Eh, I can live with sub-13 second car...

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Originally Posted by yamabob

Pretty sure it was my ET

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:lol: Been there, done that in wife`s previous C5. "Um, you`re done for the night if you keep running like that". Somewhere is the vid of one of the first runs of the C5 when both wife and I were in car and you can hear her say towards the 1000ft mark "You better slow down or they`re gonna boot us"...which they did. Doh!

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Originally Posted by William_Wallace

Pretty neat stuff. Slippery slope going fast next thing you know a turbo or supercharger shows up to your door and wife whacks you in back of the head when you try to explain you have no recollection of ordering this part.

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It`s kinda reversed in our house at times; when we were doing headers, exhaust, intake and tune on her C5 she saw a shiny, polished Procharger in a catalog and wanted one immediately. Fortunately, I was able to talk her off of that ledge...

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Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

Why don`t I even remember that car? I`m looking at pictures and trying to tell myself it looks kind of familiar, but when I first read it I drew a complete blank.

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Probably because anyone who owned one is embarrassed to talk about it...made by Mitsubishi, marketed by Plymouth, total piece of mid-1970`s garbage. Went thru 2 engines in that thing, balancing shafts would eat their bearings and toast the motor. After getting it back after the second engine, I immediately traded it in on a black, 1977 Cutlass Supreme w/ a 350ci motor, 2-barrel carb...which was made more palatable from a sound perspective by flipping the air cleaner lid. Not faster, but more fun.

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Originally Posted by Lonnie

BudgetPlan1:
For more "behind-the-scenes" personal information that led up to the purchase of this 2016 Porsche Cayman S 4.0, I read your ENTIRE post of it in budgetplan1.wordpress.com (sorry no link due to forum rules).
First and foremost, your are a prolific writer; extremely detailed and articulate. Your high-school English composition teacher would be proud.
Second, you are a "car-guy" to the max.
Third, you are a truly Obsessive-Compulsive Detailer (OCD) Autopian Al-Star in my book.

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Thanks...I certainly can ramble on, eh? :lol:

If ya made it all the way through, you`ll see that I intended to trade the 981 Cayman in on a new 718 GTS 4.0...but I`ve since decided to keep the current Cayman long-term. While the 718 will give me a 70hp boost and the ability to custom configure my `perfect` Cayman, I`m afraid I`ll lose some of the `soul` associated with the current one. Even though it`s only been a year I`m so enamored with this version and already have memories associated with it over the past year that I`m not willing to risk losing something intangible that might happen with a new one. Been there, done that with other cars trying to `make it better` and this car has been such an epiphany with regards to what it takes for me to truly enjoy a car that I`m not willing to chance `taking a step backwards by taking a step forward`. Towards that end, I plan on sending the Cayman in this winter to have a few nicks touched up and then have it fully wrapped in PPF and coated; I drive this car *everywhere* I can and it`s starting to accumulate a few scars that bug me, things PPF would shrug off. PPF ain`t the perfect solution for every vehicle and situation but for my particular circumstance, it`s the way to go and having lived with PPF on her car for 2 years now, it`ll meet my needs perfectly.

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Originally Posted by Lonnie

What led me to all this was trying to find out if your Caymen had a 6-speed manual OR the PDK (PDK is an acronym for Porsche Doppel Kupplungs getriebe (strictly, Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe) Dual-Clutch Automatic transmission. Now that I see you mentioned your "distraction" with the "Launch Control" and its effect on your Reaction Time, I can conclude the Caymen has the PDK transmission.

I understand WHY you wanted to try the Cayman out on the dragstrip. It is a safe environment to do so and no worries about pubic roads and other drivers and "concerns" from traffic law enforcement . AND, now you (and the rest of us) know what the Caymen is capable of doing in a sprint. Yes, there are "faster" cars and even you have had a few Mustangs that fit that category. What many "go-fast" vehicle owners/drivers do NOT understand is the over-all driving experience in a Caymen, which, after reading the fore-mentioned blog, is the reason you now own and drive and immensely enjoy the Caymen.
I can kind of relate after owning a used `84 Ford Mustang SVO and going through two turbos in it and then trying out a new `86 Toyota MR2. While nowhere near as fast, the sum of the parts and the overall driving experience was SOOOOO much better than the SVO. That was most evident in the 5-speed manual transmission of the MR2 and its snick-snick operation of the cable shifter to the rear transaxle. Not to mention the balance of the high-revving mid-engine 1.6L four-cylinder engine that had the smoothness of a sewing-machine compared to the archaic front-engine Pinto-derived 2.3 L turbo 4-cylinder in the SVO. As the saying goes, "Sometimes it is more fun to drive a slow car fast."

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While all of my previous toys have been manual transmissions, the PDK fits our household quite nicely and really doesn`t give up anything as far as performance. While my wife can drive a stickshift, she prefers not to and it is best to have interchangeable `toys` for maximum variety of enjoyment. She`ll always like her Vette more but after driving the Cayman to work for the first time, I quickly got a txt message saying "Turning is fun! I`m going to just drive around on lunch!" ANd after driving the Posche PDK with manual mode and paddles, I will likely never have a stick shift again...work smarter, not harder :lol: The PDK blips the throttle on manual downshifts, shifts in the blink of an eye...just soo much fun (without the work)

The Cayman just inspires so much confidence I feel like it will never hurt me despite my driver shortcomings at this point. And when I`ve let some more experienced drivers show me what it can *really* do, it`s quite impressive. I don`t have a need for more HP anymore (although it`s tough to beat the Vette getting up to speed on a freeway on-ramp!)

"Sometimes it is more fun to drive a slow car fast." - Truer words were never spoken in my case, it just took a few decades for me to figure that out. If I had unlimited funds and unlimited garage space, there would be a Miata in the mix somewhere. Or a John Cooper Mini.

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Originally Posted by Desertnate

I`ve always been a huge fan of the Cayman and long for a chance to actually drive one rather than ride in one. So far, I`ve only managed a few laps around a road course in a GT4 on one occasion and much later a lap of an autocross course in another instance.

There is so much truth here. A well sorted platform will make any car a dream to drive regardless of horsepower. It`s one reason why I miss my E46 BMW so much. It only had 175hp, but the experience behind the wheel was amazing. I`m at a point in my life where sheer acceleration is entertaining, but doesn`t really endear me to a car. What really gets me is a car that has me laughing out loud spontaneously as I toss it around a twisty backroad, on-ramp, or a sweeping left hand turn when I catch the turn arrow at the right time.

You can really see the brilliance of the Cayman at our SCCA Autocross events. In the hands of a good driver a bone-stock car dances around the cones like nothing else. No drama, no waves of body roll in the transitions, to tire howl, and very little noise at all. It just sticks and goes. Using a football analogy the Mustangs, Camaro`s, and M3`s are like Linemen. The Vett`s are more like a line-backer. The Cayman is the wide-receiver. Even the Miata`s and BRZ/FRS/86`s don`t get around the course with the same poise and balance.

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Exactly...and in everyday usage (like a commute to work) the Vette is fun on the freeway onramp...and the Cayman is crazy fun everywhere else that even the must mundane turn lays in wait. And I *really* dig the wail of the little flat-6 motor at about 6500rpm.

I`ve been trying to convince my wife to trade the Vette in on a Boxster for the last year but so far remain unsuccessful which is a bit ironic. When we were pondering replacing her C5 with a C7 back in early 2019, she said "Maybe we should look at a Boxster instead..." and I shot that idea down with "Why would you want a little 6-cykinder, 300-ish hp car instead of the good ol` 436hp V8 Corvette!?!?!" If only I had a time machine to go back and chance re-phrase that with a "You now, I think you have something there..." Doh!

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Originally Posted by Lonnie

BudgetPlan1:
As the saying goes, "Sometimes it is more fun to drive a slow car fast."

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exactly, a fast car is fun to drive. A great handling car is fun to drive all the time. The same reason Randy Pobst bought a 4cyl camaro. A more balanced better handling car.

There’s certainly a difference between a drag racer and a ‘exotic’, nimble sports car. Each has their own pros and cons. Either can be fun depending on what you like to use them for.

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Originally Posted by Coleroad

exactly, a fast car is fun to drive. A great handling car is fun to drive all the time. The same reason Randy Pobst bought a 4cyl camaro. A more balanced better handling car.

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Funny how that works. I`ve heard similar about the Eco-Boost Mustang and recently about the Supra with the 2.0. A lot of people don`t realize cramming a giant V8 under the hood isn`t always the best idea.

I will freely admit the smaller engine/better balance idea doesn`t always work for me. Two scenarios come to mind:
1. Power delivery. I still like a good shove after laughing all the way through a corner. These days most turbo charged engines have enough torque, but I found the high-revving Honda engines of the past to be a bore because it was easy to catch them out of the power band.
2. Overall weight of the platform. If the rest of the car is a pig, I say drop a fire breathing beast under the hood and hope for the best. Best example I`ve driven is the Lexus IS sedans. I found the IS350 F-Sport to be a letdown because despite great steering and a decent chasis, it was heavy and under powered (transmission didn`t help either). The IS250 was a total snooze fest.

"Simplify and add lightness...Adding power makes you faster on the straights; subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere" - Ian Chapman

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Originally Posted by Desertnate

"Simplify and add lightness...Adding power makes you faster on the straights; subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere" - Ian Chapman

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Perfect [emoji41]

While this thread is dedicated to BudgetPlan1`s Porsche Caymen S 4.0 and its speed and "slow" time at the quarter-mile dragstrip and how he can live with that, I think the majority us "can live" with the vehicle we drive. We drive our vehicle that we currently have for a whole host of reasons, but it is most likely because it is what we can afford. For some it is its utilitarian use, like a truck for your work or business, or a van to haul the ever-growing family and kids to all the activities they are involved in, or an AWD vehicle because we need it for the (long Wisconsin) winter months, like my `06 Ford Freestyle AWD I bought from my Mom`s estate when my siblings decides it was best for her not to drive anymore. It is why we call them "daily drivers" and from what I see in this Autopia forum, those vehicles get some pretty good detailing care, as they should from fellow Autopians.

That said, I thank BudgetPlan1 for his detailed (pun intended!) exploits with his Porsche Caymen S. What a great car and car owner. Love his pics at car shows that they attend.

Great cars. Of course they don`t have the history or are an icon like the 911 is, but to drive each, the 6 cylinder Cayman S` are just in the sweet spot of pretty much everything. Just enough power, light enough, the balance of everything is pretty much right. Mine`s only a 987 but I`m a fan.

A 911 in contrast is still a wonderful car to drive, but there`s an adaption to be made, it`s more challenging.https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37464&stc=1This can potentially be more rewarding, but i don`t think it ever feels like an extension of you the way the Cayman does.

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Originally Posted by roscopervis

Great cars. Of course they don`t have the history or are an icon like the 911 is, but to drive each, the 6 cylinder Cayman S` are just in the sweet spot of pretty much everything. Just enough power, light enough, the balance of everything is pretty much right. Mine`s only a 987 but I`m a fan.

A 911 in contrast is still a wonderful car to drive, but there`s an adaption to be made, it`s more challenging.This can potentially be more rewarding, but i don`t think it ever feels like an extension of you the way the Cayman does.

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We were planning to head down to the Porsche Experience Center last winter to do one of their `Cayman v 911` Experiences but alas, COVID put the brakes on that:
https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37465&stc=1

I surmise that everything I like about the Cayman would not translate well to a 911; I have a lot of faith that the Cayman won`t hurt me or get outta sorts given the limits of my skillset. The 911...more power, heavier back end might be more willing to get away/oversteer if I got dumb...which is always a possibility [emoji38]

A friend of ours (and one of the primary instigators of "...you should try a Cayman") had a beautiful GT3 that he was often offering up for a day but I never took him up on it and alas, he recently sold it:
https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=37466&stc=1

Too chicken on my part, I guess...opportunity lost!

I think many consider the 987 series the `classic` Cayman, the real Must Have in the series. Aside from styling, is there really that much difference between 987 and 981? The blue on yours is killer with the wheels!

Kinda a bummer that the driving season is drawing to a close...

When I was looking for a car I was open to a 911 too, but after driving a 996 Carrera, Carrera 4s and a 997 Carrera along with a couple of Caymans, I have no problem with having more power, or adapting to a rear engine, but the Cayman just drives better. For their ages, the performance difference isn’t much different, the engines are the same but with different capacities essentially so they feel similar, with a bit more grunt in the 997 (obviously becoming more apparent the more exotic you go I’d imagine). As has been mentioned, it’s about the experience. The 911 is an experience, but the Cayman is a better balance all round I feel. The only other car I’ve driven that was perhaps more natural was a Lotus Elise, but that had 130 hp, no power steering or servo assisted brakes. It basically drove like a large go kart with gears!

I’ve never driven a 981 to compare. The general consensus is that the steering feel gets worse with modernity, but you get the direct injection engine, better infotainment and other incremental changes which should add up to an improvement.

My car is actually Basalt Black, it is the blue sky in the reflection giving that colour. That’s why I think it’s a nice picture.