Maverick1

I owned a 2005 Boxster for 10 years and sold it in 2015....big mistake.
I loved that car and never should have sold it.
Anyway, I test drove a 2015 Cayman GTS manual transmission and loved every second of it.
From doing some research the 981 Cayman GTS's are really holding their value, so to get the best bang for your used car buck, so getting the Cayman S is probably the better choice as there is not much difference in performance.
Not interested in the new 718 Caymans....as they sound like Subaru's and have lost their souls in my opinion, even though they are faster, sound in a huge part of the Porsche experience to me.
Since I want one car to do it all, I need that car to do a few tasks.
Firstly, I play tennis regularly and have a tennis ball machine and need it to fit into the front trunk.
Does anyone know the dimensions of the frunk off hand?
Secondly, I'm an avid mountain biker. Will a mountain bike fit in the rear hatch area of a Cayman S if the wheels are removed?
I could line the hatch area with a tarp so it wouldn't get soiled, just want to know if it will physically fit?
If not does anyone build a roof rack or can you get a hitch for the 981 Cayman S?
I really don't want to get a second vehicle if I can possibly avoid it.
Cheers

Jim137a

vbb

A RWD 2-seater mid engined sports car as your one do it all car? Don't get me wrong, while i get the Cayman love, how much more expensive would it really be to buy a cheaper, used SUV or a truck to haul around the tennis equipment and bikes when you need to?

I do take my cayman to the golf course often enough though, and it fits a collapsible push cart in the frunk with plenty of room to spare. Couldn't quote you the dimensions though.

TMc993

Here ya' go...

daylorb

Saw these in a different post: http://www.birdautomotive.com/Bike%2...yman%20981.htm The suction rack would definitely make me nervous. I looked around for options for my Spyder, the Bird seemed best, but not cheap.

As for a tennis ball machine, I have no idea, although I'm going to file that question as one of the more unique I have ever heard of! I'd be shocked if it fit. But quick link to folks discussing measurements. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...unk-space.html

Schmidts Cat

LarryB

Suicide Jockey

Here are the front trunk dimensions of a 981 Cayman that have been posted by others. I haven't independently verified, but they are identical to the dimensions of the front trunk on my 981 Spyder:

At the front (leading edge) of the frunk it measures 19" tall/deep and at the rear (trailing edge) it measures 25" tall/deep.

It is 27-28" wide and 19" from front to back.

MyNameIdeasWereT

Porsche built these cars as very capable daily drivers. While a tad impractical due to size, very few other performance vehicles can be reliably driven every day.
If you're creative enough, you can find a way to make it work.


Unless you need more seats, the only time you really "need" another car is when you start doing a lot of track days. One car for commuting and racing can be done, but it makes your Sunday nights a lot more stressful when you're trying to finish track day repairs before your Monday commute.

+1 for the suction cup bike racks. They hold great, don't do any damage to the car, and they're easily removed when not in use.
Less favorable, but you could always get a tow hitch and small cargo carrier for transporting the tennis ball machine.
The frunk is surprisingly large, but what are the dimensions of this machine?

PorscheAddict

As a fellow MTB'er, you're going to have a bad time putting a MTB in the 98X trunk. Probably wont fit even broken down, and even if you squeezed it it'll get the cabin gross and muddy. Racks on the outside of the vehicle only unless it's a beater. My MTB vehicle is a Audi A3 with hitch rack. Frunk is huge, but no idea how big a tennis ball machine is.

PorscheAddict

Really? Stock 98X's are pretty solid on track, especially for novices and with a bit o camber added in. I'd say you "need" another car for other hobbies far over track days, which the 98X is pretty ideal for.

My 981 is a helluva lot better as a dual use track/street car than it is carrying lumber or getting to MTB trails (this has not been mentioned, but in many areas MTB trails involve traversing gravel and hilly, rutted terrain in the car before you start riding). I personally couldn't live with one car, but it depends on your hobbies. If you do any woodworking, Cayman is a no-go. Much MTB, especially to trail heads that are rugged, no-go. Hell, even brewing, which I also do a lot, you could never transport your brew kettle, mash tun, propane, burner, etc. to a friend's house for a brew day in a 98X. I love the car, but it's pretty one dimensional.

My A3 handles all of that, and is not as fun to drive. The Cayman handles none of that, and is sublime to drive.

ekam

Caymans can't do everything, the top doesn't come off.

MyNameIdeasWereT

I'm not saying these aren't solid track cars. I'm saying track days come with necessary maintenance before and after, and high performance driving always runs a risk of parts failing or wearing out. You better be able to source parts quickly and be fast with a wrench if you want your weekend racer to drive you to work every Monday.

I too cannot imagine life without more than one car, Porsche or not. I do all my own work and often times need that extra vehicle for running to the parts store or commuting while I wait for parts to be delivered.

But if I had to choose just one car from my garage, I'd keep the Porsche and find a way to make it work. Not everyone's budget allows for multiple vehicles.

I saw an older gentleman at Home Depot loading bags of potting soil and plywood into his brand new 911 on a day it was raining. Not exactly a day or task for that car. But he said he worked hard his whole life so he could buy his dream car. He wanted to buy it new and couldn't afford having another car, but he was determined to make due with the one vehicle he always wanted to own. To some (including my initial reaction), he was misusing a perfectly good car. But I also have a lot of respect for him. If money, insurance, living conditions, or just strong personal preference limit you to just one car, get the one car that you'll enjoy more than anything else; that's why we have roof racks.

PorscheAddict

In an effort to prevent these posts from scaring newbies away from the track, what are you doing before/after track days that would prevent you going to work Monday? Years ago before I had space and resources for a fun car and other cars to do things with, I ran a 987.1S street/track which I drove in the snow, to work, to the track. On one occasion, to the track in a snow storm on NT05's (CMP in February, somewhere around 2009-2010). The only changes necessary due to track driving were track brake pads before the track day (which don't take long to install, and can be driven on the street for weeks if needed albeit with a lot of squeal) and to run at least decent summer tires (PS2's at the time, or AD08). Assuming the car doesn't already have all seasons or winter tires on it for the season, the only thing necessary is brake pads. NBD. As people advance they typically add decent suspension, but again you can easily run -2+ camber F/R with no toe and get decent street/track wear. Over the course of 25 or so track days in 2 years I never once had an issue getting where I needed to go on Monday. Some friends had similar setups (street/track 98X) with 75-100 track days with nothing done except pads, fluids, and tons of tires.

**** happens, for sure, but folks can generally track their street 98X, drive home, and go to work Monday.

Changing oil and other fluids more frequently is a necessary byproduct too, but again isn't urgent and won't interfere with work the next week.

I don't see this as an issue. Home improvement, woodworking, MTB, snowboarding, brewing, camping (sometimes), and many other hobbies ARE issues the 98X is pretty ill-equipped to deal with, though.

MyNameIdeasWereT

Before: Check fluids, oil change every 1k miles or less, swap brake pads, swap to wheels with racing tires, necessary aero adjustments, necessary camber/toe adjustments, necessary damping adjustments, hook up harnesses, and remove emergency tools and other items.

After: Check fluids again, spark plugs should be examined but I don't always do this, swap brake pads back, swap to daily wheels, put tools and items back in, remove harnesses, revert to civilized alignment and damping, and maybe even raise the car if I know that week was taking me somewhere with bad roads or speed bumps.

For a while, I was commuting my track car over 120 miles a day, so alignment was crucial to readjust. I'd usually leave the racing brake pads and bucket seats in, and only readjust the aero based on upcoming events.

Those are just the key items... Wear and tear is inevitable with time and torn CV boots, cracked coolant hoses, and worn mounts/bearings are things I've come off of the track with and needed to replace ASAP.
Wear and tear happens on all cars, but racing escalates these issues.

My usual post-event check list only took 1-2 hours, but was still a hassle on Sunday evenings. Life became a lot less stressful when the track car wasn't my daily.

But I digress.... The OP didn't mention racing.
If the Cayman is the car they really want, there are ways to make it work for their hobbies. The inconveniences can often be overcome by the joy the car brings, which is why I never complained for the years I was tracking my daily.