS 5, but that handling!

Ok, let's price out a Cayman S! This was my first introduction to the Porsche Options list. Needless to say, I was flabbergasted, and I quickly had a Cayman S that went beyond my budget. I need to think about this, see if there's some options I can take out, etc. SA, wanting to seal the deal, told me to take the Boxster S home for the night. The sure-fire clincher of any car sale! I agreed.

I drove it to work the next day, and as much as I loved how it drove, that "P" word kept rearing its ugly head. It just wasn't very practical for me. No easy place to put my bag (I'm used to just throwing it in the back seat), there was no place for my phone (I usually put it in the cup holder). Speaking of cup holders....hahahaha.

Ultimately, I couldn't do it. I chose the RS 5. But that Cayman ever haunts me.

My dealership sells both Porsche and Audi. They also host customer appreciation events, including an annual "Day at the Track" where they rent out the entire local track, limit the participants to only around 20-25, and let us loose. PCA instructors are available if you want some instruction. It's very cool. I've been three times now, and every time, I leave wanting a Porsche. But it's not practical, I say. But it's expensive, I say.

Screw it, I want a Porsche. I just need to decide which generation and save up some pennies! I'm going to test drive an 981 Cayman S this weekend, back to back with a 718 Cayman S. We'll see what happens.

 

[Porsche2018]

Screw it, I want a Porsche. I just need to decide which generation and save up some pennies! I'm going to test drive an 871 Cayman S this weekend, back to back with a 781 Cayman S. We'll see what happens.

Congratulations, sounds like a plan........let us know which you prefer the 981 or 982 (718).

 

[Viffermike]

First, @phroenips: Welcome to the forum!

Now, a few little notes about practicality:
- Inside, you should find that the 982 (718) is a far more practical car than its predecessor, the 981. Electronics are much better, and a smartphone integration package (the phone sits inside the center armrest) is standard as of the 2019 model year (For earlier years, it's about a $1k option with the first Infortainment tier, called Porsche Connect).
- There are a few threads on the cupholders. Yeah, they're not that use-able. Leak-proof insulated containers will become your friend in either model.
- There's a considerable amount of storage space in the frunk, particularly in the 718 -- two pieces of carry-on luggage fit in that space with room to spare. The storage area in the back under the hatch isn't all that small, either -- a large duffel bag fits easily. The key is finding bags that fit those spaces.
- The biggest sacrifice you'll make practicality-wise is the lack of a spare tire -- something that's not all that uncommon in new cars these days (BMWs and MINIs don't come with spares, either -- not sure about Audis). The car does come with an air compressor and fix-a-flat.

My 718 is my 'DD' (daily driver). I've gone on week-plus-long road trips in mine. Trust me: storage space is not as big of an issue as you may think. No, you're not going to move lumber in it ... but that's why U-Haul rents pickup trucks, right? ;P

 

[lajoiedp]

Coming off the RS 5, and even the S4, the base Cayman's acceleration felt relatively anemic.

I too owned an S4 - nice car. My first test drive of a Porsche was a used (4k miles) 981 base Cayman and I had the same feeling you did - anemic low end torque. I didn't drive the Cayman S the dealer had because I didn't want to spend the extra $$$. Then the 718 came along. If you liked the acceleration of the 981 Cayman S you might be happy with the base Cayman's torque and HP and save yourself $12-15k. IMO, the 718C has more than enough torque/power for street use. Good luck!!

 

[phroenips]

Thanks for the welcome all! First of all, I fixed my typo'd model numbering in the OP. Not that all the three digit numbers and acronyms are confusing at all 0

The RS 5 doesn't have a spare tire either (nor does the RS 3 we also recently bought. That one replaced a GTI). Hasn't been an issue yet (knocks on wood). I'm assuming it comes with a tire goop fixit kit, which will hopefully work if it's not a complete blow-out.

One other thing I'm real sensitive to, is turbo lag. That's one of the reasons I'd be hesitant to give up my naturally aspirated V8. I'm hoping the VTG in the 718CS will reduce it enough to be tolerable.

 

[ZuffenHouseRules]

I'm hoping the VTG in the 718CS will reduce it enough to be tolerable.

Only enough that racer Randy Pobst, after driving 981 GT4 and 718 S back-to-back on track at Willow Springs for MotorTrend, declared "I could not tell it was a turbo". He also thought the 718 would be the faster of the two, given equivalent track-oriented Pilot Cup 2 rubber.

Some of us around here who have owned/driven multiple naturally-aspirated flat-sixes share that no-lag perception (at least above 1900 rpm, which is to say apart from trundling through parking lot speed). Some journalists however have indeed noted lag on the 2.5....I think they are mistaking PDK hesitation (in certain circumstances) for turbo lag.

 

[phroenips]

Only enough that racer Randy Pobst, after driving 981 GT4 and 718 S back-to-back on track at Willow Springs for MotorTrend, declared "I could not tell it was a turbo". He also thought the 718 would be the faster of the two, given equivalent track-oriented Pilot Cup 2 rubber.

I've seen that video. Watched it again yesterday, in fact. To be fair though, going around a race track, when the engine and turbos are constantly spooled up, isn't the greatest place to judge it in my opinion. I've taken the RS 3 to the track (a turbo 5-cylinder), and I could barely tell it was turbo-charged there, too. On the street, coming off a stop light though, it's very noticeable.

 

[ZuffenHouseRules]

To be fair though, going around a race track, when the engine and turbos are constantly spooled up, isn't the greatest place to judge it in my opinion.

I figured Pobst has driven plenty of turbos on track and off, and is a better judge than most reviewers. But see what you think. I wasn't even thinking about stoplights, to be honest. My own experience with a 718 S at stoplights is mostly about feathering out the clutch under minimum throttle so I don't freak out the neighbors with unintended chirps or burnouts (it feels like there is that much immediate low-end grunt but perhaps not like my V-8 928S4, hard to compare as that was automatic; but definitely more than my n/a flat-sixes)...

 

[GregW]

When you are 'testing' for turbo lag (S or not) ensure you are testing for reasonable stuff, not just flooring it at 1500 rpm.

As ZHR says, with the PDK it will take a brief 'moment' to downshift two gears or more and kick in the turbo when it was expecting an upshift. Downshift manually and the lag on hitting the throttle is miniscule.

Go up a hill and increase the throttle a bit and the turbo comes on progressively with no lag at all.

When you are driving "sporty"--say 3500 rpm and up--the 718 keeps the turbo running. "To maintain responsiveness even when the driver lifts off the gas, Porsche briefly leaves the throttle open while retarding the timing, cutting fuel, and shutting the wastegate, essentially pumping air through to the turbo to keep it spinning; get back on the gas quickly, and the turbo’s already in play—no waiting for it to spool up."--Car and Driver.

 

[phroenips]

"Holy poop!"

Those were the words out of my mouth as my SA gave me a demo before letting me drive a 718CS. I may have used a synonym for poop.

Let me back up though. I first wanted to drive the 981 Cayman S they had. It was a PDK, and he let me and my husband just take it out for a spin by ourselves, but he wasn't sure why we were even bothering

We took the 981CS on a known route, it handled great, but it was slow! At least compared to what I'm used to driving (Audi RS5 and RS3). The Colorado altitude is not doing that NA 6 cylinder any favors!

When it was time for me to drive the 718CS (6spd manual), it took me a while to even remember that I was concerned about turbo lag/boost threshold. Between the VTG and the 6spd, I simply couldn't detect it. I suppose if I really looked for it, I could find it, but I'm pleased to report it's a non-issue.

And now, I have to have one. >

I want to wait a bit through, and am targeting a delivery date of mid to late March (to save up some more pennies, and to be able to delay having to purchase a set of winter wheels and tires until next season). Which means putting in the actual order in December-ish.

Meanwhile, I'll be reading these forums, obsessing over the configurator, and trying to decide if I want an S or a GTS.

Is it March yet?

 

[Semitone]

I've always been a fan of buying slightly used cars at a significant discount to new. Had great luck in the past, particularly on Porsches. In addition, the Porsche CPO warranty is a good thing to have. Covers everything on the original new car warranty and no copay/deductible.

Porsches depreciate like rocks generally. Ok , maybe now with the strong equity market, they are holding a better than normal but by this time next year, with a little market hiccup, I'd bet you could get a great deal and you will be very happy with your ( not so ) new Cayman.

By the way, I still have my B7 RS4. V8, 6MT, still love that car. I bought it used less than 1 year old, 3rd owner with 4000 miles on it at about 70% MSRP...from a Porsche dealer! Still going strong and hasn't given me any problems but it's not a "gokart". Had a V8 S4 before that...definitely a nice comfy car for long distance drives, IMO.

 

[phroenips]

I'm not opposed to buying used/CPO (my RS5 is a CPO, in fact). But with the extensive Porsche options list, I've been unable to find a specimen that has all the options I want (6spd, 18-way seats with both heat and ventilation, Sport Chrono, PASM sport, PTV, GT Sport steering wheel, etc).

I'd be building an S with all the same performance bits as a GTS, as I plan to take it to the track. The GTS comes with the SportDesign fascias, which I don't really care about. As such, a similarly spec'd S comes out to around $3600 less than a GTS as I built it. I'm still tempted to still do it for the extra 15hp and as anti-regret insurance (I've had a habit of always wanting the faster version (Sadly, the upcoming GT4 will be out of my price range). But I went from an A4 to an S4 to an RS5. And for our other car, we went from a GTI straight to the RS3 (skipping a Golf R or S3 in the middle) lol)

 

[Semitone]

I think ( ??) the SportDesign fascia comes with the center/third radiator that is not normally included with the S trim. Rightly or wrongly, ( but not Bigly), I wanted the center radiator for my track centric Cayman.

 

[phroenips]

I think ( ??) the SportDesign fascia comes with the center/third radiator that is not normally included with the S trim. Rightly or wrongly, ( but not Bigly), I wanted the center radiator for my track centric Cayman.

I hadn't come across that bit of information yet, thanks! That makes me lean even moreso to just go for the GTS

 

[ZuffenHouseRules]

@phroenips if you're looking at 6MT GTS *and* you like doing your own rev-matching throttle blips on downshifts, see this post for a potential impact
https://www.718forum.com/forum/140266-post83.html

I've considered at some point trading up from my 2017 manual S to a 2019 GTS, which is why this issue was on my radar. Not 100% sure the situation described in my post is accurate, but we ought to be able get confirmation here if anywhere...

 

[phroenips]

I can confirm that the auto rev matching is indeed a feature of sport chrono in sport and sport+ modes. Personally, I like the feature...I haven't driven a stick shift in over 13 years, so I'll take the added help.

It does seem reasonable that you might be able to set "individual" mode to have everything in sport/sport+ but disable the rev-matching? I obviously don't have a car with which to go check myself.

 

[ZuffenHouseRules]

It does seem reasonable that you might be able to set "individual" mode to have everything in sport/sport+ but disable the rev-matching?

Can anyone with a 6MT Sport Chrono car clarify this please?

 

[Guaji]

Can anyone with a 6MT Sport Chrono car clarify this please?

I am near certain that it cannot be disabled. My individual mode is Sport+, normal exhaust and suspension. Rev matching is still active.

 

[FiscNad]

I'm not opposed to buying used/CPO (my RS5 is a CPO, in fact). But with the extensive Porsche options list, I've been unable to find a specimen that has all the options I want (6spd, 18-way seats with both heat and ventilation, Sport Chrono, PASM sport, PTV, GT Sport steering wheel, etc).

I'd be building an S with all the same performance bits as a GTS, as I plan to take it to the track. The GTS comes with the SportDesign fascias, which I don't really care about. As such, a similarly spec'd S comes out to around $3600 less than a GTS as I built it. I'm still tempted to still do it for the extra 15hp and as anti-regret insurance (I've had a habit of always wanting the faster version (Sadly, the upcoming GT4 will be out of my price range). But I went from an A4 to an S4 to an RS5. And for our other car, we went from a GTI straight to the RS3 (skipping a Golf R or S3 in the middle) lol)

Hi, had the same dilemma. In my case, when configurating the various sporty options on the CS (PTV, PASMsport, 20 inches wheels, Sport Chrono, sport plus seats, etc.) + some other options, the CS was about $3000 less than the GTS. But the GTS had allot more (exterior black accents, sport facia, +15hp, GT Sport steering wheel, Alcantara that I only kept for the roof, PSE that is now standard on all 718, etc.). The GTS lookes better and…….. its resale value (here in Canada) is much stronger (+ $15 000 to $20 000 for a 2015-2016). So I opted for the GTS. Its like a trophy.


The GTS comes already with all the sporty options. So as long as you would have opted for them on the S, the GTS should be consider.


Let us know what you will choose


Good luck!!!

 

[Chris NZ]

I'm weighing up the S vs GTS. My preferred S spec has the key performance options (PASM, PTV, SC) and I like the look of the GTS so it would seem like an obvious choice.
Except for three things (1) the Alcantara, which you can option out and (2 & 3) the black Carrera S wheels and exhaust tips (my preference is for the silver), which unfortunately can't be.