V6 Exige to Cayman R

[Simon82]

Considering the above change for a few reasons really but wondering if I would promptly regret it.
Anyone got experience with Cayman S or R and could offer opinion on them would be much appreciated

[douglasgdmw]

Not an exact straight swap but had an Evora, then a deposit down on a V6 Exige (which I cancelled due to the Lotus debacle at the time) and then went to a Boxster Spyder.

Definitely not regretted the move considering the residuals on the Spyder have been fantastic I.e. the cars appreciated

Regarding the driving experience, it has been absolutely fantastic, probably not as focussed as the V6 would have been but is pretty damn close. The Porsche has the advantage that it's not quite a wearing on a long drive as I would suspect the V6 to be.

Regarding interior, well its absolutely miles apart and the tactile feel you get from a Porsche is something that Lotus continually strives for but falls way off the mark. The ability to have decent luggage space for a weekend/week away is also a bonus.

Make sure you get the Carbon Buckets on the R, you lose the heated option but they are really comfy. Only disadvantage is that you sit lower so if your a little shorter than 5" 8' then your view won't be so great.

I suspect there are quite a few on the market with buyers getting rid for the GT4, same happened with the Spyder as there are about 5 for sale at present.

George

[Simon82]

Thanks for that George, thats a pretty good insight into it. Could i ask if yours is manual or PDK? I like the look of the spyder and would also consider one of them too but not sure i'd buy a porsche privately and most seem to be private sales just now at least.

[douglasgdmw]

Mine is a manual, there is a short shift kit available which makes the car feel a little bit more sporting. We have not got round to fitting that yet. Only downside I heard from the OPC is that it can feel a little bit crunchy when cold.

I did have a test drive in a 981 Boxster with PDK but did not really like it as changing manually is part of the sensation with a sports car, feel too easy otherwise.

To be honest I would not be too bothered about private sales, some of the cars have Porsche warranty and you can extend them if you get an OPC to perform the checks. Any OPC will inspect a vehicle for a nominal fee. I would recommend you get this done as it will check for any over revs so you know how the cars been treated.

Happy for you to have a look over mine if you want if your in the area as I know they are not exactly very common place with only 200 made in the UK.

Cheers
George

[ChrisG]

Like George, I also had a manual Boxster Spyder which I sold to get my current V6 Exige. I did like the Spyder however in my opinion the Lotus has an added element of something the Porsche didn’t have. Needless to say the Porsche is way better built and cheaper to run in terms of 2-yearly servicing etc.

I have a friend who has had 987 and 981 models. It sounds like the 981 really did improve on the last model do worth a look there.

18 months in to my Exige ownership I’m having the first thoughts of what next and a Cayman GTS has crossed my mind.

[Simon82]

Thanks for the input guys, Sounds more or less like what i thought really, never going to match the raw appeal of the exige but pretty much every other point is met or bettered by the porsche...Definitely something to think about then. I may take you up on that offer of a nosey in a few weeks time George if its still on the table then

I do like the 981 Cayman a lot and it's definitely on the list but for now there is something I like about the 987 version and with the strong residuals on the R and the Spyder I thought they could be worth a look.

[douglasgdmw]

I may take you up on that offer of a nosey in a few weeks time George if its still on the table then

No problems, just give me a shout as the car often languishes in the garage and does not get out as much as it should.

I also had a test drive in a 981 Boxster and the electric steering kind of spoilt it for me although agree with Chris that they have made a lot of improvements.

However I do think in years to come the 987 Spyder residuals will pass the 981 Spyders due to the more driver orientated appeal. The demographic has kinda changed as the 987 Spyder was often bought by people wanting a more purist version, whereas a lot of the 981 Spyder owners are looking towards it as a more powerful version with an easier Spyder hood & individual styling but speccing it with everyday driver appeal. Therefore not many "pure" 981 Spyders out there.

George

[C7Steve]

Considering the above change for a few reasons really but wondering if I would promptly regret it.
Anyone got experience with Cayman S or R and could offer opinion on them would be much appreciated

I would not sell my car because of the Evo review.


Steve.

[Simon82]

Considering the above change for a few reasons really but wondering if I would promptly regret it.
Anyone got experience with Cayman S or R and could offer opinion on them would be much appreciated

I would not sell my car because of the Evo review.


Steve.

Lol Busted! Nah its nothing to do with that to be honest Steve (to be fair they had nothing but praise for the Exige). Few things that i'm a little dissapointed with in the Exige. Originally was going to keep it until next summer but considering it now if the numbers make sense(not something i usually consider with cars so i must be getting wise in my old age )

[douglasgdmw]

Did notice this for sale:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/ ... dr/4380471

Admit that Aberdeen OPC are not the best to deal with (heard some horror stories) and it has the sports seats rather than the buckets and no PSE.

George

[ChrisG]

I thought PSE was standard on the Spyder and R?

[douglasgdmw]

I thought PSE was standard on the Spyder and R?

Chris,

You would have thought so but its not the case as there are a large number out there that do not have it. On my Spyder brochure it has it as an additional option.

Remember that Porsche are experts on getting more money out of customers with the options

George

[Simon82]

I had looked at that one at Aberdeen and it does have the Bose specced which i would quite like but not over the bucket seats to be honest plus not sure that red woudl be my first choice on the Cayman, I'm negotiating on a car at present so if the figures add up i might just give it a go. Only thing is its a PDK and i would prefer a manual however they seem to be quite rare as well.

Definitely something to pay attention to is the options specced as you say George each car is pretty much unique in the way that pretty much everything is an option!

[douglasgdmw]

Yep its a bit of a minefield trying to get the correct option on an already rare car.

All down to personal preference but the ones that seem to make the real difference are:
Sports Chrono if its a PDK car
Porsche Sports Exhaust (standard exhaust is too quite but there are some aftermarket options out there)
Carbon Buckets
Spyder wheels

The one option that I would have liked on the Spyder is "Park Assist" as due to the Spyder bubble it can be a bit tricky when reversing.

Did have an option on a PCCB car when I was looking but was concerned about the bill if you get a stone between the brakes/ceramics - well pricey !!!

George

[douglasgdmw]

Forgot to add that you can also get Sports Chrono in a manual (as mine has it).