O-Totoro

Hello peeps,

I'm new to Porsche and have been pondering if i should buy the 718 Cayman as a daily commute.

I currently drive a 2015 Merc C250 and would like to give this car to my wife and grab a Porsche Cayman for myself. Just want to know if i only drive on public roads and would like to occasionally step on the gas pedal for some speed/overtaking fun will this car be a good choice? (I like my C250 but i think i would like to try a sportscar before i get too old )

It's a serious consideration as cars in my country cost significantly more than in the US or EU, a moderately optioned Cayman costs about 165k USD here. Appreciate any input from all the Porsche Gurus!

Cheers!

Jack-Porsche

Whoa! That price is insane....where are you?
That said, I can't imagine a scenario where you would regret driving a Cayman instead of a C class, unless you need to take a few friends somewhere!
I have not driven the new turbo 4, but I know my old flat 6 is a lot of fun. Maybe look at a preowned model, especially given the price you have to pay?
Either way, post a pic when you get it!

zedcat

I have not driven a 718 yet. but have owned the previous 986, 987, 981. They have gotten progressively more refined and comfortable. I think a 718 Boxster or Cayman would be fine as a DD. (Only exception would be winter conditions. Although some do put on winter tires and drive.) A few things to consider- you will sit lower than most other traffic and have less visibility. You may get used to it. Tires will wear faster than most other commuter cars and are expensive. For a street car Porsche brakes are outstanding and will last a long time- again when you do need replacement it will be more expensive than most other cars. Other maintenance frequency is similar to other cars- just more expensive. For a commuting car PDK trans is a good choice.

Macster

If you have to get up and go to work and to get to work you have to drive having a nice Cayman to drive just makes getting up and going to work more fun.

I've been commuting almost daily -- I alternate cars -- in my 2002 Boxster now for well, over 14 years. Currently my commute is 60 miles round trip.

About the only thing I have changed vis a vis the service schedule is I dumped the factory 15K mile oil and 30K mile filter service and instead change both the oil and filter every 5K miles. If you live where it gets cold and I suspect you do then you should stick to 0w-40. I ran this hundreds of thousands of miles and sometimes in blazing heat of the desert southwest. (In fact it got up to 100F here yesterday and my Boxster was out in it.)

Right now the car has covered almost 305K miles and except for a failed VarioCam solenoid/actuator at around 250K miles the engine has never needed any work.

Even on the original clutch.

The rest of the services I have done on time -- like the brake/clutch fluid flush every 2 years -- or miles -- like the spark plugs at IIRC 60K miles.

I might have the tranny/diff fluid changed prematurely at something less than IIRC the 90K mile intervals Porsche calls for.

While not called for I have the coolant drained and replaced around every 4 years.

Rear tires last at least 20K miles, fronts double that. I don't have to deal with snow but if I did I'd just get a set of good winter tires/wheels and swap them come winter and then revert back to the summer wheels/tires come spring.

Can't remember how long brakes last. I get good brake life. (The original brakes on my 2003 Turbo lasted around 120K miles.)

Be sure you keep the body water drains free of trash and ditto the radiator ducts.

I'm seriously thinking about getting a new 718 Cayman. Been waiting for an invite from the local dealer to the new 718 intro. I bought a new 2008 Cayman S back in April of 2009 but lost it just 4 weeks after getting it to an accident. (Not my fault.)

Chewbaccam

I recently went from an e92 BMW M3 to a 981 Cayman S. Don't regret one bit of it. Coming from a C class you may see an increase in cost for some maintenance items, but from a purely driving experience, you will see a pretty large change in drive quality. I find the CS more enjoyable to drive in most any circumstance in both city roads and highways so far.

O-Totoro

Hey peeps,

Thanks so much for the replies. Decided to go place the order this coming Monday

Btw what colour do you guys think would be best for a Porsche?

Cheers!

nowakm99

I agree with Jack-Porsche. If possible, test drive both the new turbo flat-four and the previous Cayman S with a flat six. The flat six in the Cayman S is incredible. I realize that the turbo has more torque nad HP, but the two engines are totally different so try both to see which you prefer before making such a big investment.

JP66

Doesn't matter at all since you already ordered the car, but I am on the opposite extreme. I drove my 911 to work for a while and absolutely hated it. To me (and this is just me) driving a Porsche on roads is stupid. They are incredibly stiff, have lousy visibility, are a constant target for idiot teenagers that want to race, and noisy as heck in residential areas.

I understand Porsche makes cars for people to drive daily, but honestly I think Caymans and 911s are track cars pure and simple, and I can not comprehend why anyone would have one as a daily driver. On the track I LOVE my Cayman and wouldn't want anything else but as a daily driver give me an M3 or S3 any day over a Porsche.

plantagenet

I just went from a 2010 Mini Cooper s to a Boxster S 2013. The ride on the 981 is so much better than the Mini. The mini crashed on every bump it really grated after awhile as it eroded all the positives of that car. The blind spot on the passenger side on Boxster is my only real negative about the car so far.

Macster

Color is a very personal choice.

I like the cars in all colors, but choose not to own black, or midnight blue as the darker colors are just too hard to keep the car looking nice.

My Boxster is lapis blue and that's about as dark a color as I think I could live with.

My preference would be a color that one doesn't see every day. There are a lot of black, grey/silver cars. Reds, blues, yellows and other colors are not as common. White is kind of uncommon too.

My Cayman S was speed yellow, but when I had to replace it and I ended up with a 996 Turbo it was in arctic silver. I felt like a Swiss banker driving the thing.

The other thing that affects my color choice is price. I'm not a fan of paying extra for a color so I tend to cars that the color is a no cost option.

Best interior color in my opinion is black, as in black leather. However, my Boxster came with neutral grey and it has held up well. The Turbo has a black leather interior and it looks nice. The real light interiors I have heard tend to create reflections in the windshield and some people find these distracting/bothersome. The neutral grey doesn't do this though so I don't know how valid the knock against light interior colors is.

Macster

The view out the Boxster is a bit of a problem. I don't remember it bothering me at first but especially after getting the Turbo I really notice the difference.

I don't recall the view out the Cayman S I only had it 4 weeks back in April/May 2009.

Too bad about the Mini Cooper S. I've been toying getting one off and on now for years. Co-worker bought one of the last coupes a while back. Almost immediately he ordered the JCW engine/exhaust parts for it and had these installed by the dealer. The cost wasn't that high which I found kind of surprising. The warranty is unaffected, too. The car ends up with the JCW performance for less money than buying the JCW car but of course he doesn't have the suspension and other things that the JCW comes with.

Don't know how the car rides/handles as I've never had a ride in it. The co-worker raves about the car. I'm sure it is a fine car.

I did consider the coupe when it first came out but I read the reviews and the view out came up for real negative comments.

If for some reason I do not get another Porsche I could see myself buying the plain old Mini Cooper S though and probably going with the JCW engine/exhaust stuff like my co-worker. But I have never driven one and I'd have to drive one to make sure I could live with it on the roads. My usage involves long road trips and I need a car that is comfortable on long trips. The Boxster ain't bad in this regard but the Turbo is fantastic.

Jack-Porsche

Pretty much agree with this.
I obviously bought a guards red with black leather. As a kid, my memories and daydreaming of a Potsche was Guards Red with black interior.
As this is going to be your daily driver I wouldn't go to crazy....something like Miami Blue might be a bit much for a daily driver.
I would say white or silver with dark interior would do the trick!

VGM911

I love small cars, so all of my cars have been small over the many years that I've been driving.

A couple of years ago, however, I test drove a Mini and to my surprise, the feeling inside was somewhat claustrophobic. That was the first small car I'd ever been in that gave me that feeling. Needless to say, I passed it up.

Happily, my current cars are small and don't feel confining at all.

Macster

Never even sat in a Mini yet, but I could imagine it being a bit tight or close.

My Boxster is like this to some extent. By myself I am not bothered by the smallish cabin. In fact I kind of like it actually. But I notice when a guy gets in the passenger seat -- at least someone not used to the car -- he kind of scrunches up. Women not so much. They seem a bit less bothered by the closeness.

But I seldom carry a passenger in the Boxster -- maybe a couple of times a week max and this is my office co-worker who I give a ride to the train station after work. When I know ahead of time I will be carrying a passenger I arrange to use the Turbo. Its cabin is more spacious and I don't notice passengers scrunching up like they do in the Boxster.

BoulderGeek

My buddy has a Mini JCW 6MT Cabrio. He is 6'2" and I am 6'0".

My 987 Cayman feels much closer, inside. The Mini has more legroom and about the same width, if not slightly more. I was initially dismissive of the Mini until I drove it. Super fun. it is not a Cayman, but I like the shift linkage more. Probably shifter rods instead of cables.

I alternate between Volvo XC70 and Cayman for commuting, and each have pros and cons. Every day in teh Cayman feels special, though. If I want to enjoy a coffee as I drive to work, I take the Volvo.