The Boxster used to be synonymous with compromise. For most, it represented a departure from what made Porsche great. It came at a time when Porsche was really hard up for money and so to save costs the Boxster and the 911 both received the same front end right down to the ugly headlights. Both cars were ugly. You might disagree but you'd be wrong.
More of the Same
In 2005 the Boxster received a redesign and a new number: now the the 987. Much like it's predecessor this Boxster shared styling cues with another Porsche model: the Cayman. To be introduced in 2006, the Cayman shared every Boxster body panel from the doors forward including most of the interior. But the Cayman looked different. It didn't look like the entry level Porsche; it just looked like a Porsche. In some respects it paid homage to past 911's better than the 911 did.
And so I drove one. It was a 2007; year two of the Cayman. It was a fairly pedestrian model, sparing the navigation and the optional 6 speed manual transmission for a 5 speed. It didn't have the Bose system or the HID headlights but it was red. RED!
Drivetrain
For 2007 you got two engine choices with the Cayman: a 2.7L 6 making 241 horsepower and 201 lb/ ft of torque or if you opted for the Cayman S displacement was bumped to 3.4 liters, horsepower to 291 and torque to 251. Both engines were flat 6 boxer motors and both sat behind the passenger compartment, leaving you with both a front trunk and a rear hatch. More on that later.
I haven't driven the Cayman S but I would make an argument that the 2.7 base engine is the engine to have. It's fast enough to make the car quick yet slow enough that you can still wind the car through the gears and hear the exhaust. Above 4000rpm it's a hoot.
To me a good manual setup for a street car should have an effortless clutch. Something so light and easy to use that you forget about it. This is that. The clutch pedal requires light effort and grabs right in the middle of travel. The clutch itself is smooth without slipping, a testament to having such a light car. You don't need to over-engineer things to compensate for weight.
Handling/ Chassis
What can I say? It's like driving a gokart on the street. It's an impossibly light, short wheelbase, mid-engine car. You point it and it goes. Turn-in is really quick and there's great feedback from the steering. This is a car without a lot of nannies and you don't care because it's really easy to drive. There's never a feeling like it's going to let go. I'm sure it has limits but they are far above what my confidence level as a driver will let me go.
Interior
Most people don't know that the 997 911 had a wretched interior. Materials were cheap and after a few years your gray interior would have faded to several different shades. Things squeaked and rattled and just all around were not great. They finally fixed this with the Panamera and then with the 2011+ Cayenne and now finally the Cayman and Boxster which have amazing interiors.
This interior is post 997 911 so it's an improvement over that however it pre-dates the gorgeous interiors they make now so it's nowhere near as nice as those. To be honest, it still feels cheap. Materials are hard and coated in soft touch material that after only 60,000 miles was starting to chip off in places. The dash was hard plastic as were the door panels. The carpet underneath the window in the hatchback had a mesh pattern bleached into it from the cargo net blocking out the sun. Maybe some of that can be attributed to the California sun but it's not something I've really seen in any other car of this price tag so I tend to consider stuff like that inexcusable.
Are you buying a Porsche for it's interior?
Fuck no. The car is amazing. For a weekend throw around vehicle or even a daily driver, these are amazing cars to buy and leave stock. They won't be the fastest thing on the street but the first time you take a turn you'll instantly stop caring. Much like the S2000 was an amazing car not necessarily for it's outright quickness but it's overall capabilities, the base Cayman is a car that excels at being just downright fun to drive. How much power it makes won't ever enter the equation in your brain cavity. It will be concentrating to much on holding a smile.
Would I Buy One?
Yes. And I even tried. We went back and forth for the better part of a day and ultimately came up $500 apart, neither of us willing concede that last $500. And so for now it hasn't happened but who knows... Maybe he texts me later and tells me to come on by.
PS: It's all about Perception
Most people look at the Boxster and despite having been a very competent car for the last 10 years, immediately write it off as an entry level Porsche for people that just want to drive a Porsche. People don't do that with the Cayman despite the fact that it's basically identical to the Boxster. In fact, most people you'll talk to don't even know where the Cayman falls in Porsche's lineup. They don't know if it's a cheaper 911 or just another sports car with a different name. Because of that the car gets a lot of stares. In the hour I had the car I had a handful of people complement it or rubberneck. You don't get that in a Boxster.
More of the Same
In 2005 the Boxster received a redesign and a new number: now the the 987. Much like it's predecessor this Boxster shared styling cues with another Porsche model: the Cayman. To be introduced in 2006, the Cayman shared every Boxster body panel from the doors forward including most of the interior. But the Cayman looked different. It didn't look like the entry level Porsche; it just looked like a Porsche. In some respects it paid homage to past 911's better than the 911 did.
And so I drove one. It was a 2007; year two of the Cayman. It was a fairly pedestrian model, sparing the navigation and the optional 6 speed manual transmission for a 5 speed. It didn't have the Bose system or the HID headlights but it was red. RED!
Drivetrain
For 2007 you got two engine choices with the Cayman: a 2.7L 6 making 241 horsepower and 201 lb/ ft of torque or if you opted for the Cayman S displacement was bumped to 3.4 liters, horsepower to 291 and torque to 251. Both engines were flat 6 boxer motors and both sat behind the passenger compartment, leaving you with both a front trunk and a rear hatch. More on that later.
I haven't driven the Cayman S but I would make an argument that the 2.7 base engine is the engine to have. It's fast enough to make the car quick yet slow enough that you can still wind the car through the gears and hear the exhaust. Above 4000rpm it's a hoot.
To me a good manual setup for a street car should have an effortless clutch. Something so light and easy to use that you forget about it. This is that. The clutch pedal requires light effort and grabs right in the middle of travel. The clutch itself is smooth without slipping, a testament to having such a light car. You don't need to over-engineer things to compensate for weight.
Handling/ Chassis
What can I say? It's like driving a gokart on the street. It's an impossibly light, short wheelbase, mid-engine car. You point it and it goes. Turn-in is really quick and there's great feedback from the steering. This is a car without a lot of nannies and you don't care because it's really easy to drive. There's never a feeling like it's going to let go. I'm sure it has limits but they are far above what my confidence level as a driver will let me go.
Interior
Most people don't know that the 997 911 had a wretched interior. Materials were cheap and after a few years your gray interior would have faded to several different shades. Things squeaked and rattled and just all around were not great. They finally fixed this with the Panamera and then with the 2011+ Cayenne and now finally the Cayman and Boxster which have amazing interiors.
This interior is post 997 911 so it's an improvement over that however it pre-dates the gorgeous interiors they make now so it's nowhere near as nice as those. To be honest, it still feels cheap. Materials are hard and coated in soft touch material that after only 60,000 miles was starting to chip off in places. The dash was hard plastic as were the door panels. The carpet underneath the window in the hatchback had a mesh pattern bleached into it from the cargo net blocking out the sun. Maybe some of that can be attributed to the California sun but it's not something I've really seen in any other car of this price tag so I tend to consider stuff like that inexcusable.
Are you buying a Porsche for it's interior?
Fuck no. The car is amazing. For a weekend throw around vehicle or even a daily driver, these are amazing cars to buy and leave stock. They won't be the fastest thing on the street but the first time you take a turn you'll instantly stop caring. Much like the S2000 was an amazing car not necessarily for it's outright quickness but it's overall capabilities, the base Cayman is a car that excels at being just downright fun to drive. How much power it makes won't ever enter the equation in your brain cavity. It will be concentrating to much on holding a smile.
Would I Buy One?
Yes. And I even tried. We went back and forth for the better part of a day and ultimately came up $500 apart, neither of us willing concede that last $500. And so for now it hasn't happened but who knows... Maybe he texts me later and tells me to come on by.
PS: It's all about Perception
Most people look at the Boxster and despite having been a very competent car for the last 10 years, immediately write it off as an entry level Porsche for people that just want to drive a Porsche. People don't do that with the Cayman despite the fact that it's basically identical to the Boxster. In fact, most people you'll talk to don't even know where the Cayman falls in Porsche's lineup. They don't know if it's a cheaper 911 or just another sports car with a different name. Because of that the car gets a lot of stares. In the hour I had the car I had a handful of people complement it or rubberneck. You don't get that in a Boxster.
