2006-2011 Porsche Cayman used car review
The original six-cylinder variants of Porsche’s small coupe will become hot property now that its engines have been downsized.
Porsche's mid-engined, two-seater coupe, the Cayman, has just switched to a four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
The move is part of Porsche's move toward the global trend to smaller capacity, more efficient turbocharged engines and comes hot on the heels of the release of the four-cylinder, turbocharged Boxster with which the Cayman shares the bulk of its engineering.
Of course, the Cayman is not the only current model Porsche to have been re-engineered recently; the iconic 911 has also recently been fitted with a turbocharged engine in its volume-selling form for all the same reasons.
The difference is, of course, that the 911 remains a six-cylinder vehicle while the Cayman (and Boxster) have lost their six-cylinder motors and adopted a four-cylinder engine.
And here's the thing: While the Cayman's new turbocharged four-cylinder is more powerful, more flexible, faster and uses less fuel than the old, six-cylinder Cayman, there are people out there for whom the loss of the horizontally-opposed six is a terrible tragedy.
For buyers in that category, the efficiency and performance gains are entirely secondary to the loss of the Cayman's defining feature; that glorious flat-six. It's a philosophical argument rather than a rational one, but for the true believers, it remains that the only real Cayman will forever be one with a six-cylinder engine just behind the seats.
And for that reason, the superseded Cayman with the old, non-turbo six, is the one to which many enthusiasts will gravitate.
The catch is that now they'll have to shop second-hand. The best value in Caymans right now is in the first model that arrived here in 2006 and sold up until 2011. Beyond that point, things start to get a bit pricier than some budgets will handle, but there's good value to be had in those earlier cars.
Provided, that is, you get the right car and not a financial disaster waiting to happen. The Cayman can be very reliable and will last a long time if it's serviced and used correctly.
But that's the catch, you need to have a very good idea of the car's early history to make sure you're buying the correct example.
By far the biggest potential problem with an early Cayman is the possibility of serious engine damage due to an internal bearing failure. It can affect both versions of the early Cayman engine: the 2.7 and 3.4-litre version (as seen in the S model) and revolves around the engine's intermediate shaft that lives deep within the engine's guts.
What can happen is that the bearing that supports this intermediate shaft can fail, allowing the timing chains for the camshafts to jump a tooth (or more) allowing the pistons to come into contact with the engine's valves. If that happens, you're basically looking at scrap metal.
The other problem related to this is that, as the bearing wears out, small bits of metal are deposited into the oil and then distributed through the rest of the engine. Removing the oil filter and cutting it open is one way to go, and any shiny fragments inside the filter would make us walk away.
Exactly what causes this bearing to fail is a matter for speculation within the industry. Some experts reckon the bearing is simply underdone; others say a lack of regular use (a common theme with Porsches) is the cause as it allows the oil to drain from the bearing over time, leading to corrosion and scale which is then ingested by the bearing on the next start-up.
The rule of thumb is that Caymans that were used, used regularly and used hard from the beginning won't experience the problem.
There's also an argument that a car that has reached 160,000km or so without bearing failure won't have the problem in the future either.
Even so, we'd be inclined to take the view that those in the trade adopt; that is, to deduct $3000 from the asking price to budget to have the intermediate bearing replaced with a newer, better designed bearing. And then use the car as Porsche intended.
Cars built up to about 2008 were the worst offenders in this regard, but we've heard of later cars being affected, too.
At least the earlier problems of split and cracked cylinder barrels seem to have been addressed by the time the Cayman rolled around.
The facelift for 2009 saw engine capacity increased to 2.9 litres for the base-model Cayman, while the S stayed at 3.4 litres but got even more power.
But more importantly, the old five-speed automatic was dropped in favour of the new seven-speed PDK double-clutch transmission.
The PDK is good, no doubt about it, but again, the purist will always plump for the conventional manual which, in the base-model car, grew an extra ratio (for six) at the same time.
But for any switched on buyer, the basic checks remain the same, and don't forget to check for a patch of oil under the car as that pesky intermediate-shaft bearing will begin to leak as it starts to fail.
But don't confuse that with a separate oil leak that can occur from the rear main seal where the engine joins the gearbox.
Of course, there's no way of checking any of this stuff without getting under the car as there's no actual bonnet to allow you to look at the mid-mounted engine. That means all maintenance work has to be performed from underneath, moving it away from the realm of the home mechanic to an extent.
One thing you can check for, though, on S models is a puff of smoke on start-up. Some Cayman Ss had premature cylinder bore wear which allowed them to burn oil; the puff on start-up is a clue to that.
That said, we've also seen perfectly fit Caymans create the same small puff of oil smoke as they start, particularly if they've been parked on a side-slope: Apparently it's a trait of the horizontal cylinder layout.
Make sure you check the remote locking function on any Cayman, too. These have been known to fail and not respond to the key fob and sneaky owners have been known to disconnect the alarm system to mask the fault.
Our rating: 4.5/5
Nuts and bolts
Engine/s: 2.7-litre six-cylinder/2.9-litre six-cylinder/3.4-litre six-cylinder
Transmissions: five-speed auto/five-speed manual/six-speed manual/seven-speed auto
Fuel economy (combined): 9.3 litres per 100km (2.7)/10.6 litres (3.4)
Safety rating (courtesy of howsafeisyourcar.com.au): not listed
Likes:
- Do you really need a 911 after all?
- Superb balance and agility.
- Great build quality.
- The right badge for any occasion.
- Tremendous engines and manual drivelines.
Dislikes:
- Pre-2009 two-pedal version was a disappointing five-speed auto. PDK didn't arrive until 2009.
- Some see the base model as less than the full serving.
- Servicing can be expensive.
- No access to engine.
Competitors
BMW Z4 Coupe – Lovely in-line six-cylinder engine is a highlight of the BMW and it works well as a manual or automatic. Knife-edge styling looks to be starting to starting to age a bit. 3.5/5
Nissan 350Z – A very old-school interpretation of a sporting coupe. Big V6 engine has masses of urge but is pretty unrefined when you start to use it as its maker imagined. Handling is entertaining but ride quality poor in early examples. 3/5
Porsche Boxster – The Cayman's stablemate is also a logical competitor. Why not have all the Cayman's charm with the option of a drop-top. Makes sense to us. 4.5/5
What to pay (courtesy of Glass's Guide)
Model Year New Now
Cayman 2006 $118,000 $27,900
Cayman S 2006 $148,500 $36,300
Cayman 2007 $118,000 $30,300
Cayman S 2007 $149,000 $39,400
Cayman 2008 $121,600 $33,300
Cayman S 2008 $154,400 $43,800
Cayman 2009 $112,200 $39,200
Cayman S 2009 $155,300 $50,500
Cayman 2010 $114,000 $45,900
Cayman S 2010 $146,000 $58,800
Cayman 2011 $115,100 $50,700
Cayman S 2011 $147,500 $65,000