Our Cars - 981 Porsche Cayman

The Cayman was bought to scratch the Porsche itch. The original plan was a 996 or 997, but I really fancied trying the mid-engine cars and, with the 981’s reputation for reliability, it felt like a no-brainer. After much soul-searching and plundering the classifieds, I found the perfect car: a 981 Cayman with all the right options (manual, of course) and full service history.

Buying and owning the Cayman was everything I expected and contained no nasty surprises. It came close to perfect in a truly Germanic way. It was all the sports car you would ever need, wrapped up in a surprisingly practical package. Having two boots is by far the best feature of the Cayman – you would not believe the crap they can hold. You can easily get four bags of compost in the frunk, much to the amusement of onlookers in the garden centre car park.

The overall driving experience was wonderful – a flat-six that makes all the exotic noises, spectacularly well-judged control weights, and chassis balance that feels telepathic to your inputs. On the right road, you flow with the car and enter a rhythm without even thinking about it. The car loved to carry speed into corners and the way it could rotate and tighten its line under trail braking was utterly delectable. However, on the annoying, lumpy, slow-moving roads we are so blighted with in Britain, it was plain frustrating.

The source of the frustration comes from its drivetrain. 100bhp per litre is great when you have 4 litres, but at the Cayman’s 2.7 it’s not enough for daily shunting. Combine that with the non-911-threatening gearing and you had to work the engine hard to keep moving. North of 80mph in 2nd is ridiculous – and not only robbed you the chance to rev the car out frequently, but also meant that your use of the gearbox was fleeting. The manual box is superb, but what I would not have given for shorter ratios.

The only other grievance was its attitude in the colder months, especially when sub-zero temperatures arrived. The side windows would freeze in place, meaning a liberal application of tepid water was the only way to get in the damn thing. Cold starts were something else – erupting with such ferocity and volume that any burglars within a two-mile radius knew exactly when you were leaving the house. Your valuables would be safe, though; you couldn’t drive off anyway. Within seconds of getting in the cockpit, it would steam up chronically, like the windows of your local greasy spoon. It did eventually clear, but not before you’d deafened yourself with the fans on full send.

But in true Porsche fashion, it was mechanically stout and never let me down. Road trips and track days were taken in its stride – as was driving it through all seasons and weathers. There was a small electronic wobble with an alarm module going faulty. No drama though, as thanks to VAG part-sharing this was solved by a £40 part off an Audi Q3 and ten minutes of amateur spannering.

Running costs were shockingly palatable, with it costing the same as my F54 Mini Cooper S that preceded it. Servicing was done by a local independent and, at 27mpg average, it wasn’t even that bad on fuel. It did have quite the appetite for rear tyres, but that may have had something to do with the amount of time I spent sideways on track.

What made me finally sell up? Simply put, I had done everything I wanted to do with it. It had run out of interesting, and I was ready for a change. That is no reflection on the Cayman – more of my slightly weird obsession with wanting a new experience. You can always revisit an old car, but you cannot beat that feeling of trying something new.

I wouldn’t say the 981 platform gets under your skin; it is, however, a brilliant sportscar that will slot into your life without any effort. It is almost annoying how good Porsche can engineer a car – almost to the point of it becoming a little cold-feeling. You want it to be a little more off the wall and endearing, but instead it just does the job you thought it would. That being said, I would still have another one in a heartbeat. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Cayman, but you always know when it is time to move on.

I had another itch to scratch – and this one was quite the step change from a mid-engine sports car. All will be revealed soon.