£13k For A Cayman? Hello Perfect Porsche

So everyone is starting to get their hands on the new Porsche Cayman.

Predictably, given the fanfare over the new Boxster, and given the old Cayman's place in the Porsche food chain above the old Boxster, it's proving rather popular. More than a few people are questioning the need to buy a 911.

This is all very well, but a new Cayman kicks off at about £40,000. I can't speak for anyone else, but forty grand is about thirty-nine grand more than I have to spend on a car, and there's a whole lot of metal between here and there that might tempt me away from a new Cayman in the meantime.

One of those is the old Cayman.

Want to hazard a guess how much they're going for these days? Twenty, maybe? Eighteen thousand?

Nope - we've seen them as low as £13,000. You might even find them for less, given a bit more than a cursory glance over the classifieds.

If there's one thing you can guarantee, it's that the old hydraulic steering offers more chatter than the new electric jobby. So if that's your bag, you're already ahead. It's no slouch, either. A basic 2.7 Cayman will give you 242bhp, and 0-60mph in a sneeze over 6 seconds. The 3.4-litre Cayman S is even quicker - 291bhp nets you 60mph in 5.5 dead, and a whisker over 170mph on the speedo.

So you're interested. One of the best handling cars on the market, for a baker's dozen. What do you need to look out for? Tax, for a start. £13k might be a tasty entry ticket, but both Cayman and Cayman S will cost you £460 a year in Band L road tax.

Insurance will cost a bob or two, too. For this writer, with ten years' experience, 9 years no-claims, living in a decent area and doing a realistic 10,000 miles per year, it's actually a pretty reasonable £550 (as I started this sentence, I was assuming a lot higher. Now the car has got a whole lot more tempting...).

Then there's fuel. Assuming you match the Cayman's claimed 29 mpg average (and will you really drive it like that? Really?) that 10k a year will cost you about £2100 in fuel.

Then there's servicing. It's a fairly modern Porsche. Bank on a few hundred quid minimum at a specialist. But it's not all bad - a quick trawl of the forums suggests Caymans are pretty reliable, even at higher mileages.

And since all Porsches look the same, Average Joe on the street will be none the wiser that you've spent just 13 clicks on yours.

If none of that scares you off, what are you waiting for? I can't afford one, but if you can, you've no excuse for not putting the bargain Porker on your driveway...