william_b_noble

if you really want speed, you need to get the 991 and shell out the hundred grand. If you don't need to act like you are driving a dragster, the normal cayman is fine - I average 25mpg in dally commuting, the S would probably be closer to 19 or 18 - to me I'd rather reduce my carbon footprint a little - in traffic how fast can you go?

Machog

Mine is a daily driver. I don't have a commute, but it goes to Wally World, Home Depot, supermarket etc.

I look at it this way-its a type of amortization. Divide the number of trips, or miles into the price. I have had my 2011 PDK 6 weeks, done just over 2000 miles, at $39k, I'm around $19.5 a mile! Hoping by the end of 2014, I'll be around $4.00 a mile. Its got full Porsche warranty for the next 28 months and I don't count gas, service or tires.

Machog

Randy V

So what did you decide on?

G8rGrl

Bump. Looking for more recent feedback about the Cayman as a daily driver. I do 40 - 70 miles a day. Thanks for our input.

extanker

i still stand by my first response....the base is imho much smoother riding than the s. maintenance is high at the dealer....option prices are insane. i have no problem going on 500 mile round trips with wife and some luggage.there are many other brands out there that are cheaper and have much more power.you need to road test.....alot

BoulderGeek

I'm used to commuting in a track-suspension 30-year-old 944, so my new to me Gen 1 Cayman is like a luxury car in comparison. We did 900 miles in a day and a half, picking it up and driving it home. Absolutely stellar.

My only wish is that the Bose stereo had inputs from this Millennium. The 944 kills the Cayman for stereo and phone friendliness.

It's a great car. Firm, encapsulating and direct. It's perfect, if you like that feeling. If not, there are a ton of SUVs out there. But, that's just like giving up on life, isn't it?

eddielasvegas

My '09 Cayman is my DD and I love it.

It is PDK (available '09 and newer) and I would suggest that for DD duties.


Eddie

Ubermensch

I have a 80 mile round trip commute in my '09 Cayman s. With pdk and PASM it's an easy commuter. The bucket seats seal the deal...

SubtleChaos

I use a 2009 Cayman S as my daily driver. It's also my only car, so I don't have much choice in the matter.

I have a PDK transmission. I don't have PASM, so I don't get a "comfort mode" for my suspension. It's always firm (and I believe slightly firmer than a non-S by design). During the summertime I drive on 19" wheels with lower profile sport tires, and during the winter I drive on 18" wheels with snow tires that have thicker side walls. My car is equipped with sport seats which have slightly larger bolsters than standard seats, but otherwise have the same amount of cushy seating material. (I swapped my standard seats for sports seats after buying the car.)

These are some of the options that I think would affect how comfortable you may be driving the down road.

Seat choice probably makes negligible difference to comfort, unless you had GT2 bucket seats or something similar. Sport and standard seats have equally comfortable lumbar support. Sport seats also hug your torso and the back of your shoulders slightly, but do so without wrapping around your or restricting your range of motion like bucket seats.

Wheels and tire side wall thickness will make a moderate difference in comfort. Smaller diameter rims with tires that have thicker side walls are more comfy, as they provide a greater cushion of air in he tire which helps absorb bumps on the road.

Changing from my "thick" winter tire setup to low profile, summer performance tire setup, I notice when driving over bumps it feels like more of the "bump" gets through to me. The ride feels a little less forgiving, but not in a dramatic way. I also notice road noise becomes a little louder, particularly at highway/interstate speeds. I suspect that's mostly an issue with performance tires in general, though. They're intended to provide high grip, not necessarily low noise, right?

One nit-pick I can make about my generation of Cayman is related to road noise. I wish it had slightly more sound dampening material, better/thicker seals around doors, or what have you, to decrease the amount of road noise which enters the cabin. I sometimes feel the need to turn the radio a few clicks louder.

Driving over uneven road surfaces has the potential to jostle you around a bit in your seat. Particularly if you drive over something like unevenly filled (or unfilled) potholes, train or light rail tracks that aren't flush with the road surface, or speed bumps that aren't small or smooth. Just slow down if you ever encounter these. It's not a big deal.

I wouldn't personally describe the standard, second generation Cayman S suspension using any other word than firm. But it's not harsh or rock hard either. In my view the suspension has a kind of flexible, pliable demeanor to it while also being firm. It won't punish you for driving along bad roads, but it may give you pause and make you consider a new route on your next commute if it's particularly rough. The suspension takes advantage of opportunities to remind you that you're not driving a luxury sedan... but in a fun sort of way. It reminds you that you're in an awesome sports car capable of much more than a luxury sedan.

As far as PDK goes, it makes the experience of driving and operating a car around town in traffic more pleasant. It shifts for me and does so smoothly.

Ultimately, I personally think any negatives I could find with the Cayman are outweigh by the fun it provides. That fun includes things like people rolling down windows and sticking out cell phones to photograph the car as they drive by - happened once on the highway, no joke! - or complimenting the car as I'm getting out of it in a parking lot.

In fact, that may be a good final point worth noting. While a Cayman may not draw crowds like a Lamborghini Egoista, or some other extremely over the top car, it can turn heads and draw attention at times. It's not totally inconspicuous.

My advice: try to test drive multiple Caymans if possible. Try S and non-S variants, with or without PASM, newer (981) or older (987) model generations.

Best of luck moving forward!

jtrcatalina

Great Idea!
5 months ago I purchased a 2009 Cayman base w PDK (wife sometimes will drive it). 28,000 miles -- I purchased a 5 year 60,000 extended warranty for $2800 (american auto warranty?) - I use as a daily driver replacing a Prius which Replaced a Q7, which replaced a Cayenne S and a Carrera Cabriolet. Needed a car to drive the kids to Club and high school sports - 55k miles per year (yikes) Glad that's over and really enjoy the Cayman and am also amazed at how much stuff I can get in the front and back of it. My commute is 10 miles in Orange County -- half on the freeway! 22mpg

P.S. I test drove a 2010 Cayman S with 19" wheels an aftermarket exhaust first and was not happy on rough roads and the noise - I could not here my phone ring on the blue tooth (still need to get calls from the kids on the way home from work)

extanker

i am probably the rudest most sarcastic sob on this forum ....................sssssssssssoooooooooo what did you pay for your base ? that is what i have base/pdk/29k

jtrcatalina

$36,000 - from a dealer in Chicago -- The car was in perfect conditions with a clear bra and nearly new tires --

extanker

tanks

Archimedes

Sold my RS5 and started DDing my '14 Cayman S about a month ago. I was wanting to drive it all the time, so I just went ahead and made it the daily car. Plan for it to be my primary driver for the next 10-20 years. Does the job perfectly.

Mojo31

I went from an '09 997.2 as my daily driver that I drove from 2011 until August 2014. Then traded that in on a 2015 RS5 that I drove daily until I decided I really missed my sports car, so in September 2015 I traded it in for a 2015 GTS.

I drive the GTS daily unless we use my wife's SQ5 because the kids are with us or we are picking up a load somewhere. It's great. It's the kind of car you can fling enthusiastically around town without getting in too much trouble, yet it is plenty fast. A few weeks ago I took it on a longer trip that saw some sustained speeds in the 120 range and it was as stable as it was at 60.

It also gets lots more attention than my previous two cars.

All around, you can't go wrong unless you need a back seat. The only time I have a problem is if I'm taking my staff to lunch.

And, I almost forgot, my shotgun won't fit in the trunk.