bradStyle

Hello all,

I'm turning 50 this year and after a lifetime of dreaming I'm finally ready to buy my first Porsche. I've already answered some of the primary questions... I definitely want a 718 not a 911 (I'm a handling first kinda guy, and also the 911s have gotten b-i-g). I prefer a Cayman to a Boxster. Although I've never owned an automatic transmission car before, I want this one to be PDK (the car will do 75% of its duty as a daily driver in my trafficky town). And it needs to be custom. I'm far too particular to be happy with a car off the lot, and the S build I want has +$33K in options on the configurator.

So now, the next question which I'm trying to work through is whether I want to order a new Cayman S or whether I want to wait for a PDK GTS 4.0. All things being equal, a NA engine would be my preference, but will I survive the wait? Here are some of my thoughts on pros/cons to each (ranked):


CAYMAN S
+ Much shorter wait
+ Better torque down low
+ Some great tuning options (APR)
+ Less expensive
- 4T instead of 6NA (lower hp/tq)
- Turbo lag
- Boost instead of linear acceleration (personal preference)
- Sounds inferior (to me it doesn't sound bad, per se, just not nearly as good)
- Lower resale value


CAYMAN GTS 4.0
+ 6NA instead of 4T
+ Linear power delivery
+ Sounds glorious
+ Better resale value
- OMG the wait! Hopefully take delivery by summer *next year*
- Gear ratios might not be as suitable for a daily driver
- More expensive (though maybe not by a huge amount, because of more standard features)


I've already seen on another thread that a buyer's dealer has an August allocation for a 2021 PDK GTS 4.0, so there's hope that this combo is on the horizon. My local dealer says he has nine people on the list for a GTS 4.0 ahead of me, though some will want manuals, and I would imagine some will drop off the list for whatever reason, C-19 woes not being the least among them. I am the first on the list for an S.

Anyone have any thoughts?

Bxstr

I would wait for the GTS 4.0. I think long term a year long wait is worth it for a car you will enjoy more, since you did mention you would like NA. If you add the winter months into that, it won't be that much longer.

#1SomeGuy

If I'm not mistaken, gear ratios on the GTS 4.0 will be the same as the S? Isn't it the same boxes across the entire range?

bradStyle

Let me preface this by saying that I don't understand the inner workings of cars very well *at all* yet, especially since I've never had a car before that was coveted enough for me to educate myself. If the gear ratios are the same, perhaps it is their relation to the power delivery that I am talking about. With the S there is more low end torque available, and once you switch the engine out for the NA the power band is further in the rev cycle, so it will have to be driven harder.

I've heard the complaints out of Europe regarding the MT GTS 4.0 doing 80mph in 2nd gear, giving you basically two gears for around town driving. I don't know how things will change when the PDK model is introduced. I was just thinking it's a potential downside in the car's application as a daily driver, but certainly nowhere close to a dealbreaker, just another +/- to be weighed.

Pokerhobo

If you only want a PDK, the gear ratio should not be an issue for you. The only complaint has been the long gearing in the 6MT. You should test drive a 718 S today to see if the lag is going to bother you. Keep in mind that even with the 4.0, there isn't lag, but power doesn't come on strong til you're at the upper end of the RPM range.

Dry Side

If buying new then yes go with the current GTS 4.0, but if you want to save considerably consider a CPO 718 GTS. Many low mileage examples available. I agree with Damian the environmentally dampened 718 NA6 motor is not that great sounding..

Semitone

Here are my thoughts:

Since you have listed the pros/cons of each model pretty well, I am not sure what you are looking for? Somebody to make up your mind for you? My gut tells me if you are need affirmation, you better stick with the GTS 4.0

bradStyle

Gotcha. That's something I don't really understand, how power delivery in the PDK can compensate for the long gearing. But as you say, if it does then that's a definite point in favor of the GTS 4.0. I have driven the 718 S and I didn't love the lag, but I'm sure I could learn to live with it, though it did make me listen with interest to APR's marketing pitch for their Stage 1 tune in Sport Plus mode.

I thought the exhaust systems were detuned in the UK, like that particulate filter he talks about. I agree, that exhaust in the video sounds anything but glorious.

I'm just trying to gain a better understanding than I already have before making up my mind. There's a lot about these cars that I don't fully understand yet, and probably some things I think I understand that I'm wrong about, and this is a fantastic knowledge base here. Just trying to educate myself and see if there's anything I missed in my decision criteria. At the moment it sounds like your gut on the GTS 4.0 might be right

Semitone

I am one of the people who wasn’t fond of the gearing on the 981 Spyder and chose not to buy one. To be fair, I believe the MT gearing for all Boxsters is the same since it was initially. It’s just the higher redline so instead of hitting low 70s or something in second one can now hit low 80s. Nonetheless, I find that I usually drive between 3500 and 6000 rpm. My tooling above 6000 rpms is limited and short lived. Sure, comic reviewers love to crow about how great the engine sounds at 8k and think we are all drifting 90% of the time that we own the cars but that is why many of the reviewers are worthless, IMO. Running at redline on the street is a short lived experience. Most of the Porsche owners I know chronically short shift anyway. You see it all the time on YouTube.

In any event, I have both a 4 pot Cayman and a six pot Boxster. Sound doesn’t mean **** to me apparently. I thought the pdk paired well with the T4 so went that route. If I get a GTS 4.0 I will go for the MT. However, I am fully aware of how much time I spend in second gear..every time I shift into third I know I am on the cusp on not being where I want to be in the rev range.

In the end, all cars that I have ever experienced have been a compromise. I’m probably more emotionally stirred by the color and a ragtop with an MT than I am by NA vs Turbo, or pdk/gearing issues. To each his own. In fact, I just sold one of the holy grail Audi RS4’s that I have had for over twelve years. V8, NA,6speed...ticks all the fanboy boxes but it was just not enough for me to keep it over my other four cars. ( need to make room for a new number five...tbd). In short, what works for the masses might not work for you.

.2PDK

I went for the S and haven't looked back. I also find it far more nimble and exciting to drive than my 991.2 so I'm with you on the handling part.

PDK won't disappoint.

bradStyle

Thanks for that. This is something I've been getting a sense of, and adjusting my expectations for, which Porsche is not trying to convey to me with their marketing material. LOL.

Good to hear all around, though I certainly hope you are loving other things about your 991.2.

michael818

First, let me wish you good luck with your choice. Let me preface this by saying that I have had two NA 911's, one with MT and one with PDK. I am now driving a 718 GTS with PDK. All have been year round daily drivers (winter tires for part of the year) with very limited track time. I should also mention that I am now getting ready to go back to a 911, probably a 992 base Carrera. BTW, while the 911 looks bigger, it isn't that different in size from the Cayman. The 718 is probably a better car for handling because of the mid engine but I think the difference is imperceptible on the street. If you are daily driving you will never come near the limits of either car. Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

If you are looking at $33K in options on a 718, your choice in a GTS 4.0 will not be that much less, if less at all. That's a lot of options and, since this is your first Porsche, you may want to chat with someone about all the choices. That being said, you are probably looking at a significant difference in price between the S and the 4.0. Resale SHOULD be better on the 4.0 but Cayman resale has been pretty abysmal in the past and will probably not be all that better going forward. If you are looking at resale value you need a limited addition car and the GTS is not that. Additionally, you will never get your money back on the options. Look at resales and you will see that other than PDK and very few others, none of the other options will add much in resale.

As far as sound goes, if it is a daily driver you will probably not be in the high rev ranges that the flat six will require for the best sound. As for power band, I never felt that either of the 911's lacked low end power. There was that little bit of hesitation iat the start but the revs come on so fast that it never mattered. The NA6 is fine as a daily driver. The T4 feels faster at the low end because of the torque curve but either will probably be more than you will worry about or feel in the course of daily driving. Alternatively, I'm not sure how much seat time you have in the S, bit the turbo lag is basically imperceptible if you switch the car from normal mode to sport or sport plus. I find that using the individual setting allows me to stay in sport response with comfort setting on suspension for daily driving. A tune will negate your warranty.

I would also note here that the PDK 4.0 has not been announced by Porsche yet so no one can have an allocation on a car that hasn't been formally announced. What they have is a dealer guessing that the car will be released and holding a deposit until then. So, August of next year is tentative but maybe possible.

Again, I wish you good luck. Only you can decide what is best for you. Both cars will have boosters and detractors but either is a great choice.

michael818

When someone is doing 80mph in second gear they are not talking street driving, they are talking redline. I'm not sure where you live but I am reasonably sure that you will not be hitting redline in every gear during daily driving. This will not be an issue.

Pokerhobo

The 911 is 0.1 inch taller, 2 inches wider, 5.5 inches longer, ~1 inch shorter wheelbase, and more than 300 lbs heavier (~10% heavier).

worf928

Test drive a 718S and a 981S and see if the sound trumps the low-end torque. (And, btw, despite your post that you “don't understand the inner workings of cars very well *at all* yet,” I think you’re gonna do fine as you’ve sussed-out the forced-vs-normal aspiration thing...)

Do European Delivery. If a new custom-ordered Porsche has been a dream, then go all the way: pick-it up at the factory and break it in in Germany. You will not regret it.

As has already been pointed out, Porsches depreciate like any other car except that those with tons of options depreciate more. Buying a new Porsche will be discouraged for sound financial reasons. So, their are only two reasons to buy a new Porsche:
- you can’t pick up your 2-year old CPO in Germany.
- you can’t live with someone else’s build.