gameson

I m considering cayman S. so i would like some info from the expert here

first is my options
sport seats
guard red color
porsche active suspension management (PASM)
sport chrono
bi xenon
bose sound system
sport shifter
sport steering wheel
park assist
tire pressure management system
standard black mat

my question is whether the options I choose are worth it. Do I miss any good options? i will use the car to go to track occasionally (during weekend) and daily driver (that's what also make me choose cayman S over elise), that's why I dont choose the PCM as well as power seat, etc, to shave down the weight.

I am also PROBABLY planning to chip the car, therefore would like to know if sport chrono is worth it as well as PASM. as I dont have PCM, so what features are included in Sport Chrono beside better throttle response for non PCM car? I heard that the personalized light, etc, only comes if the car comes with the PCM?

I also want to upgrade to the RUF wheel on the 911 and would like to know how the car looks on a PASM. I dont like lowered car too much, but I would like the car to look low enough (good wheel gap) so it doesnt look jacked up. I know PASM lowered the car 10 mm than standard, but does it look lower enough?

I also would like to know if the sports seat worth the option (I believe around $700ish additional) or the standard is good enough for tracking.

color, i m thinking yellow or red or black. i m leaning towards the red (my personal choice), but i just want to know what people think of my other color options. which is a better color for the car? I like black also, but it's pain to keep it clean, thats why i prefer red. red or yellow or black in your opinion if these are the only options? definitely no silver or gray (too boring)

question about the climate control. does the standard one come with the digital read out temp when you set up the AC? I want a digital read out temp when setting up the AC but could careless about auto climate control, unless the only way to get the digital read out temp via automatic climate control, then i have to have that option.

2nd is how much over invoice can i get for cayman S? the other way to say it is how much discount is expected from MSRP? I am expecting at least 10% off MSRP or about 1500-2000 over invoice. Is that a fair price? or i m lowballing? where is the best place to buy cayman? I am based in san diego, so preferably somewhere in California, but i can travel anywhere within USA to get the car.

how long does it take to order the car (from putting order until delivery)?

3rd, is european delivery worth the hassle to save few $$? i dont know how much is the euro delivery wholesale price, but i do know the USA invoice (edmunds.com). i read from edmunds.com about an article that tell story about euro delivery for bmw. it says even after including trip cost, it still cheaper than if buying it in states. i dont have problems waiting for the car to be ship to usa after drive it in euro.

thanks for all the info

Jim Michaels

The question is whether each option would be worth the price to you; whether anyone else wants it or not. I ordered the options you listed, with the exceptions of Bose (tin ear), sport shifter (not available when I ordered), Park Assist (rarely any chance to use it), and TPMS (I check pressures before each drive anyway). I read that Xenons, Sport Chrono, and TPMS will be standard on the '07 Cayman S. TPMS can be a curse for tracking and autocross, as it will keep warning you that your starting pressures are too low. The car will shut up after the tires gain some pressure through heat. I like all the options I have, although the sport steering wheel and the sport seats are not really necessary, even for tracking and autocross. I was just afraid not to order them. Current wisdom on PASM seems to be that it's very worthwhile for one segment; those who track and autocross (stock) occasionally, but are not serious track junkies. Track junkies should get the standard suspension and replace that with a more track worthy aftermarket suspension. For me, PASM seems just right. Sport Chrono requires learning to use the throttle differently on track. The timing feature (clock) is not so easy to use on track (takes concentration and memory). You'll want the auto climate control then, because there is no digital temp readout with the standard climate control. Discounts vary by region, dealer, and whether you buy from inventory or spec order your car. I've heard of discounts between $3k and $5k for cars in inventory, and as much as $2k for an ordered '07. Lowering some improves the look, but also increases the frequency of scraping the front lip (I scrape sometimes at standard PASM height). Very stiff lowering springs would reduce the scraping problem. Normally a couple of months, sometimes a little longer, between order and delivery. Take Euro delivery if you want to visit and drive your car while in Europe. They'll have to ship the car to Germany for your delivery.

gameson

thanks, jim. few more questions follow

how much does it cost to get aftermarket suspension that at least comparable if not better than PASM? < $2k (the price of PASM)? I m just trying to justify if it's worth the cost. how is the ride difference between standard and PASM?

I am planning to track the car occasionally (at least once a month. that's why no power seat, no PCM as less options is better to save weight), so is PASM and SC a worth option? I might not upgrade suspension and ECU right away, but at least i have that in mind.

also if the SC is just a different throttle mapping, i might opt out of that since I thought it's a different chip by itself. I dont like the clock on the top of the dashboard and since i dont order PCM, it might be a waste to get SC. how much does it cost to get a new ECU for cayman S?

if i take off few options from my order, how does it affect my resale value? Not that I am going to sell it soon, but would like to know too. I know that some small stuff will have no value when it comes to resale (i.e sport seats, sport steering wheel, sport shifter) and some will add little to resale (PCM, etc)

Jim Michaels

I think you should decide early on whether you want a car primarily for tracking/autocross, or a road car that you occasionally track/autocross. If the former (track car), then you may also want sport shocks with dampening rates more compatible with stiffer springs. PASM suspensions may need linear rate springs, whereas progressive rate springs work well with the standard suspension. On the other hand, H&R claims that their progressives work well with PASM. Different springs and shocks will run more than PASM after installation.

If you choose the latter (primarily a road car), PASM offers both normal and sport settings, involving only changes in dampening rates. The standard suspension dampening rates fall almost exactly mid-way between the normal and the sport mode of the PASM rates. Thus, they are firmer than PASM in normal mode, but not as firm as PASM in sport mode. At VIR my student's Cayman had the standard suspension, and I thought it worked very well. PASM has another attraction; as you begin to drive harder in normal mode, the dampening rates automatically become firmer. If you are in sport mode and the pavement becomes rough, they will also automatically soften to provide better grip. Thus, they automatically adapt to your driving and road/track conditions. I like that.

SC is harder to judge. It offers a noticeably quicker throttle response that sent me on a new throttle application learning curve. Now I like it on the track, but there is a thread on this forum started by someone who thinks otherwise. I've never used the clock part of SC on track, but use it on the road.

Performance Products offers a Powerchip Gold 93 for the Cayman for $990. They say it adds 17 hp/15 tq, and cuts 0-60 times by .5 second. My guess for that much gain would be about .2 sec.

I don't know much about options at resale, except they seem to give a very poor return on investment, so I don't think about resale when I option.

gameson

If SC gives a noticeably quicker throttle response, technically it might be possible if someone have the software and reflash the stock ECU software because it's just the same ECU/part. is that a right statement?

My car is primarily be a road car (daily driver) with occasional tracking (that's why I choose Cayman. If it's for primarily tracking/autocross, I would have choose Lotus Exige or even Exige Cup Car since Exige and Cayman have similar weight/horsepower ratio. Elise/Exige is 200 hp/2000 lbs, Cayman 300 hp/3000 lbs.) Now I am totally confuse whether to get PASM or not as I am just a novice driver with limited knowledge, however what I do know is that I have passion about cars and will track the car, but just not every week, at least once a month. From your explanation, it might be better if I have PASM option then not.

Jim Michaels

"If SC gives a noticeably quicker throttle response, technically it might be possible if someone have the software and reflash the stock ECU software because it's just the same ECU/part. is that a right statement?"

I seriously doubt that Porsche left that window open.

Primarily a road car, but tracking every month would probably qualify you as a track junkie. I guess as long as you're driving to and from events instead of trailering, PASM might be the right choice. I track only 3 or 4 times a year, but autocross in SCCA Super Stock class about 12 times a year. Thus, for me PASM is very useful. I can drive the car to and from events in complete comfort (something I couldn't do in my previous Porsche), but firm up to drive the event at the press of a button; and it remains stock! PASM in normal mode is not too soft for me, especially with sport seats, which are a little firmer than standard seats (maybe something else to consider in your seat decision making). No one else has weighed in on your PASM question here. We all tend to support whatever options we chose in order to further justify our choices. But then maybe an alternative view, either here or on your caymanclub thread, would make your decision even more difficult. Fortunately, owners seem to like whichever suspension thay have, so you'll have good handling no matter which you choose.