Cayman S vs F355

Indeed it is a turbo Love it of course because its the last of the air cooled, and it was also the natural F355s rival back in the day.


Much as I adore 355s, that 993 Turbo will stomp one brfore its even warmed up. BTW...drove a 2010 911 GTS RS yesterday...Holy Mother of God...by far the best car I have ever driven; just awe inspiring performance. Don't worry, I'll always be a Tifosi, not gonna switch teams. And, of course, I would need to drive a 458 for a valid competition comparison...so who would like to let me borrow theirs? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

F40 -- NOT beautiful
Enzo -- WAY not beautiful (excluding P4/5 -- THAT I find sexy!)
Carrera GT -- PLEASE leave the top on!
Countach -- Yeech, especially with those godawful US bumpers

Would I own these cars? Hell yes! I love them all, especially the F40!!

Porsches have kind of the same thing happening for me. I may not be knocked out by sheer beauty, but I am drawn to them nonetheless. The Cayman S I had was a fantastic car, and I loved the look, albeit in a different way than I would say, a 60's Ferrari. They're kind of like the low maintenance, fairly average-looking girl that you, for reasons unknown, just can't get out of your head. I always enjoyed that. Anyway, I can't and won't knock Porsche, but I am not in a position to be able to have both, so I made my choice, and I'm extremely happy! When I can have both, I probably will.

 

Cayman owner here. Two things:

1) I love my car and it does everything well. It's not the most powerful, not the fastest, but it's more than enough for me. It's as sweet a driver, as the 356 S90 that was my first Porsche. It's my everyday, do everything car. My hope is to hand it off to one of my sons or grandsons.

2) That said... I want a 430, a 458, a 612, a 997TTS, a GT3 and an R8. They're so many fine cars....

 

Oops...meant to say please leave the top off...

 

It's just a boring design to me....Frankly not many cars look good to me any more.......Exotics should be low and super-wide...

Remember the 930? Testarossa? GT40? Lambo Diablo....Now we have these BS rounded designs....It just sucks to me...

I had a friend by a brand new Cayman S, I drove it and yes it handled nice but not much power.....He traded it within a year for a used 996TT RUF...He's much happier now...

 

Porsche is the wife, and Ferrari is the mistress that takes all of your extra money. We all know that. Loved my 996 and miss it's eery reliability, but wouldn't go back in time and change anything. My 355 engine going poop is actually the best thing that ever happened to me, in ways that most will never know. One day I will definitely have another P, but will go for at least the 911 C2. Boxster/Cayman stigma kinda turns me off, and if Porsche is still doing things the same as in 2003 or so, the Boxster and Boxster S had weird cheap plastic interior parts that looked like the 911 interior but were far inferior in quality/construction. Also the tranny on the two I drove felt like they were from a Toyota. If you want a Porsche, get a bad-a$s one, not the compromised model. I remember reading articles at the time of the Boxster release that stated Porsche had to produce the "model for the masses" otherwise they would go under.

Just more pointless rambling on a car forum... Hope we all had a good New Year's Day,
I know I did.

 

Awww, you beat me to it! BTW your buddy Gary just rebuilt my heads, and I'm anxiously awaiting a drive!

 

Other figures:
http://www.fastestlaps.com/tracks/nordschleife.html

Porsche Cayman S
8:11.00

Ferrari F355
8:13.00

But the Gayman was driven by Walter Röhrl.

 

I'm convinced that anyone that buys a car based on published lap times of the Nürburgring doesn't know how to drive.

 

Not many out there like Walter Röhrl, but as a manufacturer you can sell sportscars if you pass the Sport Auto 'Supertest' well. At least here in Europe.

 

+1

 

Glad to see that vanity is just as prevalent on that side of the pond as it is here.

Gruß.

 

Sure
See, fast guys like Walter never buy cars. They get them for free.

 

I see, your more into the older classic looking cars. Thats cool, i just take offense when people dis wonderful machines which a cayman is. Yes its a weaker motor then the big boy 911 but thats porsches fault for not trying to get the cayman to its full potential.

 

Good point, I think if they let the engineers have their way you would see a Cayman taking over the 911 in a heartbeat, but the marketing guys know better than to alienate their 911 core. Better chassis and design, so you de-compensate in this case by limiting power.

 

There have been talks of other Porsche models taking over the old 911 before. Let's see, 944, 928, 968 ... and they have always failed. The old 911 lives on. The Panamera looks very much like a 911 stretched to accommodate 2 more seats.

 

Totally agree.

 

No problem, your gonna definately see bias because this is a Ferrari forum...


These guys like their Fcars, I'm sure if they talked about Ferraris on a Porsche website you'd see the same reaction....

Take care

 

As a longtime Porsche owner (and I just bought a 2010 Cayman S), I really enjoy spending more time on this board than various Porsche fora as I respect the knowledge and enthusiasm of the members here. Only rarely do posts degenerate into an "Us vs Them" free for all. This is a great community.

I cross-shopped the 355 for a bit and settled on the Cayman - not because one is better than the other, but for simply the reason that a Cayman is the right car for this stage in my car ownership career. I have no doubt I'll own an F-car someday, but for now I'm really enjoying the Cayman. It's plenty fast for the streets I drive on, and the reliability should be pretty good. Not to mention that its a BLAST to drive. I've owned a bunch of 911's and different sports cars and this one is at the top for fun factor.

All that being said, it will NEVER, EVER evoke the same kind of emotion as a 355, and forget about the Cayman eliciting any kind of public response if that's your thing. As has been said before, you want a reliable quasi-daily driver that is fun to drive? Get a Cayman/Boxster/911, etc...If you want to drive something that is an event - get a Ferrari.

Here's a pic of my Cayman (the suspension has settled down a bit, but it still needs to be 1" lower)
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

First off the Cayman (987C) is an evolution of the 986S Porsche Boxster S. I’ve have mine for over 10 yrs and it’s an awesome car to drive and it handles like a real performer at it’s near limits with total control. I have not driven any new Boxster or Cayman hence the experience would be more less the same; just a tad better/faster. Yes, the Cayman S does have better handling, HP and overall styling but, the overall platform is the same, mid-engine flat-6 with good front/rear weight bias and gobs of stopping power and awesome handling.

For me it’s about the mid-engine driving experience! I drive my 986S everyday to work and back and it’s always a blast thru the twisty roads early in the morning with next to no traffic. Pushing the car even further with the PCA DE (Porsche Club Drivers Education) is even better if available in your area. We have TWS and if you have not been to such and event with your Porsche or any other car than I don’t know how you can claim your experience being better or worse with either cars? This is the only place where you can truly find enjoyment with any car the way it was designed. To be raced on a race track! The advantage of a controlled environment is to learn what the car can do at it’s limits which one should never do on open public roads. I know I do and I know a lot of you do as well. It’s just our nature being a sports car enthusiast to drive fast any chance we get on any giving road.

I purchased a 1999 355 F1 Berlinetta a few years back and drive it mostly when I want to go beyond my Porsche 986S limit, which is often. Forget the styling and sound (Tubi Exhaust on the 355 & Supersprint on the 986S) of either of these cars and focus on what can be achieved from a point of performance and you will be most satisfied with the Ferrari 355! I jump back and forth from one to the other and it always impresses me how well build the 986S! As for power well a 3.5L V8 just can’t compare to a flat-6. They both have different qualities in the sense of performance. Hands down the 355F1 is an experience in it own, add the pininfarina styling and rosso corsa and that just makes it better. As for speed the Ferrari is just faster all the way around. Not sure how much faster the new Cayman S is compared to the 15yr old design but, for the price you might want to also consider a Lamborghini Gallardo as prices are way down and offer more performance with a bit of weight which I don’t care for. But, worth a look.

If you are serious about your cars either one will cost you at the dealership! Some more then others but, you will always have repair cost on various items! The Porsche will be a bit cheaper but, not enough to justify which one to get. Find a friend that has one and let him take you for a ride to help in your search for what you need to be happy with.

Which is better? Watch the ALMS race for 2011 and see for yourself! They will have Lamborghini in the mix this year.

Remember if your not driving it, it’s no better if it’s a Porsche or Ferrari!

Ciao,

SRR

 

Very nice car Jason and a great daily driver!