My First Porsche - but which one!

New to the Porsche Macan Forums? Introduce yourself here
TJP40
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 6:50 am

Post by TJP40 »

Hi all

New to forum so go easy!

Never really in to Porsche until that is my mate brought round his new 10 yo Boxster last summer and threw me the cars. Have to say it was great fun and the seed was sown that I needed to own a Porsche. This also coincided with me hitting the big 5 - 0 so naturally I deserve a present to myself. Decision cemented when the missus thought it was a good idea....result. I currently have a Nissan Qashqai on lease due to end in May, so once January came round it was time to start thinking about my new toy. A quick visit to Hatfield Porsche and I couldn't look beyond the 718 Cayman....just an eye wateringly beautiful car. The sums scare me to be honest. The most I have ever spent on an outright purchase (i.e. not lease) is £13k!)....but with zero mortgage and good income I need to live a bit more, a sentiment echoed by my teenage kids!

Test drive booked at East London OPC (nearer to home)....unfortunately Cayman not available so gave the 718 Boxster a 10 min spin. I am definitely not a convertible man....just don't have that kind of 'look at me' personality. No offence Boxster owners! Got back from the drive deflated. I didn't have that burning desire of want one. Couldn't put my finger on it.....then I realised I'm probably heavily influenced by the ongoing 4 v 6 pot debate. Have to say I feel I fell into the later camp. Anyhow whilst there we start eyeing up the new Macan and promptly took that for a spin....WOW! Just loved it. We're used to that SUV driving position and this was just on another planet. Wife was practically pushing me to order one. We smiled all the way home and jumped straight on that 'confusarator'.

One sleepless night later my boring sensible head went into overdrive....£55k on a depriciating asset....are you mad! That took the gloss off and I started to reconsider. The sports car itch was still there too for some reason so I thought I'll try a 981 test drive. A quick 10 minute drive in that made me smile more when I turned the engine on and the 2% of the drive where I got to press a bit harder on the pedal. What was lacking IMHO was the refinement and newness of the 718. Like debaters suggest....Porsche missed a trick here. Grrrrr now what. I started to consider older version Macan and the sensible money was on a 3.0 Diesel. Quick research revealed issues with the DPF and something I can't remember. Spoke to the rep at East London OPC and she told me straight....if you're driving round town and short journeys DO NOT BUY THE DIESEL! We'll be bringing it back to get fixed...some admission but enough to put me off for good! Alternative is the 2.0 Petrol but there is a shorter supply and fuel economy not that great.

Confused I do more research.....came across a great Video on YT about the 718 Cayman and the engine debate. The view was that it was an exceptional car and better in every way (including fuel economy) than the 981. Where the 981 excels is when you get the chance to stamp on that pedal....in my case probably 5% of the time if I'm lucky. That seems like a sensible conclusion to me so if I go sports car then the 718 is the choice. Question is could we live with one...can't tell from a 10 minute test drive! We do have another 'family' car to carry us all if needed but these days our teenagers wouldn't be seen dead with us so that's becoming less of a problem.

In concluding, and well done if you've got this far, I need to get my hands on a 718 for a weekend and take the missus away. If it works out then I'll buy used, keep for a year, then evaluate a trade in for a new Macan. We still smile about that test ride so we know that is the long term choice. For now that damn itch just won't go away!

Thanks for reading.....quick question.....do Porsche do extended test drives i.e. for a weekend?

Mr P

MCDK
Posts: 2499
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2016 8:54 pm

Post by MCDK »

Try a Macan GTS. You may find it ticks a lot of your boxes. Needs to be used for now thought as facelift GTS not here yet.
Panthera
Posts: 177
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2019 11:34 am
Location: Northern Ireland

Post by Panthera »

Welcome to the Forum :-)

I enjoyed reading your post and “living” the conundrum with you. Of course there are some members on here who have both! Macan & 718 so hopefully you’ll get some advice soon. I bought myself a 3 yr old Macan SD about a month ago and have to say I love it. Of course when we were in the OPC my wife (who drives a Mk3 TT Roadster) and I were totally smitten by the 718 Boxster so that is next on the “I want” list :D

Have you had a test drive in a Macan S V6 Petrol? Maybe that will give you the combination of sportiness, sound and versatility you’re looking for? Anyway, have fun with the buying process – I have to say it’s my favourite bit!

Cheers, Ray
Last edited by Panthera on Thu Feb 14, 2019 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ray :geek:
Macan SD
Rhodium Silver, 21” Wheels on Air, ACC, Pano Sunroof, 14way Seats, 4x Heated and Steering, Reversing Cam, Spare Wheel, Privacy Glass, PDK Gears, Folding Mirrors,
User avatar
Nuclear Nick
Posts: 3812
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 3:42 pm
Location: Bristol

Post by Nuclear Nick »

We’ve all beeen there TJP40! You’re right to be looking for an extended test drive. My OPC certainly allows 24 hour test drives and, if they sense you’re a serious punter, will let you have it for the weekend, late Friday to early Monday.
Nick

Defender 90 V8

991.2 C2 GTS

Macan Turbo - sold

BMW K1300S, BMW R1250 GSA
gtipirelli
Posts: 582
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:23 pm

Post by gtipirelli »

I have the 2.0 Macan bought new in October 2016 and a 2017 718 Cayman S that I bought used last year that had 8k miles on the clock

I looked for about 6 months on an almost daily basis for the Cayman with my ideal spec. Prices are still very strong on the cayman so that will probably not help the depreciating asset conundrum

A higher powered petrol Macan will also be quite expensive to buy and the fuel consumption will also be quite low

The biggest hurdle is making the initial decision, once you have made it then you will be happy. The Cayman is an amazing car and I swapped into it from a golf that I had owned for 10 years. They are very easy to live with other than the lack of seats, low ground clearance and long wide doors that impact where you park

You only live once and it sounds like your family and financial situation is sorted. The very worse case is that you end up selling it and take a small hit financially but at least you gave it a shot
Cayenne E Hybrid
718 Cayman S
Previous : Macan 2.0
User avatar
Wing Commander
Posts: 19871
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:43 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Post by Wing Commander »

Welcome to The World of Porsche, Mr P! :)

Whichever way you go, you'll have a class-leading car!

I sympathise with your 'problem' and have been a bit "all over the place" myself! ;)

Since 2016 I've had a brand new Macan 2.0, a used 991.1 911 Carerra, a brand new Panamera 4 and lastly a new 911 Carrera T. This last one is my favourite & hopefully a keeper.

As said above, if a Porsche Centre senses that you are a serious buyer, a loan of one for a couple of days should be no problem, especially as in my experience, most of the loaners I've had (for the day when my car being serviced etc) are 718s.
Simon

Sold: 2016 Rhodium Silver Macan 2.0
Sold: 2013 Platinum Silver 911 (991.1) C2
Sold: 2017 Carmine Red Panamera 4
Mine: 991.2 Carrera T Racing Yellow 06/04/2018
Col Lamb
Posts: 9323
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:38 pm
Location: Lancashire

Post by Col Lamb »

Welcome.

Quite a dilema.

I suggest you read the thread .... What to Specify ..in the Orders section since it will give you a lowdown on Porsche Extras, they are pretty universal throughout the model range.

Talking of models, the lineup for each is Base, S, GTS, Turbo, Turbo S and special editions.

The Base and S are fairly light on inclusions hence in the second hand market there is a vast difference in forecourt specs. Knowing what is available will help you narrow down what are the essentials for you.

As an example if I was in the market for a second hand Macan as a minimum I would want 14 way seats, PASM, 20” wheels, LEDs, PS+ and ACC, others here will have their own essentials so its a case of determing what are your own.

Test drive any base Porsche and it will blow you away with how good it is if you are coming from a lesser manufacturer, but said Porsche can be better with the right inclusions.

The Boxster/Cayman being mid engined it does handle superbly but there are a couple of things you need to be aware of, the cabin does have quite a bit of engine noise and in the wet or icy its handling can catch the unwary out.

If you would like to push a Boxster/Cayman to its limits and beyond then book a session or two at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone (check out the posts here on the PEC) where you will drive said car around the circuits/skid pan/ice hill under full instruction. A Boxster/Cayman on the skid pan is very interesting and rewarding to drive.

Talking of PEC place a deposit for a new Porsche and you get an automatic invite to attend the PEC for a free session driving the circuits plus meals.

Enjoy the learning process.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
TJP40
Posts: 18
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2019 6:50 am

Post by TJP40 »

Thanks for the responses people.....glad to see that I'm not the only one who goes around the houses deliberating on this purchase!

Spoke to another OPC today and, as suggested above, agreed for me to take an extended test drive in a vehicle of my chossing once I have decided what car I am most likely to buy. Fair enough.

He added that I shouldn't dismiss the 3.0 SD based on DPF issues. Admitted they do exist from time to time and will be higher risk of occurence for short journey type driving scenarios.....but it can be mitigated against with a long blast from time to time. Appreciate that I am talking to a salesman but at least my market is far wider if I opt for the Macan. He did also add that there are deals to be had which suggests to me that maybe the used diesel Macan market is taking a hit.....that could be a good or bad thing....not sure at this point!

Re options.....already been thinking about that and as a minimum I would opt for:
Metallic Paint
20" wheels
Heated front seats
PASM
14 way seats
75l tank
Smokers package
Front & Rear Parking sensors (for the wife ;-) )
User avatar
Wing Commander
Posts: 19871
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:43 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Post by Wing Commander »

^^^ Front and rear parking sensors are standard on the Macan. ;)
Simon

Sold: 2016 Rhodium Silver Macan 2.0
Sold: 2013 Platinum Silver 911 (991.1) C2
Sold: 2017 Carmine Red Panamera 4
Mine: 991.2 Carrera T Racing Yellow 06/04/2018
Col Lamb
Posts: 9323
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:38 pm
Location: Lancashire

Post by Col Lamb »

I would add a reversing camera to your list.

Rear quarter vision is poor and every bit of help is well worth it, less common is Surround Cam which is even better, especially if you have to squeeze into and or out of tight spaces.

PS+ is the variable assist power steering which progressively reduces to zero assist at road going speeds. Its not really necessary if one never parallel parks/ drives into and out of parking bays but if full lock is required it does lighten the load so do try Macans with and without but as it is software and you or your Wife find the steering heavy when parking or moving off it is easily sorted.

Do also include Xenon lights, the standard Halogen in earlier models was pi55 poor.

DPF is a strange one as there is no reason why some suffer and some do not despite doing short journeys only. Some have been so bad Porsche has taken back the cars so I would suggest only buy an SD if a buy back guarantee is included. Talking of SD you will find that in Comfort mode (Sport button not lit) the gear change is a bit sluggish and a long push of the throttle is required, put it in Sport and it transforms the car. In fact in the SD I had Sport was by far better for town driving and I only used Comfort when out of town or Mway cruising.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
Post Reply

  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post