A quest to return a drivers car!
Discussion
Good day to all,
I am keen to return to a car that handles and where possible be fitted with a quality gearbox. I'm currently behind the wheel of a 2015 M135i drawn in by the straight six noise if I'm honest. It is fitted with the 8 speed ZF auto the choice attributable to the poor notchy manual.
Admittedly this may seem a tad out of place (given the prestige marque I'm looking to buy) but my reference point is a previous steer, a Honda Integra Type R. It revved to over 8k and had one of the best gear changes I've come across as well as the ability to tackle a b-road at pace.
I've read countless glowing reports over the years about the Cayman and the shape of the 981 really appeals to me. I haven't at the time of writing driven one but intend to change that imminently.
I'm undertaking a myriad of research including past threads on this very forum to better understand the options and what they deliver as well as the views of the 2.7 & 3.4. So, whilst its early days I'm settling around a 2.7, manual, 19'' wheels, dual climate, heated seats (her indoors), rear parking sensors as the minimum. Budget wise I'm in the £35k bracket. Rightly, or wrongly, I'm looking at an OPC purchase. One unusual requirement is the ability to fit a wheelchair into the car, my wife requires one. Looking at the car, and I'll confirm on a rest drive, the front storage compartment will take the wheels and the hatch will accommodate the body of the wheelchair - if anyone has experience please chip in.
I just wanted to use this initial thread to say hello and would welcome your views only my early thoughts and any links you would recommend - think I've exhausted every YouTube clip!
Thanks for reading, cheers Kevin.
I am keen to return to a car that handles and where possible be fitted with a quality gearbox. I'm currently behind the wheel of a 2015 M135i drawn in by the straight six noise if I'm honest. It is fitted with the 8 speed ZF auto the choice attributable to the poor notchy manual.
Admittedly this may seem a tad out of place (given the prestige marque I'm looking to buy) but my reference point is a previous steer, a Honda Integra Type R. It revved to over 8k and had one of the best gear changes I've come across as well as the ability to tackle a b-road at pace.
I've read countless glowing reports over the years about the Cayman and the shape of the 981 really appeals to me. I haven't at the time of writing driven one but intend to change that imminently.
I'm undertaking a myriad of research including past threads on this very forum to better understand the options and what they deliver as well as the views of the 2.7 & 3.4. So, whilst its early days I'm settling around a 2.7, manual, 19'' wheels, dual climate, heated seats (her indoors), rear parking sensors as the minimum. Budget wise I'm in the £35k bracket. Rightly, or wrongly, I'm looking at an OPC purchase. One unusual requirement is the ability to fit a wheelchair into the car, my wife requires one. Looking at the car, and I'll confirm on a rest drive, the front storage compartment will take the wheels and the hatch will accommodate the body of the wheelchair - if anyone has experience please chip in.
I just wanted to use this initial thread to say hello and would welcome your views only my early thoughts and any links you would recommend - think I've exhausted every YouTube clip!
Thanks for reading, cheers Kevin.
First of all many thanks to all of you who have posted a response - a friendly bunch!
I'm awaiting a return call from my local dealer to have a test drive in a used 981, its a 2.7 variant with a manual gearbox. The spec is light but includes: 19-inch Cayman S wheel - 2-zone automatic air conditioning - 6-speed manual transmission - Black painted wheels (partially) - Guards Red (matches body colour) seat belts - ParkAssist rear - Porsche crest embossed on head rests - Seat heating - SportDesign steering wheel - Sports seats Plus (2-way, electric). I didn't think I'd consider a Guards Red variant but the black wheels really make it, in my opinion.
I'm taking the wife's wheelchair to try and see if it will fit using the compartments available - if it does great, if it doesn't then we'll find another solution if necessary.
In response to your suggestions I will look to try a PDK variant, my heart says manual but,...better to make an informed decision!
On the question of which Integra, it was a DC2. The pic below was taken by the owner I sold the car on to.
Many thanks again for the supportive feedback, regards, Kevin
I'm awaiting a return call from my local dealer to have a test drive in a used 981, its a 2.7 variant with a manual gearbox. The spec is light but includes: 19-inch Cayman S wheel - 2-zone automatic air conditioning - 6-speed manual transmission - Black painted wheels (partially) - Guards Red (matches body colour) seat belts - ParkAssist rear - Porsche crest embossed on head rests - Seat heating - SportDesign steering wheel - Sports seats Plus (2-way, electric). I didn't think I'd consider a Guards Red variant but the black wheels really make it, in my opinion.
I'm taking the wife's wheelchair to try and see if it will fit using the compartments available - if it does great, if it doesn't then we'll find another solution if necessary.
In response to your suggestions I will look to try a PDK variant, my heart says manual but,...better to make an informed decision!
On the question of which Integra, it was a DC2. The pic below was taken by the owner I sold the car on to.
Many thanks again for the supportive feedback, regards, Kevin
I had the opportunity of a test drive today, not the best conditions considering temperatures where sitting around 5degC, the previous night being under 0degC and under every tree covered part of the road there threatened to be ice / slippery conditions.
The drive included a mix of A and B roads with the occasional dual carriageway and traffic was light for the majority of the time. The salesman was enthusiastic and keen for me to get the most out of the drive.
My takeaways from the drive are as follows:
1. The gear change was smooth, precise and didn't baulk when changed quickly (though I did select 4th when looking for 2nd on the change down on a few occasions but I put that down to familiarity). I kept blipping the throttle on change downs as it felt so natural - exactly what I was looking for!
2. I didn't push overly hard on the road in the bends due to a combination of the weather, respect for the traffic and the salesman within the car - however - there was an open (visibility) series of tight bends and I have to say it felt secure, stable and composed - exactly what I was looking for!
3. On the dual carriageway I was able to fully extend the rev range and I noticed a couple of things - at circa 5.5krpm there is a change in engine note that starts to lift the hairs on the neck and then above 6krpm the sound is intoxicating! - exactly what I was looking for!
4. The difference between the normally aspirated 2.7 and my usual daily of a 3 litre straight 6 with twin scroll turbo (little M135i) was noticeable in the lower half of the rev range. Judging purely on 'feel' I came away with the perception that my current steer would pull a gap on the Cayman 'in a straight line' and I did wonder if the Cayman S would address that? However my search is not for speed but a drivers car so this wasn't a key consideration.
5. I found the ride relatively compliant and certainly no harsher than my current steer, the 19" wheels 'feel' the right compromise
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the test drive and believe that the Cayman in 2.7 form with a manual gearchange really is an enjoyable drivers car. If the opportunity to drive a PDK arises I will take it but for the moment I'm awaiting a call from the dealer on what deal can be offered,....
. I'm not confident he'll be able to offer what I'm looking to pay, but, my original plan was to get into one within 12-18 months so I'm relaxed - well if I keep saying that I'll hopefully manage the crushing disappointment 
For information the car was Guards Red with black wheels, a 15 plate with circa 5k miles. Picture to follow once I've got it down to the forum size limit.
Cheers, Kevin.
The drive included a mix of A and B roads with the occasional dual carriageway and traffic was light for the majority of the time. The salesman was enthusiastic and keen for me to get the most out of the drive.
My takeaways from the drive are as follows:
1. The gear change was smooth, precise and didn't baulk when changed quickly (though I did select 4th when looking for 2nd on the change down on a few occasions but I put that down to familiarity). I kept blipping the throttle on change downs as it felt so natural - exactly what I was looking for!
2. I didn't push overly hard on the road in the bends due to a combination of the weather, respect for the traffic and the salesman within the car - however - there was an open (visibility) series of tight bends and I have to say it felt secure, stable and composed - exactly what I was looking for!
3. On the dual carriageway I was able to fully extend the rev range and I noticed a couple of things - at circa 5.5krpm there is a change in engine note that starts to lift the hairs on the neck and then above 6krpm the sound is intoxicating! - exactly what I was looking for!
4. The difference between the normally aspirated 2.7 and my usual daily of a 3 litre straight 6 with twin scroll turbo (little M135i) was noticeable in the lower half of the rev range. Judging purely on 'feel' I came away with the perception that my current steer would pull a gap on the Cayman 'in a straight line' and I did wonder if the Cayman S would address that? However my search is not for speed but a drivers car so this wasn't a key consideration.
5. I found the ride relatively compliant and certainly no harsher than my current steer, the 19" wheels 'feel' the right compromise
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the test drive and believe that the Cayman in 2.7 form with a manual gearchange really is an enjoyable drivers car. If the opportunity to drive a PDK arises I will take it but for the moment I'm awaiting a call from the dealer on what deal can be offered,....
. I'm not confident he'll be able to offer what I'm looking to pay, but, my original plan was to get into one within 12-18 months so I'm relaxed - well if I keep saying that I'll hopefully manage the crushing disappointment For information the car was Guards Red with black wheels, a 15 plate with circa 5k miles. Picture to follow once I've got it down to the forum size limit.
Cheers, Kevin.
First of all many thanks for the various opinions expressed by all, it really is interesting to read the different takes. So, where am I now?
As I mentioned in my post test drive response the big takeaways for me were the 'feel' of the handling, the noise of the engine, the gearchange and dare I say it, the look of the car!
Yes it does need to be revved and reminds me of my old Honda engines, not in noise, but in the way it sounds 'unstressed' when taken all the way round the rev range. I no doubt will need to change my driving style as the massive levels of low down torque in my little M135i make you 'lazy' as it'll pick up and go whatever the gear / revs - relatively speaking. It is that need to 're-awaken' my concentration that I'm looking forward to if that makes sense.
Whilst I was really interested in the particular vehicle I test drove I wanted to see the 'deal' on paper but, with hindsight, stupidly didn't leave a deposit and decided to wait until the New Year had passed. Unfortunately that very weekend another individual came to see the car, test drove it, bought and drove it home on the same day! I can't argue with the level of decisiveness if I'm honest.
So what next? I'm keen to follow up on the advice on here and try a PDK equipped variant and a 3.4s model though I don't want to overly annoy the dealer - they are there to sell cars - so I need to figure out the best approach. At the moment however if the right deal came up and it was similar to the 2.7 manual I test drove I think I'd go for it and to heck with it - life is too short
Reference the question as to why I'm looking at buying from an OPC, this will be my first foray in to Porsche ownership and I wanted to have the 'belt and braces' protection of their used warranty etc even if that means paying a premium. I could change this view as I learn more about the specialist sellers out there but I'm not there at the time of writing.
Right back to surfing forums and watching youtube to increase my Cayman knowledge!
cheers, Kevin
As I mentioned in my post test drive response the big takeaways for me were the 'feel' of the handling, the noise of the engine, the gearchange and dare I say it, the look of the car!
Yes it does need to be revved and reminds me of my old Honda engines, not in noise, but in the way it sounds 'unstressed' when taken all the way round the rev range. I no doubt will need to change my driving style as the massive levels of low down torque in my little M135i make you 'lazy' as it'll pick up and go whatever the gear / revs - relatively speaking. It is that need to 're-awaken' my concentration that I'm looking forward to if that makes sense.
Whilst I was really interested in the particular vehicle I test drove I wanted to see the 'deal' on paper but, with hindsight, stupidly didn't leave a deposit and decided to wait until the New Year had passed. Unfortunately that very weekend another individual came to see the car, test drove it, bought and drove it home on the same day! I can't argue with the level of decisiveness if I'm honest.
So what next? I'm keen to follow up on the advice on here and try a PDK equipped variant and a 3.4s model though I don't want to overly annoy the dealer - they are there to sell cars - so I need to figure out the best approach. At the moment however if the right deal came up and it was similar to the 2.7 manual I test drove I think I'd go for it and to heck with it - life is too short
Reference the question as to why I'm looking at buying from an OPC, this will be my first foray in to Porsche ownership and I wanted to have the 'belt and braces' protection of their used warranty etc even if that means paying a premium. I could change this view as I learn more about the specialist sellers out there but I'm not there at the time of writing.
Right back to surfing forums and watching youtube to increase my Cayman knowledge!
cheers, Kevin
Hi Steve,
Funnily enough I have indeed considered an M2 but at the time the prices were a tad rich though I have noticed recently that they now seem to be falling with the announcement of the new variant later this year. My local dealer has a white one with the 'colgate stripes', performance exhaust and all the carbon accessories for £40k.
Having driven both I'd agree with your view and would characterise the Cayman as a scalpel and the M2 as a hammer. Either tool is effective and it all depends on your preference and the road ahead.
The M2 would be the 'safer' option in terms of practicality fall back position, but, I have this Cayman itch
Cheers, Kevin.
Funnily enough I have indeed considered an M2 but at the time the prices were a tad rich though I have noticed recently that they now seem to be falling with the announcement of the new variant later this year. My local dealer has a white one with the 'colgate stripes', performance exhaust and all the carbon accessories for £40k.
Having driven both I'd agree with your view and would characterise the Cayman as a scalpel and the M2 as a hammer. Either tool is effective and it all depends on your preference and the road ahead.
The M2 would be the 'safer' option in terms of practicality fall back position, but, I have this Cayman itch
Cheers, Kevin.
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