Hot Hatch to Boxster/Cayman ? - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Has anyone come from a hot hatch (Megane RS, Civic Type R etc) to a Boxster or Cayman ? Did you regret the move ? Miss the practicality of the hatch back ? I'd also like to hear opinions of people who have Non S models, as this is what I'm considering in the future. PDK probably Thanks

Fairly obviously it depends entirely on how much you currently use your rear seats and/or luggage space. A mid-engined sportscar is a completely different kettle of fish. If it's an "only" car you need to think carefully before going mid-engined. One of the questions is, "How close is my nearest car/van rental depot?".

I recently changed from a VW Scirocco DSG to a Cayman S PDK. Love it so far. Every journey in the Cayman still feels a bit special after 2000 miles. PDK is night and day better than the Scirocco's DSG. Two seats is a good excuse to not have to take the in-laws or nephews anywhere. There is a zipcar Golf or Prius on my street if I need to go to the builders merchants or whatever. I was reluctant to take the Roc to Travis Perkins, I think a Cayman is too much for the tradies in white vans to deal with there.

Not sure what model you're looking at but a 981 is surprisingly practical. You get a rear hatch and a generous front boot. Mine's a daily driver and has never left me behind the eight ball. No good for diy collections but I see that as a good thing.

I came from a Scirocco to a Cayman S it made the Scirocco feel like a Polo...different league altogether. As for the Base v's the S drive both then you'll buy the S.

The non S is a great car. Moving from a hot hatch to a Cayman will be a revelation. Don't try the S as you will be corrupted and sell a kidney.

I've found my Cayman surprisingly practical. Obviously things like a normal weekly shop aren't an issue. I went and bought a 'Henry' vacuum cleaner. The box fitted in the front boot ok. Picked up a mirror which was 1200mm x 600mm and it went in the back ok. I guess it depends how often you need to carry very large items, and whether you can easily borrow a car should that situation arise.

Came from a WRX to a 987 Cayman, which has been my only car for 6 years now. I do have a Zipcar membership for the 3-4 times a year I need something bigger, but for all normal purposes it's very practical for two people. We've done a number of long road trips, plus shopping trips, booze cruises, trips to Le Mans, and normal commuting.

2 cars ago I had an Integra type-R. Fantastic - especially the engine. By contrast the Cayman is more of a GT and nowhere near as obvious in its pleasures. It currently shares the garage with an Impreza WRX which is a great workhorse but lacks the feedback of either the Integra or Cayman. But when it comes to snow covered winter roads, I know which car I choose every time....

I changed a Civic Type R for a Boxster S 4 years ago and haven't looked back, totally different experience. Because of where I live and work, I don't need a car on a daily basis, so the lack of practicality is not a problem. On the very rare occasion that I do need it for a shopping, both boots are about as big as the Civic anyway, but it can't take big individual items. As mentioned above, I see this as an advantage, because rare DIY and tip duties are now taken care of by Zipcar! These cars are the best bargain out there in my opinion.

Why are they called zip cars? I know...I'm thick...but if you don't ask??

Why are they called zip cars? I know...I'm thick...but if you don't ask??

Thanks Google.....

Stupid name, but great service! £6 an hour and you get a car to do all of the dirty work, so your less practical main car stays nice and clean.

BubblesNW said: The non S is a great car. Moving from a hot hatch to a Cayman will be a revelation. Don't try the S as you will be corrupted and sell a kidney. I really didn't want to hear this lol. Coming from a 198bhp Civic Type R, I hoped a non S model would be good. At the moment I drive the Civic fairly hard and feel I'm using most of it's potential, surely another 65hp would still be fun ? I was hoping maybe my partner would get a sensible car if I bought a Porsche. At the moment she has a Mini Cooper S, which is probably less space than a Cayman ! Has anyone got any long term real MPG figures ? Over 9500 miles on my trip meter, the Type R did 29.5mpg

Stuart0688 said: I really didn't want to hear this lol. Coming from a 198bhp Civic Type R, I hoped a non S model would be good. At the moment I drive the Civic fairly hard and feel I'm using most of it's potential, surely another 65hp would still be fun ? I was hoping maybe my partner would get a sensible car if I bought a Porsche. At the moment she has a Mini Cooper S, which is probably less space than a Cayman ! Has anyone got any long term real MPG figures ? Over 9500 miles on my trip meter, the Type R did 29.5mpg Sensible driving returns about 32 mpg. Vigorous cross country hoonage about 17 mpg.

981 returns over 30 mpg every journey unless being thrashed. Long journeys well into the 40's.

Stuart0688 said: BubblesNW said: The non S is a great car. Moving from a hot hatch to a Cayman will be a revelation. Don't try the S as you will be corrupted and sell a kidney. I really didn't want to hear this lol. Coming from a 198bhp Civic Type R, I hoped a non S model would be good. At the moment I drive the Civic fairly hard and feel I'm using most of it's potential, surely another 65hp would still be fun ? I was hoping maybe my partner would get a sensible car if I bought a Porsche. At the moment she has a Mini Cooper S, which is probably less space than a Cayman ! Has anyone got any long term real MPG figures ? Over 9500 miles on my trip meter, the Type R did 29.5mpg The Cayman will be a little quicker than tha Civic as it's a bit heavier as well as more powerful but the mid engined handling will be a revelation. You will be able to use much more of its potential on the road than an S but with these cars you really need to get on track. Then the fun really happens and a front engined Civic will be a distant memory.... My 987 Cayman S does 30ish during normal road use but 12ish on track.

I had a ep3 type r years ago and loved it but my 911 is on another planet. Remember, It's not just the extra 65hp, it's also the extra torque which makes the performance much more accessible and the car more enjoyable.

truck71 said: 981 returns over 30 mpg every journey unless being thrashed. Long journeys well into the 40's. Do you have an egg under your throttle?

mollytherocker said: Do you have an egg under your throttle? You'd think so. The thing with using any car as a daily is you drive accordingly. You don't hard accelerate off every roundabout, you drive when everyone else is on the road meaning traffic limits progress, as you get a bit older you try and develop a more mature driving style. What makes the Cayman such a great car is it does all this, delivers near oil burner efficiency and yet becomes a hoon wagon in an instant. You plan fun routes into mundane journeys and get to use the car more often as intended as a result; for me it's better than having a weekend car. I used to have a tuscan as a toy but had to almost force myself to use it since driving at weekends was the last thing I wanted to do. Gone o/t a bit but it demonstrates to potential buyers just how versatile the modern offerings are, if not as characterful as older cars.

Stuart0688 said: I really didn't want to hear this lol. Coming from a 198bhp Civic Type R, I hoped a non S model would be good. At the moment I drive the Civic fairly hard and feel I'm using most of it's potential, surely another 65hp would still be fun ? I was hoping maybe my partner would get a sensible car if I bought a Porsche. At the moment she has a Mini Cooper S, which is probably less space than a Cayman ! Has anyone got any long term real MPG figures ? Over 9500 miles on my trip meter, the Type R did 29.5mpg My 2005S does well over 30mpg on the motorway, more like 20 around town and less if having a bit of fun. I reckon the Porsche is 10-15% more thirsty than the Civic like for like. I am sure you will find both the standard car and the S more fun than the Civic. I liked the straight line acceleration of the Civic, but not the steering or the handling particularly. The Boxster is just much better in those areas. The other thing which I loved and hated about the Civic was the need to really wring it's neck to get to the power. Keeping in the VTEC zone at 6k-8.5k revs is great fun when you are out for a weekend drive with no other cars about, but a bit of a pain if you need to do a quick overtake on your daily commute. The Boxster still has an engine that you need to work properly to get to the power, but not at quite such high a rev range and there is a reasonable amount of power on tap much earlier for day-to-day driving.

kingston12 said: Stuart0688 said: I really didn't want to hear this lol. Coming from a 198bhp Civic Type R, I hoped a non S model would be good. At the moment I drive the Civic fairly hard and feel I'm using most of it's potential, surely another 65hp would still be fun ? I was hoping maybe my partner would get a sensible car if I bought a Porsche. At the moment she has a Mini Cooper S, which is probably less space than a Cayman ! Has anyone got any long term real MPG figures ? Over 9500 miles on my trip meter, the Type R did 29.5mpg My 2005S does well over 30mpg on the motorway, more like 20 around town and less if having a bit of fun. I reckon the Porsche is 10-15% more thirsty than the Civic like for like. I am sure you will find both the standard car and the S more fun than the Civic. I liked the straight line acceleration of the Civic, but not the steering or the handling particularly. The Boxster is just much better in those areas. The other thing which I loved and hated about the Civic was the need to really wring it's neck to get to the power. Keeping in the VTEC zone at 6k-8.5k revs is great fun when you are out for a weekend drive with no other cars about, but a bit of a pain if you need to do a quick overtake on your daily commute. The Boxster still has an engine that you need to work properly to get to the power, but not at quite such high a rev range and there is a reasonable amount of power on tap much earlier for day-to-day driving. Thank you this was really helpful. I do enjoy wringing the Civic engine, so was hoping the 2.7 engine would suit me

mollytherocker said: truck71 said: 981 returns over 30 mpg every journey unless being thrashed. Long journeys well into the 40's. Do you have an egg under your throttle? That coast mode can be annoying, but it means you can get some astonishing fuel economy.

hondansx said: mollytherocker said: truck71 said: 981 returns over 30 mpg every journey unless being thrashed. Long journeys well into the 40's. Do you have an egg under your throttle? That coast mode can be annoying, but it means you can get some astonishing fuel economy. More than likely, I turn it off straight away and still it returns decent mpg.

I went from Meg 250 to 987 S Obviously the Porsche is more special, even though it was cheaper to buy than the Meg people think you have a £30k plus car For driving, I dont think the Cayman is any quicker on the road, maybe in a straight line but the modern hatches, particularly the Meg, have amazing grip and handling. Also the Cayman is much longer geared so a different sort of feel altogether than a manic hot hatch.

went from FN2 Civic Type-R to Cayman S (07) best transition ever. OK, less practical, but feedback through steering wheel, speed, brakes, everything is 10x better.

There was one particular video from 5th gear that sticks in my mind where they raced the new Megane 265 against a stock Boxster 2.9 987.2 around Rockingham,it was close but the Porsche's extra balance and pure handling on the limit trounced the Megane in the end.

Hot hatches are fun, Porsches are addictive. Boxster and caymans are also great value for money, I'm about to buy my 5th Boxster on Friday, I've also had 2 very nice 911's but pound for pound value for money and fun don't think you can beat a Boxster.

Stuart0688 said: Thank you this was really helpful. I do enjoy wringing the Civic engine, so was hoping the 2.7 engine would suit me I really enjoy my 2008 2.7's engine - it's comfortable to pootle around in town and never go over 2000rpm, or you can really rev it out and get the most from it.

Stuart0688 said: kingston12 said: Stuart0688 said: I really didn't want to hear this lol. Coming from a 198bhp Civic Type R, I hoped a non S model would be good. At the moment I drive the Civic fairly hard and feel I'm using most of it's potential, surely another 65hp would still be fun ? I was hoping maybe my partner would get a sensible car if I bought a Porsche. At the moment she has a Mini Cooper S, which is probably less space than a Cayman ! Has anyone got any long term real MPG figures ? Over 9500 miles on my trip meter, the Type R did 29.5mpg My 2005S does well over 30mpg on the motorway, more like 20 around town and less if having a bit of fun. I reckon the Porsche is 10-15% more thirsty than the Civic like for like. I am sure you will find both the standard car and the S more fun than the Civic. I liked the straight line acceleration of the Civic, but not the steering or the handling particularly. The Boxster is just much better in those areas. The other thing which I loved and hated about the Civic was the need to really wring it's neck to get to the power. Keeping in the VTEC zone at 6k-8.5k revs is great fun when you are out for a weekend drive with no other cars about, but a bit of a pain if you need to do a quick overtake on your daily commute. The Boxster still has an engine that you need to work properly to get to the power, but not at quite such high a rev range and there is a reasonable amount of power on tap much earlier for day-to-day driving. Thank you this was really helpful. I do enjoy wringing the Civic engine, so was hoping the 2.7 engine would suit me I am sure it will. It is still a different experience, because if you are pushing on you are changing up at nearer 6k rpm than 8.5k! It is just a better balanced car in every way - suspension, brakes, interior quality, engine sound as well as performance. Having said that it should be! I bought my EP3 new in 2004 for £16k and I always thought that was cheap for the engine and gearbox alone, so anything else was a bonus. The invoice price of my Porsche was £50k, over three times the price, so I'd be worried if it is not much better. Now they are both changing hands for silly money, I think that the Boxster is the biggest bargain out there, but the Civic is excellent value as well.

I swapped from a 325i Touring to a new Cayman. I need the Touring for work but after a job change it meant no more lugging boxes about. Five months and seven thousand miles later I've no regrets regarding the Cayman's luggage space. Two suitcases fit up front and cabin baggage and coats etc in the back. The only thing I have missed is the BMW had two handy hooks in the boot to hang carrier bags from on the way home from Waitrose, the Cayman just empties the contents of the bags over the boot as I enjoy my drive home!

one more reason (as if i needed it) to ditch the M235i!

Whats wrong with the 235i?

its boring and soft lol (IMO)

Went from DC5 to GT3, could go into a long boring and spelling/grammactically errored post but just remember to change your driving style from FWD to RWD. Might take a while to get used to as such but if you dont gel initially, just persevere

1991 Jetta 16v: To 2001 Boxster, ok, so I couldn't get an A series engine in the Boxster's boot (smooth case gearbox went in though), a sprite exhaust mid pipe went in the cabin with no issues.The power wasn't overwhelming, the handling was fun in a different way. I loved the early morning blasts to the train station, hell, if milk was needed, I was your man. Miss that car.. I put 23,000 miles on it in 2 years, had the rear window snap in two(Porsche replaced it free of charge), got through 2 sets of Michelin Pilots (thank you Micheldever).

Tweaked (255bhp) Megane R26 to 986 Boxster S in my case. They are quite different cars to own and drive and both have their good points. The 986 has a nominal 260bhp and they are approximately the same weight, but the turbo delivery of the Megane and a few other factors made it quicker point to point especially over B roads. That was almost its downside though as you could pedal it really quite quickly with not very much effort or involvement (more involvement was possible but at high pace levels). By contrast the Porsche involves you more, makes you work more for the road, has nicer controls and I find more enjoyable because of it. In poor conditions I would rather have the Renault. Aside from some of the practicality considerations (seats, boot space), the Porsche is surprisingly spacious with the front and rear compartments and much more so than most 2 seat convertibles. Long term I averaged 26.5mpg in the R26 and currently on 23.9mpg in the Boxster. The Boxster will return low 30s on cruise at motorway speeds, pushing it hard or town driving appears to be high teens or low 20s.