Used Cayman S as a Daily Driver?

[CJFusco]

As many of you know, I might be changing up my garage a little bit. Considering that I might be selling my 951 (info here: 951 in its Death Throes, Pt. 2: Advice Needed!), I am considering my options moving forward. Obviously, I don't want to go too long without a Porsche in my garage!

The obvious option is to find a 911SC and keep my Mini Cooper S as a daily driver. That's what I'd assumed I'd do for awhile now. But perusing the Pre-Owned section of Porsche Dealerships' websites provides an interesting alternative. It looks as though there are some enticing deals on previous-generation Cayman S cars in the $30-36K range. Doing a few calculations, I figure that between the trade-in value on my Mini and the money I could get from selling the 951 as-is, my monthly payments on a used Cayman S would be around the same as I'm paying right now for the Mini... if not lower. And considering that it's a Porsche-Certified Pre-Owned dealie, I'm guessing it would come with a limited warrantee.

Is there any reason not to consider this path, which would entail having a Cayman S as an only car (at least for now)? My commute is only about 15 miles each way, and I tend to put lower-than-average miles on my cars each year. Are there any crazy maintenance issues with the Cayman that I should be aware of? What's the best way to approach a New England winter if one is a Cayman owner: snow tires or a cheap beater?

Another interesting option: a different local dealer has a slightly-older, slightly-higher-mileage 997 Carrera 4 available. Would it be totally nutso to consider this as an only car? What is maintenance like on these, compared to a Cayman S?

Any help you guys could provide would be appreciated. I am in no rush and this is all theoretical for now. It is nice to have a lot of options -- it's like having too much pitching in baseball: a nice problem to have.

[5String43]

I dunno, man. I have an MCS as a daily/only driver, the Clubman version. I absolutely adore the thing. Faster and more comfortable than my SC ever was, and way more reliable. Compared to a Cayman? Tough call. But I suspect it might be tough to get a guitar case, for instance, into a Cayman....

[CJFusco]

Yeah, that's a good point -- and the Cooper S is a hoot, and very good in every season.

Some more info: I'm fairly young, don't have any kids (that I know of), don't haul a lot of stuff (but I have access to a pickup if I need it), and tend to only have one other passenger in the car. If any of that helps.

[stealthn]

Well if you want a year round car go with the C4, it's low so depending on how much snow you get you may be plowing some. The Cayman would work to with winter wheels ( i hope both have heated seats). I went from an SC and Cayenne turbo as my daily drivers to a cayman S, no issues the car is awesome.
Only one gripe with the cayman is the door opening. In tight parking it's a little tough to get out while not hitting the door.
You'd be fine with either car, just check all records and get a PPI

[HardDrive]

A Cayman would be a blast as a daily driver. I used a Boxster as my daily driver for 2 years, and I loved it. The have a lot more cargo space than you might think. Two trunks. If you are young and can afford it, hell yes. I drive a 997S everyday, and I consider the Cayman to be a more thrilling ride. Much closer to the 'light and fast' idea of early 911s than the current 911.

I have purchased 2 cars under the CPO program, and I was very pleased with it.

My only concern is snow. Do you have covered parking? Do you have $ for snow tires?

[CJFusco]

Thanks for the responses, guys; this is very helpful.

I do have a garage. My setup right now is that the basically-non-running 951 is in the garage and the Mini is parked outside, which doesn't make sense when you evaluate the values of each car. It would be a step in the right direction, I think, to have one single car in the garage, or, for that matter, the expensive car in the garage and a beater parked outside.

And, yes, I could afford an extra set of rims with snow tires on them.

[HardDrive]

I park my 911 during the winter, at least when there is snow/slush. I have a 4x4 Ford F-150 that I drive in foul weather. I only paid $5200 for it. Works out well for me. Having the truck is very handy.

[nostatic]

Cayman is a hatchback. Already ahead of the game - ditch the other stuff.

[mikester]

I drive a non-s daily myself. I drive the snot out of it.

I can't go back. Don't make me go back.

[JFK713]

I picked up a Cayman S so I could retire my G50 from DD duties. I love, love, love it. Like Mikester, I am never going back. Great A/C, comfortable and quiet when you want it to be, but super capable and fun to drive fast. Not as involving as to drive as the 911 though, great, just different. I have used mine as a an DD/AutoX car for two years now, with only routine maintenance and tires. Awesome cars.

[Tilikum Turbo]

I think the 1st Gen Cayman is drop-dead gorgeous...this second Gen that recently came out....WTF do they do porking out such a svelte body?

[mjohnson]

Had a '02 996 C2 for a few years up in the mountains. RWD was more than fine with real snow tires. Telepathic-like control in the slippery. Unless I had to plow snow with the nose it was unstoppable.

I imagine that the newer and smarter brains are even better than those were a decade ago.

[CJFusco]

Originally Posted by Tilikum Turbo

I think the 1st Gen Cayman is drop-dead gorgeous...this second Gen that recently came out....WTF do they do porking out such a svelte body?

Have you seen one in the metal? They are stunning, IMHO.

[Tilikum Turbo]

Originally Posted by CJFusco

Have you seen one in the metal? They are stunning, IMHO.

I seen the newer Cayman at the dealer a few months back...all I could say to myself was..."no...WTF?!" It looks FAT(when compared to the Gen I)

[fred cook]

My son bought a Cayman S and drove it for about 3 years. The only days that it stayed in the garage was when the weather was terrible. Great car, lots of fun and a safe buy if you can find one of the Porsche dealer CPO (certified pre-owned) cars with the extended warranty.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Do it! My daily driver is a 996. Good mpg, reliable, well made, fine in the snow with snow tires. 996/997/Cayman maintenance will be nearly identical, if you DIY it's easy and very reasonable.

Dunno how old your Mini is, but at 85k my Cooper S was falling apart. My 996 at 97k is rock solid.

[CJFusco]

You guys aren't exactly talking me out of it, are you? This is all very exciting news -- I didn't realize that the Cayman was so dependable. I'm definitely going to have to look deeper into this option...

[Brando]

CJ, get the Cayman S. I made the same move 2 years ago and never been happier. It was a subtantial upgrade from my 3.2 Carerra. I got a 2006 and at that year the only thing you have to look out for is false misfire codes on cold-start. IMS bearings are not an issue and tires + oil will be your biggest expenses.

I got mine for less than $25k and I have put over 15k miles on it. I put some money recently into high-flow sport cats and a new muffler. Next is an IPD plenum and Softronic tune - that should be real good for fun!

[RedBaron]

Porsche Cayman S | eBay

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by RedBaron

Porsche Cayman S | eBay

Good deal but that screams "rebuilt from accident". It's missing the rear badge, has aftermarket tail lights, still has the grease marker writing in the rear window, and the front gaps look odd. I periodically see them in the $25k range in minty condition with low miles, so they are definitely getting cheap.

Adding a little more fuel to the fire, if I had my choice I'd probably be driving a Boxster/Cayman instead of my 996. My 1999 Boxster wasn't as fast as a 996 but was more fun to drive. Too bad they don't have back seats......