987.2 Cayman for road and track?

[Loafers92]

Hi all, in my search for a car that can be reasonably good at doing trackdays 6 times a year as well as being used for fun intense drives and the occasional roadtrip, I've so far narrowed it down to either an alpine a110 or a 987.2 cayman, perhaps even an s2 exige if I can find one in good condition (im in europe so harder to find)

Im coming from a 2023 mx5 nd2 2 liter, which I like a lot because of how light it is, and the performance is quite decent on track now that its modified, but the gearbox issues its had and will probably have again really put me off it and Im selling it off before it goes out of warranty. It's a shame as it's otherwise a great car.

I tried a 987.2 cayman s a few days ago, manual gearbox and pasm equipped, with 45k miles on the clock. The car looked like it was in good condition and had 2 year old pilot sport 4 tires, the suspension arms looked good and the radiators as well, but the car vibrated at speed and honestly felt very uninspiring to drive - not very responsive or direct. Are they all like that or should I put that down to age of components? Apparently nothing has been replaced chassis wise, so should I expect a potential big bill to refresh the suspension? It was a higher priced example too.

I am looking at the 2.9 models as well as Im not really fussed about power, just want something that can be at the very least as fast as the mx5, while being reliable for my use case.

What modifications would it need? I've read so far suspension, lower control arms for added camber, brake ducts, brake pads and fluids, perhaps discs...

Thanks in advance!

[V7SLR]

Loafers92 said:

..... a car that can be reasonably good at doing trackdays 6 times a year as well as being used for fun intense drives and the occasional roadtrip

Just my personal opinion, but for the trackdays and intense drives I'd consider an Elise, for the roadtrip the Cayman would be brilliant especially for the luggage capacity which is immense. I'm lucky enough to have both a 987.2 Boxster and a high powered Caterham. From experience it's hard to defy the laws of physics when you're braking hard on track or driving twisties, don't get me wrong, the 987 is an incredibly capable car but it shows it's mass when you're trying to throw it around. Probably not a popular opinion on a Porsche forum!

[Michael_B]

I have an A110S and a 987.2 Boxster Spyder. The Alpine struggles for road trips on real world roads as the suspension is a bit too firm for long successive days of driving, and luggage space is minimal. It is however excellent for solo weekend or day trips around the mountains where you don’t have to worry about your passenger throwing up. Perhaps the standard model hits a happier medium.

The 987.2 Porsche feels more ‘vintage’, noticeably heavier and less agile (despite being their lightest model at the time), but the hydraulic steering is reassuringly weighty, suspension is more compliant, luggage space is bigger and more usable, the engine howls gorgeously, and it’s arguably a much prettier car

Next month I’ll be driving on my own across to St Moritz and back (800km 2-day trip via some renowned Alpine passes) and will take the Spyder. But for a 3 hour Sunday morning blast around the Jura or a day at the Circuit de Bresse, the Alpine would be my choice.

I’m not sure that one “track day and road trip” car is easy to find; it probably depends on how many compromises you are willing to make for either role.