leonza

Hello users...(New to Rennlist)

This will be my first Porsche lease and I'm trying to come up with the perfect balance of options for my budget. If one could add only a few essential add-ons to the Cayman, what would those be? There are so many options out there I'm a little lost as to what would make my driving experience that much better. Does one really need all the options, could I get away with a base 718 with options that make it a fun car regardless of S, or GTS? Thank you for any advice you all might be able to share. Side note; should I consider the 981 over the 718, just a thought...Cheers!

thunderstrike

1) Heated steering wheel, 2) Lane Change Assist, 3) Entry & Drive, 4) sports pedals.

I have a base model, with 18" wheel. Rides smoother, and have ample power to accelerate.

leonza

Thank you for the suggestion. So would you consider sports chrono, pdk, or pasm? Lane change assist would be a nice option as well as sensors for parking. Trying to figure out others configurations to compare...

tomhartzell

I would recommend the bi-xenon headlights and PDLS. My Cayenne has them, but my Cayman doesn't. The difference is noteworthy. The LED headlights look great, but I would still go with the bi-xenons. (Which are cheaper.)

RWPinNC

Perhaps I'm a bit of a Luddite, but my perspective is from my 2006 Cayman S purchased about 6 months ago, my first Porsche as well.
1) Based on age, I didn't have the option of getting all the electronic assists; I've never had them and consider them nice but expensive.
2) S was not essential, but I appreciate the brakes and suspension differences. Power is nice but base is more than sufficient.
3) The options I was advised to look for were bi-xenon lights, heated seats, power seats, and PASM. Bi-xenons are fantastic and highly recommended. My car did not have heated seats; wasn't a deal breaker since I don't take the car out in extreme weather. I have the basic power backrest with manual fore and aft; this is fine and mechanically simpler. Have PASM; it's very interesting, not essential, but sport mode is fun in the mountains.
4) Disposable options on my car.....Sport Chrono, not sure what it's useful for on a daily basis. 19 inch wheels, mine improve the looks of the car, but 18's would have been fine. Bose high-end stereo and nav,;nav is cumbersome, non-touchscreen, and out of date and expensive to update; you will no doubt have significant upgrades on both based on a newer car.
5) Things I wish I had....sport exhaust or good aftermarket exhaust.

So, bottom line, it will depend on how much you have to pay for accessories.

Good luck with you search.

ldamelio

I think that one should think of options in categories:

- Performance
- Comfort
- Cosmetics
- Safety

and intended use of the car. Daily drivers have different needs than weekend/track cars, hence the broad range of options relative and paucity of pre-built cars on dealer lots. OP - tell us how you envision using the car. In any case, a base 718 is plenty fun as either DD or performance car without many options.

thunderstrike

PDK is nice. Don't go crazy on option if on budget as you indicated. Not sure how much you're willing to spend. My base 718 came to $71K.

bgsntth

Everyone is going to have their personal priorities. My order reflected both my wife's and mine.
Her: Bose, 18" Boxster wheels, White non-metallic, Heated Seats
Mine: 14-way seats (I'm 6'4"). Should have got 18-way

Hence, we got the Premium package with Bose. The stock suspension is great, and larger wheels do not equate to wider tires. I primarily commute with mine, and appreciate the extra sidewall. MSRP of $60K, agreed price of $55K.

Hindsight, would have added the Sport steering wheel and 18-way seats.

3Series

Well said!

If you are leasing and using the car as a daily, focus on Comfort. If you are buying and want a strong resale, focus on Performance, less on Safety. I say that because the car can have multiple lives in the future as a weekend track car or be modified for a spec class.

thunderstrike

My sticker, with a complete list of options. $70,510.

leonza

Thank you everyone for the kind suggestions...

...And yes I agree it will be based off what I intend to use the car for. So back story, Porsche has always been my dream car like many of you and I have the opportunity to lease one. I'm located in southern California where we have many ways of commuting. I'd like to use my Cayman for half of that since I like to decompress on the train sometimes to avoid the 405 ha. Since I will be using the car for half of my commute days, the other would be weekends or my occasional trips down to beautiful San Diego. with that in mind I would like to find the best options for my plan of action. Yes Performance, Comfort, Cosmetics, and Safety in that order. As of now I'm looking to keep MSRP around the 70K mark. PDK, Bi-Xenon™ Headlights incl. Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS) are at the top of my list. Id love to match that with black 20' Carerra S wheel, and Sports exhaust would be great. Even saying all of that I feel like I've already jumped past my budget lol. But thank you again this is a ton of useful information I'm going to configure a few options based on all of your recommendations and also with what fits my needs!

thunderstrike

I heard other 911 owners they like their Porsche's for making trips than daily driving. I agree. There's a lot of stress driving in town, taking it to work. I feel like I have pre-flight checklist I have to perform, flipping thru switches. My seat is set with key position to pull way backwards so I can get in easily without scuffing door sill. Once inside the cabin, I then need to press #2 seat position to bring the seat to driving position (#1 is my wife's seat position). I start the engine. Then I have to push down the auto-start button to disable that. I then have to adjust AC settings because it always comes on even in 35 degree cold temperature. When so, I push heated seat button on to warm up the leather seat. You get the picture. It's pain to get a 718 ready to fly, but once on the road it drives like a dream. Yes, I love 718 on a long trip to Virginia to see my son in the Navy.

My 2014 GLI Autobahn now feels so lame. I am going to sell it when 2019 Mustang comes out. http://www.pbase.com/thunderstrike/image/165454854/original.jpg

I like my simpler Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Remote start while I am puring coffee into a mug. Get in and drive. Seat is cloth, not cold or too hot in Summer.

TMc993

ldamelio

Thunderstrike - what I think TMc993 is saying with the emoticon is that a lot of this can be pre-set (and disabling the auto stop-start is one simple button push). Spend a little time with the owner's manual and you can program most of your 'pre-flight' settings by programming your key. Took me all of 10 minutes with my new 718CS.

thunderstrike

I hear you, but there are two things I was not able to change:
1) Auto-start always had to be turned off in 2017+ models. Believe this is the different feature 2017 and up.
2) AC always comes on, no way to keep it not come on.