Cayman owners ( well, anyone really), advice please?

Cayman owners ( well, anyone really), advice please?

Author
Discussion

mountainreef

Original Poster:

124 posts

147 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Erm.. "Hypothetically" smile, If you were going to change your manual Cayman S for another lower mileage one and you had the choice of:

Manual / Sports Exhaust

Or

Pdk without Sports Chrono

Which one would you choose and why?

rigster2

125 posts

145 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
I'd go for the manual with PSE every time.

More involvement and the exhaust is so addictive.


pete.g

1,527 posts

205 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Manual - sports exhaust or not.

Porkupine

1,709 posts

164 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Pdk+pse
Why can't you have both!

Klippie

3,096 posts

144 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Manual even if PDK's were free...

DS240

4,636 posts

217 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Had manual cayman s.

Now have manual boxster spyder with sports exhaust.

Test drove spyder with pdk and hated it completely. Ruined the car, in my opinion.

Whether you opt for man or pdk, sports exhaust is brilliant.

I need to reverse the button though so it it is on all the time and only press if I really need quiet. Automatic process now, turn car on and press exhaust button.

BubblesNW

1,710 posts

182 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
It's your decision in the end. Have you driven a PDK car for anything more than a 20 minute accompanied test drive?
How do you intend to use the car - daily driver (PDK all the way) or weekends and track days only (manual for involvement, PDK for ultimate performance)?
Buying used you can have more reassurance that a PDK car can't be abused rev wise but nobody can prevent hard use before it is fully warmed up.
See if you can get an extended test drive on a PDK car to see if you gel with it. I did and haven't looked back.
Can't wait to get more track miles under my belt as you can initially concentrate on the lines and braking points with a PDK in auto mode then enjoy manual gear changing and turning off stability control as the day passes and confidence grows.
PSE is a must with either.
Enjoy the search, don't rush and get the right car not the car on offer right now.

Edited by BubblesNW on Sunday 7th October 23:00

Actus Reus

4,229 posts

154 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Depends on use. Weekend car? Manual. Daily? PDK.

Deanos CaymanS

143 posts

170 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Manual / Sports Exhaust if there were only 2 cars to choose from. But take some drives and wait for the right car with as close to all the right options as possible. Wish I would have waited for PSE and also wish I would have had it fitted for a "reasonable" cost not long after I got it.

mountainreef

Original Poster:

124 posts

147 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Forum not been playing up for you all? smile I've driven both on the road and the track and i like them in different scenarios?

Pdk, flappy paddles for track as it improves my driving and times
Manual for having a mess around on the country lanes where i live

I use my cayman as a daily driver. Mostly motorway miles say 300 a week, the rest is local journeys of 5-20 miles round-trip.

In my current one ive done about 10k miles in 6 months and its been brilliant. I am looking to change just coz im about to hit 30k miles..

Been looking a PDK with sports chrono (SC is not a must have) for those motorway miles but i cant find anything in the mileage category under £40k?

For £35-37k there are some real low mileage (4k-10k) ones in a manual with sports exhaust that im thinking could get me interested.

Two things put me off going above £36-37k for a cayman:

1) The new model next year
2) i go £39k then i could get a 911 C2 (58 plate, pdk)

I've driven everything in the last couple of months, C2, C2S, C4S cabs, 991's in both Standard and S derivatives, PDK and manual.

I actually find the Cayman S a more engaging drive but if im getting into 40k plus then it seems silly to not consider them?


jakesmith

9,461 posts

170 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Carnewal mod for exhaust makes it sounfd like an 'always on' PSE for about £500, google it, love it on my Boxster, it's how the car should be

mountainreef

Original Poster:

124 posts

147 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
quotequote all
Do these things produce a drone? I've never used one so just asking

BubblesNW

1,710 posts

182 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
mountainreef said:
Forum not been playing up for you all? smile I've driven both on the road and the track and i like them in different scenarios?

Pdk, flappy paddles for track as it improves my driving and times
Manual for having a mess around on the country lanes where i live

I use my cayman as a daily driver. Mostly motorway miles say 300 a week, the rest is local journeys of 5-20 miles round-trip.

In my current one ive done about 10k miles in 6 months and its been brilliant. I am looking to change just coz im about to hit 30k miles..

Been looking a PDK with sports chrono (SC is not a must have) for those motorway miles but i cant find anything in the mileage category under £40k?


For £35-37k there are some real low mileage (4k-10k) ones in a manual with sports exhaust that im thinking could get me interested.

Two things put me off going above £36-37k for a cayman:

1) The new model next year
2) i go £39k then i could get a 911 C2 (58 plate, pdk)

I've driven everything in the last couple of months, C2, C2S, C4S cabs, 991's in both Standard and S derivatives, PDK and manual.

I actually find the Cayman S a more engaging drive but if im getting into 40k plus then it seems silly to not consider them?
Your maths don't add up as 300 miles per week do not equate to 10k in 6 months. Never mind.
For PDK Sports Chrono is a must have due to the more aggresive throttle map.
Wait until after the L.A. show in November when the 981 Cayman is revealed, haven't looked at used Boxster prices but would be interesting to see if they dropped after the new model was announced last year.

A 58 plate PDK 997 is a good call but a very different car to a Cayman. One is a global icon, the other is a real driver's car - you choose. Fashion or function?

Whatever you do, enjoy the search.


mountainreef

Original Poster:

124 posts

147 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Now that was a typo, 400 motorway miles a week on average. That's in 3 days plus i do a lot of short for the other 4. To skew the maths up, ive been on a few euro jaunts as well.

Anyways, i'll keep looking but its interesting to hear the differing opinions smile SC is a funny thing as i dont really use it, but when i do it does bring a smile to the face.

Henry964

17 posts

183 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
I have a manual Cayman S, drove new Boxster with PDK, it´s not an easy choice, but my next Cayman will be a PDK

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
mountainreef said:
Forum not been playing up for you all? smile I've driven both on the road and the track and i like them in different scenarios?

Pdk, flappy paddles for track as it improves my driving and times
Manual for having a mess around on the country lanes where i live

I use my cayman as a daily driver. Mostly motorway miles say 300 a week, the rest is local journeys of 5-20 miles round-trip.

In my current one ive done about 10k miles in 6 months and its been brilliant. I am looking to change just coz im about to hit 30k miles..

Been looking a PDK with sports chrono (SC is not a must have) for those motorway miles but i cant find anything in the mileage category under £40k?

For £35-37k there are some real low mileage (4k-10k) ones in a manual with sports exhaust that im thinking could get me interested.

Two things put me off going above £36-37k for a cayman:

1) The new model next year
2) i go £39k then i could get a 911 C2 (58 plate, pdk)

I've driven everything in the last couple of months, C2, C2S, C4S cabs, 991's in both Standard and S derivatives, PDK and manual.

I actually find the Cayman S a more engaging drive but if im getting into 40k plus then it seems silly to not consider them?
It's a difficult decision but given your use/mileage, I probably wouldn't buy a CR and I'm someone who owns one so can't be accused of bias.

PDK versus manual debate is akin to asking whether you like blondes or brunettes, it's a subjective decision and one you can only really make yourself. Based on your usage, it's a bit 6 and two 3's. For town driving, the PDK is fantastic and if your roads are like any of the London roads I sometimes find myself on, you'll be easing it over at 5mph to prevent the front splitter being damaged. Given that my local council's answer to unemployment was to create them at 20 yard intervals, PDK is a good thing. For motorway, you'll get better economy out of the 7-speed PDK box.

Sport Chrono is brilliant but I find that Sport+ is too much unless you've got room to run and it's a potential licence losing button. When you do have room to run, it's a complete joy and of course with PDK, you have launch control although out of mechanical sympathy, I've only ever used it a couple of times, more out of curiosity than need. SC is great for super fast overtakes or for having fun on twisty A and B roads but I can't see why you'd need it for motorway, the car without is absolutely fine.

Depending on your build, I think the sports buckets (assuming they're fitted on a vehicle you're considering) may prove uncomfortable, particularly on motorway where you tend to sit in a more fixed position and with PDK, this will be compounded as your level of interaction is different.

PSE is a must have for me, I would never spec a car without it. It introduces a lower frequency rumble and depth of sound that makes the non-PSE sound shallow in comparison. I tend to turn it off on the motorway though, not because it drones, just because it quietens the cabin down a bit and as the CR has less sound insulation, you get a fair bit of tyre noise if it's not a good surface. The moment I'm off, PSE is straight back on.

You can always have the 'new model next year' debate but I personally like the mechanical handbrake in my CR and the fact that the steering is hydraulic. The new Cayman won't have these features and I'm not saying they're bad at all, I've driven a new 991S and really enjoyed it but it didn't feel the same in a number of areas so again, it comes down to personal taste. You'd have to wait longer than next year for them to drop in value to a £40k price point as well.

I noticed in the classifieds that Bramley are selling a Boxster Spyder in black with 101 miles on it for £40k. Obviously feeling the impact of the 981 but that's a fantastic car and you said that you'd driven a cab so that might be worth a thought? The 'roof issue' is a non-issue in my view and I would have bought one had it not been for the small fact that I'm not a fan of convertibles. You could do quite well if you flipped that in 6 months time with 10k as a large depreciation hit has already been taken and you're coming in to Spring (assuming we have one next year) so a good time to sell.

Hope my thoughts are of some help.

sootyvrs

364 posts

141 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
Manual + PSE biggrin

I would personally test drive both cars and make the decision yourself rather than ask on here as everyone is different and like different things.

c7xlg

862 posts

231 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
I'd say manual all the way!

I had a Cayman S and loved the manual gearbox. I've driven a 997S PDK for a weekend and was massively disappointed. In 'normal' mode the automatic response was very sluggish. Sports move was better, but then far too sharp a throttle and clutch engagement to be any use in town or stop start traffic.

So you end up swapping between the modes, which would be ok if the 'sport' button wasn't hidden away in front of the 'gear' lever and right pain to reach. Overall I thought it ruined an otherwise great car.

I have an auto-box in my BMW luxobarge which I love, so I'm not an 'autophobe'. I just think the PDK solution is wholey unmatched to a 987 or 997.

Actus Reus

4,229 posts

154 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Was on my phone so was brief - that is what I'd prefer I think, I find a manual more engaging, but spent two hours crawling to and from Bayswater yesterday, and PDK would have been so much nicer IMHO, and, for me, doesn't ruin the weekend fun thing.

Personally I think the OP should wait til Spring and 981 launch now anyway - I'll look at my options next year too, and reckon CR might be in range by then thanks to 981 launch.

Raitzi

640 posts

211 months

Monday 8th October 2012
quotequote all
PDK and install FVD ecu mod to "enable" sports button.