Cayman GTS 4.0 Configurator Changes?

[Motorhead]

Even if you’re not bothered about the dual-zone facility, the CGTS is a £70k+ car! I’m sure the spec can vary from country to country and that it’s down to the UK importer (Reading) but manual a/c is something you get in a cheapo tin-box not in a so-called “premium” make, and it’ll cost Porsche a fraction of the £539 they charge for the option. The same argument goes for cruise control and auto lights/wipers/dipping mirrors.

No wonder Porsche are able to make a profit of around £14k per car across their range!

Jeff

 

[gronk1967]

Quite! I still remember the disappointment of driving out of the showroom to find my band new (dealer specced showroom stock) car had the little lever on the interior mirror….Having never specced in any other car over the last 20 years I’d come to accept that all cars in this price range had auto dimming mirrors in this day & age so I’d never even given it thought that it wouldn't have them. I was also disappointed not to have cruise control and full climate which really should be table stakes at this price point. I retrofitted the former and on the latter agree with the comments about constantly fiddling with the cabin and arguments with the wife over where its blowing although as travel alone most of the time so its less of a problem.

I;ve seen a lot of comments on similar threads saying paying for the engineering, but reality is these are common VAG components and could & should be included in the price. The conspiracy theory in me could be tempted to go as far to say that that the importer knows exactly what they are doing and given the waiting lists and often deep pockets of customers encourage us to go crazy with the options list. OPC’s also spec up showroom cars with ridiculous options & colour combos but neglect to add obviously useful or practical ones.

Regarding headlights, i used to think they were something that simply came with the car until i got the intelligent lights (ILS?) on a Mercedes a couple of years ago….they took my breath away at times how they could actually light and dim different parts of the road….I bored many an unfortunate passenger talking about them….expensive options bit once you have had them you will really notice if your car doesn’t have them.

I’m toying with the idea of speccing a GTS for order in the near future so will be having fun on the configurator soon too!

 

[Tetris Keyring]

Even if you’re not bothered about the dual-zone facility, the CGTS is a £70k+ car! I’m sure the spec can vary from country to country and that it’s down to the UK importer (Reading) but manual a/c is something you get in a cheapo tin-box not in a so-called “premium” make, and it’ll cost Porsche a fraction of the £539 they charge for the option. The same argument goes for cruise control and auto lights/wipers/dipping mirrors.

No wonder Porsche are able to make a profit of around £14k per car across their range!

Jeff

Agreed. It’s eye watering really how little you get as standard and have to pay for as ‘optional extras’.

 

[ralphmusic]

Would people still buy it if it was an £80k car with all the typical extras?

 

[Tetris Keyring]

Isn’t the argument it’s a £70k car and should include much of it as standard?

 

[ralphmusic]

It's a marketing choice by the seller and the consumer choice in response.

I can say a BMW M3 isn't worth the list price and I'd not use all of the standard features so why should I pay for them.

I'd prefer to pay less like everybody but I'm putting forward a pricing philosophy point of view.

 

[Motorhead]

Would people still buy it if it was an £80k car with all the typical extras?

Ralph,

Agreed that it’s a marketing/consumer choice but even at Porsche’s inflated option prices cruise control and folding/dimming mirrors (with rain sensor) only comes to £783. Throw-in climate control and you get £1,322, which is hardly a deal breaker on a £70k car. Plus it won’t cost Porsche anywhere near that amount to include those options and they could reduce their component count (and their costs) by including them in the spec and still make a decent profit, especially since I suspect that all cars share the same wiring harness and it’s just a case of programming-in the options.

And I haven’t even mentioned the ridiculous £38 they have the nerve to charge to have a lid on the ugly dust-collecting hole in the centre console!

Jeff

 

[ralphmusic]

Jeff,

Be fair, the "lid" does include a 12v power socket.

At the end of the day it is just a price which is either acceptable or not. I balance the costs by being a VW and Porsche AG shareholder - I'm waiting on the capital gain when they both spin off a free float of Porsche car division shares, as the Quant family who own BMW did with Brembo, which they also own.

 

[Motorhead]

Ah! - a declared financial interest then Ralph? []

Yes, I’m aware that there’s a cigarette socket under the lid, but £38 for a 50p connector’s still a bit steep and the lid ought to be a standard feature … whoever “designed” the gaping hole in the centre console needs a lesson in aesthetics (just my opinion of course).

Jeff

 

[Scrounger]

I'd have to agree with Jeff and Ralph regarding the climate.

I drove a demo in the spring of 2020 with the standard AC and I spent the whole drive turning up the heat when the sun went behind the clouds and down when it came out from behind. £500 well spent in my opinion (thanks Jeff) and it was high on the options list for my new one.

Dan

 

[Ryan9729]

Just had a chat with my OPC on this and it appears the configurator omissions is driven through shortages, and it may be on new orders those options cannot be ordered now, but, if you have your order in already then I believe from what I've been told that there should be no problem with any of the option list.

Looks like the supply issue isn't going anywhere anytime soon!

 

[Scrounger]

Good work Ryan

Dan

 

[ralphmusic]

If you configure a GT4 you are presented with a suggested configuration which includes a generous list of options. Included in the options is Sport Chrono which is not available on the custom configurator. Go figure…

 

[Ryan9729]

Are we entering into a new territory of 'rare' options.

 

[Tetris Keyring]

I know other manufacturers are. A few people I know have been told that certain options aren’t available on new cars and leads times extend massively when other options are requested. Apparently sunroofs are an issue for one of them (can’t remember which brands)

 

[Scrounger]

One chap has just posted on another 718 forum that if you spec Bose, your delivery time is pushed back 6 weeks due to a parts shortage.

Dan

 

[JaseGT4]

One chap has just posted on another 718 forum that if you spec Bose, your delivery time is pushed back 6 weeks due to a parts shortage.

Dan

I'd say Bose wouldn't be a great loss in a GTS. I was very happy with the base price and then the opportunity to spec the car up. Ironically, the one thing I didn't want was auto dimming mirrors or wipers, far prefer doing it myself when I'm ready.

 

[MNovak]

I have the Bose sound system in my GTS 4.0. Sounds great but to be honest I would rather listen to the sound of that glorious engine.

 

[Scrounger]

Standard system here and it sound fine for me. The Bose would be wasted as the cabin is quite noisy once the revs build.

As a side note, PCCBs are back on the configurator and now if you want park assist front and rear, you can only get it with the camera at £464.

Dan

 

[mikeg]

.........and now if you want park assist front and rear, you can only get it with the camera at £464.

With the price rise, Park Assist F&R (which was £623) is now standard - its the camera that is an option.

Also Cruise Control is now standard (was £228)