Talk Me Out of Buying...

Ted said:
This sounds like a ton of fun. Maybe this would be a good road trip in the RV or otherwise for us. How far out does booking seem to need to be?
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I looked at the 718 Spyder and 718 GT4, the only ones with manual transmissions, They're available Tuesday through Friday next week, and Tuesday through Saturday after that. So, it looks like two weeks out will pretty much always work.
 
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I went down to the dealership today and traded 1 AMU for a buyers order. Here's the build:

Base 718 Cayman, 2.0T 300 hp
Dolomite Silver exterior
Black leather interior with additional leather trim
Sport Seats Plus
GT Sport steering wheel
18 inch Cayman wheels
Rear badge changed from "718 Cayman" to "718"
7 speed PDK dual clutch transmission
Active Suspension
Torque vectoring/locking differential
Sport Chrono package
Deluxe Package

If anyone wants to see all the details, go here.

Added up, MSRP is just about touching 80 AMU. With the mandatory stuff the dealer adds plus the ever popular sales tax, it's a shade under 88 AMU.

Bad news, sort of, #1: Because it's too unpredictable as to when the car will be ready, I will not be doing European delivery. Good news #1: Instead, we are planning a trip to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in September.

Bad news, sort of, #2: The car is not expected for a year. I'm OK with that, I was wanting to do the Euro delivery this fall, and the car would get here somewhere towards November if that had happened. A few more months isn't a big deal. Good news #2: we now don't have to figure out how to get clothes for two people for 10 days into a Cayman.

Gotta get the garage ready for the new arrivals.
 
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Wow congrats! Love Porsche… this thing looks like an absolute hoot. Unfortunate about no Euro delivery, they are really designed for the Autobahn. Had a 911 Carrera 4 loaner once. You barely think and it’s at 90… at which point it’s “now what”. Can’t really take advantage here in the US until you’re at the track.

I own an RS60 now… absolutely brilliant. If it’s your first Porsche, congrats again and relish your journey together!
 
MarkH said:
How much was the up-charge to delete those 6 letters?
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Believe it or not, that one's a no charge item. I'm trying to come up with a justification for removing the "Cayman". The first one I came up with was that it looks cleaner with the three letter badge, but if I had them leave it off in its entirely it would look like the car had been damaged and repainted. The second one is that Porsche sports cars traditionally had numbers, not names, until the Boxster came along. The reality is I just like the way it looks better.

kaiser said:
Wow congrats! Love Porsche… this thing looks like an absolute hoot. Unfortunate about no Euro delivery, they are really designed for the Autobahn. Had a 911 Carrera 4 loaner once. You barely think and it’s at 90… at which point it’s “now what”. Can’t really take advantage here in the US until you’re at the track.

I own an RS60 now… absolutely brilliant. If it’s your first Porsche, congrats again and relish your journey together!
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Thanks, it's my first and only, I'm keeping this one until I'm too old to drive. Rumor has it that the next generation of Boxsters/Caymans will be EVs. I have nothing against EVs but at the current time they're not very track worthy.

Kent Wien said:
This thread led me to watch this YouTube track video.

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Really odd to be getting the view out of the Tesla's windshield while hearing the GT4's engine.
 
Congrats, very nice car. I understand your reasoning for the PDK, but I'd be a 6sp manual man myself. Enjoy!
 
Congrats on placing the order!

The new car market shipment setup is definitely weird now. Also, since what you ordered is probably fairly "base" of a model compared to other things that are coming out of the Porsche factory, it probably gets less of a priority vs. if you bought the highest end one they make.

I placed the order for my wife's Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio in late October. At the time they said 3-6 months was probably the timeframe, but really couldn't promise/expect anything. I wasn't sure how it would work out, between getting a good price with my affiliate discount since my employer is a supplier to Stelantis (parent company to Alfa/Fiat/Chrysler etc. now), but also it being the highest end (although not fully optioned out). Supposedly it hits the shores next week and we should get it at about the 4 month mark.

In the end, it'll be a quick wait when you're looking back on it, and you'll love it. Can't wait to hear the report once you get it.
 
Bill said:
Congrats, very nice car. I understand your reasoning for the PDK, but I'd be a 6sp manual man myself. Enjoy!
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I rented a manual Miata a couple of years ago. I can't say I really preferred shifting again. The biggest issue was that the shifts are just so slow. I'm not getting faster, I'm getting older, and having the car preventing me from making a big goof (like making a 5-2 shift when I wanted a 5-4 shift) and spinning and/or destroying the engine is just too much to give up. Plus my wife can drive it.

Did you ever make your way to the Porsche Experience Center? I would go back again this year but with a new car and an European vacation coming up, I'm not looking to spend any extra money. I do have six laps in a Cayman GT4 at Atlanta Motorsports Park coming up in April, and I'm going to try really hard to get four laps at the Nurburgring while I'm in Germany. There are basically two things I really want to do while in Europe, drive the Nurburgring and visit the Porsche museum. Other than that, my wife can select everything else we do.

Ted said:
Congrats on placing the order!

The new car market shipment setup is definitely weird now. Also, since what you ordered is probably fairly "base" of a model compared to other things that are coming out of the Porsche factory, it probably gets less of a priority vs. if you bought the highest end one they make.

I placed the order for my wife's Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio in late October. At the time they said 3-6 months was probably the timeframe, but really couldn't promise/expect anything. I wasn't sure how it would work out, between getting a good price with my affiliate discount since my employer is a supplier to Stelantis (parent company to Alfa/Fiat/Chrysler etc. now), but also it being the highest end (although not fully optioned out). Supposedly it hits the shores next week and we should get it at about the 4 month mark.

In the end, it'll be a quick wait when you're looking back on it, and you'll love it. Can't wait to hear the report once you get it.
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Actually the toughest nut to crack at Porsche is to get a 911 GT3. Any of the high end performance models (911 Turbo S and GT3, Cayman GT4, Boxster Spyder) are very difficult to find. We'll see what happens over the next few months.

I'd like to hear a pirep on your wife's new Alfa, if she'd like to give us one.
 
FormerHangie said:
I'm getting older, and having the car preventing me from making a big goof (like making a 5-2 shift when I wanted a 5-4 shift) and spinning and/or destroying the engine is just too much to give up. Plus my wife can drive it.

Did you ever make your way to the Porsche Experience Center?
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I get that in the stress (and fun) of track driving, one could miss a shift and potentially damage the car or engine. My wife actually likes stick shift, she finds it more entertaining and less boring, but many don't like the bother. I'll likely always have at least one stick shift car around, as I really think it's more fun.

No, I haven't been to the Experience Center, but it is on the bucket list at some point, but to be honest, there are a few motorcycle adventure and offroad schools that are a little higher on my priority list at this point.
 
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Ted said:
Congrats on placing the order!

The new car market shipment setup is definitely weird now. Also, since what you ordered is probably fairly "base" of a model compared to other things that are coming out of the Porsche factory, it probably gets less of a priority vs. if you bought the highest end one they make.

I placed the order for my wife's Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio in late October. At the time they said 3-6 months was probably the timeframe, but really couldn't promise/expect anything. I wasn't sure how it would work out, between getting a good price with my affiliate discount since my employer is a supplier to Stelantis (parent company to Alfa/Fiat/Chrysler etc. now), but also it being the highest end (although not fully optioned out). Supposedly it hits the shores next week and we should get it at about the 4 month mark.

In the end, it'll be a quick wait when you're looking back on it, and you'll love it. Can't wait to hear the report once you get it.
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Screenshot_20220224-171600_Chrome.jpg

:dunno:
 
Jim K said:
View attachment 104909

:dunno:
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Yeah, I'm similarly in the :dunno: category. I don't get why we're able to buy a 505 HP luxury SUV that can run the Nurburgring faster than a Lamborghini Gallardo (or was it a Murcelago? I can't remember. They're both not slow) for less than I could realistically buy a new Tahoe for.

I think in the minds of many, anything Italian is automatically discounted as unreliable. That's part of why we're buying new, full warranty. :) Alfa never really grabbed much of a hold in the US market, and it won't surprise me if this attempt doesn't last much longer either. But, I'm not worried.
 
I heard back from my sales rep today. They just got a allocation of cars, and after all the orders were placed, I'm #4 on the list of four cylinder Caymans, and there's a good chance that there will be space for my order in May's allocation. If that happens, I'm likely to have my car late this year.

I also did my last drive with Xtreme Xperience today, which was two three lap sessions, both in a Cayman GT4. It's really a wonderful track car, and would probably be fairly streetable. The only thing that was a little disappointing was the exhaust note was not quite what I'd expect from a six cylinder Porsche, but I suspect an aftermarket exhaust system could take care of that.
 
There is never a bad option to buy a Porsche. Much less being able to track it as well. Lol
 
Wish Porsche would hurry on the electric Cayman. My wife wants an electric for her next car - this way I can say "yes dear" and get going on my midlife crisis at the same time!
 
kayoh190 said:
Wish Porsche would hurry on the electric Cayman. My wife wants an electric for her next car - this way I can say "yes dear" and get going on my midlife crisis at the same time!
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Bzzt! You have college to save for...
 
kayoh190 said:
Wish Porsche would hurry on the electric Cayman. My wife wants an electric for her next car - this way I can say "yes dear" and get going on my midlife crisis at the same time!
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I’m not sure we can be friends anymore. :p
 
Bill said:
Bzzt! You have college to save for...
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Bah! Retirement and college savings is already budgeted. It *will* affect my future airplane decision process though. ;)
 
Ted said:
I’m not sure we can be friends anymore. :p
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I like to drive stick, so I'm sure I'll have something vintage and fun as well. But it'll likely be used and (relatively) inexpensive.
 
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kayoh190 said:
I like to drive stick, so I'm sure I'll have something vintage and fun as well. But it'll likely be used and (relatively) inexpensive.
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Ok, I can accept that. Friend status has been reinstated.
 
I have another diesel swap to finish up first...
 
kayoh190 said:
Wish Porsche would hurry on the electric Cayman. My wife wants an electric for her next car - this way I can say "yes dear" and get going on my midlife crisis at the same time!
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Word is that the Cayman goes EV in 2025, which is all the more reason to get mine now. It seems like the availability of the four cylinder cars is not terrible, the availability of the GTS (6 cylinder) is problematic, and for the GT4 model, you will have had to been a good customer to get one.
 
Ted said:
I have another diesel swap to finish up first...
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That hasn’t seemed to reduce your appetite for new projects so far…

and while I jest, the amount you get done amazes me though I am retired and my kids are grown and gone. You work and have 3 relatively young ones!
 
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jsstevens said:
That hasn’t seemed to reduce your appetite for new projects so far…
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I legitimately am trying to not take on anything more until I complete a few more of the ones I have. Success rate? Well...
 
Ted said:
I legitimately am trying to not take on anything more until I complete a few more of the ones I have. Success rate? Well...
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Yeah. I reach the point where I have so many I have to really focus or I just get overwhelmed. I have to get some done.
 
jsstevens said:
Yeah. I reach the point where I have so many I have to really focus or I just get overwhelmed. I have to get some done.
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That's been a lot of our goals over the past few months and recent Spring Cleaning - get more projects done and otherwise reduce the number of things that need work, by a bit anyway. Trade the Mercedes + Jaguar for the Alfa (that's a nice 2-for-1 and now having a new car with a warranty), and then trading the Triumph Daytona and 2 Harleys for the Triumph Tiger 900 is a good one. Once the Harleys are sold and gone, that'll get us "down to" 3 motorcycles plus the kids' dirt bike. We've been trashing or giving away a lot of stuff.

And then comes trying to just get some projects checked off the list. Racecar racing, finish up some items on the RV, and then finally get to finishing up the Cobra and making progress on the diesel swap for the Land Rover more or less in parallel.
 
Ted said:
I legitimately am trying to not take on anything more until I complete a few more of the ones I have. Success rate? Well...
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Your ‘projects’ are really individual portfolios of projects in and of themselves. NTTAWT, it’s what some people need for various reasons.
 
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TCABM said:
Your ‘projects’ are really individual portfolios of projects in and of themselves. NTTAWT, it’s what some people need for various reasons.
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Yes, that’s true. What I more mean is not trying to get any more project vehicles.

I also like to have various sub-projects that fall into different time periods depending on the time I have available.
 
Porsche has created a prototype EV racer:
porsche-mission-r-concept.jpg


It's based on a Cayman tub, but that's about all the Cayman in it.
 
About the Ring...

The track is a beast. It's about 13 miles, with 900 feet of elevation changes, and 154 turns. 80% of the turns are blind, and many of them have tall curbs you want to stay off of. It's also mostly surrounded by guardrail. I drove a Renault Clio RS220 Trophy, which is like a Fiesta ST with a dual clutch automatic. I rented it from RSR Nurburg, and I felt they did a very good job for us. This was a Touristfahrten on a Tuesday evening. which gave us a two hour session starting at 17:30. I signed up for four laps, and that was plenty. I hadn't slept much in the airplane on Sunday night, and only got about six hours sleep on Monday night, so by the end of the fourth lap I was worn out.

What it's like is your favorite mountain road with no speed limits and no oncoming traffic. The owner of RSR gave us a very informative and funny talk about safety and what to do and not do. He also gave us a card with instructions should we be involved in an accident. The Nurburgring is a German toll road and in a Touristfahrten, you are governed by all the same rules as you would be on the road. Passing someone on the right is prohibited in Germany, so you stay to the right as a rule, only going to the left to pass or to apex a turn. I actually had a off track excursion, which I've never done in a non-competition event. I just missed where the track was going and was pointed towards an area that was guarded with a small curb and was an area with grass growing in perforated brick, so no damage done, and I continued on my way. No big crashes that day, two guys had a minor impact with a guardrail, so we had a pretty clean session.

I was expecting more traffic than we had. One of the employees there said it was much busier on the weekend, although many times weekends are reserved for track days or racing events. Weather wise, I really lucked out, we had mostly blue skies with some puffy clouds and no rain.

One of the really cool things about doing amateur sports car racing is that you get to drive the same circuits as do the pros. I've raced at Road Atlanta, Road America, Sebring, Daytona, and Charlotte, and done track days at Mid Ohio, and driven many other less well known tracks as well. Now I've driven the Nurburgring. If you have some track driving experience I'd recommend it highly. If you've never driven on a track, I'd get some experience on a shorter and simpler track before trying this.
 
I am now exceedingly jealous.

Had the opportunity to go there 16 years ago. Still kicking myself for not doing it.
 
charheep said:
Drive the RV there and take it around the track...
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I, and a couple of racing buddies, made a couple of laps around the Rockingham oval in our motorhomes with race haulers in tow (until security had other plans). Not the Nordschleife....but does it count??? LOL As far as the EV Porsches, I made a test drive of a Taycan 'turbo' S at the insistence of the sales rep I have a good relationship with. I turned him down a couple of times since I knew I did not want to buy one and would be wasting his time. He knows my background in road racing and would not take no for an answer. I'll say this much....I have never driven a stock street car that pulled that hard from 0-90mph. I literally had my peripheral vision close in for a few seconds. It was quite impressive and I've driven quite a few high hp street/race cars (disclaimer- I have no drag racing experience so my opinion might be a little different if I did).
 
When I did the Skip Barber racing school at Laguna Seca years back one of the instructors took 13 of us around the track in a Dodge extended cab van to show us the racing lines/braking points etc. I was tremendously impressed at how the instructor was able to push that big tin can to its limits. He was wailing on that POS. I didn't stop giggling for a few hours.
 
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