My 2009 Porsche Cayman S
Discussion
Well after a happy couple of years running an Elise SC and a BMW 320d I decided it was time to go back to one car.
I wanted something that could take me to work and back in relative comfort, but still be lots of fun to drive when the mood takes me. Something which I could still do the occasional track day was also a consideration.
After much thought and reading of reviews, I pretty much decided a Cayman could be the ideal solution.
After a test drive at Porsche Colchester I came to the conclusion that all the of glowing magazine reviews were right. (Although the car I drove wasn't the right spec or price for me)
A week later I went to look at another one which seemed to be just what I wanted, and within an hour I'd put a deposit on it.
Here's the spec:
Cayman S 3.4
PDK gearbox
19" Carrera II wheels
Sports Chrono Plus
Porsche Active Suspension Management
PCM with Sat Nav.
Sound Package Plus
Heated Seats
Bi-Xenon headlights
Cruise Control
And here's some (not very good) pictures that I took on Saturday after spending a few hours cleaning, polishing and waxing!
So is there anything about it that I don't like.....?
Yes. I think the gearchange buttons on the wheel are a strange idea, and feel quite unnatural to use.
Therefore the car is going to Porsche tomorrow to have the 'Sports wheel' fitted which has the more tradition paddles behind the wheel.
Once that's done, I think it'll be pretty much the perfect car for what I want.
I wanted something that could take me to work and back in relative comfort, but still be lots of fun to drive when the mood takes me. Something which I could still do the occasional track day was also a consideration.
After much thought and reading of reviews, I pretty much decided a Cayman could be the ideal solution.
After a test drive at Porsche Colchester I came to the conclusion that all the of glowing magazine reviews were right. (Although the car I drove wasn't the right spec or price for me)
A week later I went to look at another one which seemed to be just what I wanted, and within an hour I'd put a deposit on it.
Here's the spec:
Cayman S 3.4
PDK gearbox
19" Carrera II wheels
Sports Chrono Plus
Porsche Active Suspension Management
PCM with Sat Nav.
Sound Package Plus
Heated Seats
Bi-Xenon headlights
Cruise Control
And here's some (not very good) pictures that I took on Saturday after spending a few hours cleaning, polishing and waxing!
So is there anything about it that I don't like.....?
Yes. I think the gearchange buttons on the wheel are a strange idea, and feel quite unnatural to use.
Therefore the car is going to Porsche tomorrow to have the 'Sports wheel' fitted which has the more tradition paddles behind the wheel.
Once that's done, I think it'll be pretty much the perfect car for what I want.
I'm really liking the PDK so far.
It's as good as a conventional auto for comfort/cruising in normal mode, but very quick and eager when in Sport or Sport+.
Once I get the Sports steering wheel I'll use manual mode much more I think.
An added bonus is that the 7th gear can give pretty impressive fuel economy when simply driving to match the flow of traffic.
It's as good as a conventional auto for comfort/cruising in normal mode, but very quick and eager when in Sport or Sport+.
Once I get the Sports steering wheel I'll use manual mode much more I think.
An added bonus is that the 7th gear can give pretty impressive fuel economy when simply driving to match the flow of traffic.
jamesc_1729 said:
Maybe it's just me, but with that combination of wheels and profile of tyre the gaps in the arches look way too big. What do you think?
One of the reasons I wanted the PASM suspension is because it's 10mm lower than standard suspension.
I thought the ones on standard suspension looked like off roaders!
In an ideal world I'd like mine to be another 15mm or so lower, but I'm not going to be changing the suspension on this car! (And it's nice not worrying about speed bumps etc)
jamesc_1729 said:
Maybe it's just me, but with that combination of wheels and profile of tyre the gaps in the arches look way too big. What do you think?
I seem to recall that the 2nd gen Cayman ran higher than the 1st? I had a 2006 'tip (utter crap!) which laster about 2 weeks a few years back that had 19's on and still sat a little high:
Yours looks lovely! I'd imagine the switches ruin the PDK experience a little as the switches are similar to the ones in the tip I believe - is it possible to change to the later wheel with the paddles? I've had 2 automated-manual cars (SMG M3 and Sportshift Vantage) and only ever used the paddles, even when cruising around town.
Windymiller said:
I'd imagine the switches ruin the PDK experience a little as the switches are similar to the ones in the tip I believe - is it possible to change to the later wheel with the paddles? I've had 2 automated-manual cars (SMG M3 and Sportshift Vantage) and only ever used the paddles, even when cruising around town.
The gear change switches are stupid. The steering wheel is getting changed to one with paddles later this afternoon. :-)I also had an M3 SMG which I only ever used in manual with the paddles.
Windymiller said:
So it can be done? Ace! Bet that makes it a whole lot better to drive in a weird way!
I have literally just got back from having the 'sports wheel' retrofitted.It will sound ridiculous to a lot of people, but changing the wheel has made such a difference to the car. It's now the sports car that I wanted it to be.
It wasn't cheap, but I've just driven the 60 miles home with a big smile on my face. :-)
Yep, that's the one I've got now. :-)
It does also have lights incorporated in the black bit of the left and right spokes.
Left lights up 'Sport' or 'Sport Plus' when activated, and right lights up 'Launch Control' when activated.
(Ok, it's a pointless gimmick, but still a nice added little touch)
It does also have lights incorporated in the black bit of the left and right spokes.
Left lights up 'Sport' or 'Sport Plus' when activated, and right lights up 'Launch Control' when activated.
(Ok, it's a pointless gimmick, but still a nice added little touch)
Couple of little updates whilst I'm bored and thinking about it:
For the first time ever I've bought a set of winter wheels and tyres.
It's nice knowing that I'm going to be on the correct tyres for the winter and not have to be so worried about snow and ice.
And on a more fun note, I had the honour of taking my best friend to his wedding a few days ago.
(And I have to say, I thought it made quite a good wedding car once the ribbons had been put on)
For the first time ever I've bought a set of winter wheels and tyres.
It's nice knowing that I'm going to be on the correct tyres for the winter and not have to be so worried about snow and ice.
And on a more fun note, I had the honour of taking my best friend to his wedding a few days ago.
(And I have to say, I thought it made quite a good wedding car once the ribbons had been put on)
Had my first track day in the car on Wednesday.
Since the last update I've also had a Carnewal GT exhaust fitted.
For the track day all I did was fit some Pagid pads and changed the brake fluid for racing stuff.
I've also uploaded a short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dRjdp5UVi8
I was very impressed with the car on track. Handled very nicely, and performed faultlessly the whole day.
Since the last update I've also had a Carnewal GT exhaust fitted.
For the track day all I did was fit some Pagid pads and changed the brake fluid for racing stuff.
I've also uploaded a short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dRjdp5UVi8
I was very impressed with the car on track. Handled very nicely, and performed faultlessly the whole day.
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