Porsche Cayman 987 (Modifications, Trackdays & a Fun Magnet)
Discussion
So I’m going to start this thread but making people aware that what you’re going to see will 100% divide opinions into the camps of 'I have ruined the car' or 'they like what I’ve done'. I own it purely for fun, do everything on it myself, the amount of memories it has brought me messing with it over the years is priceless and I love every second I go out in it.
So now that disclaimer is over with. This is my Porsche Cayman 2006. I have owned the car for the past 5 years (posted 2020). I was very fortunate in that I was able to save enough to purchase it at 23 years old. Surprisingly the insurance was never that much considering the ‘prestige’ the brand has and I can only assume it’s because a lot of them end up as weekend cars, so tend not to get wrecked on a regular basis. So the cheaper insurance meant that over the course of owning it I’m actually better off than if I went and bought something like a newish Corsa.
So it started life as a completely standard base model Cayman. At the time this was the top end of my budget and the Gen1, 2.7litre Caymans fetched about £17-18k for a nice one. I picked this one up for £15k from a VW dealership they had been given as a part exchange. On buying the car I knew of some of the issues with it, but some did come as a surprise. Now they are as cheap as 9k and an absolute bargain if you’re looking to buy a cheap reliable sports car.
I have always modified and serviced my own cars, tend to always attempt any repairs myself first (even if you try and fail, you learn, and it’s still broken so you have nothing to lose in my opinion). So I will also use this to give potential buyers an insight into running costs and things to look out for that I have found along the way.
The day I picked it up I was smiling ear to ear all the way home. There is something special about these cars. Don’t get me wrong they are NOT quick cars by today’s standards. If you want a traffic light hero then this car is not for you. However, get it out on windy roads or a track and you realise just how fruitful ownership of an older Cayman can be.
Jumping straight into maintenance. People tend to get scared at the prospect of working on a mid-engine car. I guess it’s because of the perceived lack of space or the thinking that everything will be covered by tons of trim and pipework. I have to admit that I have actually found this a much easier car to work on than my previous Audi. Everything you need access to have been kindly located in an area where it’s easy to get to. Sitting in the ‘boot’ to work on the open engine bay is a joy at times compared to hunched over the front of a car. And generally, there has been real thought into making sure the Cayman can be worked on by anyone comfortable with general car maintenance.
Parts can be sourced for a reasonable price (a bit or Porsche tax here and there) but typically its cheaper to get parts direct from Porsche than go through specialists or other part dealers. Normal servicing parts are purchased from Euro Car Parts which always have stock I have found.
Moving onto the main things I have had to do over my ownership.
- All front coolant hoses
- AOS a few times
- Clutch & flywheel
So first things to note is the clutch & flywheel was because of user error! haha *think traffic light hero and a turbocharged Subaru and you get the jist*. Price was £1500
The coolant hoses are a very very common issue with Caymans and Boxsters. If you’re looking to purchase one check this and factor it into the price you pay, but in the end the coolant pipes cost me £1200 to fix but now, they are done, I’m safe in the knowledge they won’t need doing for at least another 10 years hopefully.
And finally, the AOS is another typical issue. I rag the absolute nuts off this car on a daily basis so probably the reason for this little diaphragm failing a few times. But on that note, you will find that its usually the cars that have sat around their whole life mostly stationary in a garage that have most issues. These car love to sing at any given moment and making sure the engine has a nice dose of oil at 7k at any moment in my opinion keeps everything lubed and correctly moving. Maintenance is key and I personally change the oil every 6k as I have done with every car I have owned.
So other than the 3 main parts I have replaced above there is not much else to report on that front. It really has been a joy to own. Typical things like pads and discs I have done and cost me about £300 in parts and a few hours of work to replace, oil and filters tend not to go above £150 for all those typical service items, so really the maintenance costs are not too high if you do the work yourself. The labour costs is what will suddenly make this cost skyrocket!
The big question people ask when looking at a Cayman is shall I buy the normal or S model. My thoughts on this are that if your tracking the car definitely get the S. The added power is absolutely necessary when on track. However, if you’re looking for the fun pacey sports car to chuck around some B roads then go for the base model. You can thrash it everywhere and mostly stay within the speed but still keep all the fun aspect, the base model doesn’t suffer from bore scoring as much as the S model, the same goes for snapped gear cables due to most base models being 5 speed and you save a few thousand pounds over the equivalent S model anyway to spend on some proper tyres to make it even better.
In the 5 years of ownership I have taken it on tons of rallies and drives, shows all over the UK and dressed it up in Cadbury livery and driven over to LeMans in 2018. So I will post up pictures of these 'forms' here.
Now onto things I have done to the car. I will start with the exterior as it’s the thing you notice first. I have gone through a fair few different styles so far, with more to come over the coming months. As it stands, I have a GT4 style front bumper by Xclusive customz, Techart style side skirts and extensions, my own custom rear wing setup, Joe Toth rear diffuser, 19’ Fuch Style wheels, wrapped in Oracal Ultraviolet Metallic Purple, my own custom blacked out headlights, LED rear lights and underglow..... yes it has underglow!!!
Interior wise I have Sparco Rev2 buckets mounted on fixed PDI seat brackets, Interior retrimmed by Royal steering wheels, Carbon Fibre trim pieces on the dash and door, Some RS style door pulls, Pioneer Headunit.
Performance wise consists of an ITG foam filter, H&R lowering Springs, Michelin super sports tyres all round, Topgear high flow manifolds, custom straight through exhaust by Infinity Exhausts and a remap to 265hp.
I think that covers everything modification wise, but I have a YouTube channel I’m just starting which also has a walk around of the car for anyone interested. *go easy I have only just started doing it* haha! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fdwgjlJZoT6wCoS...
Anyway, I will stop blabbing on but happy to be here and answer any questions.
Socials:
Instagram - @that_purple_cayman
Youtube - Tom Mods Things - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fdwgjlJZoT6wCoS...
Facebook - Equinox Automotive - https://www.facebook.com/Equinoxautomotive/
Sticker'd up as a joke for a car show I was attending with friends.
Sporting its track livery when I attending a few track days in 2017 before it got a whole new colour.
In its new colour
On the Fuch wheels
At a show I managed to get accepted into
At the Mulsanne straight at LeMans
It was even used as the wedding car when I got married this year
Finally as it is currently sporting the new big wing
So now that disclaimer is over with. This is my Porsche Cayman 2006. I have owned the car for the past 5 years (posted 2020). I was very fortunate in that I was able to save enough to purchase it at 23 years old. Surprisingly the insurance was never that much considering the ‘prestige’ the brand has and I can only assume it’s because a lot of them end up as weekend cars, so tend not to get wrecked on a regular basis. So the cheaper insurance meant that over the course of owning it I’m actually better off than if I went and bought something like a newish Corsa.
So it started life as a completely standard base model Cayman. At the time this was the top end of my budget and the Gen1, 2.7litre Caymans fetched about £17-18k for a nice one. I picked this one up for £15k from a VW dealership they had been given as a part exchange. On buying the car I knew of some of the issues with it, but some did come as a surprise. Now they are as cheap as 9k and an absolute bargain if you’re looking to buy a cheap reliable sports car.
I have always modified and serviced my own cars, tend to always attempt any repairs myself first (even if you try and fail, you learn, and it’s still broken so you have nothing to lose in my opinion). So I will also use this to give potential buyers an insight into running costs and things to look out for that I have found along the way.
The day I picked it up I was smiling ear to ear all the way home. There is something special about these cars. Don’t get me wrong they are NOT quick cars by today’s standards. If you want a traffic light hero then this car is not for you. However, get it out on windy roads or a track and you realise just how fruitful ownership of an older Cayman can be.
Jumping straight into maintenance. People tend to get scared at the prospect of working on a mid-engine car. I guess it’s because of the perceived lack of space or the thinking that everything will be covered by tons of trim and pipework. I have to admit that I have actually found this a much easier car to work on than my previous Audi. Everything you need access to have been kindly located in an area where it’s easy to get to. Sitting in the ‘boot’ to work on the open engine bay is a joy at times compared to hunched over the front of a car. And generally, there has been real thought into making sure the Cayman can be worked on by anyone comfortable with general car maintenance.
Parts can be sourced for a reasonable price (a bit or Porsche tax here and there) but typically its cheaper to get parts direct from Porsche than go through specialists or other part dealers. Normal servicing parts are purchased from Euro Car Parts which always have stock I have found.
Moving onto the main things I have had to do over my ownership.
- All front coolant hoses
- AOS a few times
- Clutch & flywheel
So first things to note is the clutch & flywheel was because of user error! haha *think traffic light hero and a turbocharged Subaru and you get the jist*. Price was £1500
The coolant hoses are a very very common issue with Caymans and Boxsters. If you’re looking to purchase one check this and factor it into the price you pay, but in the end the coolant pipes cost me £1200 to fix but now, they are done, I’m safe in the knowledge they won’t need doing for at least another 10 years hopefully.
And finally, the AOS is another typical issue. I rag the absolute nuts off this car on a daily basis so probably the reason for this little diaphragm failing a few times. But on that note, you will find that its usually the cars that have sat around their whole life mostly stationary in a garage that have most issues. These car love to sing at any given moment and making sure the engine has a nice dose of oil at 7k at any moment in my opinion keeps everything lubed and correctly moving. Maintenance is key and I personally change the oil every 6k as I have done with every car I have owned.
So other than the 3 main parts I have replaced above there is not much else to report on that front. It really has been a joy to own. Typical things like pads and discs I have done and cost me about £300 in parts and a few hours of work to replace, oil and filters tend not to go above £150 for all those typical service items, so really the maintenance costs are not too high if you do the work yourself. The labour costs is what will suddenly make this cost skyrocket!
The big question people ask when looking at a Cayman is shall I buy the normal or S model. My thoughts on this are that if your tracking the car definitely get the S. The added power is absolutely necessary when on track. However, if you’re looking for the fun pacey sports car to chuck around some B roads then go for the base model. You can thrash it everywhere and mostly stay within the speed but still keep all the fun aspect, the base model doesn’t suffer from bore scoring as much as the S model, the same goes for snapped gear cables due to most base models being 5 speed and you save a few thousand pounds over the equivalent S model anyway to spend on some proper tyres to make it even better.
In the 5 years of ownership I have taken it on tons of rallies and drives, shows all over the UK and dressed it up in Cadbury livery and driven over to LeMans in 2018. So I will post up pictures of these 'forms' here.
Now onto things I have done to the car. I will start with the exterior as it’s the thing you notice first. I have gone through a fair few different styles so far, with more to come over the coming months. As it stands, I have a GT4 style front bumper by Xclusive customz, Techart style side skirts and extensions, my own custom rear wing setup, Joe Toth rear diffuser, 19’ Fuch Style wheels, wrapped in Oracal Ultraviolet Metallic Purple, my own custom blacked out headlights, LED rear lights and underglow..... yes it has underglow!!!
Interior wise I have Sparco Rev2 buckets mounted on fixed PDI seat brackets, Interior retrimmed by Royal steering wheels, Carbon Fibre trim pieces on the dash and door, Some RS style door pulls, Pioneer Headunit.
Performance wise consists of an ITG foam filter, H&R lowering Springs, Michelin super sports tyres all round, Topgear high flow manifolds, custom straight through exhaust by Infinity Exhausts and a remap to 265hp.
I think that covers everything modification wise, but I have a YouTube channel I’m just starting which also has a walk around of the car for anyone interested. *go easy I have only just started doing it* haha! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fdwgjlJZoT6wCoS...
Anyway, I will stop blabbing on but happy to be here and answer any questions.
Socials:
Instagram - @that_purple_cayman
Youtube - Tom Mods Things - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7fdwgjlJZoT6wCoS...
Facebook - Equinox Automotive - https://www.facebook.com/Equinoxautomotive/
Sticker'd up as a joke for a car show I was attending with friends.
Sporting its track livery when I attending a few track days in 2017 before it got a whole new colour.
In its new colour
On the Fuch wheels
At a show I managed to get accepted into
At the Mulsanne straight at LeMans
It was even used as the wedding car when I got married this year
Finally as it is currently sporting the new big wing
doesn't matter what others think, you enjoy it... that's all that matters.
fair play for doing the work yourself, it truly does save a fortune than trusting some lowly paid muppet to not care about what he's doing and mess up your pride and joy.
I like what you've done, i think i preferred the older, lower wing personally but as in my first sentence...!!!
fair play for doing the work yourself, it truly does save a fortune than trusting some lowly paid muppet to not care about what he's doing and mess up your pride and joy.
I like what you've done, i think i preferred the older, lower wing personally but as in my first sentence...!!!
The appeal of these things to me are immense. I’ve never driven or even been in one but I find them hugely appealing. I also like the way you’ve gone against the usual Porsche owners grain of staying within the OEM realm. Colour is out there, Wing is a bold statement and the Fuch-esque wheels are pretty cool.
There is a few GT4s local to me and I think they look fantastic, all reports seem to support this as well. Your front bumper, is that a GT4 rep bumper?
I also like the purple, I’ve been toying up having my own Porsche wrapped purple, but think I will opt for boring grey for a few years first.
There was a modified one local to me a few years ago which looked superb. I look forward to following your progression.
There is a few GT4s local to me and I think they look fantastic, all reports seem to support this as well. Your front bumper, is that a GT4 rep bumper?
I also like the purple, I’ve been toying up having my own Porsche wrapped purple, but think I will opt for boring grey for a few years first.
There was a modified one local to me a few years ago which looked superb. I look forward to following your progression.
Edited by Big Tomm on Thursday 25th June 11:05
Haha! Was wondering if someone would spot that! Thank everyone for the warm welcome. 
Very aware the wing in particular is a 'marmite' mod haha! It's actually not fully finished yet as it still needs to be colour coded to the body. I've just been working to get it sat correctly before it gets taken off and finished.
Hope to attend some PH meet ups once the world's a little more relaxed.
Very aware the wing in particular is a 'marmite' mod haha! It's actually not fully finished yet as it still needs to be colour coded to the body. I've just been working to get it sat correctly before it gets taken off and finished.
Hope to attend some PH meet ups once the world's a little more relaxed.
So thought I'd post up a change that's happened recently. After owning the Fuch wheels for about 3 years I fancied a bit of a change.
As I'm sure some of you do, I always find myself searching Facebook marketplace and ebay for bargains and interesting things.
And this weekend just gone I came across an advert for some wheels I liked the look of and best of all they were cheap. On looking over the ad it just so happens they were the exact size and dimensions I wanted. And a similar style to what I thought I'd go with next too.
Straight on the phone to arrange to see them. Turns out they were essentially brand new with about 100miles on them. Style just didn't suit him. He had them on gumtree for 6 months but with no bites. I'd imagine down to the advert as I had to really search the listing to work out the specs. Then his son put them on fb marketplace which is where I found them 24hours later.
So here they are as a new look.
As I'm sure some of you do, I always find myself searching Facebook marketplace and ebay for bargains and interesting things.
And this weekend just gone I came across an advert for some wheels I liked the look of and best of all they were cheap. On looking over the ad it just so happens they were the exact size and dimensions I wanted. And a similar style to what I thought I'd go with next too.
Straight on the phone to arrange to see them. Turns out they were essentially brand new with about 100miles on them. Style just didn't suit him. He had them on gumtree for 6 months but with no bites. I'd imagine down to the advert as I had to really search the listing to work out the specs. Then his son put them on fb marketplace which is where I found them 24hours later.
So here they are as a new look.
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