What to try while I wait for my manual 718 Cayman GTS 4.0?

[tosh.brice]

I have recently put a deposit on my first Porsche, a manual Cayman 718 GTS 4.0, specced to my slightly idiosyncratic preferences, after borrowing one for a couple of days and loving it. Delivery will be in 10 or 11 months and I'm considering whether to swap my Golf R Mk 7.5 for something else in the meantime, in order to have the fun of experiencing another car that is new to me before getting down to long-term wedded bliss with perhaps my last ICE-powered car.

Cars I have owned in the past (ie, the ones I have liked): Alfasud (first car, hugely enjoyed); Caravelle 2.3 (great apart from the exploding engine - twice); Golf GTI Mk IV; Golf V6 2.8; B6 S4 (with that lovely 4.2 V8); Audi S3; BMW M2 (very briefly; some uninsured clown wrote it off while it was parked outside my home).

What do you suggest?

I would prefer it to be priced between the Golf R (20-25k) and the Cayman (75-80k) but that is not essential.

It might be relatively old but should be reliable and useable over long motorway distances and on small backroads, and not much less practical than the Cayman.

What is essential is that it should have a manual gearbox. I have for various reasons been obliged to own auto cars in the past (including slush boxes, VW and Audi DSG and BMW DCT) as well as driving a few others including recent PDK Porsches and I really don't want to try again.

[RiccardoG]

How about a 993 coupe? Try something a bit vintage while still usable. Should be easy to find a good one within your budget.

[tosh.brice]

RiccardoG said:

How about a 993 coupe? Try something a bit vintage while still usable. Should be easy to find a good one within your budget.

Thanks - that's pretty high on the list :-)

[ds666]

V8 vantage ?

[braddo]

Lotus Evora

[nbetts]

I think I would try a Porsche 996 manual. They drive gloriously and are within budget. It won't lose a great deal and all the weaknesses of that model are well documented

[Stunters]

GR Yaris. An excellent contrast to the GTS 4.0, so much so that you might want to keep them both

[KPB1973]

The world is your oyster but how many seats do you need?

2+2 or 4 seater I'd be looking at an E90/E92 M3.

2-seater I'd say 987.2 of some flavour. Lots of the same experience as the 718 and yet the new one will still feel a significant step up.

[tosh.brice]

Thanks everyone for your swift and thought out replies, which get the imagination flowing and the search engines over-revving.

I had rejected the Elise but not really looked at the Evora which would be much more appropriate - thanks, braddo!

and the idea of a GR Yaris to keep alongside the Cayman is quite exciting, Stunters! I hadn't got beyond an Up! GTI for that!

I had mostly been thinking of a different Porsche - either older (993, 996, 997.2) or junior (987.2, 981) - but something completely different might be a better way to go.

Does anyone have some further out left-field suggestions? (Just so long as it's manual and somewhat practical.)

All suggestions gratefully received!

[Stunters]

Civic Type R (FK8) would be another viable suggestion. I know that the looks are polarising, but people say that it's the GT3 of hot hatchbacks and if you're only potentially looking to keep it for 9-12 months, it would be a good car to experience and to contrast versus your Golf R.

Otherwise, I very much agree with the E90/E92 M3 suggestion. You can just about see my E90 (LCI, Manual) in the Cayman/Yaris photo above!

Enjoy your decision, you've had some very good suggestions in my opinion and having driven all of them apart from a 993, I think I'd be happy with any of them.

EDIT: a manual E46 M3 would also be worthy of consideration if you can find an unmolested one. They are naughtier than the E90/E92 but less of an all-rounder. I had one for 3 years and I loved it. Very confidence-inspiring wet or dry, and better steering in my opinion than its successor.

Edited by Stunters on Wednesday 24th November 20:15

[detee]

How about an Hyundai i20n. I reckon that would be a safe short term place to put your money while having a load of fun for 25k.

[dgswk]

Mini JCW F56, ideally with the now-banned Sports Exhaust. Manual. Hoot of a car at sensible speed, one car I regret selling. If I'm honest, far more 'fun' than my recent 992 C2S. People seem to dismiss them, maybe 'girly image' or looks, who knows.

Would think £15k would pick up a really nice one.

[tosh.brice]

Thanks, all: so far, a 993, an E46 M3 or a JCW are most appealing - the range of those possibilities shows what a lucky chap I am!
Still wide open for more ideas

[Holgate86]

Stunters said:

GR Yaris. An excellent contrast to the GTS 4.0, so much so that you might want to keep them both

But then after driving the GR he'd cancel the GTS.......

[anonymous-user]

Gen 1 R8 with the gated manual box. V8 Vantage.

[tosh.brice]

Thanks again for all your replies.
I have just swapped the Golf R for a nearly new M2 Competition and have a few months to decide whether to make it a long-termer or to trade it in when the Cayman GTS 4.0 comes through.

[Lexington59]

Why not try a 2.5 GTS ?

[tosh.brice]

I took a test drive in both a 718 GTS 2.5 turbo and the 4.0 N/A. I decided that if I was going for a Cayman, I would much prefer the 4.0 N/A.

[veetwin]

+ 1 for a Mini JCW (I had the R56), apart from my old S1 Elise was probably the most fun drivers car I've driven.

Madder than a box of frogs at lower speeds

Doesnt do Motorway journeys very comfortably, though...

[Andyoz]

Cayman R would be a good place to get ready for your 718.