718 review - test drove today

718 review - test drove today

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Discussion

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

247 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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Boxster/Cayman utterly dominate the £50k sportscar sector for enthusiast owners worldwide. A few old codgers whimpering that "things aren't what they used to be" won't make any difference.

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

247 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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^^ You have IMO completely lost the plot if you think those shopping carriages compete with mid-engine Boxster/Cayman.

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

247 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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... doing my best not to be sucked into the utter idiocy which you continually spout on any thread about Boxster/Cayman. One of the worst things about owning a Boxster is being in any way identified with the tedious moaning and groaning you come up with about any car except the one you happen to own. Thread after thread filled with the same drivel.


Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

247 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
^^ Like this drivel.

Bennachie

1,090 posts

152 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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Interesting that a lot of the motoring press rate the boxster and cayman and suggest that if you want the best sports car on the market you buy one - 'before it loses two cylinders'

JasonSteel

566 posts

97 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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as an outsider to all of this, and at the risk of having eggs thrown at me, i have to say i agree with Ozzie Osmond (about the Cayman being in a league its own).

if you need to call me a 'luxury domestic appliance buyer' then so be it, but there are a other reasons to buy a car that go well beyond how many cylinders the engine has and whether or not it has one or more turbos.

i appreciate that for some of you the engine characteristics are everything, but for many others they don't matter much, and for others still they don't matter at all.

i currently own a Golf GTI... and an old and battered one at that, but i can finally treat myself to a decent car and i'm looking to get a Cayman. not because i want to race it but because i appreciate - amongst others - the styling and design, the build quality, the thrill when you drive it and put your foot down (i test drove the 981C and the 718B recently), the comfort and so on.

i really don't see myself revving the living daylights out of the engine very much, if at all - does that mean i'm not allowed to buy one? or that i'm a tosser that shouldn't be driving one?

and honestly, i never thought once about getting a TT or an SLK instead, nor would i consider it because - for me - i wouldn't get excited stepping into one of these, whereas i was buzzing when i stepped into the 718 and the 981.

just a different perspective...

tyrrell

1,670 posts

209 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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SLK and TT get huge support from their respective manufacturers, SLK's for the last three years can be had for £1.5k down and £270 a month over two years, over on the TT forum they have been getting 13/15 % off list and cheap PCP deals in the last few months. I would suggest that's the main reason for there sales success in the UK is they also start at a much cheaper entry point than Boxster/ Casters.

wellzee

445 posts

122 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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JasonSteel said:
as an outsider to all of this, and at the risk of having eggs thrown at me, i have to say i agree with Ozzie Osmond (about the Cayman being in a league its own).

if you need to call me a 'luxury domestic appliance buyer' then so be it, but there are a other reasons to buy a car that go well beyond how many cylinders the engine has and whether or not it has one or more turbos.

i appreciate that for some of you the engine characteristics are everything, but for many others they don't matter much, and for others still they don't matter at all.

i currently own a Golf GTI... and an old and battered one at that, but i can finally treat myself to a decent car and i'm looking to get a Cayman. not because i want to race it but because i appreciate - amongst others - the styling and design, the build quality, the thrill when you drive it and put your foot down (i test drove the 981C and the 718B recently), the comfort and so on.

i really don't see myself revving the living daylights out of the engine very much, if at all - does that mean i'm not allowed to buy one? or that i'm a tosser that shouldn't be driving one?

and honestly, i never thought once about getting a TT or an SLK instead, nor would i consider it because - for me - i wouldn't get excited stepping into one of these, whereas i was buzzing when i stepped into the 718 and the 981.

just a different perspective...
No. You're likely in the majority out in the real world. There are some strong opinions on PH and some loud shouters who scream their opinion and disdain on every thread, and I never understand why they get so defensive/aggressive about these things, but in reality there are far more people/buyers echoing your sentiment than theirs. FWIW, Once I heard the 718 I ordered the last available 918 GTS at my local OPC. I am by no means a purist and I agree with most of what you say, but the noise is a big part of the drive for me so it made sense to me. I'm sure the 718 will sell just fine however and I have no issue with the people who elect to go down the 718 route, different strokes for different folks.

pete.g

1,527 posts

207 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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tyrrell said:
SLK and TT get huge support from their respective manufacturers, SLK's for the last three years can be had for £1.5k down and £270 a month over two years, over on the TT forum they have been getting 13/15 % off list and cheap PCP deals in the last few months. I would suggest that's the main reason for there sales success in the UK is they also start at a much cheaper entry point than Boxster/ Casters.
They are available from £27k upwards which means they are not really in the £50k sports car niche suggested earlier.

Both are also available as diesels - we're still waiting for the announcement of a 718 diesel . . .

ags11

569 posts

141 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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That jest about diesels actually highlights the market. It shows that for a large number of clients the dynamics or technical stuff isn't even on their radar.
The sad reality is if Porsche made cars solely to the liking of Pistonheads they'd be tits up long ago.
It's just a shame that they don't make an enthusiasts model to complement the bread & butter Cayennes etc. At least something more readily available than the so called halo cars.

Gorsh

329 posts

106 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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Comparing SLK's and TT's to Caysters is pointless, most of them are in a different price bracket and they are so far removed from what owning a Porsche means to people. I was wanting a new two seater convertible sportscar last year, luckily I could afford a Boxster and managed to get a BGTS and the Merc and Audi didn't even come into it, as far as I was concerned a six cylinder Porsche was in a different league and much more desirable. No contest and not worth comparing them IMO.

ORD

18,120 posts

128 months

Thursday 28th April 2016
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pete.g said:
They are available from £27k upwards which means they are not really in the £50k sports car niche suggested earlier.

Both are also available as diesels - we're still waiting for the announcement of a 718 diesel . . .
I wouldn't rule it out.

Sustenpass

100 posts

98 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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ags11 said:
It's just a shame that they don't make an enthusiasts model to complement the bread & butter Cayennes etc. At least something more readily available than the so called halo cars.
It would be nice if you could spec some 'purist' options in the configurator when optioning up a 911/Cayman/Boxster.

Things like the shorter-ratio 6-speed, genuine weight savings (doors, bonnet/boot, wheels and beyond), even a different engine.

Make the options expensive if you have to, keep the unique styling for the limited run specials by all means.

This way the investors can collect the flashy motor show starlets, and drivers who want a bit more edge in a standard looking package get what they want too.

Why not, Porsche?

Edited by Sustenpass on Friday 29th April 01:55

fridaypassion

8,579 posts

229 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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All the purist chat unsurprisingly isn't hurting sales. I was at a London OPC the other day and feedback is they are selling like hotcakes. It's a very pretty car. Most people don't really care about the engine. Look how rare sports exhausts are on 987/981s

g7jhp

6,969 posts

239 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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I was at the Hatfield OPC 718 launch event last night. The car looks nice but frankly leaves me cold.

It's pretty, fast and frugal which will appeal to the type of Porsche client who turned up.

Rich, old and wanted to be seen....and be seen in the 'latest new' Porsche.

mr pg

1,954 posts

206 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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I was at Hatfield too last night, and agree with your comments, other than I don't think the styling changes successful. I prefer the 981.
Don't like the dash changes, and the steering wheel is very fussy, as are the lights.
I spoke with the speaker who introduced the short video clips, and pointed out to him that if they'd shown the whole videos, rather than just the 'good' bits, they would have been much more negative.

Krobar

283 posts

108 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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pete.g said:
They are available from £27k upwards which means they are not really in the £50k sports car niche suggested earlier.

Both are also available as diesels - we're still waiting for the announcement of a 718 diesel . . .
Seems to me the biggest competitor to the Boxster will be the TTS and it looks like reasonable value in comparison. Much less standard equipment but much better chassis for about the same price. The release of a diesel "Sports Car" would severely damage the brand in my eyes but if I were 10 years older maybe I would have said the same about a SUV before the release of the Cayenne.

Carl_Manchester

12,230 posts

263 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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fridaypassion said:
All the purist chat unsurprisingly isn't hurting sales. I was at a London OPC the other day and feedback is they are selling like hotcakes. It's a very pretty car. Most people don't really care about the engine. Look how rare sports exhausts are on 987/981s
I agree but this really is not a good barometer for the future of porsche sports cars.

As a londoner, I know you could stick a Porsche badge onto a pile of horse droppings and sell it in central london. They will literally buy anything.

Porsche will get it right eventually with the 781.





Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

247 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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Carl_Manchester said:
As a londoner, I know you could stick a Porsche badge onto a pile of horse droppings and sell it in central london. They will literally buy anything.
Some things never change,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3rpksacEF8

biggrin

v8ksn

4,711 posts

185 months

Friday 29th April 2016
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Ozzie Osmond said:
rofl