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Automotive Discussion Thread | OT3 | Playing with our sticks while petting Jaguars!

GHG

Member
I think the special orders for the sportback just opened or is about to open, should be 8 months to delivery. Sedan is probably one batch next year, but might want to check up with them on that.
Not 100% on the TTRS situation, its just something the salesman told me in passing.

They've got a pre facelift rs3 for test drive and probably the facelift one now too, go check em out.

I called them about the TT-RS a couple of weeks ago and they said they don't have any planned allocation for it but they can put in a special order for me if I wanted but it would take a while (plus I'd have to pay over the odds a little bit). No way would I put down that much money on a car without test driving and seeing an example in the flesh first. I saw a new sportback rs3 on the road the other day and it just sounded amazing, loads of crackles and pops.

But anyway, I don't plan on moving away from the charger as my primary car until the start of next year at the earliest so I'm just window shopping at this point.
 

Dr.Guru of Peru

played the long game
I'm trying to decide between a 2014/15 Cayman Base or a 2014/15 Jaguar F-Type Coupe Base. I like the sound and look of the Jaguar, but I've heard the Cayman is a bit more fun to drive and a bit faster.

Any thoughts?
Is it your only car?
I'd get the Cayman if it is.
 

J-Rzez

Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-L8DdwQgys
rs3 sedan does 0-100 kph 3.7s. 4.1 is official. This new aluminum block engine is much more tune-able as well. Would love to see some stage 1 or 2 numbers.

When I have to grow up or my back won't let me daily drive a boy racer anymore, that's my choice. I'm curious too about tuning on them, will they follow the usual euro tune gains, or is it different this time. I'm sitting at est 370-380whp/380-390ftlb. Big jump from 300-305whp, tuning is fun.

That 5cyl sounds really good though. Curious to hear aftermarket.

I hope MB delivers with the next "CLA45 AMG." Competition is great, and would like to have options.
 

Anion

Member
When I have to grow up or my back won't let me daily drive a boy racer anymore, that's my choice. I'm curious too about tuning on them, will they follow the usual euro tune gains, or is it different this time. I'm sitting at est 370-380whp/380-390ftlb. Big jump from 300-305whp, tuning is fun.

That 5cyl sounds really good though. Curious to hear aftermarket.

I hope MB delivers with the next "CLA45 AMG." Competition is great, and would like to have options.

I read that MB was planning on making two versions of CLA/GLA AMGs. The higher end might have electric turbos from what I remember. Its quite literally a horsepower race between MB and Audi in the small sedan market. Seems like every other year one is outperforming the other lol

Had an awesome day at work today!

Sold and delivered a new 718 Boxster, 911 GTS, and Panamera 4. :D
You must have been busy all day haha. Have you done a PTS sale? Im just curious if you had a customer who purposely wanted clashing colors or something crazy haha
 

matmanx1

Member
Had an awesome day at work today!

Sold and delivered a new 718 Boxster, 911 GTS, and Panamera 4. :D

Amazing work. Congrats! If I worked where you do I would feel like I am in wonderland all day long.

Loving the new CX-5. Massive upgrade from my 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. That thing was at the end of it's life.

New CX-5 is awesome. I will definitely be taking my wife to test drive one once we get ready to replace her 06 Altima in a year or two.
 

v1lla21

Member
Big part of me wants to keep it stock as possible so its tough!

Or maybe lightly modded? I already orderd SS lines so thats kinda modding it? Lol
I'd say keep everything as stock as possible but things like wheels isn't much of a biggy if you keep the OEM wheels in case you want to sell the car off in the future.
 

rokkerkory

Member
Small cars and coffee meet today, checking out my buddies JDM right hand drive FD (this is a legit imported right hand car, not conversion)

20292834_10155404853118758_1488693125480088596_n.jpg


20258323_10155404853123758_5325244306297843744_n.jpg
 

Evo X

Member
Sounds like a fun day!

Didn't have time to eat, but didn't care. Lol.

Almost sold a new Macan as well, but dude had shit credit. Like why would you waste everyone's time going to a Porsche dealer with a 500 score and a host of delinquencies?

You must have been busy all day haha. Have you done a PTS sale? Im just curious if you had a customer who purposely wanted clashing colors or something crazy haha

Yeah, I was running around for like 11 hours. Lol.

No PTS sales yet, but my friend ordered a manual 991.2 GT3 in Acid Green through me. Should be here late December if it gets approved!

He's also got a Miami Blue GT2RS on order.

Amazing work. Congrats! If I worked where you do I would feel like I am in wonderland all day long.

Thanks! It really is a great place to work as a car enthusiast. The commission is a nice bonus. :D
 

Pinewood

Member
Didn't have time to eat, but didn't care. Lol.

Almost sold a new Macan as well, but dude had shit credit. Like why would you waste everyone's time going to a Porsche dealer with a 500 score and a host of delinquencies?



Yeah, I was running around for like 11 hours. Lol.

No PTS sales yet, but my friend ordered a manual 991.2 GT3 in Acid Green through me. Should be here late December if it gets approved!

He's also got a Miami Blue GT2RS on order.



Thanks! It really is a great place to work as a car enthusiast. The commission is a nice bonus. :D

Whats the appeal of having different versions of the same car? Is he just that big of a P fan?
 

matmanx1

Member
Didn't have time to eat, but didn't care. Lol.

Almost sold a new Macan as well, but dude had shit credit. Like why would you waste everyone's time going to a Porsche dealer with a 500 score and a host of delinquencies?



Yeah, I was running around for like 11 hours. Lol.

No PTS sales yet, but my friend ordered a manual 991.2 GT3 in Acid Green through me. Should be here late December if it gets approved!

He's also got a Miami Blue GT2RS on order.


Thanks! It really is a great place to work as a car enthusiast. The commission is a nice bonus. :D

Well, if you have to be running around working for 11 hours then that would be my choice of jobs. I wish there was a P dealership or office closer to me. Everything is 1+ hours from where I live.

Question for you though, I assume GT Silver is a fairly easy PTS color for most vehicles to have approved? I'm thinking "my" Macan GTS, when I am ready, would be excellent in GT Silver. It's good to plan these things out in advance, you know? =)
 

e90Mark

Member
Hi AutoGAF,

Hoping some of you can help me see some options that I'm not considering for a new (or used) car purchase in 2018. I'm turning 25 in Q1, so my insurance quotes should be a lot more bearable for a fun car (Metro Detroit). I currently drive a modified 335i, which is in the process of going back to close to stock to become a daily driver and sell my E46.

I'm thinking I'm wanting to leave BMW and try a different brand. I've been considering a C7 Grand Sport. I really like the C7 for the Targa top, since this would be a summer car (I work for GM, so could get decent discounts as well.) I'm also really wanting to try a Porsche. I'm not totally versed in all the generations. Maybe something like a Cayman/S or 911 if I can fit it in the budget.

Really just looking for something fun to drive with nice weather. I love the sound of a V8, but also am a German car fan. 2 seater is no problem. I'm looking for something max about 60k. What would you guys recommend?
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Hi AutoGAF,

Hoping some of you can help me see some options that I'm not considering for a new (or used) car purchase in 2018. I'm turning 25 in Q1, so my insurance quotes should be a lot more bearable for a fun car (Metro Detroit). I currently drive a modified 335i, which is in the process of going back to close to stock to become a daily driver and sell my E46.

I'm thinking I'm wanting to leave BMW and try a different brand. I've been considering a C7 Grand Sport. I really like the C7 for the Targa top, since this would be a summer car (I work for GM, so could get decent discounts as well.) I'm also really wanting to try a Porsche. I'm not totally versed in all the generations. Maybe something like a Cayman/S or 911 if I can fit it in the budget.

Really just looking for something fun to drive with nice weather. I love the sound of a V8, but also am a German car fan. 2 seater is no problem. I'm looking for something max about 60k. What would you guys recommend?

60K would net you a pretty barebones Cayman or Boxster. And considering the absolutely incredible bargain you get for Corvettes (PLUS your discount), it'd be silly to consider used Porsches of any kind or even used Jag F-Types.

Since you're leaving BMW behind, I really think a C7 with Z51 package would be great.

But, I would highly recommend driving a pre-owned CPO Jaguar XKR. 2014 models can definitely had for under 60K (and depreciation seems to be slowing down a lot since it was the last of the XKs), and the warranty + CPO will go on for another 3 years.

Furthermore, Jag's CPO warranty is virtually all inclusive - it's covered stuff I didn't think they would. XKR doesn't handle quite like the Vette, but it handles better than the competing BMW M6, as an example. If you're a car guy, I'm sure you know what an open-valved Jaguar 5.0 sounds like when you hit the dynamic button. And I'm sure you know it makes over 500HP. The navigation screen is a little dated, but it's functional, and the Bowers/Wilkins audio is something else. The overall interior quality is very premium, virtually nothing cheap to the touch.

Also, much like the BMW, it is extremely cheap and easy to get 600HP out of the Jag. Flash + Pulley is $1500. That's it.
 

ShowDog

Member
Big part of me wants to keep it stock as possible so its tough!

Or maybe lightly modded? I already orderd SS lines so thats kinda modding it? Lol

I've got an 06 and I can say the Hondata Flashpro plus a cat-delete and tune from Gernby in the s2ki forums really changes the way the car drives for the better. Gives you an extra 500 rpm up top, fattens the powerband all the way down and also changes sensitivity of the gas pedal at parking lot speeds for the better (less sensitive). Total for everything will run you just under $1000 and it all goes back to stock in about 30 minutes. Only works on the 06+ cars though, didn't catch what year yours was.

Also can say an aftermarket intake will make the car sound MUCH more lively when you step on the gas without being remotely obnoxious to anyone else or attracting the attention of Johnny Law. Also avoids any kind of exhaust droning problems if this is a DD.
 

e90Mark

Member
60K would net you a pretty barebones Cayman or Boxster. And considering the absolutely incredible bargain you get for Corvettes (PLUS your discount), it'd be silly to consider used Porsches of any kind or even used Jag F-Types.

Since you're leaving BMW behind, I really think a C7 with Z51 package would be great.

But, I would highly recommend driving a pre-owned CPO Jaguar XKR. 2014 models can definitely had for under 60K (and depreciation seems to be slowing down a lot since it was the last of the XKs), and the warranty + CPO will go on for another 3 years.

Furthermore, Jag's CPO warranty is virtually all inclusive - it's covered stuff I didn't think they would. XKR doesn't handle quite like the Vette, but it handles better than the competing BMW M6, as an example. If you're a car guy, I'm sure you know what an open-valved Jaguar 5.0 sounds like when you hit the dynamic button. And I'm sure you know it makes over 500HP. The navigation screen is a little dated, but it's functional, and the Bowers/Wilkins audio is something else. The overall interior quality is very premium, virtually nothing cheap to the touch.

Also, much like the BMW, it is extremely cheap and easy to get 600HP out of the Jag. Flash + Pulley is $1500. That's it.
I haven't considered something like a GT, let alone a Jaguar. That XKR looks absolutely amazing. Jaguars, to me, have been mostly for old people. My late uncle was a huge Jaguar fan and had an XJ(X-Type, maybe?) and what I assume was a early 2000s XK (It was a convertible). My buddy picked up an XE earlier this year, and I think it looks so ugly. But seeing the late model F-Type and XKR, oh man. $1500 for 600HP? Sign me up. That's a bargain.

Do you think it's worth it to step up to the Grand Sport from the C7 w/ Z51? The wide body really gets me.
That's probably a great choice. Check one out if you can e90Mark.
Definitely seeming like the best choice at the moment! I wish getting a discount on the car wasn't such a big deal, because I think I'd definitely enjoy rolling around in an XKR. I've no allegiance to the company I work for, lol. It's hard being an enthusiast, as you're not left with many choices from GM.

Evo X has it easier with Porsche, haha.
 
hfqxnwh.jpg


  • 2018 Mustang GT in Drag Strip mode can reach 60 mph in under four seconds – faster than a Porsche 911 and setting a new standard as the fastest Mustang GT ever.
  • Redesigned 5.0-liter V8 with all-new available 10-speed SelectShift® automatic sees power increased to 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque.
  • Drag Strip mode optimizes torque, transmission and newly available custom-designed Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires to deliver maximum acceleration and performance in straight-line driving.
"The car's 5.0-liter V8 now features dual-fuel, high-pressure direct injection and low-pressure port fuel injection technology for increased power and efficiency. The engine's 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque represent improvements over the current model's 435 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. The result is an engine that delivers robust low-end torque, high-rpm power and improved fuel efficiency."

The Ecoboost version is also getting an upgrade:
"The retuned EcoBoost four-cylinder generates 310 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque – a 30 lb.-ft. gain over the current model. In Drag Strip mode with Performance Package and the 10-speed automatic, the 2018 EcoBoost-powered Mustang posts an impressive 0-to-60-mph time of under five seconds."

More at links:
https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/07/24/fastest-mustang-GT.html

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/07/2018-ford-mustang-gt-beats-porsche-911-in-a-race.html
 

matmanx1

Member
hfqxnwh.jpg


  • 2018 Mustang GT in Drag Strip mode can reach 60 mph in under four seconds – faster than a Porsche 911 and setting a new standard as the fastest Mustang GT ever.
  • Redesigned 5.0-liter V8 with all-new available 10-speed SelectShift® automatic sees power increased to 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque.
  • Drag Strip mode optimizes torque, transmission and newly available custom-designed Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires to deliver maximum acceleration and performance in straight-line driving.
"The car’s 5.0-liter V8 now features dual-fuel, high-pressure direct injection and low-pressure port fuel injection technology for increased power and efficiency. The engine’s 460 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque represent improvements over the current model’s 435 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. The result is an engine that delivers robust low-end torque, high-rpm power and improved fuel efficiency."

The Ecoboost version is also getting an upgrade:
"The retuned EcoBoost four-cylinder generates 310 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque – a 30 lb.-ft. gain over the current model. In Drag Strip mode with Performance Package and the 10-speed automatic, the 2018 EcoBoost-powered Mustang posts an impressive 0-to-60-mph time of under five seconds."

More at links:
https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/07/24/fastest-mustang-GT.html

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/07/2018-ford-mustang-gt-beats-porsche-911-in-a-race.html

Wow at that straight line performance! Of course I notice they dont say anything about weight reduction, improved handling or improved brakes which is where my problems with the Mustang come in. Still, for cheap, RWD speed it should be a straight line menace.
 
Wow at that straight line performance! Of course I notice they dont say anything about weight reduction, improved handling or improved brakes which is where my problems with the Mustang come in. Still, for cheap, RWD speed it should be a straight line menace.
The optional Performance Package takes care of both of those issues.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
I haven't considered something like a GT, let alone a Jaguar. That XKR looks absolutely amazing. Jaguars, to me, have been mostly for old people. My late uncle was a huge Jaguar fan and had an XJ(X-Type, maybe?) and what I assume was a early 2000s XK (It was a convertible). My buddy picked up an XE earlier this year, and I think it looks so ugly. But seeing the late model F-Type and XKR, oh man. $1500 for 600HP? Sign me up. That's a bargain.

Do you think it's worth it to step up to the Grand Sport from the C7 w/ Z51? The wide body really gets me.

Definitely seeming like the best choice at the moment! I wish getting a discount on the car wasn't such a big deal, because I think I'd definitely enjoy rolling around in an XKR. I've no allegiance to the company I work for, lol. It's hard being an enthusiast, as you're not left with many choices from GM.

Evo X has it easier with Porsche, haha.

Is your friend's XE a base model with the halogen lights? Those are ugly. Otherwise, I think XE's are sharp little cars when spec'd correctly.

But yeah, if you have no allegiance to Chevy or GM, I really suggest taking an XKR out for a ride. The old man stigma of Jaguars is gone once the 5.0 V8s (and their supercharged variants) arrived for the XK, XF, XJ, and now the F-Type. And you'll especially love how rare XKRs are, compared to your every day Corvettes. Yet, despite their rarity, XKRs are not very expensive to maintain at all either and are known to be extremely reliable machines. You'll also get a lot of pleasant attention from all sorts of people. By pleasant I mean compliments and thumbs up.
 

e90Mark

Member
Is your friend's XE a base model with the halogen lights? Those are ugly. Otherwise, I think XE's are sharp little cars when spec'd correctly.

But yeah, if you have no allegiance to Chevy or GM, I really suggest taking an XKR out for a ride. The old man stigma of Jaguars is gone once the 5.0 V8s (and their supercharged variants) arrived for the XK, XF, XJ, and now the F-Type. And you'll especially love how rare XKRs are, compared to your every day Corvettes. Yet, despite their rarity, XKRs are not very expensive to maintain at all either and are known to be extremely reliable machines. You'll also get a lot of pleasant attention from all sorts of people. By pleasant I mean compliments and thumbs up.

I definitely like the idea. I just did a quick look for CPO and I have nothing in a 500 mile radius, even for used! I'll keep an eye out, but I've never actually traveled out of state to buy a car.
 
Wow at that straight line performance! Of course I notice they dont say anything about weight reduction, improved handling or improved brakes which is where my problems with the Mustang come in. Still, for cheap, RWD speed it should be a straight line menace.

Eh, getting at least close to that was pretty much a requirement. The Camaro SS has been that fast for a couple years now. Think they're trying to outdo it by a few horsepower.
 

Evo X

Member
Whats the appeal of having different versions of the same car? Is he just that big of a P fan?

The GT3 and GT2 drive like completely different beats. He's also most likely going to trade in the GT3 when GT2 releases since the orders will arrive a year apart.

Well, if you have to be running around working for 11 hours then that would be my choice of jobs. I wish there was a P dealership or office closer to me. Everything is 1+ hours from where I live.

Question for you though, I assume GT Silver is a fairly easy PTS color for most vehicles to have approved? I'm thinking "my" Macan GTS, when I am ready, would be excellent in GT Silver. It's good to plan these things out in advance, you know? =)

Yes, PTS is much easier to get if it is on the Porsche approved list and it is a non specialty car.
 

Blitzhex

Member
Didn't have time to eat, but didn't care. Lol.

Almost sold a new Macan as well, but dude had shit credit. Like why would you waste everyone's time going to a Porsche dealer with a 500 score and a host of delinquencies?



Yeah, I was running around for like 11 hours. Lol.

No PTS sales yet, but my friend ordered a manual 991.2 GT3 in Acid Green through me. Should be here late December if it gets approved!

He's also got a Miami Blue GT2RS on order.



Thanks! It really is a great place to work as a car enthusiast. The commission is a nice bonus. :D

Is it easy to buy a GT2 RS there?
 
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Its amazing stuff like that is passable, like threats against cops as well. Yet bans get thrown around for far lesser offenses. I was glad I got to partake in that thread while it lasted.

Remember a while back about people saying they were going to key and zip tie shopping carts to door handles of people who thought they were special parking far away from others? These kids here are such spineless punks they resort to tactics they won't get caught by the owners.

Fucking what? I always do that :-/

Parking far away from others that is.
 
Fucking what? I always do that :-/

Parking far away from others that is.

Same here.

If somebody zip ties a shopping cart and keys my car when I'm parked far away... let's just say I live in Texas where not only CHL's are abundant and ridiculously easy to get, open carry is perfectly legal too.
 

matmanx1

Member
The optional Performance Package takes care of both of those issues.

It does improve the braking and handling to a degree but it does nothing to help the weight of the car which is a pretty major gripe of mine. It's not just the Mustang though, I have the same complaint about the Camaro. The Camaro is 3700+ and the Mustang is 3800+ pounds. As fast as they are they could both stand to lose a couple hundred pounds. Pushing two tons in a rear wheel drive coupe with only two usable seats isn't exactly a bragging point.

Edit - I should say that my preferred type of sports car is almost always going to be the smaller and lighter one, regardless of power. I am a Miata driver, after all. I have owned two different V8 Mustangs (a 68 and a 91) so I am a Mustang fan but to me the last couple of iterations have just been too big and too heavy.
 
So, what's everybody's favorite rental car?

Last week I rented a V6 Mustang convertible for CO back road driving and it turned out not half bad.

My general notes are:

Good stuff:
Engine makes alright acceleration but nothing I'd call quick.
Very decent weight balance, corners pretty damn well
Convertible top is great for Summer driving in the mountains because it just lets you see everything
This unit was loaded as heck and I appreciated the Apple Carplay stuff for sure, even though I like Google Maps better.
Styling grew on me a ton. I've seen the current gen Mustang around quite a bit but never really appreciated what it looked like until I drove one for a week. Looks nice in profile, especially with the top down.
I like some of the old school style internal bits like the dip switches for the drive mode selector. Fun stuff.
Gas mileage was decent too, low 30s.

Bad Stuff:
I still hate automatic transmissions and this one is no exception. The usual stuff, gear hunting on hills, delayed acceleration when you mash it, weird acceleration curves due to it shifting at inconvenient points.
Miserable rear visibility with the top up.
Engine lacks refinement and is kinda buzzy. Exhaust note should be better on a sporty car like this.
This thing is definitely slower than my V6 Accord 6MT. With a supposed 40 or so HP advantage.
As expected, the car has rigidity issues being a droptop and you can feel/hear the car flexing at the door joints when the suspension travels over bumps.
Too many damn buttons, most of which are pointless. AC should be set and forget, for example. Why do I need AC and MAX AC? Isn't that the point of climate control?
Impossible to get the backlight correct on the instrument cluster at dusk with the lights on
Had an extremely silly lighting package that projected the pony symbol onto the ground at night.
Really cheap interior door panels


TLDR version is renting a droptop is totally worth it if you're in a place with good driving but this thing wouldn't even come close to my daily despite costing about the same. Beats the everloving crap out of any of the base cars you get on a rental though. Worth the extra money.
 

Evo X

Member
Lamborghini Chicago go two Centenarios today. Just watched a live stream of them uncrating a white Roadster. Gonna go check it out as it's probably the only chance I'll have to ever see one in person.
 

burgerdog

Member
Anyone have any opinions on this car? https://www.carmax.com/car/14750290

2014 Base Cayman.

Pros:
In my price range
Fairly new, miles are OK
Sweet red with black interior

Cons:
Not an S (I probably can't afford an S though. unless it was an older model)
No sport chrono

Looks like a pretty barebones Cayman. It has in my opinion, the crappy steering wheel. No porsche sport exhaust, sport plus(as you mentioned)

I would want my Cayman to look more like this(look at the buttons below the shift lever)
This one has the regular steering wheel, too. :( I know the pic is at an angle but you can see it has a bit more buttons to use.

As opposed to this:
 
Is your friend's XE a base model with the halogen lights? Those are ugly. Otherwise, I think XE's are sharp little cars when spec'd correctly.

But yeah, if you have no allegiance to Chevy or GM, I really suggest taking an XKR out for a ride. The old man stigma of Jaguars is gone once the 5.0 V8s (and their supercharged variants) arrived for the XK, XF, XJ, and now the F-Type. And you'll especially love how rare XKRs are, compared to your every day Corvettes. Yet, despite their rarity, XKRs are not very expensive to maintain at all either and are known to be extremely reliable machines. You'll also get a lot of pleasant attention from all sorts of people. By pleasant I mean compliments and thumbs up.

You've posted great pictures of your car in the past. You should post them again or some new ones for him. The last time you posted pictures of your car, it made my day. After a long and frustrating day at work and life in general, it was nice to just sit back, look at a nice car that someone has.
 

Futaba

Member
Ended up renting a Vauxhall Mokka X last week as a last minute kinda thing, after spending years in low slung cars it almost felt like driving a bus.

Found a staggeringly glaring design flaw with it within minutes, too.

If one of the rear windows is opened beyond 10% and the other side is left closed, wind buffets the car in a way that a pulsing pressure fills the cabin and progressively gets worse until you can't actually hear anything.

The only solution is to close the window or open the window on the other side.

The sound is so intense that the first few times it happened I actually thought the rear suspension had got itself caught up in some sort of harmonic vibration.

Absolutely shocking, a shame really because for the most part it was actually fairly pleasant to drive.
 
Anyone have any opinions on this car? https://www.carmax.com/car/14750290

2014 Base Cayman.

Pros:
In my price range
Fairly new, miles are OK
Sweet red with black interior

Cons:
Not an S (I probably can't afford an S though. unless it was an older model)
No sport chrono

Relatively Objective Opinion on Driving Dynamics:

The Porsche Cayman Base drives and handles exceptionally well. The only real criticism against it, if any, is the lack of power in the Base model. But after owning a 981 Base, 981 S, and 718 Base, I'll tell you why I enjoy the Base 981 more than the S 981 at times.

I can't see the price so I can't really give you a real recommendation. However, I can say after owning and driving these that the Base Cayman is really fun. It lacks power compared to the Cayman S 981, however, if you put it into Sport mode, it handles very well and gets rid of the low end lack of power when needing to change lanes quickly and stuff. The Cayman S and the 718 Cayman don't have this problem even in normal mode. However, if you just drive normally, then Sport mode isn't needed in the Base.

If you want the Launch mode, then you'll need Sport Chrono package and you get a sweet analog clock on the dashboard. If you don't plan on going on the track or autocrossing, you probably don't need Sport Chrono package unless it's for aesthetics reasons.

My Personal Opinion if I were to get one again, after looking back at my experiences:

I like the Sport Chrono package because I think having the analog clock really makes the cabin look a bit more classy. The extra Sport Plus button is also nice, but I never actually use it.

I personally don't like buttons on my steering wheel because I like the more pure, raw driving experience so when I'm driving on roads with twists and turns, I don't press buttons by accident, which happens to me when I have buttons on the wheel.

Lastly, there are some attributes I like from the Base Cayman more than the Cayman S. I think people put too much emphasis on power in a car sometimes and after driving a lot of cars in recent years, I've come to learn that driving a car to its fullest is way more fun than driving a fast car slow... I rarely or never get to use the Cayman S or 718 Cayman Base anywhere close to their potential or even half or even less than half of their potential. That's just breaking all sorts of speed limits in California and asking to run off a cliff where I usually drive on weekends.

However, the Base Cayman 981 has enough power for you to fully explore the limits of that car and has some power left over for the track. I actually had the most fun driving the 987 Base Boxster and 981 Base Cayman more than the faster cars since I rarely get to track my cars. In this respect, I think you won't regret getting a Base Cayman. For instance, that howl of the flat-6 engine you keep hearing Porsche fanatics rave about online? In a Cayman S 981, you only hear it at higher revs...which means you're basically breaking the speed limit constantly to get that sound. The Base Cayman 981, you hear it as you drive around and have fun on any roads, not just the track. You hear it when you're getting off and onto the highway. You hear it on the highway when driving at the flow of traffic, passing cars, or going between cars. You hear it when you are on the twists and turns of a country side road or mountain roads best. You hear the engine way more in the Base Cayman 981 than the Cayman S 981, and for that, I think a Base Cayman is a fantastic purchase. I've had more fun with it than the higher powered cars I've driven and owned.

For your car of interest, the buttons on the dash in the pictures you linked, in particular the climate control buttons seem to have stuff in between the buttons. Just make sure the buttons work and the bunk in the middle of the buttons are dried or causing the buttons to not work.

However, the Guards Red exterior color is awesome on the Cayman and Boxster 981. It stands out a lot. Not too many red Caymans/Boxsters. So that's a plus if you want attention.

As a previous poster said, the Cayman looks barebones. I do see that the car has navigation and bluetooth, so those are huge pluses in my book. There are some Caymans I've seen that did not option the Navigation or Bluetooth and that's annoying. I rented a 981 Boxster a couple weekends ago on a vacation and there was no Bluetooth option. That was actually frustrating since I needed to make calls.

My best advice is to go check it out and get a test drive:
-Always test drive, always, always, always
-At idle, do some of these:
-Play with the buttons and functions of the car (infotainment, bluetooth, nav, etc.)
-Test out the power buttons for the seats, make sure the seats can be positioned for you
-Also make sure the passenger seats can be positioned appropriately
-Above the glove compartment, pull out the cup holders, make sure they work
-Press the manual button to deploy the spoiler in the back, make sure it works
-Open up the front trunk and rear trunk, make sure they close and open correctly
-Ask for the service records, make sure the car never went in for anything big
-While test driving, test out the sport button, test out the paddle shifters, etc.
-When test driving, turn off the music, listen for any rattling noise in the back hatch

If you have any questions about this car or others, just PM me.
 
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