Hello everyone. This is Mina, the administrator of “Welcome Home, PORSCHE.” This project, Porsche Owners File, was born from readers’ requests to share the genuine voices of various Porsche owners. The 18th installment features a purchase, options, and driving review of the Cayman from “makoto.”

〘Owner Information〙
・Featured car: Cayman (981)
・Pen name: makoto
・Residence: Osaka Prefecture
・Previous cars:
BMW M3 + Z4 soft top → 46-series Alpina B3S + Z4 hard top → 90-series Alpina B3S Biturbo
Currently owns BMW X1, Toyota Vitz, and Cayman
・A word to readers:
I don’t have extensive knowledge about Porsche in general, but from my experience driving the Cayman for about three and a half years and borrowing a Boxster for a few days, I can say that driving it is simply a joy.
It’s a sports car, but it’s not tiring even on long trips. Driving along coastal roads or mountain skylines helps me escape daily stress and enjoy blissful moments.

1) How the Purchase Came About

– First Impressions of the Cayman

I never particularly thought, “I want to own a Porsche.” Actually, when the Cayman was first released, I went for a test drive, but my impression was that the mechanical noise was just too loud.
The noise drowned out the driving experience, so I don’t really remember how it felt to drive. After that, Porsche completely disappeared from my mind. In the end, I bought a BMW M3 at that time.

– A Casual Stop at the Porsche Center

More than ten years later, on the way back from a golf outing,
I had some time before my next meeting and thought, “There’s a Porsche dealer halfway between the golf course and the meeting spot,” so I decided to drop by to kill time.
I entered the store in my X1 and told the staff right away, “I’m just browsing,” but they treated me very politely.
At that time, I was actually considering switching from Alpina to a B4 coupe, but when I saw the price of the Boxster displayed at the Porsche Center, I was surprised. It was much cheaper than the B4 coupe, and I thought, “This might be easier to convince my family about.” (Later, I realized how naive that thought was, haha.)
When I told them my address, they said, “We’re moving the store closer to your area soon,” which made me feel a slight connection.

– Why I Chose the Cayman

Having owned two Alpinas for about ten years, I thought, “If I buy another Alpina B4 now, that would be too long a history with Alpina. Maybe it’s time to return to a sports car path.“
Alpinas are well-made cars that can be sporty but also feel very refined when driven gently. But after ten years, I wanted to try something a bit different.
I chose the Cayman over the Carrera partly because of price, but mainly because I wanted to drive a two-seater, sportier car. Also, at the time, it was said that the successor to the 981 would have a turbocharged engine, so the fact that the 981 was the last naturally aspirated engine gave me an extra push.
The Boxster was also an option, but the deciding factor for the Cayman was that it could fit one golf bag.

2) Options / Specifications

At first, I chose options rather haphazardly (laughs). Still, I was surprised that many features that come standard on a BMW are treated as options here.
As a result, the initial option estimate exceeded 4 million yen, and I was stunned (laughs).
I remember telling the salesperson, “You could easily buy a Mazda Roadster with just the options cost.” They just laughed.
In the end, I narrowed down the options to the following:

Dynamic cornering lights, entry & drive system, backup assist, power folding mirrors, PDK, sport chrono package, sports exhaust tailpipes, 19-inch Cayman S wheels in black paint, seat heaters, full auto air conditioning, floor mats, colored chronometer panel, Carrara white meter panel, 3-spoke sports steering wheel, auto-dimming mirrors & rain-sensing wipers, Sapphire Blue Metallic

The final option total was 2,945,000 yen, just under 3 million yen.

Coming from the very comfortable and smooth-riding Alpina, I felt PDK and the sport chrono package were must-haves. As for a manual transmission, I judged it would be tough at my age, especially in traffic jams.

3) Delivery Timeline

■ Order: June 1, 2015
■ Production start: September
■ Delivery: December 19, 2015
About six and a half months from order to delivery, which seems normal. For Alpina, it can sometimes take nearly a year.

4) Porsche Performance Impressions

① Engine / Engine Sound

I absolutely love the engine sound. The dramatic build-up as the revs climb from 4000 to 5000 to 6000 rpm is fantastic. It might be the privilege of a naturally aspirated six-cylinder.
Being a base Cayman, acceleration is less than the Alpina, but it somehow feels like you’re going very fast. The presentation is masterful—classic Porsche.
Also, the 981 Cayman doesn’t have the mechanical noise issues of the early Cayman models. I believe noise reduction measures have been implemented.

Regarding modes, in Normal mode the engine revs don’t rise much unless you really press the accelerator, so throttle response feels sluggish. For that reason, I only use Normal mode in traffic jams.
On highways and even in town, I’m always in Sport mode. Sport Plus mode is used occasionally on mountain roads. I rarely use it because I mostly drive in manual mode focusing on 2nd and 3rd gears. The engine sound then is the most enjoyable.
With the windows fully down, the exhaust note mixes in and it’s irresistible.

② PDK

PDK shifts smoothly with no issues. In town, “PDK + Sport mode” is plenty. Being mid-engine, the engine sound carries nicely.
On highways and mountain roads, I mainly use manual mode.

③ Ride Comfort

Ride comfort is probably quite good for a sports car. It’s not tiring even on long trips, and bumps aren’t too harsh.
Passengers have never complained about the ride.
Once, while driving on mountain roads in Sport Plus mode, I experienced a tail slide and thought, “Hmm? Is this the limit?” but it turned out the rear tires were just worn out. I laughed it off. I’m definitely not capable of pushing the car to its limits (laughs).
I replaced all four tires immediately.
The tires are the Porsche-specified Pirellis from delivery, and I’ve stuck with the same brand since. With Alpina, I switched to Bridgestone’s Regno tires for better quietness, but for the Cayman, I leave tire choices to the dealer mechanics.

Next page → Ride comfort, maintenance, and differences from Alpina…?