Porsch2018

I am in the process of purchasing a 2018 Cayman S, and there are some issues with the Porsche design that are baffling. Like if your car battery dies there is no manual release to get to the battery for a jump or to replace the battery. The manual states you need a spare battery and cables to accomplish this…...like we all have spare car batteries lying around........Any ideas/feedback. The other issue I hear some Porsche owners complaining that after a month of ownership the leather is showing wear on the side bolsters from getting in and out of the vehicle......is this a very common problem? Lastly, if Porsche engine is treated properly with routine maintenance can I expect to get over a 100K miles out of the vehicle relatively trouble free?

SF997S

Batteries are pretty durable now, so they generally don't think you'll have a problem. But of course, in the real world where reality lives (and us owners), batteries die . Two thoughts: 1. If you're car isn't a DD and you have a garage, get an automatic battery tender to keep things fresh. 2. If it's really a concern, try a lithium motorcycle battery. They are the size of a few deck of cards, hold full charge for months and could easily be stashed. Should be plenty juice to pop the hood.

Leather? They're doing it wrong...the real trick to getting in/out without excess wear is (driver-side): 1. Right foot inside the cabin, on the floorboard. 2. Right hand on the wheel. 3. Left (outside) hand on the door-jamb. 4. Bend right leg and lower yourself into the bucket. 5. Retract left leg into the cabin. If you figure it out, you'll see it's genius.

Durability? Almost any Porsche ever built will do >100k with proper maintenance. Hell, many will do it without proper maintenance! They are very durable. Follow maintenance sched.

Otherwise...holy sh** you're gonna love it! Post pics.

Porsch2018

Wow....SF997S, great feedback especially the lithium motorcycle battery.....would never have thought of that. I will make an effort to avoid rubbing excessively on the side bolsters...thanks again. Here are some of the pictures off the Configurator. The car goes into the body shop on the 16th of June (V260)....

Porsch2018

One other critical element missing from the Porsche design is a manual trunk release. How could they not have foreseen the need for that? I have owned cars for over 40 years and batteries occasionally fail...you need to be able to get to the battery compartment. Although, a spare battery may be a solution the consumer should not be jumping through hoops for a design flaw.

champignon

Another thing you could do is to buy something like this:


I have several of a similar item I got on a deal on ebay last year, but the link to the product on that site no longer works, so I found this one (which I'm not recommending specifically, rather the general idea; there are quite a few products like this).

These are small and can be used as a power bank, a flashlight, or for jump starting a vehicle. There ought to be sufficient juice to open the trunk, as well.

Porsch2018

That is a good suggestion but still not clear as to why Porsche has not installed a manual trunk release. Especially since the front truck is an empty compartment it should not be all that difficult......

champignon

I'm not excusing Porsche, in fact have not and will not look at any of their currently manufactured cars due to price concerns, expected depreciation, and general dislike of electric power steering.

I agree with you, this looks to be a serious and some might say stupid omission on their part.

Porsch2018

Understood...I realize your trying to help.....greatly appreciated.

Porsch2018

I placed an order for a 2018 Cayman S ($67,700) and before upgrades it does not come with any of the following..... power seats, heated seats, a decent stereo, navigation system, and quality leather interior. I built the car to my liking and it's running me about 100K.......amazing......

champignon

I am new to "car collecting." In the past I generally had one car, or on occasion, two. In the distant past I bought a couple of BMWs new, the last one in 1993, before BMW became a "luxury" marque. Following this, I went through a succession of high performance Subarus, with a VW mixed in for good measure. Although these cars all depreciated, the curve was not as steep and the "baseline" not so elevated. For some reason I abandoned this strategy and came back to the BMW fold, however entirely with used cars at least a couple of years old when I bought them, most older.

Porsches and BMWs seem to have different depreciation curves, from what I can see. The BMWs drop off a cliff the moment you drive them off the dealer's lot, and if they ever stabilize in price it is at a small fraction of the original MSRP. M Cars do better, especially well regarded series of the M3, and the Z3M Coupe, and the real outlier, the 1M, which is worth used about what it cost new, now 5.5 years after it came out, a real exception due to scarcity.

Porsches seem to my limited experience to depreciate about as quickly at the beginning, but then plateau at a higher percentage of original value, and then don't seem to lose too much value, as long as the miles aren't too high and the series is considered a classic (think 911, especially). The Boxsters seem to depreciate as quickly as the BMWs, and the Caymans are probably in between the two (Boxster and 911 line). Most convertibles depreciate much faster than coupes, in either brand or line.

Getting back to what I hope is the point I am making, unless you are talking about a really limited and extremely classic Porsche vehicle, it seems like the first 3 or 4 years are not kind, for resale. Of course if one is leasing, one knows this at the front end, as shown by the lease payments.

Personally speaking, I just could not spend $100K or $125K on the kind of Porsche that would satisfy me as a new car, knowing that it is going to drop ~40% of its value, or more, after ~4 years. It's not that I can't afford it, I can, I just choose not to afford it. Buying used luxury cars is like a game, with all sorts of risks and hazards, but the potential for genuine savings if one is careful. And I'm beyond the idea that I need to configure a car exactly to suit me, because I don't think I am that unusual in what I want, and in the end I can find something out there, used, that will meet most of my requirements, maybe not all of them. I also am no fan of modern cars, with their electric power steering, automatic transmissions, and electronic nannies, so I'm more than happy to pick through what I can find in the resale market to get something that approximates my wants, at a price I am willing to pay.

I wish you the best with your customized Cayman, which sounds like it is going to be really special. I am sorry that Porsche has rigged the game so that you can't get features that many people would consider givens in a $30K mid range car, unless you spend $100K for the privilege. In the end, I hope that this will all be worth it, missing trunk latch and all!

Good luck!