My 25 Years of Cars (various models)
Discussion
I’ve recently finished decorating my garage, and wanted some wall art that captured my previous cars or car experiences (some owned, some not). I couldn’t find a photo frame that suited, but I found the option of a collage poster print instead on Photobox.
Looking at them like this, it fires off a lot of memories all at once, and I thought it might be fun to document my last 25 years of cars and write about each of the pictures and about that particular car (or experience that surrounded that car). I’ll try and write a new photo related update every week or two and where possible I’ll add in lots of photos to keep my rambling tales visually interesting.
This could be the most boring thing you’ll read on the internet, but hopefully not. I like writing and I thought it might be a fun project to do, even if I'm the only one reading it (also, hopefully not)!
Any questions or comments you have, I’d be interested to hear. Feedback always welcome!
I was intending to go through each car in turn as it appears on the picture but following some good feedback, I'll do my car experiences in chronological order instead. So the first two posts here are Chapter 1 and 5, but the rest following in order from there.
We'll be starting with the first, which also happens to be the first….
Index will be updated at each chapter:
star* indicates an experience, rather than ownership
Chapter 1 - 1984 Ford Fiesta 1.1L
Chapter 2 - 1990 Ford Escort S 1.6 EFI
Chapter 3 - 1997 Toyota MR2 GT T-Bar 2.0
Chapter 4 - 2001 Porsche Boxster 2.7
Chapter 5 - 2006 Porsche Cayman 2.7
Chapter 6 - 2009 Porsche Cayman 3.4S PDK*
Chapter 7 - 2009 Ford Fiesta 1.2 Zetec
Chapter 8 - 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo*
Chapter 9 - 2003 Ferrari 360 Spider*
Chapter 10 - 2005 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S Cabriolet
Chapter 11 - 2011 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale*
Chapter 12 - 2012 Range Rover Evoque Pure
Chapter 13 - 1997 Audi A4 1.6
Chapter 14 - 2004 Mini One Cabriolet 1.6
Chapter 15 - 2007 Maserati GranTurismo*
Chapter 16 - Lamborghini Gallardo Invidia*
Chapter 17 - 2005 Porsche Cayenne 3.2
Chapter 18 - 2012 VW Beetle Design
Chapter 19 - Ferrari F40*
Chapter 20 - 1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth*
Chapter 21 - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Chapter 22 - 2005 Audi TT
Chapter 23 - Ford C-Max [Coming Soon]
Chapter 24 - Epilogue [Coming Soon]
Looking at them like this, it fires off a lot of memories all at once, and I thought it might be fun to document my last 25 years of cars and write about each of the pictures and about that particular car (or experience that surrounded that car). I’ll try and write a new photo related update every week or two and where possible I’ll add in lots of photos to keep my rambling tales visually interesting.
This could be the most boring thing you’ll read on the internet, but hopefully not. I like writing and I thought it might be a fun project to do, even if I'm the only one reading it (also, hopefully not)!
Any questions or comments you have, I’d be interested to hear. Feedback always welcome!
I was intending to go through each car in turn as it appears on the picture but following some good feedback, I'll do my car experiences in chronological order instead. So the first two posts here are Chapter 1 and 5, but the rest following in order from there.
We'll be starting with the first, which also happens to be the first….
Index will be updated at each chapter:
star* indicates an experience, rather than ownership
Chapter 1 - 1984 Ford Fiesta 1.1L
Chapter 2 - 1990 Ford Escort S 1.6 EFI
Chapter 3 - 1997 Toyota MR2 GT T-Bar 2.0
Chapter 4 - 2001 Porsche Boxster 2.7
Chapter 5 - 2006 Porsche Cayman 2.7
Chapter 6 - 2009 Porsche Cayman 3.4S PDK*
Chapter 7 - 2009 Ford Fiesta 1.2 Zetec
Chapter 8 - 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo*
Chapter 9 - 2003 Ferrari 360 Spider*
Chapter 10 - 2005 Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S Cabriolet
Chapter 11 - 2011 Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale*
Chapter 12 - 2012 Range Rover Evoque Pure
Chapter 13 - 1997 Audi A4 1.6
Chapter 14 - 2004 Mini One Cabriolet 1.6
Chapter 15 - 2007 Maserati GranTurismo*
Chapter 16 - Lamborghini Gallardo Invidia*
Chapter 17 - 2005 Porsche Cayenne 3.2
Chapter 18 - 2012 VW Beetle Design
Chapter 19 - Ferrari F40*
Chapter 20 - 1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth*
Chapter 21 - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Chapter 22 - 2005 Audi TT
Chapter 23 - Ford C-Max [Coming Soon]
Chapter 24 - Epilogue [Coming Soon]
Edited by Cloudy147 on Sunday 10th November 22:48
Chapter One: The 1984 Ford Fiesta 1.1 L - (I owned from approximately 1995-1997, my age 18-20)
My first car!
“L” for Luxury. That means slightly nicer seats and front headrests which were covered in material, as opposed to hard plastic. Proper mod-cons.
My Dad bought me this car as a surprise just as I was learning to drive. I remember coming home from my evening job one day and it was sat on the driveway. An unknown car on the driveway wasn’t all that unusual as sometimes my parent’s friends, or aunties/uncles might be round and have parked on the driveway. I’ve always loved Fords, particularly the Fiesta and the Escort of this time period, and I distinctly remember walking past it thinking “ooh, a nice car on the driveway for a change!” For some reason my Dad didn’t really buy Fords. I think back then you either liked Fords or Vauxhalls, and he was a Vauxhall man so didn’t think the Fiesta would be ours.
Anyhow, I got inside the house and there wasn’t anyone else in there and my Mum and Dad said it was mine! I was so pleased! It was dusk so the light wasn’t great but I could still make out most of the detail of my little red car. It was a bit tatty on the outside, with the obligatory rusty arches and suchlike, but my Dad told me he intended to restore it, so that by the time I’d passed my test, it would be ready to go.
And restore it he did! The arches were repaired and looked good as knew. The rust on the sills was eradicated, the engine serviced. The red piping on the black side trim pieces was re-created and put back on and the sides were re-sprayed. It genuinely looked as-new when he’d finished and I was very proud of that little car. My mates all commented on how nice it was. The car was purchased by my Dad for £50, from a work mate I think. Lol.
Part way through the restoration, and perhaps understanding that I was part of the max power generation, who talked about the XR and RS models, and body kits an awful lot, he asked if I wanted to buy an XR2 kit for it and he’d put that on instead of the other black side trims and stripes if I’d like. I did consider this, but decided against it because after buying the kit, I’d then have to get the pepper pot alloys to finish the look (and meet up with the wider arches of the kit), which would have taken a fair chunk of my beer money – as would the insurance costs.
So, it remained standard and I thought it looked pretty smart. I liked the wheel trims too, which suited the car. Many an hour was taken up in this car fitting a nice Sony tape stereo (which used to beep when you turned the car off to remind you to take the front panel off, to stop thieves nicking it) and learning how to wire up the speakers and suchlike. The Haynes manuals were ace. My radio was the Sony 6700RDS and had the very cool option of Green or Amber display and, being a premium model, it had Dolby NR as well! If I recall, Pioneer speakers that I bought for this car, which were probably a bit too small really as they weren’t all that bass’y.
Cars of this age had a manual choke and this wasn’t any different. I do remember on the cold days of having to pull the choke out and if it stalled mid-journey whilst at the traffic lights, then having to find that delicate balance between too much choke and flooding the engine, meaning the car wouldn’t start again, or not enough choke and not getting it started again either. The odds weren’t in your favour and acted as an encouragement not to stall until the car was well up to temperature. Aaah, thems the days.
After I’d past my test, my first drive out was with my instructor, who I’d asked if he could come with me to help me familiarise myself with the car, which was a great first time out. That night I set off on my first solo journey to one of my best mate’s house; big Dave, just over a mile away from my house. That drive was a combo of nerves, excitement and exhilaration that I was now fully mobile to travel the world at pace! Or it least to drive into town without needing to catch the bus. Dave was happy for me and we went off for a drive too. Sensing that I was clearly very green at this driving thing, and being the good friend that he was (he wasn’t one of those who turned into bravado laddish nob under such circumstances), opting for a sincere adult tone as we drove about the village, knowing when to shut up, when to offer guidance and when to chat and have a laugh. I don’t recall where we went - likely to the shop for some car mags - I just remember that initial drive and how he acted – instilling confidence in me and enjoying the experience of this new found freedom. A great friend.
The Fiesta was in my ownership for a couple of years, before I bought my next car, a Ford Escort, which we’ll come on to another time. The Fiesta was ultimately sold to one of my sister’s friends, who also owned it for a while.
This was back in the 90’s, when you only took a few photos, rather than a few thousand so these are the only pictures. I think the car also had a double black stripe added down the side, but it wasn’t on the car at the time of these pictures. The bike next to it belonged to one of my other friends.
My first car!
“L” for Luxury. That means slightly nicer seats and front headrests which were covered in material, as opposed to hard plastic. Proper mod-cons.
My Dad bought me this car as a surprise just as I was learning to drive. I remember coming home from my evening job one day and it was sat on the driveway. An unknown car on the driveway wasn’t all that unusual as sometimes my parent’s friends, or aunties/uncles might be round and have parked on the driveway. I’ve always loved Fords, particularly the Fiesta and the Escort of this time period, and I distinctly remember walking past it thinking “ooh, a nice car on the driveway for a change!” For some reason my Dad didn’t really buy Fords. I think back then you either liked Fords or Vauxhalls, and he was a Vauxhall man so didn’t think the Fiesta would be ours.
Anyhow, I got inside the house and there wasn’t anyone else in there and my Mum and Dad said it was mine! I was so pleased! It was dusk so the light wasn’t great but I could still make out most of the detail of my little red car. It was a bit tatty on the outside, with the obligatory rusty arches and suchlike, but my Dad told me he intended to restore it, so that by the time I’d passed my test, it would be ready to go.
And restore it he did! The arches were repaired and looked good as knew. The rust on the sills was eradicated, the engine serviced. The red piping on the black side trim pieces was re-created and put back on and the sides were re-sprayed. It genuinely looked as-new when he’d finished and I was very proud of that little car. My mates all commented on how nice it was. The car was purchased by my Dad for £50, from a work mate I think. Lol.
Part way through the restoration, and perhaps understanding that I was part of the max power generation, who talked about the XR and RS models, and body kits an awful lot, he asked if I wanted to buy an XR2 kit for it and he’d put that on instead of the other black side trims and stripes if I’d like. I did consider this, but decided against it because after buying the kit, I’d then have to get the pepper pot alloys to finish the look (and meet up with the wider arches of the kit), which would have taken a fair chunk of my beer money – as would the insurance costs.
So, it remained standard and I thought it looked pretty smart. I liked the wheel trims too, which suited the car. Many an hour was taken up in this car fitting a nice Sony tape stereo (which used to beep when you turned the car off to remind you to take the front panel off, to stop thieves nicking it) and learning how to wire up the speakers and suchlike. The Haynes manuals were ace. My radio was the Sony 6700RDS and had the very cool option of Green or Amber display and, being a premium model, it had Dolby NR as well! If I recall, Pioneer speakers that I bought for this car, which were probably a bit too small really as they weren’t all that bass’y.
Cars of this age had a manual choke and this wasn’t any different. I do remember on the cold days of having to pull the choke out and if it stalled mid-journey whilst at the traffic lights, then having to find that delicate balance between too much choke and flooding the engine, meaning the car wouldn’t start again, or not enough choke and not getting it started again either. The odds weren’t in your favour and acted as an encouragement not to stall until the car was well up to temperature. Aaah, thems the days.
After I’d past my test, my first drive out was with my instructor, who I’d asked if he could come with me to help me familiarise myself with the car, which was a great first time out. That night I set off on my first solo journey to one of my best mate’s house; big Dave, just over a mile away from my house. That drive was a combo of nerves, excitement and exhilaration that I was now fully mobile to travel the world at pace! Or it least to drive into town without needing to catch the bus. Dave was happy for me and we went off for a drive too. Sensing that I was clearly very green at this driving thing, and being the good friend that he was (he wasn’t one of those who turned into bravado laddish nob under such circumstances), opting for a sincere adult tone as we drove about the village, knowing when to shut up, when to offer guidance and when to chat and have a laugh. I don’t recall where we went - likely to the shop for some car mags - I just remember that initial drive and how he acted – instilling confidence in me and enjoying the experience of this new found freedom. A great friend.
The Fiesta was in my ownership for a couple of years, before I bought my next car, a Ford Escort, which we’ll come on to another time. The Fiesta was ultimately sold to one of my sister’s friends, who also owned it for a while.
This was back in the 90’s, when you only took a few photos, rather than a few thousand so these are the only pictures. I think the car also had a double black stripe added down the side, but it wasn’t on the car at the time of these pictures. The bike next to it belonged to one of my other friends.
Edited by Cloudy147 on Sunday 7th February 14:52
idealstandard said:
The effort you're going into for this, I'm already waiting on the next update. Fantastic post.
Wow, thanks idealstandard, appreciate the feedback. I'll do my best to keep the updates frequent and interesting. 
B'stard Child said:
I'm in......................
Thanks, and welcome! daqinggregg said:
Always enjoy a good write up in “reader’s cars” I look forward to future installments. In the mid 80’s, I commuted from Birmingham to Bristol in Fiesta 1.1 L that was painful!
Thanks Daq'. Birmingham to Bristol eh, yes I can't imagine that would have been much fun every day! Mine was generally used for around-town and not-far-away, being a new driver and all that.The next installment is almost completed, I had some good free time today so thought I'd get going on it. Will post as soon as its sorted.
Chapter two follows here (we're a little out of sequence)... Link
Edited by Cloudy147 on Monday 22 February 20:42
Chapter Five: The 2006 Porsche Cayman 2.7 (and a 911 Turbo) - This ownership and experience from approximately 2008-2011, my age 31-34
Edit: Chapters 2 to 4 for chronological order will come in a later update
I purchased this car in 2008 as a Porsche Approved Used car from the Newcastle Porsche Centre, following three years ownership of my Boxster (which will feature in a future article). I really liked the 987 design and wanted a change from the Boxster, so the Cayman was the logical option. I test drove a Cayman and a 996 C4S, but found that even with less power, the experience of the Cayman was much better. Being a mid-engine, I loved how it drove and the newness of the cabin, with its modern design was better suited to my tastes. The search began and I looked at a couple in different colours, but I really wanted a red one, ideally with the 18” S alloys. The colour of a car is something I really don’t like to compromise on. This red one came up for sale at Porsche Newcastle and so I enquired and spoke to their salesman Andy, who was very helpful and had no hint of sales push about him. My girlfriend (now wife) and I made an appointment and drove up to see the car that weekend.
Cameras phones weren't as good back then
There it was, sat in all its glory, in the showroom. As soon as my wife saw it, she turned to me with a beaming smile of excitement and said “This is it, this is the one you should buy”. Under the bright lights of the showroom, it was absolutely gleaming, and despite having the standard 17” alloys, I didn’t mind them too much and was easy to overlook when I sat inside and the car looked and smelled absolutely good as new, with just 10,000 miles on the clock. Optional extras were heated leather seats, cruise control and Bose stereo.
Despite buying what was probably the cheapest car in the showroom, there was no hint of elitism and was treated with the same courtesy as everyone else. We agreed a price after several hours and off I went. Andy also recommended a fantastic local pub for some dinner on our way home which both me and the lady thoroughly enjoyed before the long journey back home.
On collection, one week later I handed in the forms and was taken to the car. I was shown all the documentation and how to operate all the functions of the car. I was asked to inspect the condition of the car and the valet and confirm that I was happy with the presentation of the vehicle.
“Porsche”
Whilst I was there, a guy came in with his son looking at the various cars. They spied a 996 near where I was sat and the lad was excitedly looking at it. One of the sales reps went over. I overheard the Dad saying to the salesman “I’m not a rich man, I don’t have lots of money to buy these but this is … fantastic. This would be it for me. I imagine everyone buying one of your cars just hands over a pile of money and on they go”. The salesman told him that lots of different people buy Porsches and proceeded to show the man around the car and let his kid sit in it etc before they went on their way – child beaming from ear to ear. It was great to see that the salesmen indulged in their enthusiasm. Who knows, maybe that boy is now ready to buy his own Porsche, just based on that memorable experience?
On a reflective moment, this reminded me that owning a Porsche is indeed something very special, and many people really do aspire to own one. It was also a good example of the mystique of the marque in terms of affordability; the assumption being that Porsche equals ‘man with lots of cash’. Quite the contrary in my case! I’m a regular chap with a regular job which pays quite well. I was lucky enough to be able spend my disposable income on these great cars and felt very fortunate to be sat in the “deal signing” seat that day.
The freebies I got on collection day; Porsche t-shirt, cap, 2x mugs, 2x tie pins, service books, spare key
On the long journey home from Newcastle, I had a grin attached to my face pretty much the whole way home. I was in my new car, it was the model I wanted and the purchase had been a great experience. Glancing in the rear-view mirror I could see my Boxster following – piloted by my lovely lady. Does life get much better than this?! We overtook a 911 who was tootling along in the middle lane. As we passed him, he picked up the pace and joined our little convoy! For about 5 miles, we had a Porsche trail. Cayman, Boxster, 911 – all in different colours.
Ownership
I eventually purchased the 18” S alloys and ran these during the summer time. The ride was noticeably harsher with these wheels on, and I liked the comfort of the 17” ones, so it became a 50/50 split.
The seat bolsters weren’t as hard wearing in the 987 as they were on the 986 leather, they seemed softer and more prone to damage but otherwise the interior held up really well over the years.
The Cayman had to go back for the front bumper re-spraying due to a fault in the lacquer top coat, but Porsche Newcastle handled this excellently. They were very apologetic and loaned me a new Cayman S PDK model (a future update), filled with fuel, and filled mine also upon collection.
When I went to collect the car, the dealership had put a “sold” sign next to my car. It had been in the showroom since the work had been done, was fully valeted and it had attracted quite a bit of sales interest. In essence I got to do the purchase experience several times over. What a bonus!
A couple of other things were also resolved under warranty during my ownership – the RMS was sweating so this (and the IMS seal) was replaced. There was a leak in the steering rack which was resolved and some play in one of the rod-ends fixed. Later in my ownership a few other minor things were fixed to keep it tip-top, including the coolant temperature sensor and the solenoid behind the clutch to stop the “Depress Clutch” message when starting the car.
Sadly, this car was involved in a minor shunt on the motorway towards the end of our ownership. A woman in a Mini, which she had borrowed from the car dealership where her husband worked(!) ran into the back of my wife whilst in stop-start traffic, pretty sure she was on her phone. My wife was pregnant at the time and very shuck up. The highways agency must have seen it on the cameras, and came to the scene and called for an ambulance, she was taken to hospital to check her over. It was a very worrying morning, but thankfully got the all-clear.
The woman’s husband called me and wanted to pay for the repairs directly (I suspect to avoid the dealership having to pay the insurance - and him having to have that rather awkward conversation with his boss), to which I refused and said it would be going directly to Porsche. Knowing the likely cost of a full Porsche approved repair I wanted it through the insurers. The cars cosmetic damage was all fixed, good as new, within the space of a month and I had an Audi S5 Cabriolet as a loan car, which I had to keep in the garage when not in use after a neighbour chased off some scumbags who were looking for cars to steal one night.
But it was time to sell shortly after the car was returned to us anyway. The accident meant my wife completely fell out of love with the car but add to that, the Cayman was a two-seater and with the arrival of our daughter just a few months later it was time to try something else. We’d had the car for three years and, as good as it was, I was itching to try something new!
Aside from routine maintenance, including a detail from my local specialist the car was largely fault free and was a great three-year ownership experience. Buying from a main dealer felt extremely special and overall both my wife and I really enjoyed this car – although we did miss the convertibleness of the Boxster, and returned to this in the 911 that followed.
New Openings … and that 911 Turbo.
The Cayman opened new doors for me, leading to a new business venture and well as making some life-long friends in the process, which we’ll talk about in more detail in Chapter 9 (the Ferrari 360 picture), but for the purpose of this photograph, two friends to note in particular; photographer Dom, and Mark - the then owner of the 911 Turbo.
I wrote an article comparing the un-comparable (the Turbo and my Cayman). Being both red, they made for great photography and my article became a cover star!
Returning to the subject of my photo collage, this picture represents all of those memories thrown together in one beautifully crafted image; Buying a car from a Porsche showroom, the whole ownership experience, the new opportunities it presented and having magazine quality images of a car of mine for first time ever. Plus getting to drive a 911 Turbo! All the stuff of childhood dreams.
Pro photos by Dom Fisher (DFishPix) and used with permission
If you are reading in chapter order, click here to read Chapter Six
Edit: Chapters 2 to 4 for chronological order will come in a later update
I purchased this car in 2008 as a Porsche Approved Used car from the Newcastle Porsche Centre, following three years ownership of my Boxster (which will feature in a future article). I really liked the 987 design and wanted a change from the Boxster, so the Cayman was the logical option. I test drove a Cayman and a 996 C4S, but found that even with less power, the experience of the Cayman was much better. Being a mid-engine, I loved how it drove and the newness of the cabin, with its modern design was better suited to my tastes. The search began and I looked at a couple in different colours, but I really wanted a red one, ideally with the 18” S alloys. The colour of a car is something I really don’t like to compromise on. This red one came up for sale at Porsche Newcastle and so I enquired and spoke to their salesman Andy, who was very helpful and had no hint of sales push about him. My girlfriend (now wife) and I made an appointment and drove up to see the car that weekend.
Cameras phones weren't as good back then
There it was, sat in all its glory, in the showroom. As soon as my wife saw it, she turned to me with a beaming smile of excitement and said “This is it, this is the one you should buy”. Under the bright lights of the showroom, it was absolutely gleaming, and despite having the standard 17” alloys, I didn’t mind them too much and was easy to overlook when I sat inside and the car looked and smelled absolutely good as new, with just 10,000 miles on the clock. Optional extras were heated leather seats, cruise control and Bose stereo.
Despite buying what was probably the cheapest car in the showroom, there was no hint of elitism and was treated with the same courtesy as everyone else. We agreed a price after several hours and off I went. Andy also recommended a fantastic local pub for some dinner on our way home which both me and the lady thoroughly enjoyed before the long journey back home.
On collection, one week later I handed in the forms and was taken to the car. I was shown all the documentation and how to operate all the functions of the car. I was asked to inspect the condition of the car and the valet and confirm that I was happy with the presentation of the vehicle.
“Porsche”
Whilst I was there, a guy came in with his son looking at the various cars. They spied a 996 near where I was sat and the lad was excitedly looking at it. One of the sales reps went over. I overheard the Dad saying to the salesman “I’m not a rich man, I don’t have lots of money to buy these but this is … fantastic. This would be it for me. I imagine everyone buying one of your cars just hands over a pile of money and on they go”. The salesman told him that lots of different people buy Porsches and proceeded to show the man around the car and let his kid sit in it etc before they went on their way – child beaming from ear to ear. It was great to see that the salesmen indulged in their enthusiasm. Who knows, maybe that boy is now ready to buy his own Porsche, just based on that memorable experience?
On a reflective moment, this reminded me that owning a Porsche is indeed something very special, and many people really do aspire to own one. It was also a good example of the mystique of the marque in terms of affordability; the assumption being that Porsche equals ‘man with lots of cash’. Quite the contrary in my case! I’m a regular chap with a regular job which pays quite well. I was lucky enough to be able spend my disposable income on these great cars and felt very fortunate to be sat in the “deal signing” seat that day.
The freebies I got on collection day; Porsche t-shirt, cap, 2x mugs, 2x tie pins, service books, spare key
On the long journey home from Newcastle, I had a grin attached to my face pretty much the whole way home. I was in my new car, it was the model I wanted and the purchase had been a great experience. Glancing in the rear-view mirror I could see my Boxster following – piloted by my lovely lady. Does life get much better than this?! We overtook a 911 who was tootling along in the middle lane. As we passed him, he picked up the pace and joined our little convoy! For about 5 miles, we had a Porsche trail. Cayman, Boxster, 911 – all in different colours.
Ownership
I eventually purchased the 18” S alloys and ran these during the summer time. The ride was noticeably harsher with these wheels on, and I liked the comfort of the 17” ones, so it became a 50/50 split.
The seat bolsters weren’t as hard wearing in the 987 as they were on the 986 leather, they seemed softer and more prone to damage but otherwise the interior held up really well over the years.
The Cayman had to go back for the front bumper re-spraying due to a fault in the lacquer top coat, but Porsche Newcastle handled this excellently. They were very apologetic and loaned me a new Cayman S PDK model (a future update), filled with fuel, and filled mine also upon collection.
When I went to collect the car, the dealership had put a “sold” sign next to my car. It had been in the showroom since the work had been done, was fully valeted and it had attracted quite a bit of sales interest. In essence I got to do the purchase experience several times over. What a bonus!
A couple of other things were also resolved under warranty during my ownership – the RMS was sweating so this (and the IMS seal) was replaced. There was a leak in the steering rack which was resolved and some play in one of the rod-ends fixed. Later in my ownership a few other minor things were fixed to keep it tip-top, including the coolant temperature sensor and the solenoid behind the clutch to stop the “Depress Clutch” message when starting the car.
Sadly, this car was involved in a minor shunt on the motorway towards the end of our ownership. A woman in a Mini, which she had borrowed from the car dealership where her husband worked(!) ran into the back of my wife whilst in stop-start traffic, pretty sure she was on her phone. My wife was pregnant at the time and very shuck up. The highways agency must have seen it on the cameras, and came to the scene and called for an ambulance, she was taken to hospital to check her over. It was a very worrying morning, but thankfully got the all-clear.
The woman’s husband called me and wanted to pay for the repairs directly (I suspect to avoid the dealership having to pay the insurance - and him having to have that rather awkward conversation with his boss), to which I refused and said it would be going directly to Porsche. Knowing the likely cost of a full Porsche approved repair I wanted it through the insurers. The cars cosmetic damage was all fixed, good as new, within the space of a month and I had an Audi S5 Cabriolet as a loan car, which I had to keep in the garage when not in use after a neighbour chased off some scumbags who were looking for cars to steal one night.
But it was time to sell shortly after the car was returned to us anyway. The accident meant my wife completely fell out of love with the car but add to that, the Cayman was a two-seater and with the arrival of our daughter just a few months later it was time to try something else. We’d had the car for three years and, as good as it was, I was itching to try something new!
Aside from routine maintenance, including a detail from my local specialist the car was largely fault free and was a great three-year ownership experience. Buying from a main dealer felt extremely special and overall both my wife and I really enjoyed this car – although we did miss the convertibleness of the Boxster, and returned to this in the 911 that followed.
New Openings … and that 911 Turbo.
The Cayman opened new doors for me, leading to a new business venture and well as making some life-long friends in the process, which we’ll talk about in more detail in Chapter 9 (the Ferrari 360 picture), but for the purpose of this photograph, two friends to note in particular; photographer Dom, and Mark - the then owner of the 911 Turbo.
I wrote an article comparing the un-comparable (the Turbo and my Cayman). Being both red, they made for great photography and my article became a cover star!
Returning to the subject of my photo collage, this picture represents all of those memories thrown together in one beautifully crafted image; Buying a car from a Porsche showroom, the whole ownership experience, the new opportunities it presented and having magazine quality images of a car of mine for first time ever. Plus getting to drive a 911 Turbo! All the stuff of childhood dreams.
Pro photos by Dom Fisher (DFishPix) and used with permission
If you are reading in chapter order, click here to read Chapter Six
Edited by Cloudy147 on Thursday 25th March 17:15
Cloudy147 said:
B'stard Child said:
You went from a Fiesta to a Porsche?
No, there was a couple in between - the collage isn't chronological. It's a mash up of a memories and ownership all jumbled up. 
andy43 said:
In !
Great thread so far (but keep it chronological if possible - sorry).
Great thread so far (but keep it chronological if possible - sorry).
B'stard Child said:
Any chance you can keep it slightly chronological - Life is a journey same with cars - it's nice to see the progression - no worries if not it'll still be interesting it's just the journey aspect will be lost
Hi both, thanks for the feedback, yes i'll amend to be in chronological order instead. This means the Cayman story that you've read already represents Chapter 5 on my car collage journey. I'll be sure to do Chapter 2 next! I've sat down this afternoon and chronologicalised them (is that even a word?!), so I've got the order down.beambeam1 said:
Cracking read so far but please, tell me this bike in the picture is the old Raleigh bad boy that had a sort black painted drizzle/drip effect across the red frame? If so, I had one too!
I'll try and find out! Eyersey1234 said:
I like your car history, looking forward to future updates.
Bodo said:
TR4man said:
A great idea with that collage.
Enjoyed the write up so far - please keep the updates coming.
Enjoyed the write up so far - please keep the updates coming.
Mr Tidy said:
That is a great collage OP. 
I did put together a thread of my 15 years of BMWs (16 years now) but if I'd had decent earlier photos I could have gone back to 1976 with my original MK2 Cortina wreck.
Thankyou all, glad you are enjoying so far. I'm looking forward to sharing more updates with you all!I did put together a thread of my 15 years of BMWs (16 years now) but if I'd had decent earlier photos I could have gone back to 1976 with my original MK2 Cortina wreck.
Mr Tidy - I took a sneaky peak at your car history... that sure is a lot of BMWs!! I reckon you should do a thread from 1976 and do all of your old cars too! I did something similar on my Dads cars, which went back to the '60s and used Google Images where he didn't have pictures. I bet it'd be an interesting read.
Bodo - looks like a Cayman S if I'm not mistaken? How are you finding it?
Next installment coming soon...
Cloudy147 said:
andy43 said:
In !
Great thread so far (but keep it chronological if possible - sorry).
Great thread so far (but keep it chronological if possible - sorry).
B'stard Child said:
Any chance you can keep it slightly chronological - Life is a journey same with cars - it's nice to see the progression - no worries if not it'll still be interesting it's just the journey aspect will be lost
Hi both, thanks for the feedback, yes i'll amend to be in chronological order instead. This means the Cayman story that you've read already represents Chapter 5 on my car collage journey. I'll be sure to do Chapter 2 next! I've sat down this afternoon and chronologicalised them (is that even a word?!), so I've got the order down.
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