APRIL 2019 | GET TWO YEARS OF CAR FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK‘For a daily driver
it’s very spartan...’
CAR reader Richard Pardon on what it’s like to use
a Porsche Cayman GT4 as a load-lugging daily driverMY SECOND GT4, AND
MY THIRD CAYMAN
I loved my Cayman S, but the
GT4 is special – I bought my first
one, in white and Comfort spec,
from Porsche Swindon. I guess
it’s unusual to use a GT4 for work
– most people tuck them away.
I quickly took that car from 3000
miles to 10,000 miles. They’re
actually quite practical cars, with
space for my photographic gear
and 25mpg – I’ll get 30mpg on
my regular run from Dorset to
Heathrow. Both cars cost £641 to
insure – strangely less than the
Cayman S I ran before.UNINTENDED UPGRADE
One of the instructors at the
Porsche Experience Centre
Silverstone had a quick drive
of my first GT4 and found it less
grippy than the GT4 they ran – my
car was also on older Dunlop
tyres. I spoke to Porsche Swindon
about new Michelins – about
£1400 – but the dealership had
another GT4 for sale. It was also
white, but with the more desirable
Clubsport package, only 3500
miles and a good set of Michelin
Cup 2s. The difference to upgrade
was £3.5k. It seemed a no-brainer.
I love driving it. You feel so
connected to a GT4 through the
steering and chassis, and the 3.8-
litre flat-six is just mega when you
keep it on cam. I can suffer from
a bad back, so it’s a bonus that
the carbon seats are as comfort-
able as they are supportive – I’d
definitely spec them again.IF THEY’D BUILT A GT4
WITH PDK, I’D HAVE IT
Stepping into the GT4 did make
me appreciate just how manyoptions my old Cayman S had,
with sat-nav, a leather dash-top
and the PDK dual-clutch gearbox.
The GT4 feels pretty barren
by comparison – very spartan
for a daily driver. It’s also noisy
on the motorway, not great in
town because it’s low and the
suspension’s pretty stiff, and the
manual gearbox is hard work in
traffic – you can’t get a PDK GT4,
but I’d probably have gone for it
given the choice. Drive the GT4
as Porsche intended, though, and
you soon forget all that – I’m just
annoyed with myself for not doing
that often enough!SAVAGE RUNNING COSTS?
NOT SO FAR
Ownership has been pretty
painless and Porsche Swindon
has been great. My first GT4
went back for two small issues.
The brakes squealed a lot, which
the dealer traced to tiny cracks
in the pads and replaced them
for free. GT4s are also sensitive
to geometry changes, and my
steering pulled a little to the left,
so they corrected that. The new
GT4 has the same brake issue, but
I’ll probably live with it rather than
return to the dealer, and otherwise
it’s been perfect.
Cayman GT4s were £65k new
in 2015 and appreciated quickly.
I saw a couple up at £110k a while
back, but they’ve come down
since – I paid £81k. Because I use
it a lot, I don’t expect to make
money from this car, but that was
never my intention. The GT4 is a
dream buy for me. Hopefully I’ll
keep it for life, do some trackdays
and a European road trip this
year. And perhaps find a roomier,
quieter daily driver soon...THIS
MUCH I’VE
LEARNEDChoose the
Clubsport pack, not
Comfort spec. You
get a rollcage, fire
extinguisher and
great seats.1
Check your car’s on
Michelin Pilot Sport
Cup 2s, not Dunlops.
The GT4 is grippier
and more precise on
Cup 2s.2
Alignment is key to
ensure the chassis
feels as good as it
should. Have the
tracking checked
regularly.3
Your cars
One
year on
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