Great video! I have owned both cars, the 981S (3.4) and 981 Base (2.7). Having driven both the entry-level model being fitted with a 2.7-litre flat six with 271bhp and 214lb ft. Its fair to say it may be a little flatter below 4500rpm but these flat 6 cars rev out much higher and the car will sing to you, it’s by no means a poor relation to faster versions, still more than fast enough, and soul-stirring when you rev it out on a country road - which, really, is the whole point! If you go for the 2.7, my advice is to look for a well optioned 981 (2.7) and you can't go wrong - PDK is amazing and faster gear changes than you will ever manage in a manual, but go manual if you want to feel more connected with the driver input. You can and will lose your license just as easily in a 981 2.7 (on UK roads) and I can also tell you that the 0-62 times are negligible compareing the 2.7 & 3.4 - when you are out together with an 981S owner, you will not be blown away by them leaving you in their tracks - naturally you will be if its a 981 GT4 (3.8), 718 GTS/GT4 (4.0) which all have crazy power. Get a 981 base with Sport Chrono and PDK and it will absolutely keep pace with a 981S without Chrono/PDK. Don't be fooled into thinking it has to be a 981S. That said, go for what your budget affords you, you will not be disappointed with any Cayman, of any generation. And finally, I am a firm believer that when the Governments of the day decide to start pressuring us to go EV, the taxes and other disincentives will be hitting hard on all other models, the 981 base (2.7) could very well be the one to have. Kills me to say it, as a recent buyer of a Cayman 4.0 GTS - I am not as convinced as many that the larger engine variants will be as valuable as they are in todays market come the changes to EV becoming more widespread and enforced by governments.

I bought a 2014 Base 4 yrs ago, Red Amaranth metallic, PDK. I have ordered PSE. Everything you said about this car is exactly on point. I paid 40k and it would sell today around 45k, but no way am I selling. I am driving this car like it is supposed to be driven🏎

Sat in a 987.1 Boxster earlier this year and the owner was an indie racer back in the 1980s from Italy. He was able to attack some corners with insane amount of speed in the OEM Boxster 2.7L. Since that day I was amazed with Boxster and finally purchased a 987.2 Boxster 2.9L 2 months ago.

I agree 💯, a poor man’s Porsche is an oxymoron, no such thing🏎

It is the grin from ear to ear and the involuntary laughs that I utter every time I drive my 981 that stand out. It is huge fun!

“This is the best decision I’ve ever made” - exact quote from me after the first spirited drive in my 2010 987.2 S manual

Just a great vid! College football, a fall chill in the morning air, and a Cayman vid from AVE. A great Saturday.

I have an 06 Cayman S and love it. What's even better a friend of mine at work, his brother is a retired Porsche mechanic and does side work out of his pole barn.

Just bought a manual 981 Cayman S. Added a custom sports exhaust. What a car! Just brings a huge smile to my face every time I drive it. Pretty much the perfect sports car 👍

Nice video Gents, I sold my 981 S PDK back last year in November. I'm still looking out for a good spec Manual, as I have had Boxster S in PDK too but hanging out for a Manual. Nice to see footage of these rare one!

Thanks for the video. Giving me the motivation for finishing my Cayman floodcar. Unfortunately mine is a pdk. Did get 2 991 manuals with it too though. I love these cars

I am 6'5" and I fit in to mine perfectly fine. I lowered the seat all the way down and I have room above my head, no issue.

That sounds good even without PSE

As soon as i found out the 718 was rumored to be a turbo 4 i rushed to the dealer and was fortunate enough to get an order in for a '16 Cayman S (mine had to be one of the last 981's built). It was very difficult not to check all the option boxes but it was also refreshing to craft the car exactly how I wanted it. Great cars and as time goes on they will be appreciated more and more.

keep up the good work.

A lot of people buy these then get rid of them after a few years. 3 or even 6 owners in 10 years. I looked at a nice one where I would be the 4th owner in 10 years. To me that suggests maybe it's best to stick with my top spec CX5 turbo instead, I can pretend I’m driving a sports car 😎

Really informative video. Interesting to see the prices you are paying in the US compared to the UK. My 2014 Cayman S seems to have all the possible options- sport, sport plus PSE PASM PDK and I suppose due the $/£ rate makes it quite a good buy as I paid substantially less than what you are stating. I've had a 993, again, a great car but they are getting too expensive and a worry to drive on the road in case of some accident reducing it's value. The driving experience of the Cayman is just so sublime, and a friend of mine who has had every kind of modern Porsche agrees that the performance beats many of the modern 911's -and as for for being a poor man's Porsche, don't even think about it -that is only an argument people who have never driven a Porsche offer. I'll be hanging onto mine for a while.

Now imagine if the car wasn't carrying over 700lbs of men in it!!!

Good review, well balanced and thoughtful. I am fortunate to own some very good sheet metal and the 991 GTS (PASM/PTV/PSV/SC etc) is one of them. There is something magical about the 3.4L flat six with 340HP and 380Nm its very much right sized for most back roads and with PTV it's so quick to adjust through corners and with changes in grip level - genuine fantastic drivers car. You can wring it out without too much worry, but if you did the same in my 991.2 GT3 RS you wouldn't be popular 😀 with local LE. PS I'm agnostic with regard to manual or PDK, both are great and the PDK with SC in Sport Plus mode is a blast e.g. riotous launch control, louder and even more dynamic through the corners (active engine mounts). Theres a lot of engineering Porsche cars that people aren't aware for example the 981 chassis is one of the most rigid ever made ~ 40,000N per degree of flex - that is super car country.

I just bought a near identical car to that one, a 2016 Cayman S in Guards Red/Black leather, 6-speed. I did pay a little more at just under $65k for a pretty clean 7k mile example. Mine arrived from out of state about 10 days after you posted the initial impressions video. My first impressions were pretty similar to that, lol! Mine is pretty low on options, but that was my preference. I wanted to avoid things like the headlight washers, parking sensors and nav knot on top of the car and was able to do that. The only things I wanted but didn't get were the Carrera S wheels and the sports exhaust. I will add the wheels for sure at some point and consider the exhaust. It's definitely a keepsake type car for me, especially where cars are headed as you both touched on. Of course, I really wanted the new GTS with the glorious 4.0-liter engine, but the supply issues coupled with dealer markups really made that cost prohibitive relative to what I felt comfortable spending. And the new GTS comes with headlight washers, parking sensors and the knot on top along with sports chrono which I didn't want. I thought I would be a little disappointed when I got the 981 version but that couldn't be further from the truth. It's been pretty amazing so far and I have come to appreciate the subtle styling differences that distinguish it from the 982 version.

I’m lucky to have a 2015 Cayman GTS, PDK. By far the best car I’ve ever owned, including four previous Porsches. I’m keeping this one and driving the snot out of it at every opportunity.

ADDED INFO: 2014 Cayman S cost $56,300 on Bring A Trailer (auction site), meaning with fee I paid about $59,000. May have been a bit high for March 2023, but has the right options,

I have a 2014 model Cayman S in agate gray. i think it's the perfect car, looks wise, performance wise, sound wise, handling wise. I test drove a 997 because it was in the same $ region and let's be honest everyone secretly wants to have a 911 - but the difference was day and night. the 997 felt like a heavy, old car.

Northern hemisphere buyers have it good. I am in Australia and the cheapest 981S is currently AUD 105k with a GTS circa AUD 150k. 981 GT4’s are circa AUD 200k - complete madness, but I think the prices are reducing - just hard to sit and wait a little !

Just got a Cayman S w/22,000 miles. What a car!

3:02 - I’ve only had my 2014 a couple months and that’s the perfect description of how it feels to me. (I just sold an NB Miata and AP1 S2000)

Drove one on the autobahn ........ wow !

Hey I got myself a 2016 boxster I'm interested in changing the stereo. which aftermarket stereo did you use ?did you change the speakers as well ?and can you tell me how much it cost you?

Awesome car

If you aren’t going to spend $100k+ on the GTS 4.0 this is probably the right car. The 981 GTS pricing is a bit silly when compared to the S. I think the S has to be best value even in this inflated market.

What screens do you lose on the 3rd dial on the dash by having the after market stereo replacing the factory PCM? Obviously you still seem to have the car related ones.

718 GTS with PDK here. Love your car. I am 6'4" and the sales rep is 6'9" with no probs driving it, but I went with manual seats. Anyone reading this, please check that your tires can run in cold weather.

I am thinking of getting a 2014 Cayman, which has done 79K miles, but would I be able to use it as my daily driver? On average I drive like 13000 miles a year. Would this car be able to do well for next 4 - 5 yrs? I am getting this deal for $26,000

I had a couple 911’s and now own a Jaguar F Type R. I’m going to add a Cayman S once the prices dip back down. I miss the nimbleness of the 6. I won’t sell my Jaguar. It’s beautiful and a beast-just not a Porsche:)

The question is, is it worth pouring a years worth of salary to buy this 2014?

I miss my 981S

hi I agree and confirm enjoying my Cayman 981 PDK as my daily (since 5 yrs) AND on the track (see my channel) A Cayman is like 2 cars in 1. Every trip is great fun. Rgs from Belgium

2014 Caymen S or 2018 M4 Competition?

Waiting for price to go down further. Since your video prices have dropped 10-15k. They will fall further. Especially with the new 4.0 manual boxsters and caymans coming.

Hi, how tall is nick?

I have 2014 boxster s and I'm not selling that one

It is a daily driver when you see empty Gatorade bottles on the front seat mat you know you’re just driving it

last of its kind is the 987.2

How can you compare the cayman with a miata or a golf?! Totally different cars. Its like comparing a horse with a mule. Yes they both have 4 legs but its a different animal.

PDK > Manual

🥱🥱🥱

Owner is obnoxious

That car sounds horrible.

I was fortunate to get a 2022 Cayman GTS at msrp. And like you said that formula of rear wheel drive mid engine flat six manual transmission is going to be a unicorn. Best car I’ve ever driven dynamically and I’m never going to sell it.