Confused and unsure on next step

fnumber1user · 30 Oct 2019

Hi all, drove a 2wd 992s at PECS and absolutely fell in love - I had wholeheartedly expected it to be a complete animal and not remotely practical for everyday use (I cover about 24-26k business miles per annum) but it wasn't. I found it comfortable, quiet and refined when it needed to be, but also great fun and engaging when being pushed.

Cue lots of phonecalls, emails, and research into possibility of purchase - to replace the BMW I currently use. Anyhow the 992s is looking further and further from my grasps mainly due to mileage I cover.

Have booked a Cayman at PECS November 20th and wondered if anyone else has been in the same predicament... From a cost perspective I can lease Cayman GTS PDK with a few options as predominantly a weekend car, keep the BMW for business use, and still have change compared to sourcing a 992s.

I like the idea of leasing a car as I can offset costs against my business, have a full maintenance package, and peace of mind that goes with a new car.

What's playing on my mind is will I be satisfied with the 718, will Porsche revert to 6 cylinder lumps in next generation Caymans - as per GT4 (fat chance of being able to secure one of those), or what is likely to replace the 718 in the near future? Taycan is out of the question from a business perspective as my nearest customer is a circa 200mile round trip, and I do that trip roughly 3 times a week (with some occasional overnights).

So, do I:

1. Bite the bullet and purchase an older model 911?
2. Get the Cayman GTS - it's a great car, and source a 911 another time?
3. Hold fire full stop - until such time as mind is focused/fully committed to one model, and one model alone.
4. Any other suggestions.

Anyone else been in the same/similar predicament, and if so which way did you jump, plus are you happy with the route taken/car chosen.

Thanks in advance for any insight offered :thumb:

T8 · 30 Oct 2019

I'd go for options 1 or 2.

If you can get hold of a low mileage 991 it would be far cheaper than a new 992 and be a great 'daily'. Having a Cayman GTS for weekend and occasional business use would be great too. :thumb:

I'd be very surprised if the next generation of 'ordinary' Caymans had 6 cylinders although I suppose there's a possibility the GTS could have a detuned version of the GT4 lump. :dont know:

jonttt · 30 Oct 2019

It looks like Porsche will be adding a 6 cylinder to the 718 lineup but no doubt at premium over the 4 cylinder models so you will likely be into 992 money or not far off.

Welcome to the dilemma faced by a lot when weighing up BIK / cost to a business v pleasure of driving a fun car when you actually need to do some miles. I was 'lucky" when I was younger and just went for it, driving a what was new then 430 for 30k miles business use at one point amongst a fortune spent over the years on 'sporty" company cars (I have always dreaded actually working out how much I have spent on sports cars) but I don't regret it one bit. However now that I am older, have family commitments etc.... I drive a 'sensible" and relatively tax friendly 7 series as a daily and run older sports cars for fun. It then becomes more about the ownership experience than the actually driving and more of a hobby than it ever was before. It really depends what you are looking for and how relatively financially reckless you want to be......but you only live once :grin:

Its great credit to Porsche that they are so viable as a daily that you have the dilemma but there is no write / wrong answer unless you ignore your heart and simply listen to your head and then its easy ie you would run a sensible company car and start a new hobby :wink:

Ps I would look at a 981 GTS before a 718, much more fun but of course thats subjective :wack:

spongebob squarepants · 30 Oct 2019

Never let your head rule your heart, you only live once (actually no one knows if that's true) but whatever you do, don't buy the 718, Porsche makes brilliant sports cars, that's not one of them!

The miles will kill it as your daily, so I'd vote for the weekender, I hate agreeing with Jonttt but the 981 fits the bill perfectly :thumb:

If you did get a business 911, 991 everytime. There's some bargain 3.4's out there at the moment at BMW prices :thumb:

Zingari · 30 Oct 2019

jonttt said:
It looks like Porsche will be adding a 6 cylinder to the 718 lineup but no doubt at premium over the 4 cylinder models so you will likely be into 992 money or not far off.

I thought that was smoke and mirrors outside of the new GT4 and Spyder. It wouldn't make sense to introduce a flat 6 to the range unless they are thinking it will help shift all the unsold 4-pot variants by dropping the correct engine in :grin:

fnumber1user · 30 Oct 2019

Thanks for all the answers so far...much appreciated. From a lease perspective running a Cayman GTS at 24-26k miles PA is circa £1400 a month, but wholly tax deductible (as I'm the company director). Same car but on 5-10k miles PA is circa £900, or in other words keep the BMW and run the Cayman as a weekend toy - and claim both on business/against tax - cost is just over £100 extra compared to having just the Cayman on a high mileage agreement.

The 911 quote from Porsche (for a 992s with maintenance) worked out at over £1900 a month, plus a pretty sizeable deposit and as much as I would love (?need?) a Gentian Blue 992s, with a few sensible options, £1900 a month is a fair old chunk of ££££.

fnumber1user · 20 Nov 2019

So back to PEC Silverstone today, and they put me in a base model Cayman (albeit with some options). Have to say in comparison to the 911S I drove previously that the Cayman was an absolute revelation.

Way less forgiving than the 911, when things go wrong they go wrong quickly!, but as and when your skill and confidence in the car grows, so too do the rewards.

Kudos to my co-pilot for the day Ben (many thanks if you read this!), gave me some great pointers and came away from the whole experience even more confused over what to do next. Must also say that the Cayman GT4 looks absolutely gorgeous...anyone got a crystal ball and able to say categorically what the likelihood is of Porsche fitting 6 cylinder lumps across more of the Cayman range? :?:

991.2GTS · 21 Nov 2019

I waited 30 years to buy my first 911. I could have bought one maybe 5 years sooner, but always found reasons not to. And knowing what I know now, that will always feel like 5 years wasted.

I finally took the plunge last year, and the car was delivered in February. Since then I've put 10k miles on it. I had very high expectations going in, and these were met and easily surpassed.

If you have the chance to own a 911, do it. Don't think about it. Don't look for reasons not to. Life is hard, but some things make it bearable. The 911 is one of those things.

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