bruce001

I am considering my first Porsche. I have always liked the Boxster. I was looking a 2013 -2015 S versions and GTS.

But am now considering the newer 718 S.

Pros and Cons please.

Also am torn between the six speed manual or the Automatic trans.

Bruce

OldJedi

GregWormald

The 718 is an improvement on the older models in every way.
Except some like the older style and some the new.
As OldJedi says--drive'em and see.

CaymanSinAR

I found the 718 to be superior to the 981 in every way other than sound. I still bought a 981 GTS. But only because I wanted a naturally-aspirated flat six before they were harder to come by with low miles and in good condition.

As for manual or PDK, how will you use the car?

My advice to any first time Porsche buyer *might* be to buy the 718 and never look back. It is phenomenal, and you might very well fall in love with the new sound.

lajoiedp

You mention only the S and GTS versions. Have you driven the base version of the 718? Depending on your needs, that might also be a great option.

limegreen

If your planning on keeping the car long term I would strongly consider the desirability, longevity and reliability of the 6 cylinder NA engines vs the turbo 4.

clutchplate

Dozens and dozens of reviews have all said the same thing. The 718 is a great car in almost every way but it sounds like crap. If you don't care how your car sounds, get one. Interestingly, I was at a dealer last week with a friend who doesn't even know what a 718 is. When a salesman started one up she looked at me and asked why it sounded so bad.

limegreen

It's terrible. I drove one of the first 718 Caymans last fall and was shocked at how much enjoyment was removed because of that nasty throbbing noise behind your head . The performance of the new engines is certainly not in question, but there is no hiding that new engine is nothing more than a government mandated lump that works far too hard to be expected to last.

splinterAMG

This to be a DD in Amana?

CaymanMatt

I'm really disappointed. I didn't realize until today that I had bought a car that sounds like crap with a suspect engine. Why, oh why, did I waste my money on this thing? Oh yeah. I remember now. Because its a blast to drive, runs like a go kart on major steroids, and actually sounds really darn good to my ears. Yeah, the NA flat 6 would be nice but you know what? Such is life. I can deal with it. In order to have that I'd be in the used market and I'm not willing to go that route. I've bought new since 1989 so as not to suffer the used issues and I'm not going back now. My GTS is a blast and it's barely halfway through the break in. A few more weeks and it gets to be driven properly!! Can't wait.

air993

If you're new to Porsche I'd go 718. If you've never had the flat six sound you may not miss it. The new 718 is amazing!

lajoiedp

Unlike you CaymanMatt, I was looking for a used base Cayman 2 years ago. I had never driven a Porsche in my life until I test drove a 981 base Cayman with just under 4,000 miles on it. It was the owner of the dealers car. He hardly drove it over 3 years of ownership. First off, I didn't even notice the sound but what I did notice was how horrible the low end torque was, to a point where I thought something must have been wrong with the vehicle. The SA corrected me, saying that's just how the base 981 drives. I drove home that day thinking to myself, "That's supposed to be a Porsche? My wife's Toyota Highlander has more torque." 6 months later I decided to give the new 781 base Cayman a test drive. Wow, low end torque issue solved - SOLD!

I just crossed the break in period and couldn't be happier with the performance, handling, styling and the unique sounding engine of my 718C.

CaymanMatt

Like you, this is my first Porsche also after years of hoping to some day get to this position. I never looked at anything but the Cayman as I've always felt that this was the Porsche I would want to own. It just so happens the 718 was the model available when I got to the point of being able to make it happen. I personally think the turbo-4 is a great engine. There is something to be said for relatively instant torque, and lots of it, rather than having to wait for the engine to get into a narrow band of operation. It does sound different but I happen to mostly like the sound it makes. I could do with a little less noise injected into the cockpit but that's a different issue.

BTW, I did not even consider the 981 when we started looking. As previously noted, I have stayed out of the used market now for many years. I'm sure that I have missed some golden opportunities along the way but it has worked for me. My cars have been dependable for many years & every one (except for my POS 1984 GTI) has given me 100K - 200K of generally pain free miles. Now I'm in the Porsche realm and my thoughts were "I'm not buying a used Cayman that has been thoroughly thrashed through its lifetime. I'll buy new and care for it properly, with the expectation that we will be driving it for a long time." Whether that was right or wrong doesn't matter. It works for me. If I amortize the cost delta between new/used over time, it's a nit. Besides, with used Caymans seeming to hold their value I'd be paying somewhat close to the cost of a new car for a used car. That makes no sense to me. Whatever, the end result is that we are now driving a gorgeous, thoroughly enjoyable 718CGTS. What a blast!

Enjoy your new Cayman! I think we are all lucky to be able to experience this great car!!

lajoiedp

CaymanSinAR

Can you expand on that a bit?

The one thing that pushed me away from the 718 was the sound. Not the exhaust, but the sound inside the car. Sounded like an industrial vacuum pump. It was only recently I discovered that was a manufactured sound. No idea why on earth they went with that noise when they could have done anything.

Very curious to know how the sound in the cabin changed when you disconnected/disabled Soundaktor. By what method did you disable it?

While I am not in favor of manufactured sound, I'm not totally against it either. My BMW has it. Using the Bimmercode app I can enable/disable it at will. I have it disabled now, but drove it for three years enabled. Truth be told it adds to the experience when it is enabled. But I've grown used to it being disabled.