Cayman S vs 997 S
Discussion
After dropping my 997 S for an Exige S, 9 months ago, I have of late, found myself missing the "relative" day-to-day practicality of the Porsche.
By that, I mean generally getting in and out, storage space/bins/glovebox and rough, back road comfort.
I see that second hand Cayman prices aren't too steep at the moment, but have been put off investigating further, by the tepid write ups they get from the press (ie: great chassis but lacking in power/urge compared to the 911's).
Before anyone tells me to go and test drive one, I would just be interested to hear the views of anyone who has gone from one to the other (911-Cayman, either way) and what the "real life" comparisons are?
By that, I mean generally getting in and out, storage space/bins/glovebox and rough, back road comfort.
I see that second hand Cayman prices aren't too steep at the moment, but have been put off investigating further, by the tepid write ups they get from the press (ie: great chassis but lacking in power/urge compared to the 911's).
Before anyone tells me to go and test drive one, I would just be interested to hear the views of anyone who has gone from one to the other (911-Cayman, either way) and what the "real life" comparisons are?
I tried a 996 C2 3.6 for 24hours before buying a Cayman 2.7. At the time they were both ~£40k. The Carrera felt like a fast BMW in comparison with the much more responsive & wieldy Cayman.
No-one calls a 210bhp Carrera 2.7, a 285bhp 993 or a 300bhp 930 underpowered. What they really mean is that the Cayman's chassis is so damned good it could take a whole lot more.
Go try one.
SS7
No-one calls a 210bhp Carrera 2.7, a 285bhp 993 or a 300bhp 930 underpowered. What they really mean is that the Cayman's chassis is so damned good it could take a whole lot more.
Go try one.
SS7
Well, my experience is limited to an extended Cayman S test drive and C2S ownership. But I also ran Boxsters over a couple of years.
I found the Cayman S an amazing machine, definitively a step up in terms of performance over my 986S which was a fantastic daily drive. Razor sharp handling that flatters the average driver like me. Still, I'd go for a Boxster S as it offers open top motoring for less money and virtually no downsides over the Cayman.
The C2S feels more powerful and also more "mature", as it's bigger and heavier. Getting to grips with the odd weight distribution and working it to your advantage can initially be a bit of a challenge but I found it highly rewarding. I also run it as a daily driver and it is completely faultless - as were my Boxsters.
In any case: enjoy
I found the Cayman S an amazing machine, definitively a step up in terms of performance over my 986S which was a fantastic daily drive. Razor sharp handling that flatters the average driver like me. Still, I'd go for a Boxster S as it offers open top motoring for less money and virtually no downsides over the Cayman.
The C2S feels more powerful and also more "mature", as it's bigger and heavier. Getting to grips with the odd weight distribution and working it to your advantage can initially be a bit of a challenge but I found it highly rewarding. I also run it as a daily driver and it is completely faultless - as were my Boxsters.
In any case: enjoy
http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-comparisons/24728...
This guy has first-hand ownership experience of both.
This guy has first-hand ownership experience of both.
I went from a standard S2 Exige to a Cayman S and dont regret it for a second.
I changed as I wanted a more practical car for long trips which could handle long distances and carry enough clobber for 2 people for a couple of weeks.
I also got a bit bored of trackdays so a car which I could still have fun in on a copule of track days a year was bonus.
The Cayman has more performance than the Exige, especially when the speed get over about 90 but you will probably notice this less given you have an 'S'.
As a general day to day car the Cayman is a far better car to live with. Loads of rooms, all the toys you need / want but it still feels like you are driving a sportscar as opposed to a BMW / Audi. I also love the fact that it feels so much more substantial than the Exige. You can really see and feel the quality of the engineering in the car.
Downsides? I will admit that I do miss the attention I got in the Lotus. The Cayman is almost annonymous in comparison.
Running costs are probably less in the Cayman then the Exige (especially if you are tracking the Lotus regularly) but take into account fuel costs and its the other way around. I miss pulling into a petrol station after a full afternoons driving and only having to put £40 in to fill it up.
If you intent to do a lot of trackdays you would probably be disappointed with the Porsche after an Exige S but if its for road use with the odd trackday each year its a brilliant car.
My profile sums up the Cayman well as far as I am concerned - 'just like a bigger faster and more refined Exige'
I changed as I wanted a more practical car for long trips which could handle long distances and carry enough clobber for 2 people for a couple of weeks.
I also got a bit bored of trackdays so a car which I could still have fun in on a copule of track days a year was bonus.
The Cayman has more performance than the Exige, especially when the speed get over about 90 but you will probably notice this less given you have an 'S'.
As a general day to day car the Cayman is a far better car to live with. Loads of rooms, all the toys you need / want but it still feels like you are driving a sportscar as opposed to a BMW / Audi. I also love the fact that it feels so much more substantial than the Exige. You can really see and feel the quality of the engineering in the car.
Downsides? I will admit that I do miss the attention I got in the Lotus. The Cayman is almost annonymous in comparison.
Running costs are probably less in the Cayman then the Exige (especially if you are tracking the Lotus regularly) but take into account fuel costs and its the other way around. I miss pulling into a petrol station after a full afternoons driving and only having to put £40 in to fill it up.
If you intent to do a lot of trackdays you would probably be disappointed with the Porsche after an Exige S but if its for road use with the odd trackday each year its a brilliant car.
My profile sums up the Cayman well as far as I am concerned - 'just like a bigger faster and more refined Exige'
Edited by Davey S2 on Tuesday 19th August 17:25
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