RE: The £10k Porsche Cayman | Spotted
Discussion
Water Fairy said:
I totally agree. I'd take this philosophy to the next level, however, and go buy a sorted Elise instead. Yes it would cost more to buy but ultimately so much more rewarding in my experience.
Personally I'd be happy to live with the compromises an Elise brings over the Cayman but nonetheless 10k is a bargain for a great sportscar.
Yeah can't argue with that! I did consider an Elise. Ultimately there were two factors for me which lead to the Cayman. 1. The cost of a good Elise is now much much higher than 10k and 2. my previous Boxster was written off in a head on crash with a Winnebago (being driven by a German couple on the wrong side of the road) and it held up admirably (even the electric windows still worked) - being a bit of a sissy, this put me off anything small like an Elise or a Caterham (actually a Westfield).Personally I'd be happy to live with the compromises an Elise brings over the Cayman but nonetheless 10k is a bargain for a great sportscar.
If I wasn't such a pansy and wasn't so tight - I'd buy an Elise in a heartbeat!
NNH said:
sc0tt said:
jase_llan said:
It'd be interesting to see how these fare against modern small hot hatches - 245bhp and 1.3-1.4 tonnes means there could not be a lot in it between one of these and say, a MK7/8 Fiesta ST or Polo GTI?
Obviously this is going to be more of an 'experience' to drive and own, but nonetheless it'd be an interesting comparison.
It's an interesting point. Having gone from a Fiesta ST to a 3.2s boxster I much prefer the boxster but the fiesta was a very capable car. I think the lack of roof adds to the drama. We do have a polo GTi on order for the wife so will have a mixture of both. An ideal (whilst I'm not a millionaire) garage in my opinion. Obviously this is going to be more of an 'experience' to drive and own, but nonetheless it'd be an interesting comparison.
I had the optional 6-speed box with PASM, which helped drop the ratios a little bit. Even so, the Cayman needed plenty of revs. A few years ago we drove across the Trasfagarasan Pass in Romania, and overtaking dawdling but boosty turbodiesels uphill needed a fair bit of planning and a decent run-up from the last hairpin.
For all that, it was an amazing car - my only car for almost 10 years, a great way to cross Europe, fun on the track, and easily roomy enough for a big supermarket run where people would sometimes watch as we loaded both boots.
SS7
I've owned a 2.7 Cayman for the past couple years. I was put off buying the Cayman S after reading some of the stories about bore scoring issues.
I've not driven a Cayman S so can't make a direct comparison but acceleration-wise for 0-60 the 2.7 would be pretty evenly matched with a small modern hot hatch. But as has been mentioned, it's more about the handling than outright speed. RWD and the flat 6 engine add to the sense of occasion.
It's best to work the gears through the rev range to get the best out of the engine.
I tend to average 25-28 MPG with a mix of town and motorway driving, but have seen 33 MPG on a motorway cruise.
The 2.7 has lower road tax than the 3.4, and the Cayman has more boot space than the Boxster, so it's slightly more practical.
I've not driven a Cayman S so can't make a direct comparison but acceleration-wise for 0-60 the 2.7 would be pretty evenly matched with a small modern hot hatch. But as has been mentioned, it's more about the handling than outright speed. RWD and the flat 6 engine add to the sense of occasion.
It's best to work the gears through the rev range to get the best out of the engine.
I tend to average 25-28 MPG with a mix of town and motorway driving, but have seen 33 MPG on a motorway cruise.
The 2.7 has lower road tax than the 3.4, and the Cayman has more boot space than the Boxster, so it's slightly more practical.
Venisonpie said:
Fiiirrrrsssstttt, Seeeeccccccoooooonnnnnnd. That's all folks, well over 70mph.
Much nicer to have a DSG hatch, chasing gear ratios like a pig after truffles.. 0-30mph in 7 ratios.. tickle the throttle for an incline.. back down to 4th.. Sniff, sniff, sniff.. back in 7th. BFleming said:
My Boxster was £3.2k and has no mods. I would confidently say your Fiesta would show it a clean pair of heels! But the lads who show up in near standard hot hatches wouldn't (and haven't).
Having been built in my back garden, it's about the best bang-for-buck I could have this side of a fettled Impreza... Difference is, it's a 15,000 mile engine rather than a 150,000 mile engine that's had a hard life! £3.2k for a Boxster also seems like pretty incredible value to be fair, and I have no doubt it's both competent and fun out on track - I wouldn't be surprised if it still gets around a corner quicker than mine anyway!
LennyM1984 said:
Likewise! I bought a Cayman last summer for £9.5k also with 98k on the clock and a few options I wanted (heated seats, sports steering wheel, Cayman S wheels and exhaust etc - no PASM or Spots Chrono though).
It's not my primary car (I think I've done about 2.5k miles) but so far it has cost me the princely sum of £3 for a new front driving light bulb and about £150 for a full service (DIY) using Millers 10w/50 with gearbox oil, aux belt, and plugs (Opie oils had a good deal at the time).
I've had Boxsters before and I genuinely think that the modest premium for the Cayman is worth it. The chassis feels that little bit tighter on the road and for whatever reason you get a greater sense of the mid-engine balance.
For ~£10k I think they are a bargain and those using a 0-62 time to deem a car "too slow" are probably missing the point of a sports car. "Fast" is how late you can brake, how much speed you can carry through a corner, how fast you can get back on the gas etc. 0-62mph doesn't tell you this
Edit: Obviously a 3.4 gives you "more fast" (better acceleration and better brakes) so the decision there is about risk vs reward. For me, I wasn't too bothered about straight line acceleration (brakes will be upgraded for track anyway) and so I went with the less risky 2.7 (although even then, it's a 13 year old car with 100k on the clock so things can/will fail... as they would on any other similarly aged car)
Agreed on all your points. And it sounds like you got luckier with your car than I did with mine repairs-wise. I hope you are enjoying it. It's not my primary car (I think I've done about 2.5k miles) but so far it has cost me the princely sum of £3 for a new front driving light bulb and about £150 for a full service (DIY) using Millers 10w/50 with gearbox oil, aux belt, and plugs (Opie oils had a good deal at the time).
I've had Boxsters before and I genuinely think that the modest premium for the Cayman is worth it. The chassis feels that little bit tighter on the road and for whatever reason you get a greater sense of the mid-engine balance.
For ~£10k I think they are a bargain and those using a 0-62 time to deem a car "too slow" are probably missing the point of a sports car. "Fast" is how late you can brake, how much speed you can carry through a corner, how fast you can get back on the gas etc. 0-62mph doesn't tell you this
Edit: Obviously a 3.4 gives you "more fast" (better acceleration and better brakes) so the decision there is about risk vs reward. For me, I wasn't too bothered about straight line acceleration (brakes will be upgraded for track anyway) and so I went with the less risky 2.7 (although even then, it's a 13 year old car with 100k on the clock so things can/will fail... as they would on any other similarly aged car)
The Boxster/Cayman question is a tricky one. A soft-top would be a wonderful thing but the Caymans do drive better than the Boxsters as they are a fair bit stiffer. And the hassle of leaking rooves goes away as well. That the hard top version should cost more than the soft top is decidedly unusual but the Cayman was a more expensive car when new.
I think I've worked out how to post some photos (thanks to come help from 2 sMoKiN bArReLs) so here is an alternative view on what a sub-£10k Cayman can look like. And yes, before anyone says anything, that interior is a little bit on the rouge side and I absolutely love it; I specifically looked for one that wasn't black either inside or outside.
2Btoo said:
Agreed on all your points. And it sounds like you got luckier with your car than I did with mine repairs-wise. I hope you are enjoying it.
The Boxster/Cayman question is a tricky one. A soft-top would be a wonderful thing but the Caymans do drive better than the Boxsters as they are a fair bit stiffer. And the hassle of leaking rooves goes away as well. That the hard top version should cost more than the soft top is decidedly unusual but the Cayman was a more expensive car when new.
I think I've worked out how to post some photos (thanks to come help from 2 sMoKiN bArReLs) so here is an alternative view on what a sub-£10k Cayman can look like. And yes, before anyone says anything, that interior is a little bit on the rouge side and I absolutely love it; I specifically looked for one that wasn't black either inside or outside.
I see you chose the Porsche dye-to-sample contrasting gear bow package (CGBP). The Boxster/Cayman question is a tricky one. A soft-top would be a wonderful thing but the Caymans do drive better than the Boxsters as they are a fair bit stiffer. And the hassle of leaking rooves goes away as well. That the hard top version should cost more than the soft top is decidedly unusual but the Cayman was a more expensive car when new.
I think I've worked out how to post some photos (thanks to come help from 2 sMoKiN bArReLs) so here is an alternative view on what a sub-£10k Cayman can look like. And yes, before anyone says anything, that interior is a little bit on the rouge side and I absolutely love it; I specifically looked for one that wasn't black either inside or outside.
2Btoo said:
LennyM1984 said:
Likewise! I bought a Cayman last summer for £9.5k also with 98k on the clock and a few options I wanted (heated seats, sports steering wheel, Cayman S wheels and exhaust etc - no PASM or Spots Chrono though).
It's not my primary car (I think I've done about 2.5k miles) but so far it has cost me the princely sum of £3 for a new front driving light bulb and about £150 for a full service (DIY) using Millers 10w/50 with gearbox oil, aux belt, and plugs (Opie oils had a good deal at the time).
I've had Boxsters before and I genuinely think that the modest premium for the Cayman is worth it. The chassis feels that little bit tighter on the road and for whatever reason you get a greater sense of the mid-engine balance.
For ~£10k I think they are a bargain and those using a 0-62 time to deem a car "too slow" are probably missing the point of a sports car. "Fast" is how late you can brake, how much speed you can carry through a corner, how fast you can get back on the gas etc. 0-62mph doesn't tell you this
Edit: Obviously a 3.4 gives you "more fast" (better acceleration and better brakes) so the decision there is about risk vs reward. For me, I wasn't too bothered about straight line acceleration (brakes will be upgraded for track anyway) and so I went with the less risky 2.7 (although even then, it's a 13 year old car with 100k on the clock so things can/will fail... as they would on any other similarly aged car)
Agreed on all your points. And it sounds like you got luckier with your car than I did with mine repairs-wise. I hope you are enjoying it. It's not my primary car (I think I've done about 2.5k miles) but so far it has cost me the princely sum of £3 for a new front driving light bulb and about £150 for a full service (DIY) using Millers 10w/50 with gearbox oil, aux belt, and plugs (Opie oils had a good deal at the time).
I've had Boxsters before and I genuinely think that the modest premium for the Cayman is worth it. The chassis feels that little bit tighter on the road and for whatever reason you get a greater sense of the mid-engine balance.
For ~£10k I think they are a bargain and those using a 0-62 time to deem a car "too slow" are probably missing the point of a sports car. "Fast" is how late you can brake, how much speed you can carry through a corner, how fast you can get back on the gas etc. 0-62mph doesn't tell you this
Edit: Obviously a 3.4 gives you "more fast" (better acceleration and better brakes) so the decision there is about risk vs reward. For me, I wasn't too bothered about straight line acceleration (brakes will be upgraded for track anyway) and so I went with the less risky 2.7 (although even then, it's a 13 year old car with 100k on the clock so things can/will fail... as they would on any other similarly aged car)
The Boxster/Cayman question is a tricky one. A soft-top would be a wonderful thing but the Caymans do drive better than the Boxsters as they are a fair bit stiffer. And the hassle of leaking rooves goes away as well. That the hard top version should cost more than the soft top is decidedly unusual but the Cayman was a more expensive car when new.
I think I've worked out how to post some photos (thanks to come help from 2 sMoKiN bArReLs) so here is an alternative view on what a sub-£10k Cayman can look like. And yes, before anyone says anything, that interior is a little bit on the rouge side and I absolutely love it; I specifically looked for one that wasn't black either inside or outside.
Not sure about the purple ribbon on the gearstick- it clashes horribly with the red.
sc0tt said:
It's an interesting point. Having gone from a Fiesta ST to a 3.2s boxster I much prefer the boxster but the fiesta was a very capable car. I think the lack of roof adds to the drama. We do have a polo GTi on order for the wife so will have a mixture of both. An ideal (whilst I'm not a millionaire) garage in my opinion.
As long as you don't need comfort, practicality and plenty of room 
.NNH said:
I see you chose the Porsche dye-to-sample contrasting gear bow package (CGBP).
That made me smile - thanks!Maldini35 said:
That interior is pretty bright!
Not sure about the purple ribbon on the gearstick- it clashes horribly with the red.
Not sure about the purple ribbon on the gearstick- it clashes horribly with the red.
Alfapapatango said:
Wholly cow.
Like I said, I didn't want a black-on-black car! Thanks for the comments. Perhaps the interior is why it was sold so cheap, eh?
kharma45 said:
I assume to get the red seats you had to get the red dash and wheel too? Haven’t seen any 987 or 981 without everything red.
I did like the red seats and a splash of red on the door cards in my Z4M. Porsche certainly take a more all or nothing approach for sure though. I very nearly bought a 2.7 Cayman at the end of last year and drove a couple but I was a bit disappointed because they felt a bit dull. I ended up with a 370Z with a fancy exhaust and KW coil overs. Just needed a practical road car for work. I am sure that if I had bought a Cayman I would have gelled with it but in the brief (and not that fast) test drives it wasn’t special whereas the appeal of the 370z lacks any subtlety and so is obvious from the shortest of drives.
edoverheels said:
I very nearly bought a 2.7 Cayman at the end of last year and drove a couple but I was a bit disappointed because they felt a bit dull. I ended up with a 370Z with a fancy exhaust and KW coil overs. Just needed a practical road car for work. I am sure that if I had bought a Cayman I would have gelled with it but in the brief (and not that fast) test drives it wasn’t special whereas the appeal of the 370z lacks any subtlety and so is obvious from the shortest of drives.
That's a good way of putting it. Z's are a giggle from the moment you turn the key.NNH said:
edoverheels said:
I very nearly bought a 2.7 Cayman at the end of last year and drove a couple but I was a bit disappointed because they felt a bit dull. I ended up with a 370Z with a fancy exhaust and KW coil overs. Just needed a practical road car for work. I am sure that if I had bought a Cayman I would have gelled with it but in the brief (and not that fast) test drives it wasn’t special whereas the appeal of the 370z lacks any subtlety and so is obvious from the shortest of drives.
That's a good way of putting it. Z's are a giggle from the moment you turn the key.I really need to have a go in a Cayman or Boxster for sure, but I've always got the impression(from reviews/videos) that you have to be driving like an absolute lunatic to get them to really engage you. Obviously I don't know if that is really true though because I've not tried one.
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