Yeah, but what's it like to live with? The Porsche Cayman

Through stroke of good fortune, proper alignment of the stars, and perhaps the occasional bribe, I get to spend time with a wide variety of GRMish type cars. These are all fun cars that mere mortals can afford. I use the yardstick of what an equipped new Miata would cost. Using that as the price standard, what are the used options for something a bit higher up the food chain for the same money? How do they stack up?

If you are looking for 0-60 times, specs, etc. you will have to look on Google for one of the many road tests. I will just share what each car is like to live with, in daily use, for a month or so. The good stuff and the annoyances. I will stick with later model cars that should have the expectation of reliable daily use. Impressions of the cars will be posted here with the full archive at www.alsoranracing.com.

I promise no boring cars and nothing that gets out of the $30s for fair market price. These are strictly my opinions, your mileage may vary. Here we go:

What resides in the garage this month is a Porsche Cayman. This particular car is a 2008 first generation example with just under 50K miles. Nice examples are commonly available in the mid to upper $20s. Firstly, I will admit a bias towards Porsches. Having owned several of them, I was looking forward to spending time with the Cayman.

The usual Porsche strengths are here: Perfectly poised chassis, snarling flat six, excellent driving position and major controls. Laser accurate steering and excellent brakes. Sight lines make traffic non-threatening. Styling is a matter of taste, but I like it. The engine is quite tractable and happily doddles around town at 2,000 rpm. All the fun really begins over 4,000 with that delicious Porsche wail.

Also typically Porsche, some things are overly engineered. Simple things like cup holders are stupidly complicated. The center stack controls are far from intuitive. Texting while driving would probably be less distracting than messing with the audio or nav systems. Even the climate system is fussy. I would like to think it's because Porsche focuses their attention on the performance aspects of the car. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

The hatchback makes the rear luggage area more usable than the double oven Boxster. Try putting a bag of frozen groceries in either the front or rear trunk of a Boxster. The rear defroster elements in the back window provide an interesting prism effect with car headlights at night and I'm not a fan of the oddly shaped rear view mirror (shared with the Boxster).

I found more interior rattles and buzzing trim than I have come to expect from Porsche and if you're looking for all kinds of nooks and crannies to store things, forget it. There isn't much cockpit storage. This car is a tight little package. Not quite Miata tight, but as far as luggage, use the rule: If it won't fit in an airline overhead bin it probably won't fit in the Cayman. Forget the Costco shopping runs. Yeah, I know that isn't this car's intended purpose but it is a part of life and other sports cars are better.

Mileage in mostly city driving returned 20.2 mpg which is OK, but less than my recent experience with a C6 Corvette. The ride is firm with a bit of short wheelbase pitching and solid thumps over freeway expansion strips. I don't mind a firm ride but, again, compared to other car in the class, it is more harsh. The passenger side power window would randomly not seat itself correctly and there were a few stray error codes from the computer. That was a reminder that the servicing of these cars is both specialized and expensive. With no engine access, except from under the car, do it yourself is pretty limited. Not a car to spend your last dollar on.

All of that is boring right brain stuff. It's the left brain where this car shines. Nobody really needs one of these. You won't purchase it for it's practicality. When the sun is out and the road is clear there aren't many better seats. The car is eager and ready to play. All the tactile and sensory inputs are perfect. Handling, steering, and brakes are spot on. The mid range moan of the engine turns to a wail as the flat six climbs to redline. Suddenly you are Steve McQueen at LeMans, forget Walter Mitty. It just feels right. Detractors of Porsches simply haven't spent enough time with them to understand.

So, do I like it? Would I buy one? Yes and probably no. I expected to like the Cayman more than the Boxster. I didn't. I like the car. It's a lot of fun and you never grow tired of the precise chassis and snarling flat six. Problem is, you can get that in a Boxster for less money, with the open top capability, and it's a bit easier to forgive a few rattles and squeaks in a drop top. There are some very good buys out there right now. Make mine a Boxster.

Thanks for answering the question. We've been discussing the Cayman more and more often lately around the water cooler.

Well written, what are your credentials?

Interesting result

Argo1 wrote: Through stroke of good fortune, proper alignment of the stars, and perhaps the occasional bribe, I get to spend time with a wide variety of GRMish type cars. These are all fun cars that mere mortals can afford... I will just share what each car is like to live with, in daily use, for a month or so. The good stuff and the annoyances. I will stick with later model cars that should have the expectation of reliable daily use.

Are you in the used car business? If not, what sort of arrangement are you running exactly? I'm sure I'm not the only one that's more than a little curious -- and jealous ;)

In reply to aussiesmg:

Thanks. No official credentials. Just a car guy and former racer with some access to cars. I've owned 60+ cars over the years and driven many, many more so that's what I use as the basis for my opinions.

In reply to Argo1: interested only, this is one I was curious about, can you do requests

In reply to aussiesmg: I can keep an eye out for cars that people have interest in.

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to more.

I've had my Cayman S for almost three years and It has been very easy to live with. No maintenance surprise. The view over your shoulders isn't great. My car has the Bose audio and navigation system, neither of which I use very often. I would rather have a basic stereo with simple controls and a Garmin GPS. I have loaded the front trunk with groceries many times and I have to say that it does a better job of keeping them together than the back seat of my truck does.

Tell us about the recent experience with the C6!!

335i manual sedan & cayenne 4.5 na

No engine access from above?! I didn't know that, cross this one off the potential future car list.

@bgkast....you can. There is a carpeted/sounded deadening cover, then a metal access plate. Removing these allow you to see the top of the motor and....not much else. Like with 911s, the first step in any repairs job is "remove engine"

calteg wrote: @bgkast....you can. There is a carpeted/sounded deadening cover, then a metal access plate. Removing these allow you to see the top of the motor and....not much else. Like with 911s, the first step in any repairs job is "remove engine"

I test drove one. After I was done (great ride, by the way) I asked the guy to show me the engine. He explained that it would take a mechanic an hour or so to take all of the upholstery out of the way and then carefully put it all back. I thanked him for his time.

I wasn't in the market, but it was fun.

In defense of the no engine access, the engine doesn't really doesn't need much maintenance outside of routine fluids and, to Woody's point, the cars are pretty reliable.

I didn't mention one of the biggest annoyances: The key. The little button on it is the door locks. The big fat one is the rear hatch release which gets bumped or touched all the time. I was constantly having to get out and shut the hatch...

I haven't had any reason to look at the top of my engine at this point, and it's not a huge concern of mine. Changing your own oil isn't much different than doing it on any other car. When you have one of these cars at your disposal, you just want to drive it any chance you get. You don't care so much about looking at the engine.

aussiesmg wrote: 335i manual sedan & cayenne 4.5 na

Two possibles. I will keep my eyes out.

aussiesmg wrote: 335i manual sedan

I had one of those! What do you want to know?

In reply to Xceler8x: how is it rear head and leg space. Will a folding wheelchair fit in the trunk. How will it hold up to 60k a year

My friend's just had IMS failure and the new engine cost $10,000.

It's been a very expensive to maintain car.

For 2005 and earlier models there has been a successful class action lawsuit against Porsche due to the E36 M3 reliability of the engine. The later cars have the same issue but no lawsuit to help.

Unless you want to roll the dice AVOID.

There is a carpeted/sounded deadening cover, then a metal access plate. Removing these allow you to see the top of the motor and....not much else

and it's a massive PITA to do that every time. The car is harder to work on than a Z32 300zx.

Hey Argo1, I tried to PM you but it says I must be approved by an admin, so I will ask you here.

I am very seriously considering picking up an AP1 S2000. Have you ever driven one, or do you think you could review one for me? I would love your insight on one, in this same format. The good, the bad, the ugly, etc.

Thanks!

In reply to Desmond: S2000's don't come around too often. You might ask Spoolpigeon here on the boards. He owns one.

The AP1 S2000 reminds me lots of a tuned NB Miata. Take the NB and give it an upper-rev VTEC boost, more grip and less body roll and you've captured the driving dynamics of an S2000. The effortless agility is the same, the excellent steering feel is similar, the throttle-steering is similar, the quick shifter feel is similar, the storage capacity is similar, even the shakes and rattles are similar. As a long-time Miata owner and fan, I like the S2000 lots.

OP, you have a very well written review of the Porsche Cayman. I also second a review of the C6.

I'm surprised that the Cayman had interior parts rattling in the car. I also like that you included trunk space since that is still a part of daily driving a sports car.

aussiesmg wrote: In reply to Xceler8x: how is it rear head and leg space. Will a folding wheelchair fit in the trunk. How will it hold up to 60k a year

Rear leg space was good. I had adult men in the back seat often. Six footers may still have an issue as their knees will most likely hit the back of the front seat.

A folding wheelchair, of the smaller varieyt, may fit in the back. I was able to haul individually; a child's wagon full constructed and a full size stroller folded. I'd still test fit it on the test drive.

I drove mine from 44k to 75k. It needed to have the injectors replaced ($3000) and the water pump replaced ($1500). I purchased an extended warranty so did not pay those full costs myself or perform the work. Previously this car suffered from the fuel pump failure about 3 times. I was told this by BMW service as they had records of the repairs. I never replaced a fuel pump so the last one must've been a good'un.

I sold the car for a used Ford Taurus SHO as I got real tired of the potential cost of future repair bills. The jury is out on the Ford but it's holding up well.