In reply to RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) :
ND2 Miata RF is my daily, and I have an F-250 that gets used as needed. Miata is slower (obviously) and not as good on road trips, but otherwise the same use case as the Cayman. 90% of the time it's more exciting to drive, and I never hesitate to beat on it, take it to the track, etc. My drive to work is only 20 minutes of surface roads, if it were different I might still be in the Cayman.
If I had a Cayman, I'd leave it close to stock with minor upgrades as stuff broke, take it to autocross events and track days, and daily it. But that isn't a great choice for a magazine: It's boring.
Content for a magazine would need to have a higher level of awesome or crazy. The idea of using it as a dirt rally car is a good one from a content perspective. You don't expect Porsches to get muddy or airborne on a gravel road. So that's one good possibility.
Or take "OEM Plus" to a wild extreme. Porsche held back the Cayman because they didn't want to steal sales from the 911. Well, you aren't Porsche, so berkely that! Reach into the OE 911 parts bin and build the 981 into something that would have wiped out the 911 sales if Porsche had offered it. Make it feel like something you could have bought out of a dealership and not a home built track rat.
Engine swaps would need to be really crazy to top Porsche power, so I wouldn't go for an LS swap. A V12 swap, though? Maybe.
Last idea is using it as a drively or suspension donor for something really crazy. Make a 917 replica, possibly out of a VW kit car. Put the drivetrain in the back of something FWD and leave the front drivetrain in place. I can't really think of an appropriate car to swap the drivetrain into, but swapping it into an inappropriate car could be entertaining.
ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to RyanGreener (Forum Supporter) :
ND2 Miata RF is my daily, and I have an F-250 that gets used as needed. Miata is slower (obviously) and not as good on road trips, but otherwise the same use case as the Cayman. 90% of the time it's more exciting to drive, and I never hesitate to beat on it, take it to the track, etc. My drive to work is only 20 minutes of surface roads, if it were different I might still be in the Cayman.
Looks like I might be content with my NB1/NC2 Miatas after all.
Fix trans, then sell it. You already have enough cars to play with. A hard pill to swallow, maybe, but learn to enjoy more of what you already have.
Although that generation of Cayman is pretty bullet-proof, if something big happens to the car (crashed or engine blown up), it's definitely more expensive to fix a Porsche than other cars. For instance, your Cayman's structure is aluminum, so if you crash it will be pretty expensive to repair. I have a 2010 Cayman (987.2), and am on a FB group with people that track their Caymans, and the part about 981s being more expensive to fix comes up often.
Like others, I say keep it close to stock if you are going to hang on to it. Otherwise, flip it and make some money.
I've done a few track days with mine, and it's fun because it's fast enough that I am the passer far more often than the passee. But really, the only mod I'm thinking of making is getting the GT3 lower control arms for more front camber (stock you can't get enough camber and it understeers slightly). I'm unwilling to go down the path of making the car better on track and worse on the street, because it's great as is on the street.
And I understand completely getting a thrill out of going into the garage and seeing it sitting there. It's surreal to hear myself say "My Porsche"!
Probably biased here but I vote for a few upgrades. You already have the good oil, some good tires, brake fluid and pads should make it a very good track day car, albeit not a race car for sure. Do a few track days with it like that before making the decision and you can't go wrong IMHO. And with the low investment you can't go wrong, that car is sure to double your money now with more likely later.
gixxeropa said:sell it and put it all on black while y'all are in vegas for SEMA
Man, I've been here too long, read that as "sell it and put it all in black Vegas for SEMA"
In reply to RacerBoy75 :
As an aside, what you really want is a rear swaybar. The control arms are a good upgrade, but unless you're willing to run 3+ degrees of camber, that alone isn't going to do much for the handling balance, mostly just help tire wear a bit. The swaybar on the other hand is a night and day difference in balance and doesn't really do anything to the ride quality. The first year I had my 981S it was stock other than a gt4 rear bar and wheels/tires. Sometimes I regret going further than that.
Iron duke swap with bososzuku exhaust.
In reply to paddygarcia :
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
RacerBoy75 said:But really, the only mod I'm thinking of making is getting the GT3 lower control arms for more front camber...
This is exactly what I did to mine. Then I maxed out the camber F/R. It's still very streetable but the tires wear more evenly on track.
In reply to dps214 :
I do have the thicker Cayman R rear bar, and it helped but not enough. The 987 platform gives you less camber than the 981.
Tom Suddard said:I should probably post one more thought: I'm still pinching myself that I'm really looking at a Porsche in my garage--a shiny modern Porsche. I'm not a brand snob. But I'd be lying if I said the Porsche didn't seem special for some reason. I'm insanely lucky to have to answer the question "what should I do with my Cayman?"
@TomSuddard on Instagram
Based on this, fix the transmission and keep it as long as you want. #YOLOPorsche
I'd love one of these cars, realistically the only way I could justify one is by buying a very badly broken one and doing some of these impossible Porsche repairs myself, take the trans apart lets see what in there. Do some "Everyman's Porsche" stories, have a sweet date night car for awhile, take some time to decide if you're in love.
dps214 said:ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:Olemiss540 said:Send it to Deman, 4.5L, MCS coilovers, pair of Euro GT3 steats, and rollbar. Done
At which point you've got a $100k base Cayman.
...A $100k base cayman that you can't run on pump gas.
Dang. Didn't consider gas availability but maybe step it down to the 4.0L then OP.
MadScientistMatt said:If I had a Cayman, I'd leave it close to stock with minor upgrades as stuff broke, take it to autocross events and track days, and daily it. But that isn't a great choice for a magazine: It's boring.
Content for a magazine would need to have a higher level of awesome or crazy. The idea of using it as a dirt rally car is a good one from a content perspective. You don't expect Porsches to get muddy or airborne on a gravel road. So that's one good possibility.
Or take "OEM Plus" to a wild extreme. Porsche held back the Cayman because they didn't want to steal sales from the 911. Well, you aren't Porsche, so berkely that! Reach into the OE 911 parts bin and build the 981 into something that would have wiped out the 911 sales if Porsche had offered it. Make it feel like something you could have bought out of a dealership and not a home built track rat.
Engine swaps would need to be really crazy to top Porsche power, so I wouldn't go for an LS swap. A V12 swap, though? Maybe.
Last idea is using it as a drively or suspension donor for something really crazy. Make a 917 replica, possibly out of a VW kit car. Put the drivetrain in the back of something FWD and leave the front drivetrain in place. I can't really think of an appropriate car to swap the drivetrain into, but swapping it into an inappropriate car could be entertaining.
You know, we could probably dip our toes into rallycross without going too crazy with mods and upgrades.
I also like the idea of seeing how much it takes to make a Cayman as fast as a contemporary 911.
Based on the success of the 986, if I ever win the lottery I will definitely be giving a rallycross cayman a try. I think doing it with a 981 is a recipe for immediately shooting a strut through the hood though. Or mangling the front bumper irreparably.
Keep it stock-ish, use it for road trips, and maybe compete in Big Bend Open Road Race?
Colin Wood said:I also like the idea of seeing how much it takes to make a Cayman as fast as a contemporary 911.
Not much and Porsche should have replaced the 911 with a Cayman.
There I said it.
I read the posts - but you said it yourself in your note. "Some guys work all their lives to put a Porsche in their driveway". Plus, you bought it without even seeing it in person. Good move, it turns out. The Cayman is one of the nicest cars made. Keep it, as a "weekend driver". Nice cars are rationally irrational (or is that irrationally rational?.. not sure). I know 4 guys who bought Porsche cars - 911 Turbo, 944S (and then a black 944 turbo), a red 944 (long ago, when they were new), and a modern 911 (maybe 10 years back). The buying of a Porsche seems to change one's life. Each of these fellows went on to fine success, in most area's of their lives. The car you drive really does not make any difference to who you are. Right? Sure. Unless maybe it's a Porsche. I don't have one. (Not yet..)
But the thing to do, is what your heart - your deep inner heart - says. Maybe the cash from a flip is used to buy something key (like maybe a house?), but the Cayman is a work of art. Take it on a road trip up north, come into crazy Canada, (in the summer, of course), and run the Trans-Canada from Ontario to Vancouver. Tour Vancouver Island, and/or the BC interior. Come back down the US West Coast, but this time with all six gears working! I wouldn't take the racer/track path. And since you are doing a motorsport magazine, try to hook up with Porsche corporate, and see if they want to sponsor something.. I would have asked them for a new transmission - and maybe a guy to help install it? You never know 'till you ask. I still remember as a kid, when a friend got his 911 Turbo, with the big whale-tail. We took it out on a northern highway, and watched the bar-meter work.. It was crazy - first the normal V8 style acceleration, and then the turbo cutting in, and that ole "rocket-sled" feeling. Your lucky, you live in Florida, where you can drive nice cars year round. We have to put our toys away for the winter, lest they get destroyed by road-salt.
So, enjoy it. Run it for pleasure, not profit. Just don't be surprised when it quietly seems to change your life. Sounds silly, I know. Ravings of an old car-nut, maybe. Have fun with it, and make sure not to put it into a lake. :)
In reply to dps214 :
I considered a rallycross cayman but ended up with another Subaru. I think the chassis would excel in stock RWD.
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