Very tempted to buy a new Cayman

My first Porsche was a Cayman S. My second was a 911S. I lost the 911 in a flood and though about going back to a Cayman again. After having a 911 for a year and getting back into a Cayman I couldn't deal with the loss of power. I bought another 911S. If you want a Cayman don't spend anytime in a 911.

 

I had an 07 cayman S and loved it. Compared it to a few 911s and still went with the CS. The new generation is so good that I really don't care about new 911s at all. I think you're right about the size and feel.

 

new Cayman, PDK with paddles, perfect city sports car IMO.

if you can hold out for a year you can probably get a CPO car for a $10k+ discount though...

 

The Cayman is probably one of the best sports cars being made, particularly for the real world. I wish it had more power, but how often do you use all those ponies on public roads?

But, you need to drive one before diving off the deep end. It is a sports car, not a GT. I drove one as a daily driver for three years. My current daily driver is a LS 460. Does that tell you something? Yeah, it is really cool to romp on gas when you're doing 70 in 7th and feel that PDK drop down to 3rd and then start up shifting as you zoom toward triple digits. But if you spend most of your time going straight on the super slab, the corn cob ride can get old.

Cars are like golf clubs. You need to use the right club for the right shot.

Dale

 

I think of the Cayman as the GT version of a sports car (Boxster), but good point. if you need a cushy GT car ride you might want to look elsewhere.

 

Comes down to if you want a 2 seater vs a 4 seater. My kids loved my 997, now I have a boxster and I can only take one of them at a time. Still have the Ferrari, so we all go as a family in that car. A 911S will always be alil sweeter than any Cayman, but the new models do look so good for the money!

 

What he said.

I drove the new Boxster S with PDK, and it's probably more car than any of us would ever need, especially for the street. The Cayman has much more usable luggage space, so you could actually drive it every day.

Problem with the new Cayman is it will take a while for production to catch up to demand, so if you buy now you will take it on the chin with depreciation. Not the base car so much as any options, which seem not to hold value all that well.

 

I've been using an 07 Cayman S for 4 years as my beater. I take it to Walmart and the track. I've taken it on long trips. It will swallow a surprising amount of cargo. The car is a joy in every situation. It's even fun just rolling around in a parking lot. 911s don't appeal to me. They do not have the nimbleness and balance that Boxsters and Caymans have. Many porschephiles believe the Cayman is Porsche's best car. But it is also the worst seller. I have my eye on the new Cayman and will try to test drive one pretty soon. It might be the last sports car I buy new.

Dave

 

My Cayman was an '07 S. I agree it handles better than the 911. For street driving though the 911 was more fun for me. The way you can slide a 911 around corners and power out of them is a lot of fun.

 

After a 996/911 as a DD, I had an 07 Cayman. The Cayman trunk space was much better than the 911 (I actually was able to fit my road bike in the rear compartment), but there were times I could've used the extra seats even for short trips with multi-passengers. Its power was sufficient for US roads and its handling balance was significantly better than its rear-engined relative. One downside, which ultimately led me to selling it, was the road noise in PNW freeways. This may not be an issue with you; I've just become more sensitive to it from exposure to loud race cars over the years. Besides, the new generation Caymans seem to be roomier and quieter. I say go for it...if you can live with depreciation and lack of extra seats. For a DD, I would tend to go with the 09+ 911 PDK.

 

For an everyday car a new Cayman S or Boxster S is tough to beat. Personally, I'd take one over a 991. I have a 2008 6spd Boxster RS60 which is a lot of fun. I recently got to use a new 981S for 4 days, and put nearly 600 miles on it. I've never been very interested in PDK, I drove an early one, but its much better in the newer cars. I've toyed with the idea of an air cooled 911 for a while, but after 4 days with a 981S...I've had second thoughts about 911s. Having something that's new, and has lots of modern conveniences, great handling, and can be used everyday does make a 981S a very appealing option. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

The Porsche dealer gave me a Boxster S w/pdk to drive while my 991s w/7mt was in for its 20k mile service. It was a fun car, but I would not want to own one over a 911 and the pdk gearbox just doesn't seen right to me in a sports car.

 

i drove both the new Box s and Cayman S and both were amazing on public roads and I would image they will be great on the track also. Other than getting an exotic like Ferrari that has the WOW and rare factor, the porsches are all anyone really need in a sport car. Plus the new 981s are very comfortable and easy to drive.

 

Definitely get PASM. I have it on my 08 Boxster RS60, and its even better with the new suspension. My car has 19's and overall its a very good ride & handling is great, but on choppy roads the ride can get a little rough. The 981S I drove had 20s & PASM and its was far superior. The handling was sensational, and yet it could soak up bumps with losing its composure even on larger wheels.

 

One more comment about the PDK, drive it in the auto mode. You'll never get the full benefit of the dual clutch if you use the flippers. The way it was explained to me is the car constantly "watches" you. So when you start lifting off the gas, the PDK starts guessing that you want to down shift and grabs a lower gear. Or say you're doing 70 in 7th and punch it to pass, as soon as you start pushing the pedal down, the PDK senses that you want to go and grabs 3rd (not 6th, 5th, 4th) and then starts up shifting as you hit the red line in each gear. And all you have to do is punch it. Try it. It is amazing. In three years of driving, the PDK never once guessed wrong.

It is even more fun on the track. My legs are too long for left-foot braking, but I have been told that you can even do trail braking in the full auto mode.

Dale

 

If you decide to go new I suggest ordering one.

I ordered both my 997.2 and my Cayenne diesel to get them exactly the way I wanted.

It is very fulfilling to take delivery of a new car that is built exactly for you!

 

I love Porsche's mid engine cars. (I've had a 2003 Boxster S since '07).

The one thing I couldn't understand is why they would mess up the fender with a huge seam where there wasn't one before. For me, it kills the coolness of the new scoop.
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Drive one a few hundred and that seem will be the last thing on your mind. As a fellow Boxster owner( an '08) who drove a 981s for 4 days I can honestly say its a fantastic car that is drastically better than any previous Boxster. I saw the seem in photos, but during my time driving the Boxster it never mattered to me. I was just wowed in terms of driving and looks. My main complaint is the switch gear seems sort of Audi-ish, and the placement of buttons is better on the prior generation. You have to take your eyes off the road to see some button on the transmission tunnel that are ahead of the shifter. That being said the 981 is a fantastic car.

 

I agree the size of the new Boxster and Cayman are much more appealing to me than the 991. They look great on the road .... never driven one though.

 

That's a great quote.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Test drove the new Cayman S with PDK on Saturday. FANTASTIC!!! I used to have a 2005 Boxster S (6 Speed Manual) which I bought new and loved. The newest Boxster and Cayman are, for me, a huge improvement, aesthetically, and really do appeal to me more than the 911 series. In fact, my wife and I only briefly looked at a 911 at the dealership, because she liked the color. For me, it's all about the pure sports car, 2 seat, nimble feel. In my mind, the Cayman is the ultimate go-kart, and beyond that, a modern day Dino. I say buy it!!! Btw, it took me a minute to get used to the functionality of the PDK and, ultimately, I really liked it. I'll go that way this time around.

 

I'm just glad they've finally gotten to a proper paddle set up for the steering wheel.

The old PDK/tiptronic steering wheels with the +/- buttons on both sides were terrible.