About to put an order in but would like some advice. ITS HERE!!!!!!!!

[Scrounger]

Greetings All and Happy New Year!

I am in a position to pull the pin and place an order for a 718 Cayman but was wondering if anyone can recommend a specific dealer and salesman who is happy to do discount. I'm aware that many don't like giving discount on the base car but I've heard some may discount the options.

Spec I'm looking at is as follows:

718 Cayman
Night Blue Metallic
Carrera Classic Wheels
PDK
Sports Tailpipes
64 Ltr fuel tank
Light design package
Folding mirrors
Rain sensor and dimming mirrors (could be dropped if needed)
Park Assist F&R
Heated Multifunction GT steering wheel
Heated seats
Climate (unsure if its needed in a small car)
Smoking pack
Bose system??
Leather with Sports plus but concerned abut sagging bum cushion or is the Alcantara just as nice?

Comments and help would be appreciated. I am in the Manchester/ Liverpool area so Porsche Wilmslow, Chester, Preston and Bolton are well within driving distance. I'm also not averse to buying from further afield for the right deal.

Thanks in advance, Dan

 

[Motorhead]

Hi Dan,

Sorry I can't help with the discounting question - why don't you just call or email different Porsche Centres with your spec and see what response you get?

Regarding the spec, just go for what you like/want and can afford.

[ul][*]Personally, I can't understand why climate control is an option on such an expensive car - who wants to be fiddling constantly with the temperature control?[*]Options like PDK, parking sensors, heated seats/steering wheel and Bose will be nice if the car's a daily drive, and if you're driving a lot in heavy stop-start traffic then the rear wiper could be useful (I think it looks ugly, and the rear window clears quickly when you're on the move).[*]I'd go for the rain sensor and dimming mirrors, mainly for the auto-dimming interior mirror function (yet another thing that should be standard on a 'premium' car!).[*]Either the leather or Alcantara sports seats will be fine - just a personal choice (try both if you can). Personally, I think full leather lifts the interior quality, although it's a bit expensive.[/ul]Jeff

 

[Scrounger]

Hi Jeff

Thanks for the reply.

The car will be a daily so some creature comforts would be nice. I've had a call from Chester and they are running some numbers for me as we speak.

I agree about the climate. A car half the price gets it as standard so its a bit hard to swallow when its an option on a £50k car.

£1300 for leather is bit steep so something may have to give like the Bose but I've yet to try the standard Alcantara seats to compare them.

One thing they did mention that the first years tax and reg fee isn't included in the configurator final price and is £910!!

 

[Motorhead]

Yes, unless you buy a used example I'm afraid there's no escaping the latest double-whammy car tax hike on cars over £40k Dan ... and the extra charge of £320 a year applies in the first 5-years too..!

Only you can decide if you think leather is worth the premium and whether or not the Bose system is significantly better than the standard Sound Package Plus, 150 watt 8-speaker system. Maybe you can find a vehicle to check-out both before deciding?

Good luck.!

Jeff

 

[Peter_Bull]

Why not see which PC has a 718 pre-registered - you may make some saving there. But if you dead set on specifying your 718 then that’s your decision.

Personally I don't listen to that much music in my Cayman and I find that the Sound Plus is more than adequate and for me Bose would be wasted with all the ambient noise in the cabin.

Also I have half leather and a genuine plastic dashboard which is lovely. Full leather may look nice but what’s the point of wasting all that money?

Last weekend Porsche Centre Bolton had a new beautiful midnight blue (not sure what the new colour name is now) on the showroom floor. Might be wort giving senior salesman Martin Stone a call. Tell him I recommended.

 

[Scrounger]

Thanks Peter

I’m in talks with Bolton so will ask what the spec is in the one they have in the showroom. You never know, physical stock costs them money so there may be a deal to be had.

 

[AndrewT]

Dan,

Brian_Innes on these forums speaks very highly of OPC Chester. If you send a PM to Brian I expect he’ll tell you the name of the salesman who he dealt with.

 

[Scrounger]

Thanks Andrew

Currently in negotiations with Bolton, Chester and Preston.

So up to now I've ditched the climate. Having read numerous reviews and watching that many YouTube videos my kids are getting upset, it's not required on a small 2 seater sports car. Bose has gone and so too has the GT wheel however I've kept the multifunction (the volume button is out of reach for me and I'm not that tall).

Thanks for everyone's help up to now.

 

[Motorhead]

Dan,

If you're going PDK then I'm sure most people will recommend having the "flappy paddles". I'm not sure that they are now a standard fitment - just check.

A quick search for base 718 Caymans with PDK on Porsche's Pre-Owned Cars site reveals that 84 are for sale at the Dealerships, so there's plenty of choice, although you'd need to check the specs. Certainly worth a look for price comparisons and for negotiating a decent deal.

Jeff

 

[Scrounger]

Morning Jeff

PDK comes with flappy paddles. I've had a look at the approved site, not very many night blue metallic ones and none with the Carrera Classic wheels.

I'll keep plodding on and keep you posted.

TVM.

 

[Buddy]

My view on buying second hand is to find a car which has the spec regardless of colour and just check you can find the spec with a tolerable colour, as it happens I still love the Amethyst of my Cayman 987.2S with similar spec to the car you are looking for.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Dan,

An option often overlooked on the Cayman is Power Steering Plus (PSP). I've specced this on both my new 718's. If you are a keen driver, and use mainly A and b roads with the occasional track day, then PSP is a very worthwhile option. As well as additional parking assistance, PSP provides an enhanced steering feel of the road at higher speeds. It's a software upgrade that is an extra option on all Caymans, except the 982 GT4, which I suspect has the PSP dialled-in as standard. Yes, it's that good.

Good luck with your Cayman search, and as Andrew T has already mentioned, I have nothing but praise for OPC Chester. Exemplary service, courteous customer care, and very competitive pricing.

Brian

 

[Motorhead]

Dan,

I think it highly unlikely that you'll ever achieve your exact spec when buying any used car, let alone a Porsche. As others have said, best to be flexible on colour choice, and wheels can always be changed at a later date. If you're buying from a Porsche Centre I'm sure that they would be willing to do a deal at the time of purchase, although be aware that the full retail price of a set of 20" Carrera Classic wheels is more than £5,600. []

Just one point about having the 20" wheels - you may want to consider adding PASM to the spec. I can't comment on the latest cars but it was always a preferred option on my 987.2 CS which has 19" wheels (the standard size at the time was 18"). If you can, try driving cars with and without PASM on 20" wheels to see if the ride is acceptable to you without the active suspension.

Jeff

 

[Scrounger]

Hi Jeff

thanks for your continued advice. It’s well received.

I drove a 718 over the weekend on 20s without PASM and found the ride to be fine. It was actually more comfortable than a JCW I once owned.

One of the dealers has offered the Supagard for free. Probably not going to take it as I’m a weekend detailed and can apply one from a different manufacturer. I’d rather they threw in climate for free but I’ll ho back with a counter offer. I know it costs them buttons at cost but it’s worth a punt. Then the intention is to get the front fitted with PPF.

 

[Motorhead]

Good call on the PPF Dan. Low car + shovel front = plenty of stone chips. On a dark-coloured car you may want also to consider extending the PPF to the sills and to the area behind the rear wheels to minimise pebble-dashing effects.!

Jeff

 

[Scrounger]

My other colour choice would be white.

First obstacle is er in doors that and I’ve had 2 white cars already I fancied something different that was subtle

 

[Gazoak]

I can't help you with regard to discount but I have bought two new cars from Dave Boyle at OPC Chester and had great service from him. With all those options, you'll be close to the price of the 718S and as you say, you won't get that money back. Have you not considered a 718S in white with no options or even a low mileage 981 with a flat six? You'll also save a chunk on road fund licence with a 981.

 

[Scrounger]

Hi Gazoak

Thanks for your post. There is roughly £9k difference between a standard 718 and the S and for what you get as standard on the S personally I don’t think it’s worth it. The car I’ve Specced comes out at roughly £53k and as the S starts at £53k and I’d still want to change the wheels and have some creature comforts but thanks for the idea.

 

[Gazoak]

No problem, it just made a difference to me with my 981s, more power, better/bigger wheels, red brake calipers, full leather seats, slightly lower but I appreciate those aren't necessarily creature comforts. I would recommend flat white as a colour though and a slight saving on metallic. The 718 looks great in yellow too.

 

[Scrounger]

Evening folks

small update. Today on the way home from work I nipped into Porsche Preston to test the standard Cayman seats which were great.

As an end result, I ended up placing an order for the car as per my OP with an expected delivery date of late May Early June.

id like to thank everyone for their help and look forward to seeing you at some gatherings.

As a final Q, can anyone recommend a PPF specialist? The dealer said they have someone and expect to pay around £1200 for bumper, bonnet, wings and mirror backs.

Thanks again

Dan