Ordering a new Cayman/Boxster - Whats the process? - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Guys, I'm at the point of pulling the trigger on a new GTS, just can't get my head around Boxster or Cayman yet!! Anyway, two points; - I've never bought a car from new - And therefore I've no idea what the process is with Porsche or any other manufacturer! Therefore I was hoping someone could help with the following; - What are the lead times currently? - What sort of deposits are required? - Do you need to have fully decided on your spec when you place the order initially? - Is there an interim payment due once your spec is finalised, if it's not chosen at the outset? - Is the balance payable on collection or before? - Are there any OPC's open to giving better deals than others? Whichever one I go for will be Speed yellow with PDK, I don't really want to buy new but waiting around for a used one is agonising....

I can help with some of the questions. Deposit when I bought mine was 3k No interim payment needed. Balance cleared before collection. Discounts available but not sure on the science- bought mine from Hatfield (just under 11%) having tried West London and Silverstone first. You may opt to take porsche finance to help secure a good deal. It's a crap rate but you can settle immediately without penalty. Securing the right discount can make buying nearly new a poor option.

I always ensure I've settled on my spec before placing the order...it saves an complications further down the line. Must say, it is a lovely feeling getting the order sheet with exactly your spec listed. You may have a few sleepless nights between placing the order and collection, worrying that you've ticked the correct boxes...but when the day comes, all those worries disappear! I am really excited for you, mate! Now on my third brand new Porsche, but still have to pinch myself when I place the order...like a dream come true each time!

When we (the family) spec ed our new GTS we were invited to our OPC where they have a special suite with a large screen which the sales guy uses to take you through all the available options, much the same as on the Porsche web site. Watch out though is is really easy to say yes....££££££££££££ It was a great buying experience as it involved all of us and we really enjoyed it. Colour, wheels and a few other key options took quite some time and discussion before we settled on our choices but it was well worth the effort. I paid £2k deposit. Pop into your nearest OPC ask the questions, view some cars and you'll be on your way. Good luck and best wishes...enjoy.

truck71 said: I can help with some of the questions. Deposit when I bought mine was 3k No interim payment needed. Balance cleared before collection. Discounts available but not sure on the science- bought mine from Hatfield (just under 11%) having tried West London and Silverstone first. You may opt to take porsche finance to help secure a good deal. It's a crap rate but you can settle immediately without penalty. Securing the right discount can make buying nearly new a poor option. Thanks for that. Any idea on GTS lead times currently? You've touched on my man maths thought process though, which is to try to order new and secure the best possible deal and potentially pay only a few grand more than what I'd be having to pay an OPC for a used one in someone elses spec....especially as my spec is so rigid, I could be waiting an age and then the right car could come up and the dealer could be asking too much money or it has too many miles etc. I must admit, I've NEVER considered a Porsche until a month or so ago, 911's are absolutely everywhere and the interiors always looked so dull to my eyes, but they seem to have got it so right with the latest Cayman/Boxster. In my heart of hearts I want a convertible now I've been converted by my M3, but for some reason I can't get my head around dropping £60k on a Boxster!?!?

Why not ask your friendly local OPC? SS7

You have some good advice above and certainly a lengthy talk to dealers should be at the top of your list of things to do. At the same time, try to get yourself invited to Silverstone to experience the Porsche Experience. That may help you decide on your priorities. Part of the buying process may be taking up the option of collecting your car from the factory, which is what I did. In my view, factory collection is a no brainer if you have the time.

This MIGHT help, or may frighten you a bit :-) See my post (page 4, last item): http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... Have fun!

Sarnie said: Thanks for that. Any idea on GTS lead times currently? You've touched on my man maths thought process though, which is to try to order new and secure the best possible deal and potentially pay only a few grand more than what I'd be having to pay an OPC for a used one in someone elses spec....especially as my spec is so rigid, I could be waiting an age and then the right car could come up and the dealer could be asking too much money or it has too many miles etc. I must admit, I've NEVER considered a Porsche until a month or so ago, 911's are absolutely everywhere and the interiors always looked so dull to my eyes, but they seem to have got it so right with the latest Cayman/Boxster. In my heart of hearts I want a convertible now I've been converted by my M3, but for some reason I can't get my head around dropping £60k on a Boxster!?!? Sorry, I don't know about lead times- try the Cayman/Boxster GTS thread, a few PHer's have recently placed orders/ taken deliveries. As to dropping £60k on a Boxster it's a very personal decision. I started with a similar budget for a Cayman and specced into the mid 60's. Once I'd driven a few I went the other way and bought a low spec 2.7 car which I'm very happy with. Probably not everyone's cup of tea though- only you can make that call.

Order/delivery seems to be 3/4 months from what I know (and I firmed my order in June for August build) and what I hear from the dealer. Per others, it IS worrying the extras one can easily add to a Porsche with the resulting hike in cost. How much that is discounted later when part/ex is a concern methinks. All that said, I loved my Cayman R so this Boxster GTS -in my view- should tick all the boxes for me :-)

FrankCayman said: I always ensure I've settled on my spec before placing the order...it saves an complications further down the line. It also saves a lot of money because the sales people will be very keen to load you car with expensive extras! There's really no need to end up with a £60k car - you can get nicely sorted in an "S" for £50k.

I ordered mine at the end of July with a September build slot. I have just been told now build early October delivery around the 20th. Why it has slipped I don't know, I just got 'disappointing isn't it' Paul

Ozzie Osmond said: It also saves a lot of money because the sales people will be very keen to load you car with expensive extras! There's really no need to end up with a £60k car - you can get nicely sorted in an "S" for £50k. Bang on.

Ozzie Osmond said: It also saves a lot of money because the sales people will be very keen to load you car with expensive extras! There's really no need to end up with a £60k car - you can get nicely sorted in an "S" for £50k. Post up the spec of a good "S" at £50k. Didn't think it was possible personally!

I had a go with what I would call a good spec and got to £55k White (free) Agate Grey / Pebble Grey two-tone leather interior package in two-tone combination BV £ 1,680.00 ParkAssist rear 635 £ 348.00 Sports exhaust system (incl. sports tailpipe) XLF £ 1,530.00 20-inch Carrera Classic wheel 427 £ 1,700.00 Cruise control 454 £ 267.00 Seat heating 342 £ 284.00 Centre console trim in leather XHB £ 162.00 Telephone module £ 527.00 BOSE® Surround Sound System 680 £ 801.00 Porsche Communication Management (PCM) incl navigation module with universal audio interface P23 £ 2,141.00

Adam B said: I had a go with what I would call a good spec and got to £55k White (free) Agate Grey / Pebble Grey two-tone leather interior package in two-tone combination BV £ 1,680.00 ParkAssist rear 635 £ 348.00 Sports exhaust system (incl. sports tailpipe) XLF £ 1,530.00 20-inch Carrera Classic wheel 427 £ 1,700.00 Cruise control 454 £ 267.00 Seat heating 342 £ 284.00 Centre console trim in leather XHB £ 162.00 Telephone module £ 527.00 BOSE® Surround Sound System 680 £ 801.00 Porsche Communication Management (PCM) incl navigation module with universal audio interface P23 £ 2,141.00 If you took off all the interior leather, 20" wheels and the sports exhaust, you would still have a gorgeous car for £50K - put in context, a BMW 4 series coupe 'non M4' could easily add up to costing pretty much the same....I know what I would rather have!

FrankCayman said: If you took off all the interior leather, 20" wheels and the sports exhaust, you would still have a gorgeous car for £50K - put in context, a BMW 4 series coupe 'non M4' could easily add up to costing pretty much the same....I know what I would rather have! Agreed but I went for my definition of a good spec car No £50k shouldn't have a leather interior. He two tone black and grey is a purely personal thing but is a few hundred quid Standard wheels are a bit naff IMHO so those 20" would be a must have Agreed the PSE is a luxury Porsche continue to take the piss on cost of PCM plus they force you to upgrade the speakers although Bose is probably the minimum to qualify as good spec All IMHO

Adam B said: I had a go with what I would call a good spec and got to £55k Well I'd soon chop that back to £50k by deleting these. They don't make the car faster or handle better, while a TomTom is available from Halfords for £100. But don't get me wrong, I recognise it's all a matter of personal priorities. Sports exhaust system (incl. sports tailpipe) XLF £ 1,530.00 20-inch Carrera Classic wheel 427 £ 1,700.00 (PCM) incl navigation module with universal audio interface P23 £ 2,141.00

Just thinking about resale when that eventually happens, I suspect that PCM will be a 'must have'.

Oi U said: Just thinking about resale when that eventually happens, I suspect that PCM will be a 'must have'. +1 I wouldn't even consider a car without it....I'm not spending £60k on a car to stick a Tom Tom on the window....

Sarnie said: +1 I wouldn't even consider a car without it....I'm not spending £60k on a car to stick a Tom Tom on the window.... +2 Fine on a Fiesta not a Porsche Also don't understand skimping on wheels when they have such an impact on the look of a car

Sarnie said: Oi U said: Just thinking about resale when that eventually happens, I suspect that PCM will be a 'must have'. +1 I wouldn't even consider a car without it....I'm not spending £60k on a car to stick a Tom Tom on the window.... Why would it impact on resale? 80% of UK Porsche sales are based on a PCP agreement. You just give the car back, its not for the buyer to sell the car, and I'm pretty damn sure the Porsche PCP finance computer can't work out the residual by what the Spec is at build time, possibly only based on a percentage of the total cost new. I speced a new Cayman S last week, 54K. No NAV, no PDK, No 20" wheels, just the options I wanted (Must admit I do like the 20" wheels though and if I press the go button, I'll try and get them thrown in). I'll use a £150.00 Garmin stuck to the windscreen and save a few quid rather than pay over the odds for the NAV.

My non S cost me £46K. I can tell you chaps now....from the moment you pick up your personally specc'd car...you really forget about the option list...and never look back,

Sarnie said: ...911's are absolutely everywhere and the interiors always looked so dull to my eyes, but they seem to have got it so right with the latest Cayman/Boxster... You'll find the interior of the 981 Cayman/Boxster is as near as damn it identical to the 911

Wozy68 said: Why would it impact on resale? 80% of UK Porsche sales are based on a PCP agreement. You just give the car back, its not for the buyer to sell the car, and I'm pretty damn sure the Porsche PCP finance computer can't work out the residual by what the Spec is at build time, possibly only based on a percentage of the total cost new. I speced a new Cayman S last week, 54K. No NAV, no PDK, No 20" wheels, just the options I wanted (Must admit I do like the 20" wheels though and if I press the go button, I'll try and get them thrown in). I'll use a £150.00 Garmin stuck to the windscreen and save a few quid rather than pay over the odds for the NAV. But I'm not buying on a PCP am I.............and even if I was I wouldn't want to put down a £15-£20k deposit pay healthy monthly payment of £600+ and then get in the car thats costing me a fortune and then have a Garmin stuck to the window......but that may be just me.

Sarnie said: But I'm not buying on a PCP am I.............and even if I was I wouldn't want to put down a £15-£20k deposit pay healthy monthly payment of £600+ and then get in the car thats costing me a fortune and then have a Garmin stuck to the window......but that may be just me. Can you not get around without sat nav? I have it now in my 981, but covered 180,000 in my previous two 987's ok without it.....

FrankCayman said: Can you not get around without sat nav? I have it now in my 981, but covered 180,000 in my previous two 987's ok without it..... Of course, but don't see why I should have to on a £60k car.....

Sarnie said: Wozy68 said: Why would it impact on resale? 80% of UK Porsche sales are based on a PCP agreement. You just give the car back, its not for the buyer to sell the car, and I'm pretty damn sure the Porsche PCP finance computer can't work out the residual by what the Spec is at build time, possibly only based on a percentage of the total cost new. I speced a new Cayman S last week, 54K. No NAV, no PDK, No 20" wheels, just the options I wanted (Must admit I do like the 20" wheels though and if I press the go button, I'll try and get them thrown in). I'll use a £150.00 Garmin stuck to the windscreen and save a few quid rather than pay over the odds for the NAV. But I'm not buying on a PCP am I.............and even if I was I wouldn't want to put down a £15-£20k deposit pay healthy monthly payment of £600+ and then get in the car thats costing me a fortune and then have a Garmin stuck to the window......but that may be just me. And here's the crux- you can't really apply logic to options, it's all personal preference. Trying to rationalise it to a generic right or wrong choice doesn't help. Choose what's important to you for whatever the reason. Just be satisfied you're getting the car you want vs what your outlay is. Sarnie- you want bright yellow (probably not a common/ perceived resale preference) but what should you care, it's what you want. Same with the no Nav preference, may not be a fashionable choice in a modern world but would it stop you enjoying the car? For every "I'd never buy a car without..." comment there will be a counter "I don't care about..." comment.

truck71 said: And here's the crux- you can't really apply logic to options, it's all personal preference. Trying to rationalise it to a generic right or wrong choice doesn't help. Choose what's important to you for whatever the reason. Just be satisfied you're getting the car you want vs what your outlay is. Sarnie- you want bright yellow (probably not a common/ perceived resale preference) but what should you care, it's what you want. Same with the no Nav preference, may not be a fashionable choice in a modern world but would it stop you enjoying the car? For every "I'd never buy a car without..." comment there will be a counter "I don't care about..." comment. Perfectly put. As somebody mentioned, they don't particularly care because they will be giving the car back at the end of the PCP, fair enough. I'm not bothered about Speed yellow being harder to sell as it's what I want and have no intention of selling it, well probably not for about four-five years when we move home. It's purely down to what you see value in; for me the 2-way sports seats will be perfectly adequate, others are happy to spend £1914 on 18-way adaptive seats or sports buckets.....horses for course and all that

You do know they don't do speed yellow anymore don't you?

LaurasOtherHalf said: You do know they don't do speed yellow anymore don't you? Haha showing my Porsche noobness

Sarnie said: Haha showing my Porsche noobness I saw the new Yellow on a 981 Cayman S the other day. Must say, it looked gorgeous! If mine was a second car and not a work tool, I would defo go for yellow!

Sarnie said: Wozy68 said: Why would it impact on resale? 80% of UK Porsche sales are based on a PCP agreement. You just give the car back, its not for the buyer to sell the car, and I'm pretty damn sure the Porsche PCP finance computer can't work out the residual by what the Spec is at build time, possibly only based on a percentage of the total cost new. I speced a new Cayman S last week, 54K. No NAV, no PDK, No 20" wheels, just the options I wanted (Must admit I do like the 20" wheels though and if I press the go button, I'll try and get them thrown in). I'll use a £150.00 Garmin stuck to the windscreen and save a few quid rather than pay over the odds for the NAV. But I'm not buying on a PCP am I.............and even if I was I wouldn't want to put down a £15-£20k deposit pay healthy monthly payment of £600+ and then get in the car thats costing me a fortune and then have a Garmin stuck to the window......but that may be just me. You were missing the point of my reply. I was just pointing out that for most new Porsche owners, they should spec what they want, not what they feel will sell the car at the end of the agreement. Because at the end of the day, they aren't the guy who has to sell it. You want NAV, you have NAV

Wozy68 said: You were missing the point of my reply. I was just pointing out that for most new Porsche owners, they should spec what they want, not what they feel will sell the car at the end of the agreement. Because at the end of the day, they aren't the guy who has to sell it. You want NAV, you have NAV Agreed, I think the difference here is that PCM is something that I do want irrespective of resale but for you it's not something you want and neither do you need to think about resale.

Ok, so I seem to be spending my life on the configurator!! haha Here's my first draft; http://www.porsche-code.com/PFS7BB30 But what I don't understand is that I thought the GTS interior pack came with the car, which seems to be the case referenced with code GR. But then under the interior section I also seem to have GTS Interior package, code 088 for an additional £2,015!?!? Whats the difference as the description is exactly the same? Also, I picked the Sport Suspension as I want it as low as possible, but I then assume I'm loosing the PASM? How much difference does PASM make? Also, I wanted quite a bit of aluminium within the interior to brighten it up, but most weren't compatible with the GTS interior...... Hmmmm, if the GTS interior is overriding stuff that I want inside the car, and I go with the Sports Suspension over PASM, should I actually be looking at an 'S' and not a GTS!?!? Edited by Sarnie on Sunday 17th August 10:41

Haha, welcome to the slightly confusing world of the Porsche configorator. Have you driven any yet? It's fun playing around with the options and what have you but you might surprise yourself once you've driven some.

truck71 said: Haha, welcome to the slightly confusing world of the Porsche configorator. Have you driven any yet? It's fun playing around with the options and what have you but you might surprise yourself once you've driven some. Not yet, been down to Solihull OPC, and had a look around them, next step is to organise the test drives etc. Happy to take advice from people more experienced with Porsche in the mean time...

Sarnie said: Ok, so I seem to be spending my life on the configurator!! haha Here's my first draft; http://www.porsche-code.com/PFS7BB30 But what I don't understand is that I thought the GTS interior pack came with the car, which seems to be the case referenced with code GR. But then under the interior section I also seem to have GTS Interior package, code 088 for an additional £2,015!?!? Whats the difference as the description is exactly the same? Also, I picked the Sport Suspension as I want it as low as possible, but I then assume I'm loosing the PASM? How much difference does PASM make? Also, I wanted quite a bit of aluminium within the interior to brighten it up, but most weren't compatible with the GTS interior...... Hmmmm, if the GTS interior is overriding stuff that I want inside the car, and I go with the Sports Suspension over PASM, should I actually be looking at an 'S' and not a GTS!?!? Edited by Sarnie on Sunday 17th August 10:41 In a GTS as standard the interior is half leather half alcantara. The 'GTS Interior' adds coloured stitching (either silver or red), carbon trim on the doors, centre console and dash and a red or silver centre dial. If you're going to be wanting aluminium trim, then skip the GTS interior as you'll be paying for carbon trim within that and then speccing aluminium over the top - twice the cost. However by doing this you won't get silver/red stitching. Have a read of the Cayman GTS thread and see my thoughts on the Sports Suspension vs PASM

Sarnie I got really hung up on the pasm/sports suspension question. I managed to speak to Henry Catchpole of evo fame who has driven both versions of the gts, and used my former AM v12v as a common comparison and he got me to ordering the sports suspension. Agree it negates some of the cash benefit of ordering gts over S but the gts body styling is also different so I still felt it worthwhile. The slightly lowered suspension is also supposed to add to the overall look of the thing. I am pleased I chose yellow given that models now coming out in that colour look gorgeous, in my humble opinion. Regards Paul

cibble10 said: Sarnie I got really hung up on the pasm/sports suspension question. I managed to speak to Henry Catchpole of evo fame who has driven both versions of the gts, and used my former AM v12v as a common comparison and he got me to ordering the sports suspension. Agree it negates some of the cash benefit of ordering gts over S but the gts body styling is also different so I still felt it worthwhile. The slightly lowered suspension is also supposed to add to the overall look of the thing. I am pleased I chose yellow given that models now coming out in that colour look gorgeous, in my humble opinion. Regards Paul Paul, Many thanks for that, much appreciated. The thing is, I'm not entirely sold on the GTS looks either with the black trims to the front and back. Given that a fair few of the things I'd want would mean removal of things that come with the GTS, is leading me to think I'd be happy with an S?? Gonna get down to Solihull OPC at the weekend!

The suspension decision is interesting. Mine is standard with 19" wheels and rides really well but can be jumpy when pushing on along uk a/b roads. I recently had a boxster loan car with pasm and 20" wheels which was sublime. The softer (standard?) setting was probably better suited for these roads than my set up. I'm not an option junkie but would seriously consider pasm if there is a next time.

Always ticks me off when Porsche charge 267.00 for Cruise control on a new build then charge 500.00 with a massive mark up on the stalk for a retro fit

Sarnie I test drove the new Boxster S directly after the new F-Types and the Boxster had PASM and I thought it a cut above the F-Types, hence my challenge around the suspension decision. It got so bad that I had a change of heart and tried to change it to PASM 10 days ago but the spec was locked down. As it will mainly be my daily drive I think I will get used to the firmness quite quickly so I am not fretting. To your point though, the Boxster S with PASM is in my view a great drive and better than the F-Types, all of which get a pretty good write-up, so I can see why it makes absolute sense for you to consider it. Regards Paul

The process for my Cayman GTS is/was: 1. Deposit when ordering the car 2. Bring the deposit up to 10% when the car is being build or due to be built. 3. Balance a week prior the cars delivery. However, some dealers are different.

cibble10 said: Just got a call to say my August Boxster GTS build is now a September build (but still no confirmed date). Seems Porsche cannot meet demand, though why that impacts programmed slots is beyond me. Given that this pushes delivery into the winter I am seriously considering cancelling. Very disappointed with Porsche of all people. Anyone ordering might like to challenge build dates etc...! Good luck! Means it will be 2015 model year car rather than 2014, though not sure if any changes will be made given it is such a new model

cibble10 said: Just got a call to say my August Boxster GTS build is now a September build (but still no confirmed date). Seems Porsche cannot meet demand, though why that impacts programmed slots is beyond me. Given that this pushes delivery into the winter I am seriously considering cancelling. Very disappointed with Porsche of all people. Anyone ordering might like to challenge build dates etc...! Good luck! Sorry to hear that! Whats the usual time difference from say a September build slot to an actual delivery of a car?

Thanks Adam B and Sarnie I live in Guernsey so we work on calendar year for vehicle age. The problem with the September build is that if it turns out to be September end vehicle delivery is likely to be mid to late October. Currently they won't/can't confirm which end of September it is. (Who knows if it won't go back again; not an unreasonable assumption given the lack of an actual date for a build that is allegedly next month). I went with Porsche Reading rather than Porsche Jersey to get the earlier build date of August rather than September(and lost an offered £2k discount from Jersey!). Very frustrating! And I like many, don't like being given fait a complirs, or as we say in English, the 'tough s t' message!

Hi Liam and welcome to the world of Pork. We used to chat on the 350Z forum a few years ago - I was Trev-the-Rev on there. Cayman GTS is a good choice. Have you decided on a final spec yet?

Just got a call to say my August Boxster GTS build is now a September build (but still no confirmed date). Seems Porsche cannot meet demand, though why that impacts programmed slots is beyond me. Given that this pushes delivery into the winter I am seriously considering cancelling. Very disappointed with Porsche of all people. Anyone ordering might like to challenge build dates etc...! Good luck! Edited by cibble10 on Tuesday 19th August 16:58

Trev450 said: Hi Liam and welcome to the world of Pork. We used to chat on the 350Z forum a few years ago - I was Trev-the-Rev on there. Cayman GTS is a good choice. Have you decided on a final spec yet? I've been reading your posts on here for a while, I always knew who you were I'm good hope you are too! Don't think I'm anywhere near my final spec until I've spent few hours at an OPC testing driving and getting to see the options in real life!

Sarnie said: Trev450 said: Hi Liam and welcome to the world of Pork. We used to chat on the 350Z forum a few years ago - I was Trev-the-Rev on there. Cayman GTS is a good choice. Have you decided on a final spec yet? I've been reading your posts on here for a while, I always knew who you were I'm good hope you are too! Don't think I'm anywhere near my final spec until I've spent few hours at an OPC testing driving and getting to see the options in real life! Enjoy the journey. Its almost as pleasurable as the end result.