‘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 driver

MY 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

nd 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 di erence 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 3.8litre flat-six is just mega when you keep it on cam. I can su er from a bad back, so it’s a bonus that the carbon seats are as comfortable 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 many options 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 sti , and the manual gearbox is hard work in tra c – 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…