mero

Ive recently been in the market for a new vehicle. Ive been doing a lot of research, creating various spreadsheets comparing horsepower, torque, 0-60s etc and Ive been talking to a lot of various owners.

Needless to say my spreadsheets were pretty bloated and I had to slim it down a bit, I needed to figure out what I was really looking for. Which is still a bit difficult when it comes down to it. I need a daily driver, something that can fit a few bags of groceries, my hockey bag and sticks on occasion etc. But I also wanted something quick, I dont need a 10 sec car, just something in the high 4s or low 5s and handles well as I plan to hit a track day here and there.

I need something with punch. Ive always been a huge fan of rallying so naturally I looked there first and names like evo and sti topped my list. But these cars didnt really get me excited. Who could forget about M Power, thusly M3 E92 got a spot. I needed to consider a vehicle that could handle in snow so the S5 joined the bunch. AWD is nice but it isnt a deal breaker, I just did a drive from Lake Placid NY to Albany in an XJR with about 2 and a half inches of snow on the road doing about 60-70 and there wasnt much slip so this isnt a huge issue. Its also like 2 months out of the year so.. yeah.

I was recently chatting with my brother in law about my potential purchase, leaning heavily toward the M3, and he told me to think about what cars I dreamed of as a kid. I laughed and told him that they were way out of my price range, lambos, ferraris and porsches. Then he told me about the entry level cayman s. I got really excited and the primordial image that is porsche immediately popped into my head. I was taken back to my childhood when I dreamed of owning a 959, the most advanced sports car of its time.

So here I am strongly considering an 09 Cayman S. Its high on the list but the major drawbrack is practicality. Id say 90% of the time im not hauling anything around but on the occasion that I do Id like to be able to get where I need to go. I dont have any kids to tote around. The local porsche dealer here in Minneapolis doesnt have any caymans on the lot.... so I couldnt get a good look at the boots when I was there.

I currently drive an SUV, so this drastic of a change might come as a shock to me.

How much can you get in there? Anyone else out there that had the same concerns?

And lastly is this the best place to discuss caymans or is there a more active forum im not aware of?

Kind of rambled there, anyway thanks in advance.

Jim Michaels

Although the Cayman S has two trunks, it still gives up a lot of carrying room to something like a M3. The Cayman front trunk is very deep, and I've seen photos posted of two sets of golf clubs in the back trunk. My other car is an E36 M3 that can carry even longer items with the rear seats down.

Used '06 to '08 Caymans are attractively priced now; one reason being that the '09s and '10s have significant upgrades and the optional PDK dual clutch transmission.

The most active Cayman website that I know of is www.planet-9.com

mero

Thats good news, I guess though I really should see one first hand. I wont be considering anything older than an '09 and really I kind of missed the boat this year in terms of cert pre owned deals. Im patient though and will be keeping an eye on the market.

thanks for the planet 9 ref

i think what ill do is get an 09 next year use it as a daily for a few years then get an awd daily, mod the cayman with a turbo and use it as a fun car. what sort of life expectancy can i get out of her? do you guys think the cayman is worth keeping for 10 years?

Jim Michaels

The stock '09 Cayman S is already fun enough to equal the 997 S's lap times in Car & Driver's recent VIR track test. But if you really need a turbo, several established tuner shops offer turbo kits for it.

Hard to say that the Cayman is worth keeping for 10 years. I've had mine for 4 years and am already being tempted by the newer one. I kept the Porsches I owned before from 7 to 10 years.

KS-CS

+1 on Planet-9.com for all things Cayman.

I think the Cayman is remarkably practical for a great sports car. The looks I get in the Sams Club parking lot loading big packs of paper towel, TP, sodas, etc. into both ends, is priceless.

I drive mine daily year round (including the snow) as well as enjoy it on the track regularly. I hope to keep it until the wheels fall off (or I win the Lottery).

FWIW, I have read others mention that they have no trouble carrying their hockey gear in the car.

mero

I lol'ed with visions of a cayman s clown car.

I dont think id mod it for a year or two down the road when I start to get bored with it.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, much appreciated.