Cayman R, Boxster Spyder, 981 Cayman S or 997 Turbo?
Discussion
I will be looking to change my car (E90 M3) at some point later this year and I'm currently leaning towards buying my first Porsche. Budget will be around £40-45k. I would want a modern car so not really looking at 964 or 993s. I have therefore narrowed my Porsche choices down to either;
Cayman R
Boxster Spyder
981 Cayman S
or 997 Turbo
Other non-Porsche options on my list are
AM Vantage V8
Audi R8
Ferrari 360 (although I think these will be out of budget by the end of the year)
BMW F10 M5
Jaguar XFR
If it was your money which one of these would you buy and why? Or would there be any other suggestions (I'm not really interested in a GT-R)?
If I do buy a Porsche (or another 2 seater or 2+2) I will be buying a cheapish practical runaround as well for family duties. Obviously if I go for the M5 or XFR I will run just one car.
Cayman R
Boxster Spyder
981 Cayman S
or 997 Turbo
Other non-Porsche options on my list are
AM Vantage V8
Audi R8
Ferrari 360 (although I think these will be out of budget by the end of the year)
BMW F10 M5
Jaguar XFR
If it was your money which one of these would you buy and why? Or would there be any other suggestions (I'm not really interested in a GT-R)?
If I do buy a Porsche (or another 2 seater or 2+2) I will be buying a cheapish practical runaround as well for family duties. Obviously if I go for the M5 or XFR I will run just one car.
Edited by TheHound on Saturday 31st January 20:20
All very different cars. I would look at the Cayman over the Boxster as dynamically it is better. a newer 981 S will have more value to lose over the CR. Personally I'd shortlist the CR or Turbo.. All depends what you want to drive. The CR is newer with better PCM but slower, in reality the CR is more than adequate and will probably beat a turbo round the bends.
I've just sold a 997.2 GT3 for a CR and I must say I'm thoroughly enjoying it....
The decision is all about raw power... or handling finesse
I've just sold a 997.2 GT3 for a CR and I must say I'm thoroughly enjoying it....
The decision is all about raw power... or handling finesse
Fish...Thanks for your comments and it's very interesting that you're really enjoying the CR given you have just come from a GT3, that is a massive compliment to the CR.
Itsbtsy... I appreciate that my list is quite varied and the honest answer is I am not 100% sure what I exactley want from my next car. However to give you an idea, it will do about 6k p.a (if a 2 seater or 2+2) and I will use it most days as my daily. It will get a weekly blast down the country lanes and I may also do 1-2 track days a year. I love both straight line speed and accelaration but also want something thats going to be good fun round the bends.
Although I am not particularly bothered about the car being a head turner for the general public, I would like a car that I can look back on admire when park up, as silly as that is. I also like the idea of having the best model in the range.
The 997 turbo appeals to me as it is one of the fastest real world car around and to some extent I like the extra security that AWD offers especially with circa 500bhp. To me the 997 Turbo is also the best looking modern 911, apart from maybe the 991 GT3.
The Cayman R is obviously the halo model in the 987 range and whilst not as fast as the 997 in a straight line it is still more than adequate. Also as Fish said there probably isn't much in it in the bends on a dry day.
The Boxster Spyder offers the open air experience but as I understand doesn't lose that much dynamism against the R as a result. Plus it is one hell of a good looking thing.
All three of the above probably won't lose me that much in deprecation over the net few years. Whilst this isn't the driving factor for my choice it would be pretty nice to get some "free" or cheap motoring from whatever car I buy.
The 981 S is again a fine looking machine and the obvious benfeit with this option is it will be a much new car. However will take a huge hit depreciation wise and will probably be the most common of the porsche choices. Out of the 4 porsche options this is probably at the bottom of my list.
The R8, AM and Ferrari would be event cars and whilst the AM and R8 would be fine as daily's the Ferrari wouldn't work on this basis and this coupled with the likely appreciation over the next several months means that I will probably have to rule this one out.
The two super salooons appeal as I would only need to run one car (whether this actually a benefit or not is debatable), they certainly offer staright line speed and also a level of comfort/lucury the others don't. I think if i did choose one of these it would be very much a head decsion.
At the moment it really is the Porsche choices that appeal to my heart but just don't know which one I would go for. The obvious answer is to test each of them back to back but in reality that may not be the easiest thing to do.
Itsbtsy... I appreciate that my list is quite varied and the honest answer is I am not 100% sure what I exactley want from my next car. However to give you an idea, it will do about 6k p.a (if a 2 seater or 2+2) and I will use it most days as my daily. It will get a weekly blast down the country lanes and I may also do 1-2 track days a year. I love both straight line speed and accelaration but also want something thats going to be good fun round the bends.
Although I am not particularly bothered about the car being a head turner for the general public, I would like a car that I can look back on admire when park up, as silly as that is. I also like the idea of having the best model in the range.
The 997 turbo appeals to me as it is one of the fastest real world car around and to some extent I like the extra security that AWD offers especially with circa 500bhp. To me the 997 Turbo is also the best looking modern 911, apart from maybe the 991 GT3.
The Cayman R is obviously the halo model in the 987 range and whilst not as fast as the 997 in a straight line it is still more than adequate. Also as Fish said there probably isn't much in it in the bends on a dry day.
The Boxster Spyder offers the open air experience but as I understand doesn't lose that much dynamism against the R as a result. Plus it is one hell of a good looking thing.
All three of the above probably won't lose me that much in deprecation over the net few years. Whilst this isn't the driving factor for my choice it would be pretty nice to get some "free" or cheap motoring from whatever car I buy.
The 981 S is again a fine looking machine and the obvious benfeit with this option is it will be a much new car. However will take a huge hit depreciation wise and will probably be the most common of the porsche choices. Out of the 4 porsche options this is probably at the bottom of my list.
The R8, AM and Ferrari would be event cars and whilst the AM and R8 would be fine as daily's the Ferrari wouldn't work on this basis and this coupled with the likely appreciation over the next several months means that I will probably have to rule this one out.
The two super salooons appeal as I would only need to run one car (whether this actually a benefit or not is debatable), they certainly offer staright line speed and also a level of comfort/lucury the others don't. I think if i did choose one of these it would be very much a head decsion.
At the moment it really is the Porsche choices that appeal to my heart but just don't know which one I would go for. The obvious answer is to test each of them back to back but in reality that may not be the easiest thing to do.
I also sold my GT3 to get a Cayman R :-)
The thing is we all have lists and we all choose what we like.
So we will all say what we drive because that's what we choose.
I would say Spyder on one day Cayman R on another and Turbo (Gen 2) on another, and I own 2 of those 3 anyway.
All I can say is the 981 would be last in your list, that's not to say it's a bad car, just not a car I would want.
I would like a Aston N420 though as a daily run about for a bit or a R8 V10 plus as long as the Spyder can stay.
But for just 1 car, the Cayman R rules.
The thing is we all have lists and we all choose what we like.
So we will all say what we drive because that's what we choose.
I would say Spyder on one day Cayman R on another and Turbo (Gen 2) on another, and I own 2 of those 3 anyway.
All I can say is the 981 would be last in your list, that's not to say it's a bad car, just not a car I would want.
I would like a Aston N420 though as a daily run about for a bit or a R8 V10 plus as long as the Spyder can stay.
But for just 1 car, the Cayman R rules.
Edited by PorscheGT4 on Sunday 1st February 00:03
I'm looking at one of the first two myself, leaning towards the Spyder rather than the Cayman R because I wouldn't use either as a daily driver and the Boxster is just more special. I'm also interested in the 981 Boxster Spyder this year if they make a new roof for it.
One thing I've noticed is that everybody who has owned either car really seems to regret selling it:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
One thing I've noticed is that everybody who has owned either car really seems to regret selling it:
HollywoodStig said:
Boxster Spyder, White (naturally) with PDK box - Ran one for 6mts & 7k before my GT3 RS, I may actually have preferred it!?... Mega car and I REALLY miss it :0(
from this thread:http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
If it was down to me then it would either be a Spyder (own one and not likely to get rid for a long time) or the Cayman R. Not driven a 997 Turbo but the driving involvement (from what I have read) is not as good as the Cayman/Spyder. Fantastic missile but you have to be going scarily fast to enjoy it.
As an aside, I had a deposits down for the new Exige V6 (long story but whipped away my deposit) and bought the Spyder instead. However an Exige V6 is now in £45k category if you want to add another to your list
However glad I got the Spyder as the residuals in the Exige will go down but the Spyder will go up.
George
As an aside, I had a deposits down for the new Exige V6 (long story but whipped away my deposit) and bought the Spyder instead. However an Exige V6 is now in £45k category if you want to add another to your list
However glad I got the Spyder as the residuals in the Exige will go down but the Spyder will go up.George
Edited by douglasgdmw on Sunday 1st February 11:12
I am a bit biased, but I was in a similar position a few months back and decided on a Spyder. I understand about the rigidity of the hard top etc, but I have a W212 facelift E Class I use daily so I am super cosseted day to day for commuting or days out with the family. Its such an easy steer.
I have always loved lightweight cars and have always wanted an open top car but didn't want to compromise on the stiffness of the chassis. A contradiction I know but as the Boxster is designed from the outset as a roofless car, I have to say I haven't noticed any flex on the road although the tyres don't exactly warm up in this weather to push it in corners. Having driven other convertibles, there isn't any flex under normal driving.
All of them sound good, but I guess if lots of GT3 owners are saying the R and Spyder is almost as good it must be. Not had the pleasure of steering such machines as of yet. Main thing about the CR and Boxster is that they are small cars on the road. I drove a 458 on some B roads and it does take a lot of space so you may be reluctant to push on in a similarly sized car such as the R8.
Give it a drive. Certainly can't beat the sound of the flat 6 with the exhaust on & roof off despite 2-3 degree weather!
I have always loved lightweight cars and have always wanted an open top car but didn't want to compromise on the stiffness of the chassis. A contradiction I know but as the Boxster is designed from the outset as a roofless car, I have to say I haven't noticed any flex on the road although the tyres don't exactly warm up in this weather to push it in corners. Having driven other convertibles, there isn't any flex under normal driving.
All of them sound good, but I guess if lots of GT3 owners are saying the R and Spyder is almost as good it must be. Not had the pleasure of steering such machines as of yet. Main thing about the CR and Boxster is that they are small cars on the road. I drove a 458 on some B roads and it does take a lot of space so you may be reluctant to push on in a similarly sized car such as the R8.
Give it a drive. Certainly can't beat the sound of the flat 6 with the exhaust on & roof off despite 2-3 degree weather!
jayxx83 said:
but I guess if lots of GT3 owners are saying the R and Spyder is almost as good it must be
Spyder - very good car and was good value for money when i bought mine (i don't think they represent as gvfm now). GT3 - Best car i have driven/owned. If you had both cars in the garage the Spyder wouldn't get a look in.
Out of the cars on the list i'd be tempted by the M5 or a manual 997.1 turbo with 2yrs warranty
Edited by Phooey on Sunday 1st February 11:55
PorscheGT4 said:
Phooey said:
GT3 - Best car i have driven/owned. If you had both cars in the garage the Spyder wouldn't get a look in.
I did have both cars in my garage :-p, the GT3 did not get a look in so it went :-)I still have the Spyder 4 years on.
Phooey said:
Spyder - very good car and was good value for money when i bought mine (i don't think they represent as gvfm now).
GT3 - Best car i have driven/owned. If you had both cars in the garage the Spyder wouldn't get a look in.
Out of the cars on the list i'd be tempted by the M5 or a manual 997.1 turbo with 2yrs warranty
Your Spyder is one car I wish I'd never sold. Awesome spec and stupidly cheap at the time. Have to agree I think the GT3 was the more involving car to drive. GT3 - Best car i have driven/owned. If you had both cars in the garage the Spyder wouldn't get a look in.
Out of the cars on the list i'd be tempted by the M5 or a manual 997.1 turbo with 2yrs warranty
M5's are such good value, I'd love one. But for overall ability combined with great residuals I'd go with the 997 turbo.
The above posts are all very worthy cases for each car. I have owned most of the above including M cars and a F355. I have had many normally aspirated 911s and a Boxster thrown in for the Mrs but my 997 Turbo brings a smile to my face in ways that the others couldn't.
It is all subjective depending on what car you lust after but I like the all round ability coupled to reasonable running costs plus the awsome acceleration of the 997 turbo. It suits my personal needs but might not suit you sir!
I think the bottom line is that each car on your list will be a pleasure to own and drive. Good luck choosing - it's a nice dilemma to have. 😄
It is all subjective depending on what car you lust after but I like the all round ability coupled to reasonable running costs plus the awsome acceleration of the 997 turbo. It suits my personal needs but might not suit you sir!
I think the bottom line is that each car on your list will be a pleasure to own and drive. Good luck choosing - it's a nice dilemma to have. 😄
I'd go R8 or 997T out of the list. R8 is a proper everyday supercar as far as I'm concerned and as it's not ridiculously powerful you can open it up the whole time without going too fast. 997T is one I want to tick off too, just to know that you can smoke almost any other car on the planet.
Thanks all for your comments. Its good to hear so much love for the Spyder and Cayman R (as well a few for the M5).
My fear is if I was to chose one of those two, would I regret not getting into the Turbo but by the sound of it, it would be the other way round.
Given the other thread about finidng a decent Cayman R, it's probably a good idea if I start keeping my eye out for one now, even if my planned purchase is 7-8 months away.
Now to work out if I want a fixed roof or not as well as my 'essential' spec and the would likes. Decisions, Decisions!
My fear is if I was to chose one of those two, would I regret not getting into the Turbo but by the sound of it, it would be the other way round.
Given the other thread about finidng a decent Cayman R, it's probably a good idea if I start keeping my eye out for one now, even if my planned purchase is 7-8 months away.
Now to work out if I want a fixed roof or not as well as my 'essential' spec and the would likes. Decisions, Decisions!
TheHound said:
Given the other thread about finidng a decent Cayman R, it's probably a good idea if I start keeping my eye out for one now, even if my planned purchase is 7-8 months away.
Now to work out if I want a fixed roof or not as well as my 'essential' spec and the would likes. Decisions, Decisions!
I believe that's a great timeframe to buy one of these cars.Now to work out if I want a fixed roof or not as well as my 'essential' spec and the would likes. Decisions, Decisions!
The 981 GT4 and new Spyder are just around the corner so some people might offload their CRs/Spyders this spring. The price for both should (in my opinion) bottom out in the next few months if it hasn't already.
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