718 GT4 Daily Driver

[SForman]

After reading various threads on the forum with great interest and envy, I was fortunate enough last week to get a call from my local OPC offering me the chance of a GT4 allocation. After not much pondering, I was more than happy to take them up on the offer! I'm now on the wait list for allocations expected in the next month or so and have been advised of a Q3/Q4 build slot/delivery.

Very exciting times and gives me a bit of time to have a think about spec before locking in.

Other threads and comments on this forum have always been extremely helpful and it would be interesting to get various views on using the GT4 as a daily driver, which will be my plan (certainly in the near term).

I currently drive a 718C, doing c.10,000 miles per annum. Having had my current car over 2 years now (will be close to 3 by the time the GT4 is expected), it has been fantastic and faultless from a driving perspective. I don't have any doubts or concerns with using the GT4 as a daily compared with my current Cayman from a mechanical perspective (cars are made to be driven!). Practicality or differences in ride will not be an issue either. It is not a key factor in my decision making but I would be interested on thoughts of residual value as I would imagine there are/will be few other GT4's (current and historic) that will have similar mileage on them.

 

[Twinfan]

Morning!

I'm not quite sure what thoughts you're looking for, but from a daily driver perspective I'd say the biggest issue is going to be the front splitter. It will graze over speed bumps (OK if you're happy to replace it at some point) but it will mean you can't use multi-storey car parks or any approaches with a not-that-steep incline. It's quite possible to get stuck, and in places that don't actually look like much of a problem.

As for residual value, at 10k miles per year you're going to lose a fair bit of money. GT cars on average do around 4k so be prepared to take a fairly large hit and you may even struggle to sell unless it's cheap. GT cars are very mileage sensitive.

Daily use of bucket seats may be a problem, to others they're fine with getting in and out of them. It's a very personal thing. However, try getting out of buckets if you can't open the door fully. It's almost impossible!

My advice would be if the splitter is going to be a problem and you're going for a comfort spec car e.g. non-bucket seats and luxury items like Bose then you'd be better off in a GTS 4.0. The GT4, as you might expect, is better suited to high days and holidays.

All IMHO, YMMV etc etc []

 

[TimG]

Morning!

I'm not quite sure what thoughts you're looking for, but from a daily driver perspective I'd say the biggest issue is going to be the front splitter. It will graze over speed bumps (OK if you're happy to replace it at some point) but it will mean you can't use multi-storey car parks or any approaches with a not-that-steep incline. It's quite possible to get stuck, and in places that don't actually look like much of a problem.

As for residual value, at 10k miles per year you're going to lose a fair bit of money. GT cars on average do around 4k so be prepared to take a fairly large hit and you may even struggle to sell unless it's cheap. GT cars are very mileage sensitive.

Daily use of bucket seats may be a problem, to others they're fine with getting in and out of them. It's a very personal thing. However, try getting out of buckets if you can't open the door fully. It's almost impossible!

My advice would be if the splitter is going to be a problem and you're going for a comfort spec car e.g. non-bucket seats and luxury items like Bose then you'd be better off in a GTS 4.0. The GT4, as you might expect, is better suited to high days and holidays.

All IMHO, YMMV etc etc []

I totally concur with what Twinfan has said.

IMHO, you would have to be fairly committed to the cause to use a GT4 as a daily at 10K mile a year, particularly spec'd with LWBS. As Twinfan has alluded to, without the perceived GT4 spec prerequisites coupled with higher than average milage, you will be potentially facing a hefty hit in resale value.

Ultimately, it is your choice and there’s no doubt you will have a lot of fun using it but that fun maybe coupled with an equal measure of stress of using it as a daily and all that comes with that; door dings/scrapes in car parks, unwanted attention, winter driving and costs to maintain it with the milage you intend to do annually.

Again, as Twinfan has said, the GTS 4.0 is perhaps a better option and would allow for 90%+ of the GT4 experience in a more spec forgiving aftermarket that would no doubt be easier to live with as a daily.

That said, I would find it very difficult to pass on the offer to spec and order a new GT4, so how about using it as a high days and holiday second car?

 

[Motorhead]

Hi,

Only you know the type of driving you’ll be doing but I have to agree with Dave’s comments. I wouldn’t categorise the GT4 as an ideal high-mileage daily drive and agree that a CGTS probably would suit better for you coming from a C718. It’s only slightly less powerful than the GT4 and with a more road-focused and compliant chassis set-up it will give little away to the more powerful car in terms of performance and handling on both road and track.

The GT cars are very much designed for regular track use and you could find the set-up and overall character of the car a bit wearing on a daily basis … but don’t let that put you off if you’re really keen!

As said, if you look in the classifieds it’s rare to find GT4s with the sort of mileage you’re planning for sale, so you’re in unknown territory when it comes to resale, but if you’re going PCP or similar that will be reflected in the monthly payments.

Jeff

 

[SteveJC]

Buy what ever car you want to drive, I believe the GT4 with Sports seats and 30k mileage will still show a better return than an equivalent 4.0GTS.

The bigger market is for the low mileage bigger spec cars with buckets and cage etc, but there is still a market, some people can't afford to buy the top ones and look for a slightly cheaper version, it will still be a GT4 and probably go better than a low mileage one.

Buy it and enjoy it, YOLO.

 

[OliR]

Compared to my previous 718C it's much more noisy in the cabin, so something to be aware of. While they can be mileage sensitive... life's too short, buy it and enjoy it, if you run it for a year and decide it's a bit much for daily driving I don't think you'll have a problem selling it on.

 

[SForman]

Thanks all for the feedback.

I am very much seeing this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to get my hands on a very special car. If that means living with some of the impracticalities for a period of time then so be it. From reading others experiences, I don't get the sense I will be disappointed with the experience.

I've looked closely at a GTS. It might be a bit shallow but the exterior difference is a big selling point for me. I will be utilising PCP (rightly or wrongly) but it will give me downside protection on the residual value and due to the limited numbers actually works out cheaper than a GTS.

Being in my 20's, it might be the last or a long time before being able to have a car like this again (before my decisions are no longer my own and other factors com into play!).

 

[OliR]

Some treat PCP as a dirty word, but if you go into it with your eyes open I don't think it's an issue. Honestly at a rate of 6.4%, you're not going to get any better from an unsecured loan. As long as you understand the total cost - I'd say go for it, might want to just be sure of the mileage though if you plan on handing back...

Enjoy it while you can and before you become too old to clamber in and out of the buckets. I'm in the last year of my 20's myself.... []

 

[JohnCRS]

Enjoy it while you can and before you become too old to clamber in and out of the buckets. I'm in the last year of my 20's myself.... []

Oi! I had a Lotus Exige when I was sixty. You learn to crawl out in style!

I echo the comments above. The car will soak up whatever you throw at it, but how much can you take is something only you can judge. If you are regularly going on track, get the GT4. If you do a lot of long (say, over 300 miles per day) journeys, then the GTS 4.0 might be better. Anything in between - go by the size of the smile on your face, especially if the rental payments are similar.

Just remember to report back on here.