An introduction - I'm new here
02-12-2019, 03:25 PM
#1
An introduction - I'm new here
Call me Jim. I bought a new 718 Cayman back in July. It is my second Porsche, the first being a '63 912 which I owned for a year back in '73. Yeah, that was so last century. In '74 I replaced the 912 with a new Fiat X-1/9 which taught me the value of a mid-engine layout despite the tiny engine. That's why I opted for a 718 instead of 911. Since '74 I've been through quite a few cars, some interesting, some less so. I sold a '70 Triumph GT6 and an '80 Spitfire to clear driveway space for the Cayman.
It is a base model with a few special goodies, like 20" wheels, PDK, Bose audio, 14-way sport seats, and a few others. (The seats really sold my wife on it.) It has been superb for just about everything that doesn't require carrying big stuff. Easy to drive long distances, easy to get going real fast real fast, easy to go around corners. I prefer the baritone growl of the 4-cyl engine over the tenor scream of a 6-cyl because I don't like attracting any more attention than necessary when I'm pushing it, as it already does that enough visually even standing still. I don't plan to race (if I got hurt my wife would kill me) but may run an occasional autocross. We've taken it camping for an extended weekend, made a number of day-trips here and there. It takes me to work very nicely when I"m not riding a bicycle (round trip is 35 miles) and when there is no snow on the roads. The build quality is superb. All of which is to say I really love it.
It is a base model with a few special goodies, like 20" wheels, PDK, Bose audio, 14-way sport seats, and a few others. (The seats really sold my wife on it.) It has been superb for just about everything that doesn't require carrying big stuff. Easy to drive long distances, easy to get going real fast real fast, easy to go around corners. I prefer the baritone growl of the 4-cyl engine over the tenor scream of a 6-cyl because I don't like attracting any more attention than necessary when I'm pushing it, as it already does that enough visually even standing still. I don't plan to race (if I got hurt my wife would kill me) but may run an occasional autocross. We've taken it camping for an extended weekend, made a number of day-trips here and there. It takes me to work very nicely when I"m not riding a bicycle (round trip is 35 miles) and when there is no snow on the roads. The build quality is superb. All of which is to say I really love it.
02-12-2019, 03:34 PM
#2
Congrats!! I am on the same path as you, will be getting into a 718 at some point hopefully this summer (after driving BMW M cars for the last 10 years). Really glad to hear your thoughts on the base car vs the S.
02-12-2019, 03:42 PM
#3
I test drove both the 718 and the 718S. You can hardly tell the difference in city driving mode. I just found a fantastic price on a 718CS (CPO) and bought the S
02-12-2019, 04:25 PM
#4
I ended taking a car off the dealer's lot though I did consider an S they had available. The S had features I would never use, would rather not even have, such as the multi-function steering wheel (too may buttons!), sport exhaust (it's plenty loud in a sedate sort of way), sport suspension (even the base model corners like Kansas, flat as a pancake and nicely sharp at the edges
) though I'm sure those wheels and tires contribute to that, the Chronos package (I ain't racin'). The base model is by far the most powerful car I've ever owned, certainly enough to keep me entertained. In fact with all the traffic around here (the Boston area) I get to experience its full kick-in-the-back only infrequently and then not for very long. Like I said, it gets going really fast really fast. I wold never be able to tell the difference between the the 2L and the 2.5L except in direct back-to-back comparisons. The difference in cost plus the difference in EPA gas mileage is enough to cover the cost of gas over at least half the life of the car.Initially I had wanted a manual transmission, as all the other sports cars I'd owned were manual. But dang that PDK is really sweet. With those 20" wheels and a simplified cockpit mine is more as a pure driver's car than a spiffed up tourer w/ gadgets. There are some things I wish it had, but wishes are another discussion entirely. I am delighted with it.
02-12-2019, 05:37 PM
#6
Yes, I am a very happy base model customer. I ended up selecting a car the dealer had on the lot (there weren't many choices) but I did consider an S (with 19" wheels IIRC) which they had in the showroom. But here's the thing. The S had features I would prefer NOT to have, such as the multi-function steering wheel (too many buttons!), and features I would rarely if ever use, such as the sport exhaust (it's already loud in a sedate sort of way) and suspension, the Chronos package (I ain't racin'), etc. It had some features I'd like to have but don't, but that's a different discussion, and anyway I can live without them.
Even with the 2.0L engine it's the most powerful car I've ever owned. I rarely get to feel the full-kick-in-the-back experience (Yowie!) and when I do it isn't for very long. Like I said, it gets going really fast really fast. It corners flat as the proverbial pancake (I'm sure the 20" wheels and 35-series tires help). I doubt I could tell the difference between the 2.0L and the 2.5L except in a timed run. You want torque? Sport mode, 2000 to 4500rpm! You want highway acceleration? Even in non-sport mode it runs free and easy.
So with those wheels, PDK, and uncluttered cockpit it is more of a pure driver's car, great fun, decidedly NOT boring. Even further, the cost difference between the base and the S covers the cost of the gas for more than half the life of the car. Yeah, I'm delighted with it.
