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Hello,
I’m on the hunt for my first Porsche. I just retired and want to dive into HPDE and autocross for the first time, this is going to be my retirement thing. The car would also daily and road trip but those things are not priority, I daily drove a NC2 Miata for 7 years, too loud, too stiff issues don’t apply to me.
So, with a $90k hard cap and the priority to not outgrow the car on the track (or daily) for 8-10 years, here’s where I need your feedback, remembering ordering a car would be a big part of the experience for me so I’m feeling new
So:.
Poverty spec Cayman S PDK with no performance options. Aftermarket I’d add Techart springs, pads and fluid and 18” APEX wheels with track-summer rubber. I’d buy snows for the oem 19s. I can’t afford chrono, SPASM, diff and 20” wheels
or
Base 2.0 with all the performance goodies with cool interior. (like a T)
Lots of us have our ladies looking over our shoulders as we buy toys and that’s certainly my situation but somehow it’s only the initial buy in number that gets debated. I put $20k in mods on my TT over 6 years and about $12k on the the Miata with a blind eye from my wife so I’m leaning biggest engine I can get up front. Will I miss sports chrono and diff on the S? That’s the real question.
Thanks for your opinions.
Rick in DE
I don’t believe you can get some of the performance goodies in the base, so that might answer your question for you.
The S and Base diff in that regard on exactly one item: SPASM is available on only the S. PASM available on both along with PTV and SC.
@lion shf If you are going to be doing DEs and AX’s in this, then do not skip SC for the reason that it brings to the table PSM Sport Mode. Otherwise you only get PSM and OFF.
As for the rest, I’d take a base with options over a stripper S every day and twice on Sundays. (And did. I have a T.) DE and AX isn’t about power. Even if it was, a tune can be added to the 2.0.
As for the Audi TT: We had five of them between 1999 and 2015. Never less than two at a time and at one point we had three.
Have you considered a 981? You can get a GTS for 90k thats pretty well optioned too and that would stick you in a 6cyl NA engine which personally i prefer for AX. That being said if you want something newer, i think you'd be able to find a 2.5 GTS for around that price point. The value of those dropped significantly when the 4.0 came out. Just a quick look on cargurus and theres some really nice low mileage options for around the 75k mark which would give you 15k to play with for mods. This would also net you a lot of the performance options that you would miss out on in the Base and give you the most powerful trim of the turbo engine.
Other than SPASM, what performance options are standard on a GTS that are not available on a Base?
from what i've read, GTS has different intake manifolds which allows the torque to drop off later (5500 RPM vs 4500 RPM in the S). Top speed is higher in the GTS. Dont know if you'd consider this performance (i personally do because i feel it helps with grip) the GTS comes standard with alcantara steering wheel which i believe the base and S do not have the option for. I also believe the GTS models all come with Sport Chrono as standard vs the base and S which you have to option. Also i believe the GTS comes with Sport Seats Plus while the Base and S it was an option you needed to pay for.
Now i could be wrong but i thought i read somewhere that the GTS has some more suspension parts from the 991.2 911 but not as much as the GT4...but i'm shaky on that and not 100% certain thats the case so i wont really put that as a definitive fact.
There might be others but a lot of the fun stuff is standard on the GTS and since the OP is looking for used anyways with a 90k hard limit, it seems like a GTS would be right up his ally. Sounds like at most he'd do suspension and wheels as mods, but since the GTS also comes standard with SPASM, it might be good enough for OP and he wouldnt need to spend the money on new suspension.
There might be others but a lot of the fun stuff is standard on the GTS and since the OP is looking for used anyways with a 90k hard limit, it seems like a GTS would be right up his ally. Sounds like at most he'd do suspension and wheels as mods, but since the GTS also comes standard with SPASM, it might be good enough for OP and he wouldnt need to spend the money on new suspension.
OP posted a build code and said buying new big part of experience…did I miss something?
OP, either base or S would suit your needs as long as you check off the required performance stuff already mentioned. Buy the best one in your budget, don’t scrimp on stuff like full leather so it all adds up.
i built my '17 S with every performance option available other than PCCB. if i were to do it all over i would only change one thing - lose PTV. it eats rear brake pads like a fat kid at a candy factory.
i built my '17 S with every performance option available other than PCCB. if i were to do it all over i would only change one thing - lose PTV. it eats rear brake pads like a fat kid at a candy factory.
Try to be a bit easier on the throttle coming out of corners so it doesn’t come on so frequently.
OP posted a build code and said buying new big part of experience…did I miss something?
OP, either base or S would suit your needs as long as you check off the required performance stuff already mentioned. Buy the best one in your budget, don’t scrimp on stuff like full leather so it all adds up.
oh wow i totally misread that statement. Yup never mind, used i guess is not an option. I also didnt see a build code anywhere so that further enforced my assumption of used. Oh well.
That being said i do think OP should consider used as a lot of the options online only have like 5kish miles and are in colors that are no longer available for these cars like Miami Blue. But i also understand wanting to order a new Porsche.
Given your intended use, I think it is a mistake to skimp on the Sport Chrono and Differential.
Since optioning these and the PDK puts you over $90k, I think that the S is not really special enough to justify stretching the budget.
A well optioned and luxurious base model is probably going to be the consensus if you have to have new.
I think that finding a CPO S might be something to explore as well if you could tolerate used.
My personal suggestion however is to make a deal of some kind with the wife, sell something, do some consulting, whatever, find an extra $10k and get a stripper GTS 4.0, adding the PDK as your only option. You could probably do some sort of depreciation curve calculation of the turbo Caymans against the NA ones and justify this decision as the best financial move.
Given your intended use, I think it is a mistake to skimp on the Sport Chrono and Differential.
Since optioning these and the PDK puts you over $90k, I think that the S is not really special enough to justify stretching the budget.
A well optioned and luxurious base model is probably going to be the consensus if you have to have new.
I think that finding a CPO S might be something to explore as well if you could tolerate used.
My personal suggestion however is to make a deal of some kind with the wife, sell something, do some consulting, whatever, find an extra $10k and get a stripper GTS 4.0, adding the PDK as your only option. You could probably do some sort of depreciation curve calculation of the turbo Caymans against the NA ones and justify this decision as the best financial move.
I agree with this. And even if he doesnt want to stretch his budget he could do a stripper Cayman S and add PDK and SC and be within budget. I dont know if the S comes with the PTV as standard so maybe it would be worth to do a GTS and then sell something else to make up the difference.
05-07-2024, 08:26 PM
PRIRJWH6 lets chat about it
