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Cayman GT4

phil84afc

Well-known member
Joined
24 Feb 2010
Messages
158
Hi gang,

I'm almost certainly going to buy a GT4 in April/May (as a weekend / cross continent car only) but would be interested to hear people's opinions on the following points:

1 - I would love PCCB (for the look as much as the performance) but the cost of replacement discs frightens me... I can afford to run a Porsche but can't afford stupid £3/4k bills every now and again - are they worth it? Are they reliable enough for say 80,000 miles or should I just stick to steel discs?

2 - With the arrival of the 718 GT4 (assume 6 cylinders as 4 doesn't interest me at all) what will this do to prices of the 981 GT4 do we think?

3 - Am I right in saying that Bose isn't an option? :-(

4 - Are the bucket seats comfortable? They look the bollocks but at 6'2", I don't wanna be sore after a lengthy journey / spirited drive.

5 - Is the long gearing I read about a real world issue? I was re-reading EVO magazine C.O.T.Y. 2015 (where the GT4 won) and they said it isn't really, but would be keen to hear from current owners on this, as the capability to do 80mph in 2nd seems excessive. Where does peak torque arrive in the power band does anyone know?

5 - For similar money, the 981 Spyder is an option - anyone driven both?

6 - From what I can ascertain, the clubsport package constitutes roll cage, fire extinguisher and 6 point harnesses, all of which do not interest me. The car will be tracked rarely but is this a desirable option, i.e. am I missing something?

Sorry, bit wordy but given the cost of the car, would love to hear people's opinions on this!

Thank you in advance :thumb:
 
I will chime in on points 1 and 4 and leave the rest to others.

PCCB, for the type of use you have said, should last a fair bit longer than 80k miles. Added bonus, no brake dust.

I had bucket seats in a GTS a few years ago. I drove it to and around Scotland and also to Italy. They were simply great seats, very comfortable with no issues whatsoever.
I too am 6'2".

Good luck in finding the right one. :thumb:
 
One of the gents that attended 'Classic at the Castle' in September last year has a GT4, he is of that height I would estimate. His has the PCCB too as it goes.

Pzero will know who I mean.

As for the other questions, wish I could help! Awesome cars without question!
 
The return of Marty Wild said:
One of the gents that attended 'Classic at the Castle' in September last year has a GT4, he is of that height I would estimate. His has the PCCB too as it goes.

The gent referred to above is ScotGT4. He previously owned a Cayman 981 GTS.

I'm sending him a pm about something else today so I'll mention this thread to him in case he doesn't see it.
 
Vey kind, Terry. His one a lovely example indeed!

Hope you are keeping well.
 
Yes it was me at the Castle Mr. Wild.

Hi Phil, Had my GT4 for 9 months and loved every moment including 3 track days so far.

1 -- I have PCCB's and the feel and stopping power is incredible. I wasn't sure about them at first because the first time i'd tried some was at Silverstone PEC and they squeaked and felt a bit spongy. But I can now put that down to the fact they must have been knackered! My car has done 5k with track days and just had it's first service with no wear reported on the brakes. Mind you I'm very sympathetic with them on track (cooling down laps are essential) and know the PTV can cause wear on the rears. Most guys who heavily track use the steels. I do think it's more like £12k to replace!!!!!

2 -- Who knows?! Just enjoy.

3 -- No Bose, the only option was Sound Package Plus. But I was so surprised how good it is. Had Bose in the GTS and I think SPP is just as good if not better in the lower end. Lots of cars didn't have this option though.

4 -- I had the folding buckets in the GTS and they are the best seats I've ever had in a car. Did loads of Europe tours and track days and always got out feeling great. Unfortunately the 918 fixed buckets are not quite so comfy but I have got used to them now. I'm 6'3 and the driving position is spot on even with a helmet on! They have height adjustment which is good.

5 -- The gearing is a bit of a shame as you want to keep changing as it feels so damn good. Peak torque is around 6k I believe but wringing it out is where it's at. Hence track days.

Never driven a Spyder

6 -- I have the Club Sport package and cars with it do fetch more I would say mainly because it looks cool? Makes the cabin a bit more noisy with clunks.

Hope that helps. Any more questions feel free to ask!
 
There speaks a man in the know. My memory served me correctly regarding his stature too 8)
 
Good comments above.

You should really decide if you want a convertible or not first which would then decide if a GT4 or Spyder are for you, both great cars.

From what I've read the GT4 with roll cage can be "creakier", some like that others don't.

I would not worry about bose or any sound system in a GT4 or spyder.

nb some where not specced with nav. There is always the argument that waze/phone are better but it will affect resale, the argument if you pay less for one whats the problem, ease of sale may be a factor so I would always get one with it specced even if you don't use it.
 
ScotGT4 said:
Yes it was me at the Castle Mr. Wild.

Hi Phil, Had my GT4 for 9 months and loved every moment including 3 track days so far.

1 -- I have PCCB's and the feel and stopping power is incredible. I wasn't sure about them at first because the first time i'd tried some was at Silverstone PEC and they squeaked and felt a bit spongy. But I can now put that down to the fact they must have been knackered! My car has done 5k with track days and just had it's first service with no wear reported on the brakes. Mind you I'm very sympathetic with them on track (cooling down laps are essential) and know the PTV can cause wear on the rears. Most guys who heavily track use the steels. I do think it's more like £12k to replace!!!!!

2 -- Who knows?! Just enjoy.

3 -- No Bose, the only option was Sound Package Plus. But I was so surprised how good it is. Had Bose in the GTS and I think SPP is just as good if not better in the lower end. Lots of cars didn't have this option though.

4 -- I had the folding buckets in the GTS and they are the best seats I've ever had in a car. Did loads of Europe tours and track days and always got out feeling great. Unfortunately the 918 fixed buckets are not quite so comfy but I have got used to them now. I'm 6'3 and the driving position is spot on even with a helmet on! They have height adjustment which is good.

5 -- The gearing is a bit of a shame as you want to keep changing as it feels so damn good. Peak torque is around 6k I believe but wringing it out is where it's at. Hence track days.

Never driven a Spyder

6 -- I have the Club Sport package and cars with it do fetch more I would say mainly because it looks cool? Makes the cabin a bit more noisy with clunks.

Hope that helps. Any more questions feel free to ask!

Amazing reply, thank you very much!!
 
For cross country use and if not tracking I'd be more tempted on the comfort spec. I think Shmee nailed it with his option list - climate (not wanky AC), Sat Nav, Heated seats etc.

I think he first sold it c£84k (I'd have paid 80 large) via SOR through OPC when it had 9k miles. It was recently for sale by OPC Colchester with 13k miles and the price dropped as the weeks went on where it bottomed out at £77k. No longer listed on eBay Here so I'm assuming it's sold :dont know:

It didn't have PCCB but that wouldn't bother me. I know of ceramics on a 997TT with 150k miles on them and the pads are still +50% so I reckon they're good for 200k+. That is as long as you don't chip a disc in which case you're looking at a large bill.

These cars continue to be very very mileage sensitive and you're either in the Clubsport camp or not.

718GT4 will have an impact dependent on engine option but buying the 981 you aint going to lose a load of dough and if I want to use/enjoy the car depreciation is not high on my list given its usually accepted practice in buying a car. Plus if you think of the dough rolling off it as you drive it, you won't or will be shaking like a shitting dog everytime you do. :what:

Just buy one if you want one :thumb:
 
I have ceramics in Two Porsches - 911 & Boxster. I'd highly recommend them. My Boxster has 60k miles on it and still has original pads etc. My 911 has originals at 28k. Great feeling brakes and as has been said no brake dust which is great.

I have the folding bucket seats in my 911 and did a 2,500 Mile road trip with my lady across Europe. Seats where excellent. Only complaint was from my Lady because she could recline to sleep.

I'm 6'3" and found the seats to be sitting high but I bought a set of brackets to lower the seat by about 2-3 cm which made a difference.
 
Zingari said:
For cross country use and if not tracking I'd be more tempted on the comfort spec. I think Shmee nailed it with his option list - climate (not wanky AC), Sat Nav, Heated seats etc.

I'm picking mine up tomorrow. Although it's technically a comfort spec it's worth noting that the comfort seats in the GT4 are the sports plus versions which have the 'wing' supports by your shoulders. My impression from sitting in them as they will be great for road use and more than adequate for the occasional track day. An equivalent specced GT4 with 918 buckets would have cost me at least £5K more. As I only do around 3 track days a year now and am getting on a bit :grin: going for the sports plus seats became a no brainer.
 
Hope it goes well at OPC today Steve :thumb: Not the best of weather.

Needless to say I'll be watching for your feedback on it - plus in Racing Yellow you're getting the best colour :worship:

I've never seen som many up for sale with OPC at the moment and a few of them are tempting me. General feedback is the new 718 variant shouldn't knock values.

For some reason lots of people think 10k miles on a GT4 is 'high mileage' :?
 
I've been keeping an eye on the 991 GT3 and GT4 market and it seems like the heat has come out of that market. I've seen a few GT4's go sub £80k.
Perhaps those who owned these cars have their allocation come up for the 991.2 GT3 or other unicorn 911's :?:
 
Guys, as you might expect, I've been keeping a beady on the GT4 market for the last 4 or 5 months and if it helps, this is what I saw. In summary:

Cars on sale at OPCs over the last 3 months have indeed been numerous. On average 23 at any one time. However, they have been turning over steadily... something like 2 in and 2 out each week. It's only the high price ones that have been slow to shift. Anything around the £80K level doesn't hang around long. Last month there were four that dipped under £80K (one was mine). Now there is only one. There's a geographic thing too. Prices for cars in London and Chester are always higher on average than Newcastle and Wolverhampton. So you can get just as good a car but cheaper if you buy from the right OPC!

There's also a fair few cars now at independents. But they're not much cheaper than an OPC car. So buying an OPC car is a no brainer because you get the Porsche 2 year warranty. Hence cars at independents don't shift as quick, with the exception of JZM cars because of their good reputation and the 20K mile GT4 that came up for £72K at Gmund (which sold in a day or two).

So after the market watching I decided to jump in now because my gut feeling is that the prices have already reached a low and they just might be on their way up again. Wait a few months and there might not be any sub £80K bargains any more. I could equally be wrong about this but I'm very happy with the price I paid and am looking forward to using it a lot. :D
 

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