Cayman S vs. Cayman R
Discussion
Just to confirm Cmoose and Beanoir's thoughts. The SP Autobahn car is/was mine. The pictures are cracking right enough - I've downloaded them myself for posterity ;-)
SP serviced the car in my ownership and I knew they also sold cars when the spot ones they like so they were one of the traders/dealers I spoke to in the process of selling my car. I think (lack of) warranty/private sale/locale were making the sale difficult for me to achieve and SP are that much closer to population centres, are a trader and offer a warranty. Although good old Murphy exercised his law and I had 2 enquiries the day I was heading to SP to complete the deal!
SP serviced the car in my ownership and I knew they also sold cars when the spot ones they like so they were one of the traders/dealers I spoke to in the process of selling my car. I think (lack of) warranty/private sale/locale were making the sale difficult for me to achieve and SP are that much closer to population centres, are a trader and offer a warranty. Although good old Murphy exercised his law and I had 2 enquiries the day I was heading to SP to complete the deal!
Jumping on this for shameless R plugging as I'm selling mine.
I researched these in terms of options and residuals and concluded the best would be the focused driver's spec, so carbon buckets, manual, sports chrono and exhaust.
Then discovered that left me with around only 40 cars in the UK...so when one came up at Porsche Glasgow that also had full PCM with nav etc. I paid a deposit on the phone, jumped on a plane and drove it home to the Midlands.
Simply fantastic car, and prices are strengthening, not dropping. You could buy, use for a year and make a profit if market continues.
However I've suddenly decided to sell as I also had an M3 CSL that I sold two weeks ago and it's GT3 o'clock...
I researched these in terms of options and residuals and concluded the best would be the focused driver's spec, so carbon buckets, manual, sports chrono and exhaust.
Then discovered that left me with around only 40 cars in the UK...so when one came up at Porsche Glasgow that also had full PCM with nav etc. I paid a deposit on the phone, jumped on a plane and drove it home to the Midlands.
Simply fantastic car, and prices are strengthening, not dropping. You could buy, use for a year and make a profit if market continues.
However I've suddenly decided to sell as I also had an M3 CSL that I sold two weeks ago and it's GT3 o'clock...
Pookster said:
However I've suddenly decided to sell as I also had an M3 CSL that I sold two weeks ago and it's GT3 o'clock...
Interesting - which did you prefer (I've just bought one and can't decide - incredibly similar IMO)?Good luck with the sale of your R - the white one that's just popped up on PH I guess?
Pagoda1966 said:
Pookster said:
However I've suddenly decided to sell as I also had an M3 CSL that I sold two weeks ago and it's GT3 o'clock...
Interesting - which did you prefer (I've just bought one and can't decide - incredibly similar IMO)?Good luck with the sale of your R - the white one that's just popped up on PH I guess?
Cayman R much more competent and modern, good at everything, fantastic steering, ultimately faster
Had CSL four years, was just time to try something else. Only had R about 5 months, just suddenly want a GT3
This sort of thing is pretty hard to gain any real insight. The problem is that it's difficult for somebody who either has an S or has an R to be truly objective about what the best option is. However, with that strong bias in mind, here are my thoughts on the R experience.
I'm the sort of chap who changes his car every 2 years or so, sometimes more often than that. My first Porsche was a 911 GTS, which I absolutely loved. It was a brilliant all round package and I used it a hell of a lot.
Whilst I was deciding what Porsche I was going to get, I tried pretty much everything. And they were all nice enough but nothing really tugged at the heartstrings or felt particularly brilliant, until I tried the GTS at Silverstone. They were all just nice cars.
When I test drove the R however, the thing I found amazing was the pace and composure at high speed. It just seemed so expertly judged for our local roads and of course the odd track day. Then I bought one and had buyer's regret as I felt that the GTS was actually the better car. But over time my view has changed. The CR is a very well-judged road car. The buckets are very comfy but also hold you brilliantly in place for track days. The steering whilst not quite as talkative as the one in the GTS is still simply brilliant especially so when compared to the first attempts Porcshe had at EPAS.
The point I'm making is that the Cayman R is a special car in a way that a standard S is not. Yes you can make the S into a great car and perhaps better than an R but it will never be an R. The R is just a better car than a std S, not by much perhaps, granted but if you like driving, it's a large enough difference to notice. I love my R, it's one of the last truly analogue Porsches. It's still modern enough not to be utterly irritating on the inside and it delivers a simply stunning driving experience. I've had my R since new (4years) it's done 13,000mls and it's simply spot on for what I look for in a car. It really comes alive on track, I think a few people have been surprised by my little Porsche but it is a fantastic ownership and driving experience but as others have said a test drive is never going to be enough, it takes a while to get under your skin but when it does, you'll not want for anything else. I often think about getting something else but everytime I get out of the R, after a good drive, I think why would I want anything else? The car is just so well rounded and has all the elements that make a truly great drivers car.
I'm the sort of chap who changes his car every 2 years or so, sometimes more often than that. My first Porsche was a 911 GTS, which I absolutely loved. It was a brilliant all round package and I used it a hell of a lot.
Whilst I was deciding what Porsche I was going to get, I tried pretty much everything. And they were all nice enough but nothing really tugged at the heartstrings or felt particularly brilliant, until I tried the GTS at Silverstone. They were all just nice cars.
When I test drove the R however, the thing I found amazing was the pace and composure at high speed. It just seemed so expertly judged for our local roads and of course the odd track day. Then I bought one and had buyer's regret as I felt that the GTS was actually the better car. But over time my view has changed. The CR is a very well-judged road car. The buckets are very comfy but also hold you brilliantly in place for track days. The steering whilst not quite as talkative as the one in the GTS is still simply brilliant especially so when compared to the first attempts Porcshe had at EPAS.
The point I'm making is that the Cayman R is a special car in a way that a standard S is not. Yes you can make the S into a great car and perhaps better than an R but it will never be an R. The R is just a better car than a std S, not by much perhaps, granted but if you like driving, it's a large enough difference to notice. I love my R, it's one of the last truly analogue Porsches. It's still modern enough not to be utterly irritating on the inside and it delivers a simply stunning driving experience. I've had my R since new (4years) it's done 13,000mls and it's simply spot on for what I look for in a car. It really comes alive on track, I think a few people have been surprised by my little Porsche but it is a fantastic ownership and driving experience but as others have said a test drive is never going to be enough, it takes a while to get under your skin but when it does, you'll not want for anything else. I often think about getting something else but everytime I get out of the R, after a good drive, I think why would I want anything else? The car is just so well rounded and has all the elements that make a truly great drivers car.
Hi J-P,
Thanks for the insight! Glad to know that the R stacks up against a 911 GTS. Part of me would quite like to jump straight into a 911 but I don't really have need for the rear seats currently and have a very small garage so the Cayman seems like a more sensible option! The width will probably come in handy on some of the Scottish roads too!
This will be my first Porsche and my first 'proper' sports car (I've had a Z4 Coupe and an ex-Academy Caterham previously but nothing with 300+ bhp before) so wanting to make sure that I get on well with it and don't find myself wanting to move it on within a few months!
Going to have a look at PaulD86's Peridot green car later today to get a feel for the colour in the flesh and the buckets so will have a bit more to go on! Found out yesterday that I'm still gainfully employed so perhaps need to just man up and get the deposit placed on the Stirling car ASAP!
Thanks for the insight! Glad to know that the R stacks up against a 911 GTS. Part of me would quite like to jump straight into a 911 but I don't really have need for the rear seats currently and have a very small garage so the Cayman seems like a more sensible option! The width will probably come in handy on some of the Scottish roads too!
This will be my first Porsche and my first 'proper' sports car (I've had a Z4 Coupe and an ex-Academy Caterham previously but nothing with 300+ bhp before) so wanting to make sure that I get on well with it and don't find myself wanting to move it on within a few months!
Going to have a look at PaulD86's Peridot green car later today to get a feel for the colour in the flesh and the buckets so will have a bit more to go on! Found out yesterday that I'm still gainfully employed so perhaps need to just man up and get the deposit placed on the Stirling car ASAP!
As an R owner I am no doubt biased, nevertheless I concur with J-Ps sentiments. Superb car on Highland roads. Many memorable drives, the road over the Lecht in particular springs to mind.
Recently got car serviced at OPC in Aberdeen and whilst I admired the new shiny metal, couldn't see anything that would put a bigger smile on my face. Well.....with the exception of a 911R being prepped for customer delivery the next day. What a fabulous, fabulous car.
Recently got car serviced at OPC in Aberdeen and whilst I admired the new shiny metal, couldn't see anything that would put a bigger smile on my face. Well.....with the exception of a 911R being prepped for customer delivery the next day. What a fabulous, fabulous car.
dirtbiker said:
Hi J-P,
Thanks for the insight! Glad to know that the R stacks up against a 911 GTS. Part of me would quite like to jump straight into a 911 but I don't really have need for the rear seats currently and have a very small garage so the Cayman seems like a more sensible option! The width will probably come in handy on some of the Scottish roads too!
This will be my first Porsche and my first 'proper' sports car (I've had a Z4 Coupe and an ex-Academy Caterham previously but nothing with 300+ bhp before) so wanting to make sure that I get on well with it and don't find myself wanting to move it on within a few months!
Going to have a look at PaulD86's Peridot green car later today to get a feel for the colour in the flesh and the buckets so will have a bit more to go on! Found out yesterday that I'm still gainfully employed so perhaps need to just man up and get the deposit placed on the Stirling car ASAP!
I think you'll be pleased with it. It's in a different league to the Z4 but clearly not as raw or exciting as Caterham. It is a great all rounder though - they have judged that passive suspension perfectly, you don't feel that you need to drive at 50mph + to iron out bumps in the road but it's still firm enough to give the sort of feedback and interaction an enthusiast driver really craves.Thanks for the insight! Glad to know that the R stacks up against a 911 GTS. Part of me would quite like to jump straight into a 911 but I don't really have need for the rear seats currently and have a very small garage so the Cayman seems like a more sensible option! The width will probably come in handy on some of the Scottish roads too!
This will be my first Porsche and my first 'proper' sports car (I've had a Z4 Coupe and an ex-Academy Caterham previously but nothing with 300+ bhp before) so wanting to make sure that I get on well with it and don't find myself wanting to move it on within a few months!
Going to have a look at PaulD86's Peridot green car later today to get a feel for the colour in the flesh and the buckets so will have a bit more to go on! Found out yesterday that I'm still gainfully employed so perhaps need to just man up and get the deposit placed on the Stirling car ASAP!
One thing I would say is though - buy the car that you really like. I wanted buckets, because I like them. I do agree with others that there is some evidence that cars without buckets hang around longer but in the context of owning a car for a few years, you should get what you feel are the best for your needs. Bucket seats, spyder alloys and PSE are ideal in terms of spec. Pretty much anything else can be added through Porsche T equipment, if you really want it.
Just to add to J-P's comments, some of us R owners have had the pleasure of also having been S owners, so provide comments from a slightly different angle.
In addition, much like J-P I also went a way down the route of test driving a GTS and an extended session in one at the PEC Silverstone. Nice car, but a different proposition to an R.
In addition, much like J-P I also went a way down the route of test driving a GTS and an extended session in one at the PEC Silverstone. Nice car, but a different proposition to an R.
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