Sorry … long.

Took my wife and went back to a local dealer for a third time. This time I had a scheduled appointment for a test drive. This was the first time I have driven a Cayman. It was their only '06 CS in tiptronic. Last I heard the car had about 220 miles on it and was being sold as a demo. It now had 418 miles. A bit nervous at the mileage and not being "new", but went ahead with the test drive. The salesman had 24 hours notice but the car was not clean. I figured since this was my third visit (only second looking at this car), and it was the ONLY tiptronic on their lot, maybe they'd try to make a good first impression for the test drive. Nope. The car was a bit dusty / dirty and the driver's side had bird **** on it. (Black CS, so everything showed.) The inside looked like a car that had 400 miles on it and could have used a wipe down and a light vacuum. I tried to be optimistic and hoped the car would thrill me. The dealer drove a few miles with me in the passenger’s seat and was not pushy at all. He showed me their "route" for test drives and then let me take my wife along. Just as we were about to get in, I happened to look at the back tire on the passenger's side and noticed a gash in the side wall. It was not from curbing the car and looked like vandalism. There was no scrape on the rubber, just a gash. It didn't look safe, and I told the salesman I was not comfortable driving a $60K+ car on the highway and testing it out at higher speeds with a gash in the sidewall. Thanks, but no thanks. Our previous jaunt was only a few miles at speeds no greater than 35 mph. I just didn't feel safe about it. You know, Murphy's Law. We declined to drive it and left. The salesman came running out after us and caught us as we were about to turn out onto the main road. It was an awkward customer / salesman moment. He said they'd put a new tire on it if we'd wait a few minutes. We had driven 35 miles to visit the dealer, so we figured we'd give it a try.

So the car went into the service area for a tire change and my wife and I kicked around the showroom. Of course the standard sales questions began: “Are you looking to buy outright, finance, or lease?” “When are you looking to purchase the car?” Etc. It was a little premature to talk about purchasing; I hadn’t even driven it yet! I also made it very clear when I scheduled the test drive that we were not looking to purchase at this point in time, just test drive it. All this said; I cannot blame the salesman for trying, that’s his job.

Eventually the new tire was on and we were cleared for takeoff. Saturday traffic sucked and I had to baby the hell out of it. (I had it in automatic, not tiptronic.) The car felt whiny / gummy at low speeds, not smooth. It felt like it wanted to go faster to smooth out. Surprisingly, there was quite a bit of lag at lower speeds. From the time I pressed the gas down to the time the engine responded was disappointing. The car felt much more responsive at higher speeds. Due to traffic and the roads / speed limits where we were, I did not get to rip through any curves. The car did feel solid and well-planted to the road overall. I’ll take everyone’s word for it that it is a blast shredding turns at the track or taking cloverleaves at warp speed.

Probably the biggest surprise was how quiet the engine was. I keep reading on here about the fabulous exhaust note of the S. Heck, I must be engine tone deaf. It sounded like an engine. My wife said it sounded awesome when standing outside the car. But I was inside the car. When accelerating on the highway, it sure didn’t sound like it does in the videos of the Cayman on the Porsche Web site. No way. I have a feeling my entire disconnect with this car is due to the fact that I am not driving a manual. You probably come in tune with the car a lot more and appreciate its response better when it is directly reacting to your commands.

The ride seemed relatively bone-jarring, although consider that I test drove on Illinois roads. (They’re terrible!) It did not have PASM and had 18” wheels. It took some getting used to. I have not driven sports cars like this before, so perhaps this comes with the territory. Everyone seems to rave about PASM, so maybe that’s worth considering.

The interior felt fairly sparse (default black, nothing special). It did not say $60K car to me. The Bose stereo (I brought a test CD) was nothing to write home about. It sounded OK but did not blow me away. I’m sure I could have fiddled with it and fine-tuned it some more (I hope!).

Overall, the outside of the car is sexy as hell. It is beautiful! The inside just gets an “OK” from me, without sinking a lot more dough into it. The ride would take some getting used to. It didn’t blow my hair back and leave me saying, “Oh my God, I have to have this car!”

These are my honest opinions after only one test drive and granted, the day did not start out on the right foot. I’m going to try another dealer and drive a base Cayman and another S. I have a feeling that if I purchase one, it’ll probably be the base.

I have read and researched so much about this car I feel like I’m through the emotional part of the car fever and have come back down to earth. Ever read about something so much you start to get sick of it? That’s kind of where I’m at. This experience didn’t help.

Hopefully, I’ll have better drives down the road.

These cars are way too much money if it doesn't move you. Plus you'll take a fairly big hit if you buy on impulse and find out two months down the road it doesn't ring your bell. I'd probably shop around for something else, as I don't think another test drive is going to make that much difference.

A couple of points that might help

First, any automatic in a sportscar is kind of strange anyway and will drag down the HP. Maybe that is part of the lag you felt. As to the rest

Demos are just that ... demos. They get dirty. A dealer got to worry about getting their regular cars serviced. It probably did not make a good impression and they SHOULD have cleaned it up ... that is the Dealer ... not Porsche

While your waiting, the dealer is going to try to sell. Why else are you there? Again, that's the dealer, not Porsche. If you don't like this dealer, walk ... well run ... to another.

I test drove a "demo" and said no way. Car wasn't dirty inside but the outside had what looked like overspray on it. They said they could "buff it out". Yeah ... right.

As to the ride ... well that all depends upon what your used to. If you got plush rides, the CS will feel harsh. If your used to a harsh suspension, it feels soft. We came from some very harsh suspensions and my wife says the CS, with 19s and NO PASM, rides soft.

Its all what your used to.

As to the exhaust. Outside the car with OEM exhaust it sounds very good. Inside ... well your inside You DO hear the engine more than the exhaust. Thats how its supposed to sound ... that sweet flat-6. Also consider, if you didn't crank it over 4500, you haven't heard the real engine yet.

Stereo. Your lucky you even got a stereo. I think the consensus is the stereo does suck but hey ... its a sportscar meant to be driven ... not calmly cruising luxoboat listening to audiophile quality sound. How are you going to hear the engine over the music?

Interior, not sure what your expecting. Its not a luxoboat, it meant to be functional. For example, the first time I sat in the car for a test drive this is what registered in my brain:

1. The shift knob was perfectly placed, my hand fell right onto it
2. The Tach was about perfectly placed.

Thats about it. All those silly little buttons on the center console? For example, with the PCM I have NO idea how they all work. No idea which one to turn for whatever. The silly manual is HUGE. Someday, when I have patience, I might read it but for now ... I really have no need to check it all out. (At least the GPS is fairly intuitive).

So, I dont know what your expecting for an interior. If the shifter is in the right place and the tach in the right place ... what else is there?

No disrespect intended at all but I do believe Porsche puts the engine/car FIRST ... luxaries like the stereo barely register in their brains. From what I have read, your lucky to have cup holders.

I would suggest trying another dealer for a better dealer experience. Try a manual.

As to what DaveC said ... I agree. If it didnt meet your expectations ... what were you expecting?

Eric, I am not at all sure what you are looking for here. You say that the car felt sluggish but if you purchase one you would go for the base model. So I am a little confused what you were looking for in terms of power. Mine just seems to jump and keep climbing as long as I hold down the gas pedal -- almost regardless of what gear I am in. (It does not have the brute torque of my 98 Camaro SS LS1 but then I don't expect to either.) The suspension on these cars is tight and may feel "harsh" depending on what you are used to -- to me it feels just about right (I have an S with PASM and the 19 in wheels) but then I like a tight ride. The interior is rather stark -- not at all like my wife's Lexus or even like my Suburban -- but it has everything it needs for me to get the job done when I am driving. And, I have the Bose but I am one of those that doesn't even listen to the radio all that much. The problems with the dealer are just than -- problems with the dealer. Other dealers might be better or worse. It might just be that this is not the car for you. I know I thought I wanted a Vette and after I drove one, I came to the conclusion that it just did not feel right in spite of how great the dealer told me I looked sitting behind that wheel.

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Mike E
VA, USA

You have to make the decision. It is a fun car to drive, its nice to merge onto the freeway and just use the first two gears to get to speed. The sound is awesome once you get it winding up the tach. The ride is stiffer than a lot of cars but when you get to a curve you forget about it. I have the stock 18's and suspension but you don't notice as it is so much fun, but you have to decide for yourself. At this price range there are a lot of car to chose from.

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Is that 35mph corner 45, 55 or a ..... corner?

If you were to go with a Cayman it sounds like you would want to special order the Cayman S with Full leather, manual transmission and PASM and SC.

I probably missed your post about what you are driving now and why you would be interested in a Cayman. It has been described as hard core.

If you can find one, test drive a BMW 335 Ci. It might be more to your tastes, plus with your family, you will be able to take rides together

It sounds like your expectations are out of whack with what this car is. The Cayman is a sport car. It's meant to be a precision driving toy. It's made to satisfy people who care most about the driving experience, period. In a car like that, the stereo is of little importance. The interior is meant to be plain and functional. The emphasis is on balance, driving position, handling, braking, drivability, steering feedback, etc.....

With all due respect, it sounds like you are looking for something different and I don't think a Cayman is going to make you happy. If you came out of that first drive feeling the way you do, another drive isn't going to change your mind. I think you need to find something that's going to blow you away.

What kind of qualities were you hoping for? There are many enthusiasts here and I bet you'll get lots of good recommendations if you tell us what would make you happy.

Good luck finding the right car for you. I really don't think the Cayman is it.

I remember being unimpressed with the power of the base Cayman on my first test drive. It's a great car, but I wanted more. It was also too stiff a ride with the 19" wheels and no PASM. Then I tried a CS with 18" wheels and no PASM. Coming from a BMW 5 series, it seemed like the perfect balance between handling and ride. Certainly much firmer than my BMW, but I was looking for that. I usually trust my first impression so I got the CS.

One thing to keep in mind is that the car will have a stiffer ride when it's cold. If you decide to give it another try, if you don't get pumped driving it, don't get one. When I first drove the CS, all of the objections I had been conjuring up in my head (expensive, impractical, I don't need that) just disappeared. I knew I had to have this car. Bottom line: Get the car you love. Above all, have fun figuring it all out.

I made a decision to by a CS and did so without test driving it. 5