Thanks buddy!
Yes, 20 inches and favorite wheels for the 981 Cayman... When ordering the car I thought they will be a nightmare especially on the roads I use, but the Porsche with its 20 inch wheels is more comfortable than the golf with its 16 inch winter wheels. So, no complaints over there... I just have to be really careful for large potholes.
And on a different subject, I was telling you about the Porsche Experience event I took part in last week. Even if it is not directly connected to the Cayman, I think it plays a part in what will happen with the Cayman later on, so here it goes...
Porsche Romania invited me to take part in this event where, for approx 3 hours you get to experience all the models in the current Porsche range: 718, 911, Macan, Cayenne, Panamera. The had 2 of each (with different engines and specs) and, along with another person, I would drive each of the 5 models but only with one engine (and passenger in the other one). As the Macan, Cayenne and Panamera are of absolutely no interest to me, I will only detail my experiences with the 718 and 911 (992).
The 911 first... This was to be one of my mistakes, I got to drive the 992 S (RWD) first. After this, all the other models in the range were not even close as exciting. Anyway, I have to say the 911 impressed me a lot. So much so, that I have decided that my next Porsche will be a 911. I was having thoughts about the 718 GT4 (to be released later this year) but not any more. The way the car pulls and the way it handles really convinced me to look no further than the 911. The only thing I didn't like was the sound the turbocharged 3.0 makes in the 911 (even with sport exhaust). So, if all goes well, I plan to keep the Cayman because of its great sounding engine and because of the manual gearbox and get an automatic 911 as well in 3-4 years time.
A few photos of the 911:
And I also wanted to share with you my drives in the 718 - they had a 718 Boxster GTS and a 718 Cayman T. This is quite funny because, before buying the current Cayman, I was in discussions with the Porsche Dealer for 2 configurations really close to what they offered now at the event. Back then, I settled for the GTS but because the Dealer was not at all professional when discussion about the financing - making one deal and then not respecting it - I went with the current car.
After driving the Cayman T and being a passenger in the GTS, I am really glad I did not buy the newer 718 generation! The 718's have a nicer steering wheel, navigation system and seats while my car has the 6 Cylinder Engine and a Manual Gearbox. And what a difference those make! I use the car 95% in the city with a 6 mile commute - so I appreciate the NA engine and gearbox much more.
BTW, the Porsche Dealer said that you CAN'T order ANY Porsche models with a manual gearbox in Romania because of the new emission testings which are not yet complete.
A few photos of the Cayman T:
So, what's next for my Cayman?
Well, I plan to drive and enjoy it: in the city, on weekend runs or at the track.
Regarding future mods, I have a few in mind, but none are a must right now:
- the steering wheel (718 Sport with controls)
- I hate the DLR (Daylight Running Lights), especially how rounded they are. So I am thinking of a GTS front bumper - I'll give this some more thought.
- the memory module - to remember the state of the buttons in the center console after the car is switched of (like Start/Stop which I always have to deactivate after starting the engine).
- maybe the X73 front & rear sway bars (these are the ones that come with the cars that have a Sport Chassis)- the car is so good as a daily driver that I don't really want to ruin it - I'll give this some more thought also.
- sport bucket seats after I will no longer need the ISOFIX - so a few years from now.