Anyone have any opinions on this car?
https://www.carmax.com/car/14750290
2014 Base Cayman.
Pros:
In my price range
Fairly new, miles are OK
Sweet red with black interior
Cons:
Not an S (I probably can't afford an S though. unless it was an older model)
No sport chrono
Relatively Objective Opinion on Driving Dynamics:
The Porsche Cayman Base drives and handles exceptionally well. The only real criticism against it, if any, is the lack of power in the Base model. But after owning a 981 Base, 981 S, and 718 Base, I'll tell you why I enjoy the Base 981 more than the S 981 at times.
I can't see the price so I can't really give you a real recommendation. However, I can say after owning and driving these that the Base Cayman is really fun. It lacks power compared to the Cayman S 981, however, if you put it into Sport mode, it handles very well and gets rid of the low end lack of power when needing to change lanes quickly and stuff. The Cayman S and the 718 Cayman don't have this problem even in normal mode. However, if you just drive normally, then Sport mode isn't needed in the Base.
If you want the Launch mode, then you'll need Sport Chrono package and you get a sweet analog clock on the dashboard. If you don't plan on going on the track or autocrossing, you probably don't need Sport Chrono package unless it's for aesthetics reasons.
My Personal Opinion if I were to get one again, after looking back at my experiences:
I like the Sport Chrono package because I think having the analog clock really makes the cabin look a bit more classy. The extra Sport Plus button is also nice, but I never actually use it.
I personally don't like buttons on my steering wheel because I like the more pure, raw driving experience so when I'm driving on roads with twists and turns, I don't press buttons by accident, which happens to me when I have buttons on the wheel.
Lastly, there are some attributes I like from the Base Cayman more than the Cayman S. I think people put too much emphasis on power in a car sometimes and after driving a lot of cars in recent years, I've come to learn that driving a car to its fullest is way more fun than driving a fast car slow... I rarely or never get to use the Cayman S or 718 Cayman Base anywhere close to their potential or even half or even less than half of their potential. That's just breaking all sorts of speed limits in California and asking to run off a cliff where I usually drive on weekends.
However, the Base Cayman 981 has enough power for you to fully explore the limits of that car and has some power left over for the track. I actually had the most fun driving the 987 Base Boxster and 981 Base Cayman more than the faster cars since I rarely get to track my cars. In this respect, I think you won't regret getting a Base Cayman. For instance, that howl of the flat-6 engine you keep hearing Porsche fanatics rave about online? In a Cayman S 981, you only hear it at higher revs...which means you're basically breaking the speed limit constantly to get that sound. The Base Cayman 981, you hear it as you drive around and have fun on any roads, not just the track. You hear it when you're getting off and onto the highway. You hear it on the highway when driving at the flow of traffic, passing cars, or going between cars. You hear it when you are on the twists and turns of a country side road or mountain roads best. You hear the engine way more in the Base Cayman 981 than the Cayman S 981, and for that, I think a Base Cayman is a fantastic purchase. I've had more fun with it than the higher powered cars I've driven and owned.
For your car of interest, the buttons on the dash in the pictures you linked, in particular the climate control buttons seem to have stuff in between the buttons. Just make sure the buttons work and the bunk in the middle of the buttons are dried or causing the buttons to not work.
However, the Guards Red exterior color is awesome on the Cayman and Boxster 981. It stands out a lot. Not too many red Caymans/Boxsters. So that's a plus if you want attention.
As a previous poster said, the Cayman looks barebones. I do see that the car has navigation and bluetooth, so those are huge pluses in my book. There are some Caymans I've seen that did not option the Navigation or Bluetooth and that's annoying. I rented a 981 Boxster a couple weekends ago on a vacation and there was no Bluetooth option. That was actually frustrating since I needed to make calls.
My best advice is to go check it out and get a test drive:
-Always test drive, always, always, always
-At idle, do some of these:
-Play with the buttons and functions of the car (infotainment, bluetooth, nav, etc.)
-Test out the power buttons for the seats, make sure the seats can be positioned for you
-Also make sure the passenger seats can be positioned appropriately
-Above the glove compartment, pull out the cup holders, make sure they work
-Press the manual button to deploy the spoiler in the back, make sure it works
-Open up the front trunk and rear trunk, make sure they close and open correctly
-Ask for the service records, make sure the car never went in for anything big
-While test driving, test out the sport button, test out the paddle shifters, etc.
-When test driving, turn off the music, listen for any rattling noise in the back hatch
If you have any questions about this car or others, just PM me.
