NLM5

Hi guys,
I'm planning to get my first porsche. In my country it cost at least 150k usd for the new 718 cayman and for the S model it cost about 180k usd. Let alone for a 911 it costs at least 250k usd. I am planning to use it as daily drive. Only using about 15 to 20 km daily. What are the real difference from a cayman and S? Does the price difference of at least 30k usd justify?

NLM5

Plus, do porsche let's say have 2015 models but are new unsold from factory? I really like the 981 gts 2015 model

RWPinNC

I have a 2006 987 Cayman S. I have driven a regular Cayman and it was a pleasure. I looked for an S in the 987 because of bigger brakes and 6-speed manual transmission. The additional power is nice but not essential. For the new Caymans, the base model has more power than in the past and should be very sufficient, particularly if you are most concerned with driving pleasure and less with track days.

It is highly unlikely if there are any "new" older Caymans around. You didn't say where you are, but if you dealers have CPO cars, that could be an attractive alternative.

NLM5

Apparently my country do have CPO's. Although with the new interior and technology of the 718, I really could not take the sound of the 4 cylinder engine. I really do like the 981 GTS tho, but the factor is it is not a new car.. If I could find a new 981 GTS then it would be great. And the other thing is that, what is the difference between a 981 GTS and 981 S ? Is the 981S more suitable for daily drive? I am only looking any AT though.. My legs will wear out if I drive a MT daily hahaha.

NLM5

Um, additionally, just wondering, what are the cost of maintaining a cayman? Do porsche have issues when it ages? lets say within 10 years time?

Milehigh981

The GTS is basically a package with some of the more popular options + a very small horsepower bump. Otherwise the car is basically the same as an S model.

NLM5

I see.. Seems like the interior looks better to.. anyways, i hope more people can give me an opinion for a daily driven car. ive already narrowed down to either the 981 GTS vs 718 Cayman. It is within my budget. Only factor now is suitability for daily drive.

Milehigh981

there's an GTS interior package available as an option - leather/alcantara with deviated stitching and a colored tachometer.
Very useable as a DD depending on roads/winter/traffic etc in your area.

NLM5

I'm living somewhere that has no 4 seasons.. its always warm here. about 25-40 degrees. And I'm wondering, do people buy second hand porsche? Like the unreg kind / recon instead of buying from a CPO? Is it dangerous?

NLM5

And I don't think i can look for an interior of a pre-owned / used 981 GTS to my preference though.. Most importantly is the car's condition.Never liked leather so probably will go for alcantra haha.

manifold danger

I've noticed a trend lately of people not revealing their location. I get it if you may not want random strangers on the internet to know your home address, but it's pretty difficult to attribute individuals from the country they're in.

Plus there's plenty of ways to enumerate your location.

Why so secretive?

As to your questions, have you really done your due diligence in evaluating the 718? I get that lots of people say they "can't stand" the new engine sound. That's frankly nonsense. The new engine sounds just as a sports car engine should. The driving experience should be considered based on what you want and a thorough test drive, not opinions sourced from the internet.

That said... I did the exact same thing and ended up with a used 981 GTS. But to be clear, the 718 was a great car, and really a large factor that went into my decision was based on cost and timing. I didn't want to wait 6 months and pay $30k more for a new GTS when I could have a used one for far less right now. The sound is definitely a bonus (I never said the 718 sounded BETTER than the 981... but it does sound good if your mind isn't already closed), but the driving experience honestly is inferior to the 718, even the base model. With the PDK (i.e., automatic), the driving experience may even out... I was looking for manuals only. But in any iteration, a Boxster or Cayman is a car like no other. Not even a 911. You'd be very hard pressed to be disappointed regardless what you decide... and yes, it's absolutely practical as a daily driver.

I bought my car with 47k miles. It's pretty much the most I've seen on a GTS to date... but Porsches are second to none in long-term reliability so I'll take my chances. It is my daily driver but I don't have a daily commute so over time the miles will likely even out- but I didn't buy the car not to drive it. Also, the CPO warranty is nearly as long as the factory warranty anyway (6 years/100,000 miles); i honestly wouldn't have considered buying used without the CPO warranty but to each their own. I have zero concerns, but you do make some concessions with buying used vs new. There's some noises and marks and scratches that wouldn't be a concern if I bought a car new. But you also avoid a massive depreciation hit. Depends on what's more important to you.

As for maintenance, you'll be paying for that new or used. It's a significant expense, make sure you account for it in factoring out the actual cost of owning the car. Not sure what kind of markup you're looking at for maintenance or even if any solid independent shops exist as back to my original point you won't reveal your location... but even here in the US, it's not cheap.

NLM5

Hi, yea you're right. If someone wants to find out where a person lives through the net it's possible.
I'm from Malaysia. Might not even heard of it. Our car tax here is horrible. At least 100% increase in car prices compare to us/EU.
What do you mean by the base model is inferior to 718? And yea I have already took into consideration for the maintanance cost. But usually all parts are under warranty right? Especially when it comes to cpo. Cpos can even extend the warranty period am I right? I have already checked the price to own a new porsche and a used 981 gts 2015 model.
Surprisingly I have browse through the net and found most of the gts here only has less than 4k miles. I don't know if it's true though. Probably not many people use porsche as a daily driven car let alone a gts.
But I still insist on the noise that the car gives on the 718 compared to a 981. So in conclusion, there the 718 driving experience is superior compare to the 981? So what are the better parts of 981 compare to 718?
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manifold danger

I definitely know of Malaysia, I was just curious. I like learning about different cultures. I hear of insanely inflated taxes/import fees from various countries and it's just interesting to me. A buddy of mine in Switzerland tells a similar story, maybe not quite as bad as 100% though.

To be clear, the base Cayman 718 that I drove offered a better pure driving experience than even my own 981 Boxster GTS, but just barely. Take that however you will, it's only my opinion- and you can clearly tell which car I chose- and the GTS was actually more expensive than the 718. By "pure driving experience", I mean the overall feel of the car from behind the wheel. I actually think a lot of it had to do with the slightly more taut and nimble feeling between the Cayman and Boxster, a slightly tighter gearbox, and and the GT steering wheel on the 718s is a dramatic improvement over the sport steering wheel on the 981s (I'm actually not a huge fan of alcantara either, but it's not intolerable). The 4 cylinder engine was amazing; I guess if you really for some reason just hate turbo lag in any form then yeah, it's there. But I've had many turbo cars so I suppose my tolerance is far higher and I didn't mind it at all. The punch you get as soon as the turbo spools up is absolutely worth the slight lag- and I can't agree with anyone who says the engine isn't "responsive". I'll just leave it at that. The engine is an absolute gem.

Sound is a part of it too but not necessarily the decisive factor- in other words, I chose the 981 GTS to purchase because I actually like the look of it slightly more than the 718, and the top down experience of having that ridiculously addictive exhaust note is more valuable to me than the slight advantage in driver feel offered by the 718. Again, the 718 sounded great from inside the car, it really did... lots of intake noise and a general sense of rewarding you aurally for bringing the needle up to the redline just as any proper sports car should, and you can experience this from most any youtube vid out there. They sound great from inside the cabin- and honestly, for a Cayman, how often are you going to be outside of the car listening to it? Yeah, you can put the windows down but it's not the same. I don't think it's nearly as big as an issue for a Cayman. But for a Boxster where the top will be down pretty much any time it's above 50 degrees and not raining... yeah, the sound makes a difference because it's the basic equivalence of being outside of the car all the time. The 718 can still sound good from outside with an aftermarket exhaust (haven't really heard enough of the PSE to make a determination), but the flat 6 has an exhaust note edge that really can't be beat this side of a Ferrari and makes the 981 Boxster one of the best pure sports cars at any price. The final factor comes down to use case- I will take this car to the track, but that's a 1 maybe 2 time a year kind of thing; I'll be driving it around town and on back roads at legal limits far more than once or twice a year. So cutting edge performance does take a back seat to the overall experience added with the amazing noise the car makes, and the ability to put the top down.

Anyway, it actually looks like your search is turning up some promising 981 GTS cars... I think that's part of it too, is that if you can find a used GTS that meets all your expectations, it's tough to argue that there's better value there than over a brand new car just because of the depreciation already happening. But there aren't that many of them out there- I wouldn't necessarily call them rare, but this is no Honda Civic. It's a specialty version of a niche market car- so finding one that has every option, color, wheels, trim, etc. in your local area isn't necessarily guaranteed (I had to drive 2000 miles round trip to get mine and I imagine the volume is higher in the US than Southeast Asia). And no, it's not uncommon to see any 981s with very low miles, GTS or not. Especially perhaps in Malaysia where they're even more expensive. I would guess MOST 981 owners don't daily drive their cars- even myself, I don't drive mine every day as I don't have a daily commute.

Finally, when it comes to warranty yes, any actual repairs are likely to fall under warranty, with the only exceptions being typical wear items (clutch, brakes, wiper blades, etc.), and anything caused by neglect or abuse. The CPO extends the warranty to 6 years/100,000 miles. That said, maintenance is not covered under warranty. Fortunately my 50k service was completed 4k miles early by the dealer I bought from and they threw on brand new front pads and new tires (even though they're not oem and will be replaced again soon...), but saved me probably close to $1500-2000. My Macan is coming up on a 30k mile service and I'm sure that will set me back anywhere from $600 to $1500, depending on what ends up getting done. Adjust that for what it would cost you in Malaysia. It's not an insignificant expense, and your warranty will likely be voided if you don't keep up with the maintenance.

Good luck though, hopefully this is helpful and you find exactly what you're looking for.