Pick up day!

The day was finally coming and it was time to pick up - oh, and pay for by the way! - my new CS. Wow - four months of waiting and it's finally going to happen!

As I've noted before, I live in NC but purchased the car in NJ. I was able to use some frequent flyer miles to get tickets, and last Friday night my wife Becky and I caught a flight up to Philly. From there, the dealer sent a car to pick us up and take us to my parents house, (A very nice perk, we thought!) about an hour away.

There wasn't much sleep that night, but I was up bright and early and ready to go the next morning. While my wife set out to run 20 miles (She not crazy, she's training for a marathon. OK, so she IS a little crazy for running marathons! ) my father and I headed over to the dealership. The first thing I noticed as we pulled off the highway was my car parked right out front in a place of honor. Wow!

I spent a few minutes looking it over and checking out the clear bra that had been installed before my arrival, and it was truly hard to believe this amazingly beautiful car was about to be mine! I know what a Cayman looks like, and I've driven them for brief periods, but it was really an otherworldly experience. I guess this is what it's like to realize a life's dream. Cool...

After the legalities - and a large chunk of my savings - had been dispensed with, it was time to grab the keys and check out my new car! The salesman gave me a nice run-through of the features (most of which I was aware of, thanks to the Cayman Club) and before I knew it, it was time for me to head on down the road!

I have to say I was a bit timid at first, but I managed to pull out on the highway without incident. The first thing I noticed was the clutch was very heavy. The CS I had test driven was used and the clutch easy to use, so I suppose it will loosen up with miles. The next thing I noticed was the gear whine was extremely loud. I also chalked this up to break-in, and sure enough the following days have proved this right. The whine is certainly not gone, especially in the lower gears, but it has reduced quite a bit. The next thing I noticed was how easy it is to stall the car (see first thing noticed) Fortunately, this happened with nobody behind me - thank you to the "I just got this car gods"! - I turned the key to the left - thank you Cayman Club Forum! - started it right back up and was on my way.

Secret No. 1: My stall count as of today is 5. But I haven't done it since Sunday, so I think I'm passed that point now. Whew!

Once home, I of course had to show off the car in great detail to my parents, my brother, his family, and my lovely wife - who had somehow survived running 20 miles and was thoroughly enjoying watching me giggle as I checked out my new car. After the obligatory test rides to my father and brother, it was off to lunch with the family to celebrate my brother's birthday (which was the day before) and my birthday (which was the next day). Secret No. 2: This was the greatest birthday gift of ALL TIME!!!

Following a great lunch, it was back to my parent's house to pack up the car (Hey, this thing holds a lot of stuff!) and hit the road for our drive back to NC. Our first stop was to be Cape May, NJ.

As for my initial impression of the driving experience, I think I can sum it up in one word - LINEAR. What I mean is, the front wheels go exactly where the steering wheel is pointed (sometimes by thought alone, apparently), each press of the brake pedal is rewarded with an equal amount of stopping power, and any touch of the throttle is immediately - and linearly - reflected in an increase in rpm's and thrust. The feeling of control is absolutely amazing to me and I can't wait to get to know this car better! Impression No. 2 - SMOOTH. Everything about the car - from the operation of the controls to the ride to everything is smooth. In fact, as a bartender once described Guiness to me: "There are not enough O's in smooth" to describe this car!

I wanted to avoid the major highways on this trip, so towards that end I set the Garmin to most direct route - which will often put you on some great roads - and headed out. We traveled down central Jersey through the middle of the Pine Barrens (who knew NJ could look so much like the Sandhills of NC? Are there Jersey Devil X-ing signs?) and popped out on the other side a bit north of Cape May. We had to put a few miles in on Highway 9 to get into town, but for no major mileage. It wasn't much longer before we pullled up in front of the B&B were we would spend the night.

We stayed at the Bayberry Inn right near downtown Cape May and we would highly recommend it. The house and rooms were great, the food was fantastic, and the hosts simply great folks. They directed us to a nice place for dinner - not much is open this time of year - and after a great meal and some wine, it was time to hit the bed and dream of tomorrow's driving.

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