Sharkie's Dilemma

[Sharkie]

What do I do ?

I'm at the point where I need to make a decision ....

The Tig was bought as a ride for my wife whilst I buy a Golf R .... wanted a turbo AWD for each .... ..... With the cancellation of the R order, my wife decided she'd rather want a new Multivan, which arrived end of last month and she can't be happier .....

So the Tig is now actually mine and this is where the issue arrises ....

In order to get the Tig to where I want it for my purposes, I'm going to have to spend some serious $$$$ .... FMIC upgrade, full exhaust, rear swaybar, performance clutch and a K04 turbo upgrade .... about $12000 worth by my calcs ..... .... (BTW this will turn it into a low 5s 0-100km/h car) + I'd really like to open the gearbox up and replace the 1st 2 gears with longer ratios ..... cost unknown.

OR ....

Sell the Tig and buy a 2007 Porsche Cayman S (or maybe a Boxster S) .... now I've wanted a Porsche pretty much since I took notice of cars as a toddler and I can now finally afford to buy a late model baby just for me ..... with all its plusses and impractilities ....

Advice needed ......

Alternatively, maybe buy a 2000-2002 Boxster S and keep the Tig ....

[Tim]

Sounds like a no brainer to me.
Porsche all the way. The Mrs has a practical car if you need to shuffle people about.

[ethosguy]

Well, Tiguans as we know are not sports cars...'not even joking'...sic. What you describe would be a very nice ride.
A Golf R is more focused and less versitile. Caymans even more so.
If that much focus fits into the lifestyle then you are very lucky to have such problems...

What happened to the Golf R order?

[Sharkie]

Well, Tiguans as we know are not sports cars...'not even joking'...sic. What you describe would be a very nice ride.

No, not sports cars at all, rather Q cars that have "sports" cars for breakfast .... tuned manual Tigs apparently (as per posted timeslips) quicker than tuned manual Golf Rs ......

What happened to the Golf R order?

Austral VW in Brisbane scr3wed me over and did not deliver the car in the specs I ordered when promised. And I was the very 1st person Australia to actually order a R .... Feb 2009 to be exact .... So I took my $65K and bought a Van instead ....

[Greg Roles]

On your deathbed, you'll be glad you bought the Porsche.

[flyingfridge]

On your deathbed, you'll be glad you bought the Porsche.

Greg is wise, this is what you need to do

[Captain Bungers]

Get a wrx! ...seriously, don't do that. Get the porsche.

Sent from my X10i using Tapatalk

[DreamensioN]

+1 for getting the Porka instead.

The Porsche is engineered from the start to be what you want. You'll be fighting an uphill battle, pouring money down the drain if you try to turn the Tiguan into a "Porsche".

Do it once, do it right - buy the Porsche.

[mikinoz]

Buy a Porsche, but don't waste your time, do it properly and get a vintage 911.

[Frankenstrat]

I just checked out the Cayman on Wikiwhatsit... HS! Much as I like the Tig, it has to be the Cayman. Only a 911 would be more desirable.

[clip]

sharkie mate, I don't agree with anyone so far. Sorry but you don't look anything like a hairdresser, so that definelty rules out the boxter, and pretty much the cayman too sorry. If you were talking a 911, then just maybe, but please not a boxter.

But if you do the Tig, think about it. All the motor magazines would want to do a story on it, every car show would want you, it would generate international attention, and just of the think of the fun you would have cleaning up porsche caymans! I mean what's another $10k on the Tig - it's still going to be cheaper than any of the porsches and you will have a totally unique vehicle that will pretty much compete on the streets with almost everything but the hottest cars. It would be a no brainer for me - the Tig all the way.

[Captain Bungers]

It would be a no brainer for me - the Tig all the way.

I have changed my mind. With the money you spend on the Porsche you could do even more - full ABT kit included (did I mention that I have a thing for the ABT grille?

Maybe you can add this...

And after all of that you might have enough left left over for one of these (I hear it gives a 5% increase in awesome).

[jimbomort]

Sharkie a tease for all of us or a genuine problem you need help with? Doesn't matter we will participate either way.

Haven driven a boxter and not being a hairdresser (nor my brother who also drove it) all I can say is they are heaps of fun. It didn't have quite enough go, but an S on the end should fix that and while I love the Engine in the Tig, the engine in the boxter is somethign else. There is nothing like a crescendo top end (you know keeps pulling harder and harder as the revs climb) for the true sports car experience and add an open top and sporty note and you have passion. I haven't driven a Cayman, but of course Guy has, presume you have spoken to him. I also saw a review a few years back that basically suggested the older boxters are now great value, almost as good as the new ones (if not superior in some respects) and heaps cheaper.

So while you didn't tell us how much the porsche would cost, presume the options are in the ballpark of each other. I'd be awfully tempted to do the boxter/cayman, especially if you have never owned a porsche.

However there is merit as Clip pointed out, in modding your Tig. Boils down to your likely use and driving style................ok you will drive either one hard.

I think the simple answer is.........its a heart decision, not a head one. And your heart, none of ours.

So suggest you listen to your 'gut response' on your dilemma, and go with that. If it helps on that, I sometimes flip a coin. Of course I dont have to stick with the coin result, but my reaction to the result can tell me a lot about what I really want.

Good luck

[Philbie]

Hmm, I'd consider an Audi RS4..........practical, very quick, hairdressers? Yeah right!, the wolf in sheeps clothing......

[Sharkie]

Thanks for input so far guys .... some more background info ....

It is a heart decision, jimbo, and a real one for me. Problem is, my heart is torn between the 2. Non-Tiguan owners won't necessarily understand, but the Tiguan is honestly a good car. Much better so, than what other VW drivers understand.

In fact when the R was lost to me, I was offered a choice of alternative R's by the dealer, (none in my spec as ordered) and I test drove the R's quite extensively. And the R boys don't like it or don't believe it, but the R did nothing for me. In stock mode it felt just like a fat and laggy Golf ...... compared to the 200+kw Tiguan I drove to the dealer and back, there was no way I could happily live with the R afterwards. Sure, there was potential in the thing, but no emotional bond was possible, unlike the bond I have with the Tig.

On occasion I form an emotional attachment to a car and sometimes its not always the "best" car. I liked my E36 M3 much more than the E46 M3 and was sad to see it go, whilst the E46's (both the 328 and the M3) were just cars to me. In fact when I bought the Z3 M-Coupe (liked it a lot but no real attachment) in 2000, I had the oppertunity to buy a Boxster S at the time and didn't and have regretted the decision ever since .....

So now while I'm still young enough to enjoy a baby Porsche, I have the oppertunity to rectify that mistake. MY07 Boxster/Cayman S's (the 1st of the 3.4l models) are now around $80K (about half price from new) and most have low milage (> 50K kms) and have been owned by people too old to actually use them to their potential. I will be taking it to the track on regular basis and if I like it, keep it for at least 10yrs ...... over time mods will come to it as well.

A 2000-2002 Boxster S will set me back around $45K and allow me to keep the Tig for a while .... but only a while as invariably I will want something else in 5yrs time ....

So there is my problem ..... I like the Tig so much that I will be sad to see it go. Every drive is an occassion, it just needs a bit more go ..... ..... and I've only had it for 18months, so feel really bad about not keeping it longer.

OR ..... a baby Porsche, something I've wanted for a long time, as I believe that contrary to perception, that they are a pure motoring experience, more so than the image will let you believe. I just don't know yet if I will come to appreciate it in the same way as I do the Tig now.