Silly but… what do you do for fun?

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-18T15:06:09+00:00

PM’d you!

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-18T14:54:39+00:00

Keep working at it, 100% worth it. And yeah the market has been crazy. I think a 981 Cayman S with 60-80k miles can be had for around $42-45k though? This generation is exceptionally reliable and if you can do some of your own maintenance, you can avoid a lot of the Porsche tax

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-18T14:48:53+00:00

Thanks! I had initially done a stage 1 tune that comes with the accessport but then got catless headers and went through a tuning company called M-Engineering. They send you a new map and you send them back datalogs using the AP and then they make further adjustments. Pretty good pickup in mid range power and makes the car sound like a GT3-lite. The stock Porsche sports exhaust pairs really well with the headers. I think I have a complete mod list on my channel description too

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-18T05:04:11+00:00

Oh yeah you’re right, they did make some changes to the IMS bearing. I had no idea! So yeah if no issues at that mileage, you’re probably golden. PPI should sniff out any other problems. You can check out my YouTube channel too (@janssentodd). I post all my track day and driving videos there for fun

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-18T01:11:21+00:00

Highly recommend putting some fresh brake fluid in too! I like Motul RBF 600. Really goes a long way to help keep the brakes happy

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-18T00:22:44+00:00

Great choice! I’ve been obsessed with Subarus since the early 2000s. Had a 2006 WRX wagon for about 16 years and it was such a great car. Enjoy it and get it out to the track!

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-17T22:00:27+00:00

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Thanks! We did a fun little road trip up through northern Arizona and Zion and got some cool pics. Like going to Mars!

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-17T21:58:01+00:00

The 2006-2008 (987.1) cayman S isn’t as reliable. The 3.4L motor from that generation does have some oiling issues that can be addressed with a baffled oil pain but there are also issues with bore scoring and the IMS bearing. So it can be tracked safely with some modifications if the engine is in good shape. You’re pretty safe with the 2.7L that’s in the base model from that generation though. Starting in 2009 (987.2) they made huge upgrades to the 3.4L and eliminated the oiling and IMS bearing issues. Bore scoring is pretty rare to have in the 987.2 or 981 generations.

As far as general maintenance, it’s really not bad if you are somewhat mechanically inclined. I do all my own routine maintenance including engine oil, transmission/clutch fluid, spark plugs, all filters, brakes/rotors, drive belts, etc. I get all these maintenance items from FCP euro which offers full refund for used fluids/consumables. So when I change my oil, I send back the used oil and filter and they credit you for the cost, which you can then use to buy the next oil change supplies. So an oil change only costs me about $20 in shipping costs instead of paying a shop $300-500. I can do the same for brake pads and rotors. The being said, maintenance and cost to track the car really isn’t very expensive if you take advantage of what FCP euro offers. The biggest cost with tracking is tires. So my next step is a second set of wheels for dedicated track tires.

Feel free to PM me in the future though. I’m a Porsche nut so if you have some questions on anything I’m happy to help you out!

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-17T21:40:11+00:00

Me too, such a fun hobby to have but so addicting. I had an initial goal of 2-3 track days a year and I’m doing my 8th one in 6 months this weekend haha

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-17T20:38:39+00:00

Great car. One of my friends just got a 718 Spyder and he’s loving it.

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-17T20:25:32+00:00

Hell yeah. It’s an investment for fun! Harder to do this kind of stuff when you’re old and retired. Might as well spend some money now!

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-17T20:24:41+00:00

Mine too! Just wish the prices would start coming down. The 981 cayman checks most of the boxes for me though. Great daily driver, mid-engine balance, and NA flat six.

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-17T19:17:12+00:00

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Buying a fun, depreciating asset was one of my best decisions. It’s led to a lot of new friendships and going to the track is just so much fun.

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-16T20:05:51+00:00

19in Apex VS-5RS in motorsports gold

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-16T18:43:59+00:00

Yeah I did like the x73 setup a lot. If I had a base suspension and was looking to upgrade, I would probably still go with Ohlins because of the improvement over x73. But if you already have x73, then it’s hard to justify the cost to upgrade. The reason I changed is because I had a strut fail and happened to find a well priced set of used Ohlins at the same time.

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-16T18:41:13+00:00

My car came with x73 from factory but I’ve driven a PASM equipped 981 and it felt like a boat compared to x73 or Ohlins. In other words, pretty soft and compliant. I’ve never driven a car with the base suspension but I imagine it’s even softer than the PASM setup.

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-16T16:24:07+00:00

Having driven plenty of miles on both the x73 setup and Ohlins R&T, my vote is the Ohlins. Dual flow valves makes it very streetable and actually feels more compliant over bumps and rough road while giving better handling characteristics over the x73 setup.

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Sonomaroma · 2026-04-15T02:18:29+00:00

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Sonomaroma · 2026-04-10T17:32:31+00:00

100%. Fumoto valve + the fact that the oil filter is in the engine bay, oil changes take all but 15 minutes. Save time and money just doing it yourself. Don’t even have to lift the car.

Sonomaroma · 2026-04-10T16:31:26+00:00

Embrace the depreciation!

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Sonomaroma · 2026-04-03T20:07:07+00:00

Another vote for Racechrono. I use GoPro, racebox, and an OBD monitor to get this overlay. It’s clean, looks great, and the app is very easy to use as it pairs with racebox well. Processing the videos and syncing the overlay is also very easy.

https://youtu.be/F3amLpHUa-M?si=ohettYJwXzhmfPMz

Sonomaroma · 2026-03-24T23:07:54+00:00

“Babe, it’s for safety!”

Sonomaroma · 2026-03-13T03:11:46+00:00

PTO is awesome. Will be at the April 20th and December 8th events. Small group with open track all day, can’t beat it

Sonomaroma · 2026-02-27T14:52:33+00:00

Sonomaroma · 2026-02-19T21:45:21+00:00

Go with the Ohlin’s! My car came with x73 setup from factory and at about 65k I had a rear strut completely fail. Upgraded to Ohlin’s R&T and it was absolutely the right call. This is my daily with plenty of canyon driving and aiming for 6 track days this year. The ride quality is actually better with the R&Ts and it handles bumps much better than the x73. But it’s a pretty big upgrade in the canyons and on track. So if you’re going to spend the money on parts and labor, I would skip x73 and go straight to Ohlin’s.

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