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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
2014 Porsche Cayman S PDK Sports Chrono
- Thread starter MR_Y
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MR_Y
Well-known member
So, after some detective work using the service book, I found out that the previous owner did 20,000,km in the first year of ownership (2014), then 9,000km in 2015-2016. Shockingly, from Jan 2017 to Jan 2021 the car only travelled 1,000km in that 4 years! Oil services seem to have been done regularly, the last one being last month.
Based on the above, I need to open up this car with a nice long drive. Just need the VPS/Stek to be fitted first and then my spare wheel loaded in the trunk.
Based on the above, I need to open up this car with a nice long drive. Just need the VPS/Stek to be fitted first and then my spare wheel loaded in the trunk.
MR_Y
Well-known member
Thanks for the comment.
No - I still like BMW (though not all models).
I am still looking for an X3 for the significant other.
Maybe within the next 2 years I will be back.
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MR_Y
Well-known member
Hi all.
Thanks for the comments.
I took a few long drives this weekend and here is a summary of my thoughts so far.
Bear in mind that I have not driven a 911, so my point of view is based on my 1 year ownership of a 2013 981 Boxster 2.7 and my past driving experiences with a TT-S (Mk3).
The Drive
First, let's discuss the elephant in the room...
You will not win a traffic light sprint with this car against a modern 200kw+ AWD hot hatch. Stock Golf R or S3, even a mildly tuned Golf GTI, will beat the 981 Cayman S in the sprinting stakes, especially at Highveld altitude. The Cayman S is not neck-snapping fast in a straight line, but it engages and enthralls much more than a turbo-charged hot hatch. I expected this and I am not disappointed at all. If you are looking for the automotive equivalent of quick release (read: premature) ecstasy, then this is not the car for you.
However, this car is not a blunt, old school performance car. There is no drama when you launch it. It is all precise and well controlled. But, you feel and hear the car working with you to fulfill your needs. You feel a slight vibration (turning into a strong vibration, the harder you press on the throttle) through the seat when you accelerate. This can feel a little disconcerting at first when accelerating on the highway, which I found out on Saturday morning. But, after learning how to modulate the loud pedal and getting to grips with how the car puts its power down, I got to understand the impact that the 3.4 litre block has behind you, together with that sports exhaust system that can get quite boomy when cruising at higher speeds.
It is also worth noting that the Boxster (regardless of base or S model) has has more insulation and weight in the back compared to the Cayman, courtesy of the folding roof mechanism and a proper boot (instead of a liftback hatch), so it actually mutes a lot of the engine vibration and noise into the cabin. In the Cayman, the engine is in the cabin with you, so you hear and feel it without much in the way of insulation. This also adds to the feeling of greater refinement in the Boxster (when the roof is up) compared to the Cayman.
I did not have an opportunity to push the car hard on the tight twisties, so I cannot comment yet on how well this car handles in the extreme. I may have to wait for a track day or a quiet, early morning breakfast run on the right/safe roads to properly push it. For what it is worth, the sense balance in my Boxster seems to be the same in the Cayman, at sane speeds so far.
On normal roads (mildly rutted tar roads), the PASM adaptive dampers work wonders in keeping the ride quality pretty decent, even though the car has 20 inch rims (235/35 F and 265/35 R). The car has brand new Michellin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (non-run flat) and they felt pretty decent when driving through rain on the N17. I would say that this car is as comfortable as my F30 320d LCI on 18 inch runflats. My Boxster had 19 inch rims, also with PASM, and was a bit more comfortable. For the looks alone, I am happy to sacrifice some comfort for that 20 inch look.
The steering on the Cayman feels quite heavy at low speeds. I see that Power Steering Plus (which I had on my Boxster) was not specified. That would have lightened up the steering when parking. Not a major issue though. Speaking of heaviness, the car does feel substantially hefty than, say, a TT-S - though, both cars weigh about the same. I think this is more due to the fact that the Cayman S was designed from the ground up to be a sports car, while the TT-S was built on a hatchback platform (Golf/A3).
On a side note, I do feel that the steering wheel (even though it is the optional flappy paddle, fancy wheel) is slightly too big. Making it smaller or even making it flat-bottomed (like on the TT) would have helped a bit - especially when maneuvering in tight spaces.
The Technology
My Boxster had no Bluetooth, so it was a great feeling having Bluetooth streaming and handsfree calling in the Cayman. The car has PCM 3.1 fitted. The sound quality (while rated at 235w in total and having 9 speakers) is pretty weak - in comparison, my Volvo V60CC has a 12-speaker Harman Kardon system and sounds like an opera hall. The previous owner paid R22k for this upgraded audio system and R10k for Bluetooth. I appreciate his sacrifice, but I would not have paid that much for those options.
The Tyre Pressure Monitoring System is actually very precise and well configured in this car - it is an active system that has a sensor on each wheel. If there is a puncture, I do have an inflatable spare wheel from my Boxster in the frunk, as well as a compressor kit and tyre sealant.
Xenon lights are standard on the Cayman S. I still have to drive the car at night before I can comment on well they work. My Boxster had halogens, so this is definitely a step up.
Sports Chrono (including G-force meter) and Launch Control are also nice, but I need more time to properly play with these toys. At sea-level it is claimed that this 239kw/370Nm Cayman S can hit 100kmh in 4.7 seconds, with all these toys switched on and with 98 RON in the tank. I suspect it will hit just over 5 seconds at Highveld altitude with 95 octane fuel.
There is not much else in the tech department but it has enough to keep me happy.
The Looks
This car looks sexy with the blue metallic paint and those 20 inch Carrera wheels and the 10mm drop courtesy of the PASM setup.
I fitted Stek Paint Protection Film to preserve the beauty a bit longer. The previous owner had VPS on the entire car since 2014 and the past 30,000km. The dealership removed it before selling the car to me.
I decided on 35% window tint instead of 20%, since it works a bit better with the rest of the car's overall look.
The Interior
Like the Boxster, this car is well made. Nothing squeaks or rattles - even though the 3.4 motor is eager to shake up the cabin when provoked. Quality is very good and everything feels like it was built to last and keep on working.
Interestingly, there are no illuminated vanity mirrors - so bear that in mind if your partner needs to apply lipstick at night.
The seats are partial leather items and feel decent - not much different to my Boxster. There is no adjustable lumbar support, but the seat is curved a bit lower down to support your lower back. I fitted a child seat on the passenger side (needed to get the airbag deactivation switch and ISOFIX preparation installed by the dealer) with no hassles.
I will perform another a write up after I get a few more kilometres under this car's belt.
Thanks for the comments.
I took a few long drives this weekend and here is a summary of my thoughts so far.
Bear in mind that I have not driven a 911, so my point of view is based on my 1 year ownership of a 2013 981 Boxster 2.7 and my past driving experiences with a TT-S (Mk3).
The Drive
First, let's discuss the elephant in the room...
You will not win a traffic light sprint with this car against a modern 200kw+ AWD hot hatch. Stock Golf R or S3, even a mildly tuned Golf GTI, will beat the 981 Cayman S in the sprinting stakes, especially at Highveld altitude. The Cayman S is not neck-snapping fast in a straight line, but it engages and enthralls much more than a turbo-charged hot hatch. I expected this and I am not disappointed at all. If you are looking for the automotive equivalent of quick release (read: premature) ecstasy, then this is not the car for you.
However, this car is not a blunt, old school performance car. There is no drama when you launch it. It is all precise and well controlled. But, you feel and hear the car working with you to fulfill your needs. You feel a slight vibration (turning into a strong vibration, the harder you press on the throttle) through the seat when you accelerate. This can feel a little disconcerting at first when accelerating on the highway, which I found out on Saturday morning. But, after learning how to modulate the loud pedal and getting to grips with how the car puts its power down, I got to understand the impact that the 3.4 litre block has behind you, together with that sports exhaust system that can get quite boomy when cruising at higher speeds.
It is also worth noting that the Boxster (regardless of base or S model) has has more insulation and weight in the back compared to the Cayman, courtesy of the folding roof mechanism and a proper boot (instead of a liftback hatch), so it actually mutes a lot of the engine vibration and noise into the cabin. In the Cayman, the engine is in the cabin with you, so you hear and feel it without much in the way of insulation. This also adds to the feeling of greater refinement in the Boxster (when the roof is up) compared to the Cayman.
I did not have an opportunity to push the car hard on the tight twisties, so I cannot comment yet on how well this car handles in the extreme. I may have to wait for a track day or a quiet, early morning breakfast run on the right/safe roads to properly push it. For what it is worth, the sense balance in my Boxster seems to be the same in the Cayman, at sane speeds so far.
On normal roads (mildly rutted tar roads), the PASM adaptive dampers work wonders in keeping the ride quality pretty decent, even though the car has 20 inch rims (235/35 F and 265/35 R). The car has brand new Michellin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (non-run flat) and they felt pretty decent when driving through rain on the N17. I would say that this car is as comfortable as my F30 320d LCI on 18 inch runflats. My Boxster had 19 inch rims, also with PASM, and was a bit more comfortable. For the looks alone, I am happy to sacrifice some comfort for that 20 inch look.
The steering on the Cayman feels quite heavy at low speeds. I see that Power Steering Plus (which I had on my Boxster) was not specified. That would have lightened up the steering when parking. Not a major issue though. Speaking of heaviness, the car does feel substantially hefty than, say, a TT-S - though, both cars weigh about the same. I think this is more due to the fact that the Cayman S was designed from the ground up to be a sports car, while the TT-S was built on a hatchback platform (Golf/A3).
On a side note, I do feel that the steering wheel (even though it is the optional flappy paddle, fancy wheel) is slightly too big. Making it smaller or even making it flat-bottomed (like on the TT) would have helped a bit - especially when maneuvering in tight spaces.
The Technology
My Boxster had no Bluetooth, so it was a great feeling having Bluetooth streaming and handsfree calling in the Cayman. The car has PCM 3.1 fitted. The sound quality (while rated at 235w in total and having 9 speakers) is pretty weak - in comparison, my Volvo V60CC has a 12-speaker Harman Kardon system and sounds like an opera hall. The previous owner paid R22k for this upgraded audio system and R10k for Bluetooth. I appreciate his sacrifice, but I would not have paid that much for those options.
The Tyre Pressure Monitoring System is actually very precise and well configured in this car - it is an active system that has a sensor on each wheel. If there is a puncture, I do have an inflatable spare wheel from my Boxster in the frunk, as well as a compressor kit and tyre sealant.
Xenon lights are standard on the Cayman S. I still have to drive the car at night before I can comment on well they work. My Boxster had halogens, so this is definitely a step up.
Sports Chrono (including G-force meter) and Launch Control are also nice, but I need more time to properly play with these toys. At sea-level it is claimed that this 239kw/370Nm Cayman S can hit 100kmh in 4.7 seconds, with all these toys switched on and with 98 RON in the tank. I suspect it will hit just over 5 seconds at Highveld altitude with 95 octane fuel.
There is not much else in the tech department but it has enough to keep me happy.
The Looks
This car looks sexy with the blue metallic paint and those 20 inch Carrera wheels and the 10mm drop courtesy of the PASM setup.
I fitted Stek Paint Protection Film to preserve the beauty a bit longer. The previous owner had VPS on the entire car since 2014 and the past 30,000km. The dealership removed it before selling the car to me.
I decided on 35% window tint instead of 20%, since it works a bit better with the rest of the car's overall look.
The Interior
Like the Boxster, this car is well made. Nothing squeaks or rattles - even though the 3.4 motor is eager to shake up the cabin when provoked. Quality is very good and everything feels like it was built to last and keep on working.
Interestingly, there are no illuminated vanity mirrors - so bear that in mind if your partner needs to apply lipstick at night.
The seats are partial leather items and feel decent - not much different to my Boxster. There is no adjustable lumbar support, but the seat is curved a bit lower down to support your lower back. I fitted a child seat on the passenger side (needed to get the airbag deactivation switch and ISOFIX preparation installed by the dealer) with no hassles.
I will perform another a write up after I get a few more kilometres under this car's belt.
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MR_Y
Well-known member
MR_Y
Well-known member
Update - dealership experience - a bit of a rant....
On my Boxster purchase, the customer service was brilliant.
On this purchase, the customer experience has been quite disappointing.
The dealership is not the same one who sold me the Boxster, but another dealership in SA (sadly, I cannot reveal who, given that some outstanding work still has to be completed).
Here is the list of issues:
1. On the delivery date, the front right headlight was cracked on the edge (a series of micro cracks). The dealer did not tell me about this. No one checked the condition of the lights before delivery. I made a fuss, so they are replacing this with a new unit. I am waiting for this.
2. The ISOFIX airbag switch was not fitted (this is a retrofit that cost R4k and was meant to be part of the deal). No one checked this before delivery. This has since been sorted out.
3. When the plates arrived and they called me for fitment, it was the wrong plates. No one checked this before calling me. I am still waiting for the correct plates.
4. I found the previous owner from the service book and did some Googling. He is a friend, of a friend, of friend. He gave my mate the full run down of the car - no issues noted. However, he did say that he sold the car to someone in 2017. This means that the car had 2 previous owners, but the dealer marketed the car as being a one-owner car. Not a major issue, but the dealer could have picked this up, given that the Porsche service history on the system would have reflected an owner change.
I guess the only real issue here is the headlight crack that still has to be sorted out.
It is interesting how dealership service levels differ across the same brand.
At the previous dealership, I was made to feel like I bought a brand new Porsche even though my car cost less than a Golf GTI.
At this other dealership, it seemed like customer service went out the window and I felt like I was buying a used car (not in the quality of the car, besides the headlight issue, but in the quality of customer service received).
Besides the above, the car is running really well and I am looking forward to get that headlight fixed...
On my Boxster purchase, the customer service was brilliant.
On this purchase, the customer experience has been quite disappointing.
The dealership is not the same one who sold me the Boxster, but another dealership in SA (sadly, I cannot reveal who, given that some outstanding work still has to be completed).
Here is the list of issues:
1. On the delivery date, the front right headlight was cracked on the edge (a series of micro cracks). The dealer did not tell me about this. No one checked the condition of the lights before delivery. I made a fuss, so they are replacing this with a new unit. I am waiting for this.
2. The ISOFIX airbag switch was not fitted (this is a retrofit that cost R4k and was meant to be part of the deal). No one checked this before delivery. This has since been sorted out.
3. When the plates arrived and they called me for fitment, it was the wrong plates. No one checked this before calling me. I am still waiting for the correct plates.
4. I found the previous owner from the service book and did some Googling. He is a friend, of a friend, of friend. He gave my mate the full run down of the car - no issues noted. However, he did say that he sold the car to someone in 2017. This means that the car had 2 previous owners, but the dealer marketed the car as being a one-owner car. Not a major issue, but the dealer could have picked this up, given that the Porsche service history on the system would have reflected an owner change.
I guess the only real issue here is the headlight crack that still has to be sorted out.
It is interesting how dealership service levels differ across the same brand.
At the previous dealership, I was made to feel like I bought a brand new Porsche even though my car cost less than a Golf GTI.
At this other dealership, it seemed like customer service went out the window and I felt like I was buying a used car (not in the quality of the car, besides the headlight issue, but in the quality of customer service received).
Besides the above, the car is running really well and I am looking forward to get that headlight fixed...
These are nice looking cars,with brilliant build quality. This one looks great.
I test drove a black GTS 3 years back and it was a decent drive. I honestly, maybe ignorantly, don't rate these cars if they not "GTx" as honestly if you driving a porsche it should really be next level and not feel like it's compromised. Would hate to get out of an M240I and upgrade to a porsche but it's slower......
Yes it's definitely more engaging, driver focused, but my porsche must be that plus just as fast or faster than a GTI / S3/ M140i surely?
I test drove a black GTS 3 years back and it was a decent drive. I honestly, maybe ignorantly, don't rate these cars if they not "GTx" as honestly if you driving a porsche it should really be next level and not feel like it's compromised. Would hate to get out of an M240I and upgrade to a porsche but it's slower......
Yes it's definitely more engaging, driver focused, but my porsche must be that plus just as fast or faster than a GTI / S3/ M140i surely?
MR_Y
Well-known member
Each to his own, but I don't feel this model is compromised in any way.
Interestingly, a 718 GT4 4.0 is actually slower in real world driving, at Highveld altitude, versus an M2 (yes, even the pre-facelift model which sells for half the price of a GT4). This does not make the GT4 compromised, even though for half the price you can hit 100kph faster at altitude in an M2.
Back to the 981 Cayman S. It is not about 0-100 times or 1/4 mile sprints. It is about the sensation of speed and driving with real feel. I drove a TTS Mk3 and it was a bullet on smooth roads, but when you hit a slight imperfection mid-corner, you can feel that it lacks that depth of engineering that only a true sports car has. Maybe an M240i would feel better than a TTS at the limit, but I doubt it would feel as balanced as a mid-engined car.
Porsche did go the turbo 4 cylinder route with the lesser 718 models and these are very rapid indeed. I have not driven these, but a 718 Cayman S is regarded as being quicker than a 718 GT4 in real world driving, especially at altitude (the S has the same torque from a turbo 2.5 vs the GT4's 4.0 NA motor). However, the turbo 718 models, even though quicker in the real world, have not got as much admiration from the Porsche community as the NA 6 cylinders models.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, this car (981) is not for beating 200kw+ turbocharged hot hatches or sedans/coupes. It is about the experience in going fast, not the accomplishment of having gone fast.
Still, a sub-5 second (at the coast) sprint time and over 275kph top end is nothing to sniff at. It delivers the goods, but in a different way.
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npower
Active member
I couldn't have said it better myself!!
0 to 100kph times alone doesn't define what makes a sports car.
Yeah I get that, not saying 0-100 is only facet, as personally I would always feel better getting out of my 15 year old Z4M or my E46M3 on the weekend even though my then daily M240I was 60wkw more than the Z4M.
My point was that I personally wouldn't buy a non GTx Porsche as the other models are for me "compromised", which is pretty much similar opinion to other mates I have that have proper sportscars, 911 Turbos, F Type R and the like. Much rather buy the 718 GT4 than the 718 S even though the PDK S may be faster in real world scenarios.
Compromised meaning, not as fast, not as aggressive, not as appealing, not as emotive. Pretty much like a GTI vs it's peers. It's good everywhere but great nowhere.
