First Porsche...please critique these configurations
 

http://www.porsche-code.com/PFUVPKB0

It'll be a daily driver. I want something comfortable enough to commute in but also lots of fun. I may take it out onto the track just to see what it's like, but I doubt I'll do it often. Twisty roads are more my thing.

I've test driven the car several times and really like it. I was concerned that the suspension would be too stiff/harsh for me to want to casually drive it. While the standard suspension is certainly stiffer than my BMW 330 ZHP, it didn't strike me as harsh. I even drove one with the sports suspension and this also didn't seem too harsh (more like extra firm and sure-footed). Even so, I don't think I'll spend the money on it.

In terms of options, I looked at the sport chrono package, PTV, and PASM but have decided that, for the type of driving I'll be doing, they're overkill.

I also considered this interior:
http://www.porsche-code.com/PF86KDI0

The black interior looks nice but this grey one seems a little more interesting/unique. I'm also a little undecided on the satin wheels.

Comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Dan

My only recommendations are to get the PASM and sports chrono. Two reasons:

1) your driving style might evolve, and as you get more comfortable with the car you may crave the extra oomph and tighter feel for those spirited driving sessions and something tamer around town - the beauty of these two features is they both allow you to choose.

2) if you ever do find that the car isn't for you, these features should help resale quite a but.

Win win ;-)

Never get PDK w/o sport chrono and the cars sound anemic without the sport exhaust, 20" wheels may be pretty but you'll hate the tire bill when you have to replace them.

the beauty of PASM is that choice. It's softer than the stock suspension for daily driving (especially in pot hole season, if you have that), but stiffer than stock for your windy road drives. the same with sport chrono- for windy roads, the throttle map change is more responsive along with the relaxed corrections in PSM.

Have fun!

I've not been able to find a PASM car to drive. People have told me that it's about the same as the standard suspension (or slightly stiffer) when set to "soft". Without driving it, it's hard to spend the money on it.
As for sport chrono, my view is this:
PDK is for casual driving. When I want to drive hard, I'll manually shift. I'm not sure why I would want/need a more aggressive automatic. Besides, the car comes standard with sport mode. If I want what amounts to sport plus, I think I can just do it myself.

Thanks.
I just checked tirerack for the prices of 19" vs 20" tires. There seems to only be about $100 difference. Both sizes are obnoxiously expensive :). One reason that I would opt for 19" is if the ride of the 20" was too harsh. I didn't do an A/B comparison between 19's and 20's, but several people told me it's hard to tell the difference. And, I didn't find the ride with the 20's to be harsh.

I would definitely get the sport chrono. I'd skip the PASM. I would get grey interior. But white with the 20" Carrera S satin wheels is awesome. Just saying.

I agree with Lark and the others here, SportChrono is ideally suited for PDK and optimally designed in conjuction with PDK, PASM and PSE. The Sport Design Wheel you chose gives you some pretty cool displays with SC as well. On a manual car it just doesn't offer enough to make me pay for it.

Wheels are a subjective personal preference. A person either likes the way they look or they don't. Sure, weight and steering response come into play if you are driving at 9/10ths+. But for the rest of us, it's just all about the looks and what we're willing to pay for them. If it were me and I were considering 20" wheels painted platinum vs Sport Chrono, on a PDK I'd take SportChrono. The Cayman S wheels are my least favorite wheels offered on the 981, so that's significant. The platinum painted Carrera S wheels do look terrific. I've seen them on a white 981 in person and they are quite stunning. But not $2440 stunning for me. On my BS build, I just kept the stock 19's and put the money into other options. FYI, Sport Technos, in reality, come with 285 width rears on 981s, even though it doesn't mention it on the configurator. They come with 305s on the 991 (11.5" wide rear wheel).

A lot of people on the forums that don't opt for PASM seem wish they had. And some that do wish they'd opted for sport suspension. In my neck of the woods, almost all the cars the dealer orders for stock have the base suspension with only a few PASM and SS. My wife and I prefer less body roll so we opted for the sport suspension but the PASM equipped car we drove was great. If you are satisfied with the handling and ride of the base, save your money, because it's pretty terrific as is.

I would ditch the Power Steering Plus unless you find the slow speed maneuvering too difficult with the stock steering.

Smoking package is free and gives you another 12V outlet and a lid over the compartment in the center console

You may want to do some research on different color dials. Evidently the standard grey tach washes out in bright sunlight, even on a Cayman. It's worth looking into anyway.

Interior color is another personal preference. I like the grey. Black is my least favorite of all the colors on a white car.

And, unless you plan to go aftermarket, strongly consider PSE.

Thanks for all the replies. I decided to punt on sport chrono but add PASM. I drove Carreras with and without PASM yesterday (they didn't have any Caymans with PASM). PASM did smooth out the ride with the 20" wheels on bumpy surface roads. I felt like it was worth it for this and for the control I have in going between normal and sport.

I like the build. Here's my free (and therefore worthless) advice:
1. Unless you are dead set on a PDK and/or you live in a high traffic area, the 981 6 speed manual is one of the smoothest, slickest and perfectly positioned shifters I have ever driven. It's just perfect to me. But I live in the middle of nowhere and my work commute is 12 minutes. And all of m fun cars have been manuals since 1969.
2. White over black, historically, has been a killer combo (full disclosure; it's my favorite). I avoid greys and "Luxor" (completely personal preference). I have had 2 993s and closely followed the 993 market for years. White/black commands a premium here. I had a '98 C2S in Arena/grey that would have been worth thousands more when I sold it if it were Arena/black (my opinion).
3. I drove an '87 Carrera coupe as my good weather DD for 7 years and 30K miles. It had manual steering. I believe anyone capable of driving a 981 should not need Power Steering Plus. Waste of money, IMO.
Best of luck. I'm a huge fan of Espresso natural leather. Look up and read Eduardo's posts on ordering 981s and 991s to learn about different leather options. He is a wealth of Porsche knowledge and has always been generous with his time with me. I'm in the process of ordering a 991 C4S and it will have another Espresso interior.
Have lots of fun. The 981 is an incredible platform!

I kind of agree with Keadog above. Give up the PDK [unless you have a lady driver] for a manual with SC and PASM. Manual in combo with SportChrono has a rev matching feature which is really slick.
Colors are a personal choice. I'm driving a White/Beige Cayman, don't like any dark interiors and much prefer the standard wheel finish over satin.

Over all sounds like a great build. As others suggested, my first choice would be to go with a 6spd manua. However, if you are set on PDK, its a great system. I drove several cars equipped with it and its very impressive.

+1 on adding PASM with 20" wheels. Its far more advanced than previous generations of PASM. It soaks up bumps nicely, and yet its firm enough for average roads, and you can switch it to the sport setting for carving up winding roads and really smooth stretches of highway.

The Sport Techno Wheels are cool looking, but they are wider which also makes them heavier than the Carrera S wheels...so I skipped them.

I'd ditch the power steering plus. IMHO, its just not necessary, unless maybe you to a lot of very tight parking maneuvers each day.

I would also consider going to white gauges. After several people (I believe Keadog included) mentioned they found that the aluminum/gray tach dial gets washed out in bright sunlight. I was able to confirm this on several test drives. So I chose white and I'm really happy with it. Below is a quick photo of the white gauges.

Good luck with your order.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps42bde3aa.jpg

Cool. Isn't it so interesting that we all have our opinions about one or the other features. That's what makes ordering your own so much fun over buying what the dealer thinks will sell. No wrong choices though.

So, tell us your "final" build :).

Although PDK continues to get a shellacking, (one I would have joined in on till I got crippled), I have really come to prefer it. You never blow a shift, it's fun if you get the paddles and you can go full auto if traffic backs up, in a second. One thing I'm glad about is my car being pre car photo on the dash. I can't stand that look, it's my sports car not an Atari arcade game.

+ 1 on PDK. I would never have considered it until I drove one at the dealer-there wasn't a manual available. Its not like a regular automatic in anyway and as we all know is quicker than a stick. Its uncanny, but its always in the right gear, would never go back to a Porsche with manual.

Machog