There’s only one thing wrong with the Porsche Cayman’s handling: the seats. The standard fitment chairs on the entry-level hardtop Porker (i.e. the non-S Cayman) are nowhere near supportive enough for the G-forces a spirited driver can easily and confidently generate. Drive a Cayman and you will know that darting about isn’t just for dragonflies anymore. But then, if you’re the kind of passionate pistonhead who craves cornering, you probably won’t be interested in our test car. Not ’cause of the smaller engine (245hp vs. the S’ 295hp). There’s plenty of poke once the revs crest three grand. Nope, it’s the Tiptronic gearbox that rankles.
Once again, Cayenne lovers, someone in Stuttgart’s ECU department has a keen eye on mpgs, gearing the fun right out of the Cayman’s autobox. In auto mode, I found myself driving in fifth gear at 34mph. Climbing a steep on-ramp required a push on the pedal (nichts), another push on the pedal (kick down one gear) and then ANOTHER push on the pedal (kick down two gears). Just as annoying: shower stall quality reverberating engine drone whilst lazing about in the aforementioned top gear.
Of course, you can use the buttons to get a move on, but that kind of defeats the purpose of paying extra for an autobox. One can only hope that Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch paddle shift thingie– headed for Caymanology in the Spring– sorts all this out. Meanwhile, if you must Tip the lite fantastic, the S-spec mit autobox is a far more cohesive package. At $63k. Without any options (save the Tiptronic). Summary: if you want the Cayman (non-S) and the handling, stick with the stick. If you must have an autobox, go for the S. If you can’t afford any of that, a used Boxster (same car, cloth top) with a manual cog swapper, or a pre-loved Boxster S with the Tip, are both genuine bargains, relatively speaking.
Boxster had always been a better deal as the rag top costs less than the hardtop (Cayman). What other manufacturer follows that logic?
Cayman S. Sport Package. Manual Trans w/ 3 pedals.
The sexiest car built.
Now I just need to hit lotto.
I’ll take the manual Cayman S in black please.
Yeah, yeah, I can imagine that Porsche needs the sales that offering a slushbox provides, but to my mind, a torque converter has no place in a sporting car.
I don’t want to hear the whines about “but I drive in traffic”. A Porsche is not a commuter car. Go get a freakin’ Corolla – that is the mind numbing ride you belong in. Besides, I contend that a manual trans is quite manageable in traffic – I have been doing so just fine for 20+ years.
Okay, now that I got that diatribe out of my systems, let me come back to the subject at hand. Hmmm, I know the that Boxster is the better deal – especially in the used market. Yet, I am with speedlaw: the Cayman S is dead sexy.
Boxsters and Caymans are one of my favorite track cars – love to drive them more than the 911 (still cagey near their limit). I prefer the Cayman with manual over the triptronic – the way all Porsche were meant to have. I’m 6’3″ so Boxsters just don’t fit me very well and worry me with such a low roll bar line.
Yeah, I get the need to market an autobox, but it’s puzzling that Porsche would choose a gas saving mode as the transmission default. It’s a Porsche, not a Focus.
If you can’t afford any of that, a used Boxster (same car, cloth top) with a manual cog swapper, or a pre-loved Boxster S with the Tip, are both genuine bargains, relatively speaking.
If someone is open to buying used then the genuine bargain is the Toyota MR2 Spyder.
It has straight line performance similar to the non-S Boxster/Cayman, very good Toyota financing and certified pre-owned programs, and $29.95 oil change/$99.95 alignment Toyota dealers for maintenance.
Buy 2003 (mid-cycle update) or later.
jkross22: CAFE
The Cayman is unreasonably expensive probably to keep it from treading on the toes of the 911. Many feel it has better handling, and the only reason it has less power than the 911 is pretty much arbitrary market positioning. If the Cayman were priced lower than the Boxster, it would eat 911 sales.
The thought of a used Porsche frightens me. The maintenance costs would eat me out of house and home.
argentla,
I hear that porsche reliability has been excellent since they went to water cooled engines. Do you have other data?
All car mfgrs are not perfect and Porsche has its fair share of skeletons in their closet (like the 996 intermediate shaft bearing and rear main seal failures – were very common and very expensive $10k+ for a new engine was the standard fix – and that replacement engine could also have those same failures). But they can be fixed by a home mechanic – just takes some time…parts are also more expensive.
If you want a bargain 2 seater sports car that is fun to flog around at the track and be cheap and reliable…there’s the S2000 and Mazda Miata. I’d pass on a MR2 or MR Spyder as they are notoriously hard to work on especially the older models.
Who says manuals aren’t the best?
Now if only I can fit a 911 Turbo’s engine under a Cayman…
SupaMan :
Well RUF (latterly of Dallas) would be glad to shovel a 911 non-turbo into a Cayman/Boxster for you. Of course, they also offer a turbo retrofit for the existing engine…
PS Just waiting for my warranty to expire.
jaje:
The MR2 Spyder is a very easy car to work on, and since its a Toyota it does not need to be worked on often.
Also, Toyota is one of the few manufacturers that will sell a complete service manual to anyone on their website for about $100, much better than the Haynes crap that people are stuck with for other makes.
Compared to a Boxster or Cayman, both of which offer no engine access above the car (except for some small ports for fluids), it is a dream.
The Miata is also good, and more practical, but it weighs significantly more and isn’t mid-engined. For S2000 money I would get a current generation used MX-5 with side airbags, a more modern platform and the same amount of useable power.
This is probably just like the 1-4 shift thingy in the stick-shift Corvette… generate better CAFE numbers until the customer actually buys the car and then defeats the device. Can you re-program the shift computer in the Porsche? Perhaps poke the right value into some memory location to tell the car the slowest RPM it should allow before downshifting.
I drove the base Cayman with the sport seats – they make all the difference.
Base Cayman with optional sport seats, PASM, 18″ wheels and the 6 speed tranny is all you realistically will ever need.
Of course, its still not a 911.
Meh.. you can have your 911. The Cayman/Boxster is a better car.
I had the enviable job of ferrying a Cayman S for Porsche of America to and from an event back in May. It is truly, the best handling car I have ever driven. What a wonderful machine.
Here is my review.
I later drove a non-stick, non-S variant, and while it seemed to be a more tractable commuter, I still prefer the stick over the manual. The extra HP of the S model wasn’t missed though, go figure.
–chuck
i have a silver porsche
it’s quite a car to drive
it can corner-great
it can accelerate
it makes me feel alive
my nimble little porsche
cleaves cleanly through the air
like it isn’t even there
it’s a silver cayman coupé
that makes my heart beat fast
i feel adrenaline
come a-flooding in
whenever i see one pass
it’s a cocky little sportscar
full of spunk and attitude
to which i do allude
That was beautiful.
argentla: you are correct that the maintenance costs can eat you alive if you are they type that has always driven a Corolla or the like.
*The cars eat tires, no doubt. Expect no more than 10K out of the rear tires.
**The 30K service is about $1000.
***Parts are expensive, very expensive.
Still, they are remarkably well made, and there is a very high level of attention paid to even the smallest of details. The designs are very well thought out and frankly they are designed for HARD use, so the components are generally very robust.
These cars are not for the faint of heart or wallet, but they reward the enthusiast.
I also agree with others: a used Boxster can be a bargain, if you are careful with what you buy. It is far better balanced than a 911, lighter, etc. Even the S versions are never going to be as fast as a 911 around a track. But for the normal enthusiastic driver the Boxster/Cayman is all anyone ever needs and it has more trunk space. The highway ride is extraordinary considering the handling prowess, and you can drive it all day without a back ache. They are roomier than you’d think. And finally the gas mileage: If I am not POUNDING on it I can easily get 30mpg on the highway at 70mph with the cruise control on. My average tank with 50/50 city highway driving is about 25mpg. So, not only are they fun and fast, they also get pretty reasonable gas mileage. HA!
Oh, and I should put in a disclaimer here: I own a loaded 2000 Boxster (986) 2.7L, with sport package, and the manual transmission. It has 29K on it now, and so far has never had a warranty claim, or component failure. The price of the 30K service is for a Porsche dealer, not an independant. All of the above is spoken from experience.
I have a 996 Turbo with Tip and I use it every day as my daily ride. This is actually my first car with non-manual gearbox, and I drive for 20+ years.
I agree with one thing: driving it in auto mode is boring and ineffective. I believe I used it like that in total for about 30 minutes, to see how it went.
Once I learned to use the steering wheel buttons, I realised that it is superb: you have perfect control of the torque/power and you keep your hands in the wheel at all times. It is fantastic, used in manual. I would obviously prefer a PDK, but that’s the way of technology, later is usually better.
To all Tip users/prospective buyers: do not get it if you intend to use it as an auto. It’s boring and defeats the purpose of having a sports car. Get one and use it 100% in manual mode. It’s way more fun than using the stick, it’s a Sony PSP on steroids!