Long wait over (got my croc/300mi review w/pics)
05-20-2006, 09:21 AM
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Long wait over (got my croc/300mi review w/pics)
Hello all,
This is the same thread that I wrote over on www.caymanclub.net. I just copy and pasted to make it easier for me.
Well, I finally picked up my car today. It's been a long wait. I would say I had a pretty normal and standard ordering process. First off I'll fill in those who aren't familiar with my ordering process:
25FEB'06: Ordered car (was told I'd have an April build)
10APR'06: Car completed build process.
01MAY'06: Loaded on boat.
12MAY'06: Boat arrived in Baltimore, MD.
17MAY'06: Car arrived at dealer (Blue Grass Motorsports - Louisville, KY)
18MAY'06: I pick up my car and drive it home.
As you can see: It took less than 3 months. It took 2 months and 3 weeks.
FIRST AND ONLY TEST DRIVE (10FEB): Let's get to the first impressions: When I first test drove the Cayman S on February 10th in Salt Lake City, UT I was very impressed. In fact, I was initially leaning towards a 2006 Corvette Z06 (sure glad I didn't get that). When I saw the Cayman S my initial impression was: Wow, this looks much better in person. The pictures do not do it justice.
I asked the dealer if I could bring it on a test drive and he said, "Sure!" (His name is Z.A. and he works at the SLC Porsche dealership). He handed me the keys and told me to take my time (by myself - no salesman in the car with me). Well, I was in downtown SLC and I wasn't super familiar with the area (I moved out of SLC 9 nears ago) so I only drove it for about 10 minutes. I redlined it in several gears (this was their demo car with plenty of miles on it and I LOVED the sound of the engine. In fact, the sound of the engine was my most memorable experience from the test drive. I was also very impressed with the handling. It had PASM and SC but I wasn't aware of them (vaguely) at the time. I had driven my younger brother's 350Z there and it seemed very similar but more refined, sexier, faster, and handled better. I was very impressed. The same day I test-drove a used (23,000 miles) twin turbo 911 (speed yellow). That car went too fast too quick!
ORDERING THE CAR (25FEB): I got back from TN a week later and began calling Porsche dealerships in the TN region trying to get a good deal on an order. I ended up going with Jeremy Carrier who is a Salesman for Blue Grass Motorsports in Louisville, KY. They gave me a very good deal and were great to work with. I took about three days trying to figure out all the order option codes and finally came up with what I wanted. My MSRP was just shy of $74,000 so I had a well-optioned car. If I was going to spend that much money on a car, it had better be exactly what I want. I initially wanted to go with Carrara white exterior with black interior. I was thinking about going with Sea Blue interior but had never seen it and it sounded risky. Jeremy (my Salesman) said that he thought it would look good and was hoping someone would do that color combination. I took a risk and went with it (I'm now glad I did). You can see my profile to see all the other options I ordered.
THE WAIT: First off, I joined www.caymanclub.net. That was the best move I've made yet. I think I joined during the last few days of February? Anyhow, being a member of this forum helped me wait out the wait....big time! I love this board. Anyhow, I also researched everything I could on the Internet that had anything to do with my car. I read the Navigation manual, the BOSE manual, and the Owner's Manual. I also ordered Aluminum Pedals, a Car Cover, Cotton Towels, and Zaino. I followed my cars' progress closely and wondered what exact day I would get it. The first month wasn't too bad. The second month was a little worse, but not too bad. The third month sucked. The last week was the worst! I couldn't sleep much during the two nights prior to pick-up.
During the three-month wait I also went to two separate dealerships (Nashville and Montgomery). I just went to the dealerships to sit in a few Caymans to acquaint myself better. They felt smaller inside than what I remembered during my test drive. (It doesn't feel small now).
THE PICK-UP (18MAY): My pick-up at Blue Grass Motorsports (Louisville, KY) went very well. I was only there about an hour. They had all paperwork completed and I just had to give them my check, sign some papers, get the keys, have Jeremy (salesman) show me how to operate some things, and I was off. Oh yeah, they threw in a key chain and clear side-markers for me! Very nice facility and very professional.
THE DRIVE HOME (Initial Impressions): I had to drive about 250 miles to get home from Louisville, which I was looking forward to doing in my new Cayman S. The first five minutes I was a little nervous (2nd new car, first new Porsche). After about five minutes I felt pretty comfortable. By the time I got home, 250 miles later, the car fit me like a glove (very easy car to drive). It had been 3 months since I had driven a Cayman so I was hoping that I'd like it as much as I'd remembered liking it (remember, I had only driven it for 10 minutes). I liked it even more!
The first thing I noticed was that the PASM button worked great! Wow, you could REALLY tell a difference between the soft and hard settings. I didn't expect such a difference. The soft setting was perfect for lazy cruising and the hard setting was perfect for spirited driving. I found that I kept it on "hard" most of the time. The only time I turned it to "soft" was during rough patches of road (the road from Louisville to Nashville was pretty much smooth).
The second thing I noticed was that the engine noise was not as loud and as beautiful as I had thought it was on my test drive. It sounded like the noise was coming more from the exhaust (which was beautiful) than from the engine. I thought that I had remembered hearing the "engine" more. Well, I had. I had been redlining the engine in every gear on the test drive. By doing so, I was able to hear the full symphony of the Boxter Flat Six. Today, I did not break about 4,200 RPM. Therefore, I was not privy to the sweet sounds of a flat six at wide-open throttle. Too bad, I'll hear it in a few hundred more miles!
The third thing I noticed was the interior cabin. Beautiful! I could not have chosen a better color combination. The Sea Blue interior with full leather Sport Seats was magnificent. Pictures do not do it justice! Choosing Sea Blue was my one risk! I'm glad I took that risk. The Sea Blue can best be described as a "grey-blue". I was worried that the interior would look too blue. It didn't. It looks fantastic with white exterior. I am very happy with my color combo choices. I almost went with a black interior but I am glad I didn't. The blue looks very similar to an all black interior except it is more unique and will be a little cooler during the hotter months. I was very worried I wouldn't like the blue, but it is one of my favorite things about the car now. The headliner was a nice grey color and seemed of high quality. It was a different material than the other Caymans I had sat in. It wasn't smooth felt-like material; it was rough (hard to describe). I also noticed that the cabin did not feel small or cramped as it had when I went and sat in the show room cars during my wait. The cabin and sport seats fit me like a glove.
The fourth thing I noticed was the Navigation and Bose Surround Sound system. I had my friend with me so during the 250-mile drive; he messed around with the Bose and Navigation. It operated a lot like my buddies Honda van. By the time we got home I was pretty proficient with the audio system and the navigation system. I'm very impressed. I still have some small things to learn (which will require the manual) like adjusting the ladies voice (volume) in relation to the music. I also want to lower the music more when directions are being given. I'll figure it all out. I also threw in an MP3 cd I had made last night through Itunes and it worked perfectly with Albums and Songs in each album. I felt that the Bose system sounded pretty good (it met my expectations).
The fifth thing I noticed was the automatic rain-sensor wipers. They worked PERFECT. I was afraid they'd be too fast or wipe too often (my pet peeve). They didn't. They worked perfect. Tonight the auto dim mirrors worked great too! I've used the navigation quite a bit and would never get a car without it now. And I've only been driving it one day (250 miles from the dealer to home and 50 miles around town).
Final/Overall Impression: The car is wonderful. It has more than met my expectations. It was much better than my short test drive. All my fears were laid to rest and all my hopes were matched or exceeded. I'm a truly satisfied customer of Porsche. Very happy! I am happy with every option that I chose. For my budget I got everything I wanted. I would have wanted a Porsche Crest here or there and lit-up Cayman door seals, but I just couldn't justify the price. The car drives like a dream.
I hope this helps people who are thinking about ordering/buying a Cayman S or people who are waiting. It's worth the wait. It made today that much better!
Shane
This is the same thread that I wrote over on www.caymanclub.net. I just copy and pasted to make it easier for me.
Well, I finally picked up my car today. It's been a long wait. I would say I had a pretty normal and standard ordering process. First off I'll fill in those who aren't familiar with my ordering process:
25FEB'06: Ordered car (was told I'd have an April build)
10APR'06: Car completed build process.
01MAY'06: Loaded on boat.
12MAY'06: Boat arrived in Baltimore, MD.
17MAY'06: Car arrived at dealer (Blue Grass Motorsports - Louisville, KY)
18MAY'06: I pick up my car and drive it home.
As you can see: It took less than 3 months. It took 2 months and 3 weeks.
FIRST AND ONLY TEST DRIVE (10FEB): Let's get to the first impressions: When I first test drove the Cayman S on February 10th in Salt Lake City, UT I was very impressed. In fact, I was initially leaning towards a 2006 Corvette Z06 (sure glad I didn't get that). When I saw the Cayman S my initial impression was: Wow, this looks much better in person. The pictures do not do it justice.
I asked the dealer if I could bring it on a test drive and he said, "Sure!" (His name is Z.A. and he works at the SLC Porsche dealership). He handed me the keys and told me to take my time (by myself - no salesman in the car with me). Well, I was in downtown SLC and I wasn't super familiar with the area (I moved out of SLC 9 nears ago) so I only drove it for about 10 minutes. I redlined it in several gears (this was their demo car with plenty of miles on it and I LOVED the sound of the engine. In fact, the sound of the engine was my most memorable experience from the test drive. I was also very impressed with the handling. It had PASM and SC but I wasn't aware of them (vaguely) at the time. I had driven my younger brother's 350Z there and it seemed very similar but more refined, sexier, faster, and handled better. I was very impressed. The same day I test-drove a used (23,000 miles) twin turbo 911 (speed yellow). That car went too fast too quick!
ORDERING THE CAR (25FEB): I got back from TN a week later and began calling Porsche dealerships in the TN region trying to get a good deal on an order. I ended up going with Jeremy Carrier who is a Salesman for Blue Grass Motorsports in Louisville, KY. They gave me a very good deal and were great to work with. I took about three days trying to figure out all the order option codes and finally came up with what I wanted. My MSRP was just shy of $74,000 so I had a well-optioned car. If I was going to spend that much money on a car, it had better be exactly what I want. I initially wanted to go with Carrara white exterior with black interior. I was thinking about going with Sea Blue interior but had never seen it and it sounded risky. Jeremy (my Salesman) said that he thought it would look good and was hoping someone would do that color combination. I took a risk and went with it (I'm now glad I did). You can see my profile to see all the other options I ordered.
THE WAIT: First off, I joined www.caymanclub.net. That was the best move I've made yet. I think I joined during the last few days of February? Anyhow, being a member of this forum helped me wait out the wait....big time! I love this board. Anyhow, I also researched everything I could on the Internet that had anything to do with my car. I read the Navigation manual, the BOSE manual, and the Owner's Manual. I also ordered Aluminum Pedals, a Car Cover, Cotton Towels, and Zaino. I followed my cars' progress closely and wondered what exact day I would get it. The first month wasn't too bad. The second month was a little worse, but not too bad. The third month sucked. The last week was the worst! I couldn't sleep much during the two nights prior to pick-up.
During the three-month wait I also went to two separate dealerships (Nashville and Montgomery). I just went to the dealerships to sit in a few Caymans to acquaint myself better. They felt smaller inside than what I remembered during my test drive. (It doesn't feel small now).
THE PICK-UP (18MAY): My pick-up at Blue Grass Motorsports (Louisville, KY) went very well. I was only there about an hour. They had all paperwork completed and I just had to give them my check, sign some papers, get the keys, have Jeremy (salesman) show me how to operate some things, and I was off. Oh yeah, they threw in a key chain and clear side-markers for me! Very nice facility and very professional.
THE DRIVE HOME (Initial Impressions): I had to drive about 250 miles to get home from Louisville, which I was looking forward to doing in my new Cayman S. The first five minutes I was a little nervous (2nd new car, first new Porsche). After about five minutes I felt pretty comfortable. By the time I got home, 250 miles later, the car fit me like a glove (very easy car to drive). It had been 3 months since I had driven a Cayman so I was hoping that I'd like it as much as I'd remembered liking it (remember, I had only driven it for 10 minutes). I liked it even more!
The first thing I noticed was that the PASM button worked great! Wow, you could REALLY tell a difference between the soft and hard settings. I didn't expect such a difference. The soft setting was perfect for lazy cruising and the hard setting was perfect for spirited driving. I found that I kept it on "hard" most of the time. The only time I turned it to "soft" was during rough patches of road (the road from Louisville to Nashville was pretty much smooth).
The second thing I noticed was that the engine noise was not as loud and as beautiful as I had thought it was on my test drive. It sounded like the noise was coming more from the exhaust (which was beautiful) than from the engine. I thought that I had remembered hearing the "engine" more. Well, I had. I had been redlining the engine in every gear on the test drive. By doing so, I was able to hear the full symphony of the Boxter Flat Six. Today, I did not break about 4,200 RPM. Therefore, I was not privy to the sweet sounds of a flat six at wide-open throttle. Too bad, I'll hear it in a few hundred more miles!
The third thing I noticed was the interior cabin. Beautiful! I could not have chosen a better color combination. The Sea Blue interior with full leather Sport Seats was magnificent. Pictures do not do it justice! Choosing Sea Blue was my one risk! I'm glad I took that risk. The Sea Blue can best be described as a "grey-blue". I was worried that the interior would look too blue. It didn't. It looks fantastic with white exterior. I am very happy with my color combo choices. I almost went with a black interior but I am glad I didn't. The blue looks very similar to an all black interior except it is more unique and will be a little cooler during the hotter months. I was very worried I wouldn't like the blue, but it is one of my favorite things about the car now. The headliner was a nice grey color and seemed of high quality. It was a different material than the other Caymans I had sat in. It wasn't smooth felt-like material; it was rough (hard to describe). I also noticed that the cabin did not feel small or cramped as it had when I went and sat in the show room cars during my wait. The cabin and sport seats fit me like a glove.
The fourth thing I noticed was the Navigation and Bose Surround Sound system. I had my friend with me so during the 250-mile drive; he messed around with the Bose and Navigation. It operated a lot like my buddies Honda van. By the time we got home I was pretty proficient with the audio system and the navigation system. I'm very impressed. I still have some small things to learn (which will require the manual) like adjusting the ladies voice (volume) in relation to the music. I also want to lower the music more when directions are being given. I'll figure it all out. I also threw in an MP3 cd I had made last night through Itunes and it worked perfectly with Albums and Songs in each album. I felt that the Bose system sounded pretty good (it met my expectations).
The fifth thing I noticed was the automatic rain-sensor wipers. They worked PERFECT. I was afraid they'd be too fast or wipe too often (my pet peeve). They didn't. They worked perfect. Tonight the auto dim mirrors worked great too! I've used the navigation quite a bit and would never get a car without it now. And I've only been driving it one day (250 miles from the dealer to home and 50 miles around town).
Final/Overall Impression: The car is wonderful. It has more than met my expectations. It was much better than my short test drive. All my fears were laid to rest and all my hopes were matched or exceeded. I'm a truly satisfied customer of Porsche. Very happy! I am happy with every option that I chose. For my budget I got everything I wanted. I would have wanted a Porsche Crest here or there and lit-up Cayman door seals, but I just couldn't justify the price. The car drives like a dream.
I hope this helps people who are thinking about ordering/buying a Cayman S or people who are waiting. It's worth the wait. It made today that much better!
Shane
05-20-2006, 02:15 PM
#4
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congrats, now pile on the miles!
05-20-2006, 07:49 PM
#6
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Originally Posted by Helo Driver
I'm already over 600 as of today.
Shane
Shane
now try to catch me at 8500 miles now.
if you track your car, i got something for you. i saw some very cool harness bar, unless you go nuts with roll bar like me.
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05-26-2006, 03:10 PM
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