Porsche Cayman R: PH Carpool
A Cayman bought unseen has proved a dream for this PHer!
Car: Porsche Cayman R
Owned since: December 2014
Previously owned: Porsche Boxster S, Porsche Cayman S, various hot hatches and coupes
Spec consideration vital for Nick - it paid off!
"The car I've always dreamed of owning is a 997 Gen II GT3 RS; this car is not it, mainly because my wallet is not cut from the right quality of leather! One for the future hopefully. I've been a fan of Porsche cars since I bought my 986 Boxster S about nine years ago which ended up being a rather brief love affair cut short by the help of the global financial crisis. So I went back to a few Audis, two previous generations of S3, a Jaguar XJR (let's not talk about that one) and an MX-5. Several years later I came back to the marque and had a Cayman S for about 18 months and loved it. Last December I was lucky enough to find myself drilling into the classifieds trying to find a filter in the search box that said 'R'. I looked at a few deciding I couldn't stand Peridot Green and it needed to have the proper Spyder wheels, carbon fibre bucket seats and a real gear stick - some will argue these don't maketh an R, I would argue they do. It soon became clear that examples of this car (being limited to only around 220ish in the UK) with the right options and in manual were being snapped up quick, so having to move fast on a potential purchase was key. I ended up doing something I've never done before; I gave the guys at Paragon my debit card details over the phone, bought the car and then booked in a slot with them to go and see it...
"There were a number of reasons I went with a Cayman R, one which I'm slightly ashamed to admit: they do seem to be holding their value very well. Having said that I wanted a car that would be more focused than my Cayman S too. I considered a 996 GT3 but I've decided to reserve that badge for the remote possibility that one day I'll achieve my dream car (see above) and I tried out a Cayman GTS at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone, which left me a bit cold. Having read a number of glowing reviews about the Cayman R I knew it should be good, and after driving one my mind was made up. The buying experience was relatively easy as I was after a low mileage, dealer supplied car and I knew it didn't suffer with many of the issues of previous generation cars - the hard bit was finding the right spec! Most of these cars have had the air-con and PCM boxes ticked (the car came standard with no air conditioning or radio of any kind) and a few more will have the standard equipment bucket seats and lightweight Spyder wheels, but not all."
More trips like this planned
"It didn't take me long to spot a weakness in the car; it didn't have the Porsche Sports Exhaust. I should have ticked that box (here come the 'I told you so') because if any car I've owned needed to bark a bit louder then it's this one. It certainly has a more aggressive induction note than a standard Cayman, but it doesn't release that angry sounding flat-six note enough as I think it should. I'll be looking for a fix; there are a few routes to that goal so let's see!"
Things I love:
"The suspension is a real positive in this car; it doesn’t have PASM like other Caymans had the option of, instead it sits 22mm lower than a standard car on recalibrated springs and dampers. Sounds fairly basic, but what you get is in my opinion the perfect set-up for the road and track. It’s compliant enough for our Swiss cheese tarmac roads and sturdy enough for the odd track day. I also love the relative rarity of this car; it turns heads and people like to talk to you about it which is quite nice. I’ve still to this day not seen another actually on the road."
Well if you don't like Peridot Green...
"Now it's not all rosy with this car. The boot rattles, I've decided it's a Cayman problem judging by past experience. I have to say though a trip back to the guys at Paragon and they were happy to address the problem and to a large degree the car is now rattle free. And it doesn't have the cup holders of the standard car either which turns out is a bit of a pain.
"While the car was in having the rattle seen to I also asked the guys to look at adjusting the front camber, many owners suggest fitting the 5mm spacers from the GT3 and having more negative camber applied to the front wheels, the result being the car loses its factory set slight tendency for under steer. So I've only been back to Paragon once since I bought the car, but I left happy as Larry and absolutely highly rate their after sales service; they provide nice coffee and a showroom of automotive eye candy while you wait."
Lightweight buckets a must for Nick
"The car hasn't cost me a great deal so far. Insurance is fairly cheap because I'm getting on a bit. It will require a service next year and a road trip in the Alps in July will probably finish off most of the useful life of my Michelins, but I'm not expecting anything eye watering."
Where I've been:
"Save for a few local PH meet-ups and trips back home through the rural roads of North Essex I've not really stretched its legs. Here's hoping the Petrolhead Nirvana Alpine Assault tour in July will be the perfect opportunity to do just that."
What's next?
"So is this a worthy stop gap before a GT3 RS? Yes, I think it is and there doesn't seem to be anything I can think of as middle ground between the two. Looks like it's a keeper."
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
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