Just tried the Porsche Macan configurator

"Carl (@stuffcarlsays)" (carllevine) 12/14/2013 at 09:00 • Filed to: Porsche Macan

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It won't let you deselect PDK :(

Every wheel type is considered an option, there is no standard wheel. Weird.

All the same, I like it.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 12/14/2013 at 09:35

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Does that mean you can order one without wheels, buy some second hand and save some money?

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/14/2013 at 09:37

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Or that the car comes on four bricks out of the factory.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 12/14/2013 at 09:37

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More shocking: Porsche's ad for the Macan in the latest issue of Autocar describes it as a "sports car".

m2m, apex detective > Carl (@stuffcarlsays) 12/14/2013 at 10:00

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The German configurator gave the same answers ... I thought that at least the Diesel would be available with a 6MT.

twinturbobmw > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/14/2013 at 10:26

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Steelies here I come!

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > twinturbobmw 12/14/2013 at 10:38

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Steelies and knobbly offroad tyres :)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > twinturbobmw 12/14/2013 at 10:39

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Wrong damn picture, and it won't let me edit at work :(

duurtlang > m2m, apex detective 12/14/2013 at 10:52

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I'd guess those interested in a Macan aren't really interested in things like a manual. I might be wrong here, but I see Porsches with 4+ doors as poseur vehicles mostly. Especially the lifted ones, like the Macan and Cayenne.

m2m, apex detective > duurtlang 12/14/2013 at 11:03

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People like their high horses, though, that's probably the only reason for the booming SUV market.

I have a feeling that they will eventually offer smaller engines and maybe a manual, too.

RE: vehicules poseur – I would rather have a Panamera as a company car than the current 5er, at least that is how I feel right now. I can't not agree on the Cayenne, but I simply found the Macan not shabby in the looks department. At least one car got the Panamera Sport Turismo rear light design. :(

duurtlang > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/14/2013 at 11:13

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Or classic wheels from the same brand, but over a decade older than the car itself. I might be biased though, given the 205 GTI wheels on my 406c.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > duurtlang 12/14/2013 at 12:21

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Oh, in slightly unrelated news, my mate who's had a couple of 106 GTis is looking at 406 coupes as a second car. He's umming and arring between the 2.2 Diesel and 3.0l V6 at the moment, leaning toward the petrol car.

Is there anything he should look out for?

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > m2m, apex detective 12/14/2013 at 14:08

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If you haven't driven/rode one hard, you need to before you badmouth it. I thought the same way, girl I knew in college drove one, meh, was never impressed. A few months ago my mother in law was looking at cars and had me take her shopping. We went and test drove a cayenne, the sales guy took us though the abandoned mall nearby and drove the crap out of it. I wouldn't say its sports car handling, but it is definately more car than SUV when you start trashing it. Shit that would flip a normal SUV it just breezes through

m2m, apex detective > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 12/14/2013 at 14:51

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It's arguably still the one Porsche model whose owners/drivers are furthest from what usually makes a sportscar enthusiast.

You have a good point regarding the Cayenne vs normal SUVs bit ... I've seen a Cayenne Turbo drift like a madman, something I did not deem possible up to that point.

duurtlang > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/14/2013 at 16:08

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To be quite honest I'm not that sure. I'd advise to look at 406 and 406 coupe specific fora first. They're fairly reliable cockroaches, these 406s. They'll reach 400k km without too much fuss, assuming you maintain it properly. I don't think there are any major flaws. Well, there's the optional automatic transmission that seems to crap out a lot, but I'll just assume your mate's going to get a manual anyway. Other than that make sure coupe-specific parts are OK. Bumpers mainly. The generic Peugeot/Citroën parts are easy to get and not expensive. 406 coupe bumpers are hideously expensive. Just look out for the normal used car things; maintenance, tires, brakes, belts, you probably know this better than I do. Just take a decent test drive and don't forget to test the electronics. My seats for example are manual, but many have the powered seats. Their control panel might fail. My seats are heated, but both heaters have failed (the only 'problem' with my car). This is a common problem (poor design I guess), and can only be fixed by taking the seat apart which is (to me) not worth it. Half decent 406 coupes are being picked apart for online parts sales, so getting nice interior replacements (due to worn leather) will be possible.

I've opted for a car with an already installed LPG conversion. This has cut my fuel bills in half, which is quite nice if you drive 25k km a year, I pay about as much for fuel per distance as a Peugeot 107 driver with a light right foot. I'm not sure how common this is in the UK, but if these cars are out there it might be worth looking in to.

One downside of the 3.0 V6; because of the larger brakes it can't handle the 205 GTI 15" wheels, it needs 16" minimum ;)

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > duurtlang 12/14/2013 at 17:55

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You and your 205 wheels ;)

Thanks for the help. He'll definitely be getting a manual one, so the problems with the auto box shouldn't affect him. I'll get him to check the bumpers for cracks. I've seen one or two in the local scrapyad, but not enough to guarantee easy sourcing of another bumper in the right colour. I must admit I haven't come across many LPG converted cars, but they are out there. What's the power deficit compared to normal juice?

We've found a couple of fairly Germanic ones near us (silver exterior, black leather interior) which look rather good. One's £795 and the other £895, both with 130k miles on them. There's another about for roughly the same price with a gorgeous light blue exterior and half-tan leather interior, but it's 3 hours away. All of them look good from the adverts, but we'll have to go and have a look.

duurtlang > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/14/2013 at 18:33

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As with hot 106s the amount of care owners put into these cars varies greatly, so do take a few for a spin before you decide anything. Considering the, to me, dirt cheap prices you mentioned you've got the luxury to look for a nice one. I paid €3k for mine, and drove about 2 hours for it. It had 167k km and was 12 years old, a 2 owner car. The 130k mileage is nothing, assuming the owners treated them right they should be fine. Mine's at 196k km now, which is 122k miles.

Personally I'm not the biggest fan of the, as you call it, Germanic ones. I prefer the darker blue exterior color myself, but the lighter blue isn't bad either. They're a bit more extravagant, in a good way. I do hope your mate doesn't expect a sports car though. It does handle quite well, but it's more of a GT. A very comfortable one with great Recaro seats, a car you can drive all day without getting tired. But it is heavy and large, unlike a hot 106. Although I've never driven one I expect it to be a bit like your 156, although the 406 coupe is both larger and heavier.

One more thing; Peugeot changed the V6 in 2000. The newer one makes more power and is said to be more economical. With the newer V6 it's said to be a few tenths of a second slower to 100 km/h than the 2.5 V6 156, so you'll still have an edge on him.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > duurtlang 12/14/2013 at 19:30

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"With the newer V6 it's said to be a few tenths of a second slower to 100 km/h than the 2.5 V6 156, so you'll still have an edge on him"

Sounds good to me :)

I've let him know that the later cars had a bit more power, so he's looking for post-2000 ones now. I hope he's not expecting a sports car either. He has been saying that he could do with a bit of a motorway cruiser recently for trips to other airbases (he's an aircraft engineer), so that bodes well.

duurtlang > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 12/14/2013 at 20:44

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If he wants a highway cruiser it won't get much better than this. Also, the difference in power between the old and new V6 is 194 versus 210 hp. I personally won't pass on a great older one just because it's got fewer hp. The older ones have fewer electronics as well, which is something you might appreciate. Sometime early 2000 I believe (I can be a bit off) there was an 'underhood-facelift' if you will. Mine is from 2000, but is post facelift. It has the automatic climate control, which not all older cars have. I do appreciate having that. I believe they call the earlier ones the D8, cars like mine (2000-2001?) the D8.5 and later ones the D9. The D9's got a different computer, different stalks and maybe other stuff I'm not aware off. Honestly, I wouldn't know if there's a fundamental flaw in any one of them. I guess your mate could check a specialist forum.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > m2m, apex detective 12/15/2013 at 11:54

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I know a lot of 911 owners (talking about the modern 911s here,) that drive them like soccer moms. One guy I know gets a new turbo every few years and the last time I talked to him said he had never gone WOT or redlined it. Just drives them to and from work, no track days or anything fun like that. I think most of their buyers nowadays are more about the image and prestige than the performance, the 911 folks are not that different from the cayenne ones anymore. Not that I am complaining, they still build badass cars and people are buying them. If I'm stuck with an SUV, the cayenne gives me an easy decision so I can have something fun. And the panamera is awesome, test drove one of those too. I'd replace my 550 in a heartbeat if the used ones were cheaper

(and I say this having owned 2 boxsters and probably buying a panamera, cayman or 911 in the next few years.)

m2m, apex detective > itranthelasttimeiparkedit 12/15/2013 at 16:44

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/lesigh

Well, you can't force people to enjoy their cars. Maybe I can retreat to "they like their cars"? I also know one of this kind ... always the latest-iteration C2S in Targa or Convertible form. Frequently washes it, treats it ever so gently, never really punches the loud pedal down.

Here's hoping you'll go for a GT3 then, if that's a possibility!