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My new 1:1
Topic Started: Aug 23 2016, 10:36 PM (1,300 Views)
250 TR
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I've been overdue for a new car for a long time. Before I got my Volkswagen Rabbit, the longest I owned a car was 3 years, and usually it was every year or two. What can I say, there are just too many cars out there I like so I've always changed cars relatively frequently. My Rabbit was a 2008 and I bought it in 2009. I decided I'd find a cheap car and keep it for long enough to get a nice one down the road. I paid $12,000 for it and kept it almost 7 years. I've been quite tempted to get something else many times but all the while in the back of my mind I had a Cayman in mind. I just about drove the wheels off the VW. It's got almost 200,000 and I have not been easy on it. It's been a phenomenal car and I've only had one repair. It's remarkably fun to drive, very thoughtfully laid out, extremely practical, but man is it ever slow.

Well the time has finally come and the patience paid off, I finally bought a new 1:1. It's a 2015 Porsche Cayman with 9000 miles on it. I was looking at 2014's with many more miles and less features but got an amazing deal on this one. A lot of people mistake the Cayman for a 911 Turbo because of the side vents, but no, this is not a $200,000 car. It's the cheapest car Porsche sells, and buying it used was about what the average pickup or SUV would cost. It's not slow by any means but it will not be winning any drag races. A new Mustang would probably blow the doors off of it. Until you go into a corner. This is by far the best driving car I've ever driven. It's very easy to drive and not intimidating at all. If you want to get in, and just commute without thinking much about it, it will let you. If you want to get on it and fly around the corners it will beg for more. I drove it home 3 hours in flooding rain and it was the most stable car I've ever driven in the rain. Nothing seems to phase it. It always tells you what's going on with the road, but is never tiring or overly finicky like many sports cars. I have as much room as I did in my VW. I'm 6'4" and don't even have to have the seat back. I have all the leg, head, shoulder and hip room I could ever want. There is a place for everything with numerous storage bins inside the cabin. All the controls are a perfect arms reach away. In short the ergonomics on this car are outstanding. It's surprisingly practical too. Since it's mid engine there is a trunk in the front (frunk) and a hatch in the back. I can do a full grocery run with room to spare. If I need to run to Home Depot and get something big, it will fit in the hatch. You can even fit a mountain bike inside (granted with the wheels off and in the frunk).

I have an almost 3 year old daughter so safety is a huge concern. The safety cell on it is exceptionally engineered, you can put a car seat in it. The only thing it can't do that my old car could is take all three of us together since it's only a two seater. But we never did that any way. Any time all three of us went somewhere we took my wife's car. Not once have we NEEDED a second four door car. The concession to getting a two seater with a family was that it needed to be an automatic so my wife can drive it and we can switch if needed. But the PDK dual clutch auto in this is amazing. Having driven manuals for almost all my life, I thought I'd miss it more, but so far I honestly don't which the "save the manuals" guy in me might not like to admit but it really is that good. And speaking of my wife, we looked at a few different cars. Another contender was a Jaguar F Type. She loved the Jaguar, it's just a fantastically gorgeous vehicle and she is not big on the styling of Porsche's. So going in to it she was pushing for an F Type. And then she drove it. The F Type is always on. It's a blast to drive but it's not very comfortable and always demands 110% focus. She LOVED driving this. So much so that I think she might be looking for excuses to switch cars as frequently as possible!

I haven't been able to stop smiling since picking it up. I'm looking for excuses to go run errands and find back roads. The sound is just wonderful and fills the cabin when you step on it. Anyway, enough yammering, I'm sure everyone glossed over my essay anyway, on with the pictures:

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One thing about Porsche's. They don't come with any options. If you want a lighted vanity mirror, that'll be $300 please. Oh, you'd like a stereo that's actually built in this century with bluetooth and a USB connection. I'm sorry, that will be extra too. So since literally everything is an option, buying them used can be tricky as you have to double check just about everything on the car to know what you are getting. And while the average new Porsche has $20k in options, thankfully that does not equate on the used market and the difference between a base, base model with no options and one with $20,000 in options is relatively negligible. So I was able to find one with most of the features I would like to have. It has heated and ventilated seats (which will be awesome with a black interior in Texas), Navigation, Bose stereo, power seats, Xenon headlights and a few other things. The only thing I would have liked to have had is the steering wheel with paddle shifters. But they are few and far between unless you step up to the bigger engined S model. All in all, I'm still kind of shocked that I actually have my dream car.

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Firehawk73
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That's awesome looking car Ben! Congrats on living the dream!
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Stampede
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Team Canada
Holy smokes - that looks to be even more awesome up close! You had my attention in the 'What car do you drive thread', and it's great to see some more close up photos, along with your thoughts of it.

Congratulations on being able to buy your dream car, and enjoy it!
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
:congrats:

Glad to see you've got your dream car!




I didn't gloss over your essay. ;)
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Dean-o-mite
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Muscle Car
I read everything, as well, and relived those feelings we experience getting a new car. That is a beautiful car and I am so thrilled for you Ben.
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jedimario
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RAWR
Congrats! Be glad you got the first "driving my new sports car im a torrential downpour" experience out of the way, that is never fun :lol:

The PDK isn't even really an automatic. It is in the sense that gear changes are computer controlled and can be done for you, but the inner workings are nothing like your standard auto box.
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Hobie-wan
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SUV
Always fun to have a new car and especially when you get something you really want without a ton of concessions and compromises. Also, the twisties are always more fun than a straight line. ;)
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Hosspower98
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Forever Blue Oval
I would have never guessed "entry level." I never saw a Porsche that didn't scream AWESOME! What a fantastic dream come true. Congrats and enjoy!!!
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toyotageek
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Japanese Minicar Maniac
Nice step up from the Rabbit! :2thumbsup:
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pjedsel
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Muscle Car
:thumbup: Very nice new ride Ben!
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webestang64
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Minivan
Congratulations on your new set of wheels! :thumbup:
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MBXPilot
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Station Wagon
I was going to make a joke that you stepped up from a Rabbit to a Beetle, but you didn't get a 911 :D

But in all seriousness, that is AWESOME my friend!! Glad you found exactly what you were looking for.
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mbx64
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Matchbox Collector
Very pleased to hear that you have your dream car Ben; it is very pretty. Congratulations!
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microbuss
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SUV
pretty cool
but I'd get the stick shift instead ;)
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250 TR
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Thank you very much everyone! One thing about this car, it seems to make people happy. In the four days I've had it so far, I've seen three different kids drag their parents across the parking lot to look at it, and gotten at least a dozen comments from perfect strangers so far in just four days.

Microbuss, if the stick shift was an option for me, believe me that's what I would have went with. But when you have a wife that graciously lets you buy a two door sports car when you have a kid at home, when she says but I want it to be an auto so we can switch, believe me you jump at the offer. As Rob pointed out, the PDK is mechanically not a traditional automatic. It is about half a second quicker to 60 than the manual version. The manual transmission is sublime in this car, so I would have loved to have it, but this is such a nice transmission that I have yet to miss my clutch pedal (never thought I'd say that but it's the truth).
Edited by 250 TR, Aug 24 2016, 08:57 PM.
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microbuss
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SUV
250 TR
Aug 24 2016, 08:57 PM
Microbuss, if the stick shift was an option for me, believe me that's what I would have went with. But when you have a wife that graciously lets you buy a two door sports car when you have a kid at home, when she says but I want it to be an auto so we can switch, believe me you jump at the offer. As Rob pointed out, the PDK is mechanically not a traditional automatic. It is about half a second quicker to 60 than the manual version. The manual transmission is sublime in this car, so I would have loved to have it, but this is such a nice transmission that I have yet to miss my clutch pedal (never thought I'd say that but it's the truth).
\
well even my sis hates automatics
She finds them boring as heck :lol:

All you do with a automatic is push on the gas pedal & go
Where is the fun in that?? :lol: :lol:

oh I super agree with her ^_^

but I likes your new ride :thumbup: :thumbup:
Edited by microbuss, Aug 24 2016, 09:36 PM.
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carcollector
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:congrats: for your new ride Ben, it looks awesome! :thumbup:
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atombaum
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The Quest Continues
Excellent! Congratulations on a new (excellent looking) car. I'm definitely due for one, but my 2008 Yaris sedan (ho hum) is just too darned reliable.
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426maxwedgie
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Running in the 90's
I work with these daily, and I must ask: does not being able to see/access the engine bother you at all?
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250 TR
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Nice, do you work for a Porsche dealer? Not being able to access the engine really doesn't bother me. You can change the oil without opening up the engine cover as well as most other basic fluids. Anything beyond that I'm not mechanically inclined enough to tackle anyway. And it's not a particularly pretty looking engine, so it's not like some mid engines where you want it under a glass cover to stare at. While I haven't done any work on it, from what I hear it's really not too difficult for those that are inclined to working on their own cars, just a few extra steps. But any lack of mechanical connection from not being able to easily see/access the engine is more than made up by the sounds you hear from it right behind you. I've put about 6000 miles on it so far in the about 6 weeks I've had it, and I'm loving every mile.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

:thumbup: That is awesome, Ben! Congrats!
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Hobie-wan
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SUV
Awesome you're enjoying it so much. :)
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426maxwedgie
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Running in the 90's
250 TR
Oct 13 2016, 09:00 PM
Nice, do you work for a Porsche dealer? Not being able to access the engine really doesn't bother me. You can change the oil without opening up the engine cover as well as most other basic fluids. Anything beyond that I'm not mechanically inclined enough to tackle anyway. And it's not a particularly pretty looking engine, so it's not like some mid engines where you want it under a glass cover to stare at. While I haven't done any work on it, from what I hear it's really not too difficult for those that are inclined to working on their own cars, just a few extra steps. But any lack of mechanical connection from not being able to easily see/access the engine is more than made up by the sounds you hear from it right behind you. I've put about 6000 miles on it so far in the about 6 weeks I've had it, and I'm loving every mile.
I work as a photographer for an auto auction, and Porsche is one of the accounts we picture. I'm personally not a fan of not being able to see my engine, but that's why there's so many different choices for everyone. :) I was genuinely curious as to how you felt about it because my experiences with cars on the job are closest to being stuck in traffic - I'm usually stopped, when I do get to move it's not fast or far, and I get very familiar with every element of the interior and seat controls. Most of my opinions on cars I know from work are based off this, so I never get the full driving part necessary to form a proper opinion.
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250 TR
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Gotcha. Even if you can't ring them out for a proper test, still cool to get to be around cool cars all day. And it's definitely a fair point about the engine. A lot of Cayman owners that's one of their biggest gripes, but it's a trade off that for me is worth it as the packaging efficiency of the way they did it is what makes this car actually liveable as a daily driver. The previous generation Cayman has a few different after market clear engine covers available. Still no easy access but at least you can see it.

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The above engine is also extensively modified for aesthetics. Since it's not supposed to be seen, nothing is colored on the stock unit:

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This is the engine in mine. They don't make a clear cover for it but a few people have home built one. But it doesn't look as clean as the older engine and I think looks kind of strange under a clear cover.

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daniel60
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Personal Luxury Car
Wow what a sexy ride. Man congratulations it's fabulous.
Edited by daniel60, Oct 17 2016, 12:15 AM.
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