Drivig difference between Cayman and 911
Discussion
To those Cayman owners that also have good experience of a 911, is there much difference in the driving experience comparesd to a 996 or 997, and for the better or worse as a daily with some occasional country roads?
£30k budget and seriously tempted by 911 but would be gen 1, so would money be better in Gen 2 cayman? only need 2 seats.
A lot of the "Get a 911 as you will regret it otherswise", but would you really in a newer Cayman S?
£30k budget and seriously tempted by 911 but would be gen 1, so would money be better in Gen 2 cayman? only need 2 seats.
A lot of the "Get a 911 as you will regret it otherswise", but would you really in a newer Cayman S?
I've had 2 x 997.1's (C2S & GT3), now have a 981 CS and have driven a 991C2S.
This may be controversial, but if we are talking road driving only, IMHO unless you are really giving it the berries, the differences aren't that readily noticeable (although I didn't like the drive of a 996 C4S when I had my 7.1 C2S - felt wooden?).
Once you start to hammer into and out of tight corners or try to take sweeping curves at high speed, the handling differences then start to display themselves, but if seen doing it, you may well get banned?
It's an old adage, but you need to drive them yourself, no amount of feedback from here will help?
This may be controversial, but if we are talking road driving only, IMHO unless you are really giving it the berries, the differences aren't that readily noticeable (although I didn't like the drive of a 996 C4S when I had my 7.1 C2S - felt wooden?).
Once you start to hammer into and out of tight corners or try to take sweeping curves at high speed, the handling differences then start to display themselves, but if seen doing it, you may well get banned?
It's an old adage, but you need to drive them yourself, no amount of feedback from here will help?
I've owned a 987.1 Cayman S for almost 9 years. I've never owned a 911 but have driven four 996 and 997 models (996 C4S, 996TT, 997 C2, 997 C2S).
I'd say that a Cayman is more stable under braking, understeers less when driven in a conventional manner, turns in better than a 911. Steering weight is heavier too, and I thought the steering feel of the Cayman was nicer than the 997. The 911 models counters with better traction on corner exit and a deeper, gruffer engine note. The 4WD versions are more useable/quick everywhere but are less delicate in their delivery.
The Cayman is easy to get into the groove with, the 911 requires more thought in order to go quickly in it.
I was coming from an E46 M3 and a VX220 Turbo (sold both to get the Cayman S) and I preferred the Cayman's dynamics pretty decisively. But I can see what the fuss is about with the 911.
Hope it helps. Ideally do what I did and test drive two or three cars back-to-back at an OPC.
I'd say that a Cayman is more stable under braking, understeers less when driven in a conventional manner, turns in better than a 911. Steering weight is heavier too, and I thought the steering feel of the Cayman was nicer than the 997. The 911 models counters with better traction on corner exit and a deeper, gruffer engine note. The 4WD versions are more useable/quick everywhere but are less delicate in their delivery.
The Cayman is easy to get into the groove with, the 911 requires more thought in order to go quickly in it.
I was coming from an E46 M3 and a VX220 Turbo (sold both to get the Cayman S) and I preferred the Cayman's dynamics pretty decisively. But I can see what the fuss is about with the 911.
Hope it helps. Ideally do what I did and test drive two or three cars back-to-back at an OPC.
I've ever driven the 981 Caymans, as loaners, but I'm always happy to get my 997 back.
I like the faster PDK box and the sound of the 981. I find they feel a bit down on grunt compared to my 3.8 and that they make some strange road noise, presumably due to the rear hatch area.
I think I like the 'wrongness' of the 911's dynamics and a Cayman can't help with that.
I like the faster PDK box and the sound of the 981. I find they feel a bit down on grunt compared to my 3.8 and that they make some strange road noise, presumably due to the rear hatch area.
I think I like the 'wrongness' of the 911's dynamics and a Cayman can't help with that.
You are in the mid-engined section of the forum, so you are more likely to get support for the Cayman here. (And you'd get it from me too) It might be as well to ask the same question on the 911 section too, if you haven't already done so. You might get a different answer - certainly a different perspective.
For me jumping from one to the other, the Cayman/boxster chassis just feels alive where as in comparison the 997 just feels a touch clumsy old and numb, I bought the 911 after 6 month in a 3.2s Boxster as the 4 seats came in handy as the kids wanted to come out with us but never gelled with it from day 1 and quickly sold it,I decided to return to Pork last year and a 911 was never in the equation, I bought a Gen 2 Boxster unseen over the phone and It felt great from the first drive, on a spirited driving It really does hang on well in the corners and feels nicely balanced when playing on the limit. Im currently debating on trying the 991 to see if that feels any better but have to say I love the look of the latest Boxsters , I will need to drive both before I decide which way to jump but suspect it wont be the 911.
Edited by JeffC on Wednesday 18th February 17:57
If you do go Cayman see if you can stretch to a Cayman R. For the extra money you will have car that is a sure fire modern classic and may even not any lose any value going forward as there aren't many around. Peridot with PCCB, buckets and spyder wheels. With GT4 around the corner I expect a few to become available on the market soon. Perfect 
Nice figures Cmoose, I'm guessing it was the recession that killed off production.
I love my Cayman but if money were no object I'd be inclined to vote for the 911 on two simple things; power and looks.
The latter is subjective but the former is more substantial. The Cayman is only 320bhp and it does show from time to time, in fact just recently I got my arse handed to me by a new BMW M4, its been a while I've had a car pull away from me at such a rate of knots.
I love my Cayman but if money were no object I'd be inclined to vote for the 911 on two simple things; power and looks.
The latter is subjective but the former is more substantial. The Cayman is only 320bhp and it does show from time to time, in fact just recently I got my arse handed to me by a new BMW M4, its been a while I've had a car pull away from me at such a rate of knots.
SkinnyPete said:
Nice figures Cmoose, I'm guessing it was the recession that killed off production.
I love my Cayman but if money were no object I'd be inclined to vote for the 911 on two simple things; power and looks.
The latter is subjective but the former is more substantial. The Cayman is only 320bhp and it does show from time to time, in fact just recently I got my arse handed to me by a new BMW M4, its been a while I've had a car pull away from me at such a rate of knots.
On road you can't beat a a lightly fettled 911 turbo tbh. You literally leave everything this side of a Macca 650S standing in your wake . M3, M4, GTR etc etc just like they're standing still. I was cruising at 50mph the other day with a new M5 and we both gave it the beans in third. Wasn't funny how far he was left behind lol. Childish but I love it I love my Cayman but if money were no object I'd be inclined to vote for the 911 on two simple things; power and looks.
The latter is subjective but the former is more substantial. The Cayman is only 320bhp and it does show from time to time, in fact just recently I got my arse handed to me by a new BMW M4, its been a while I've had a car pull away from me at such a rate of knots.
You know what though who cares if the M4 left at such a rate of knots. Your is a far nicer steer
SkinnyPete said:
I love my Cayman but if money were no object I'd be inclined to vote for the 911 on two simple things; power and looks.
The latter is subjective but the former is more substantial. The Cayman is only 320bhp and it does show from time to time, in fact just recently I got my arse handed to me by a new BMW M4, its been a while I've had a car pull away from me at such a rate of knots.
Isn't this about bar bragging rights rather than important issues? In reality a Cayman S has as much real road performance as you can sensibly use 99% of the time on British roads at least.The latter is subjective but the former is more substantial. The Cayman is only 320bhp and it does show from time to time, in fact just recently I got my arse handed to me by a new BMW M4, its been a while I've had a car pull away from me at such a rate of knots.
i'm an out & out Boxster fan.IMIA said:
If you do go Cayman see if you can stretch to a Cayman R. For the extra money you will have car that is a sure fire modern classic and may even not any lose any value going forward as there aren't many around. Peridot with PCCB, buckets and spyder wheels. With GT4 around the corner I expect a few to become available on the market soon. Perfect
I agree they are gorgeous, but sadly 40k is too high for me, which is what they start at. 
My 2p from my experience - I've had a 996 C4S, currently got a 993 C2 and 997 GT3, adding a Boxster GTS to the stable in a few months.
As others have said, there's no right or wrong answer here. I spent last Friday hooning round PEC Silverstone's tracks in a BGTS and my GT3 and loved the handling of both.
I love the Boxster as it was very confidence inspiring, no big understeer or oversteer anywhere and easier to get it into a corner consistently for an amateur like me. I'm almost 100% convinced that you don't carry any more entry speed on a track like that with no run off or a B-road because of it's physical engine layout as in reality you'd drive nowhere near the limits of either car on a public road, but you might be willing to carry a bit more entry speed as psychologically you know the engine is in the "right" place for it.
I love the 911 precisely because it's not like the Boxster if that makes sense! It's more difficult to get it into a corner, you're a little more wary of going in too fast, but if you're lucky/skilled enough to find the sweet spot turning in under brakes, the car seems to pivot supernaturally and point to the apex and then on the exit you can give it more loud pedal as the car just squats and goes. And when it does move into oversteer, the lovely surprise is that it's not scary like you think it will be and is very easy to ride out a little drift mentally scoring you mega man points
It's a mega cliche but I think the 911 may be ultimately more satisfying as a result of its foibles. But conversely I think the Cayster is a car you can jump in and enjoy more of quicker, which if it's a car you're not going to track much (if at all) and just drive on the road may be more important.
What I would stress finally is that whichever way you jump, make sure you get the geo looked at on the car and at the very least set to factory geo, or preferably to a geo that someone like Center Gravity recommend or settings that are customized to you, it makes a big difference. It's my eternal regret that my C4S was a bit of a horrible undesteery monster on track the whole time and I never pulled my finger out to get the geo sorted, I suspect it would also have been epic if I had. If you're going to spend 10s of £ks on a Porsche, a few hundred quid for a geo is a no brainer.
As others have said, there's no right or wrong answer here. I spent last Friday hooning round PEC Silverstone's tracks in a BGTS and my GT3 and loved the handling of both.
I love the Boxster as it was very confidence inspiring, no big understeer or oversteer anywhere and easier to get it into a corner consistently for an amateur like me. I'm almost 100% convinced that you don't carry any more entry speed on a track like that with no run off or a B-road because of it's physical engine layout as in reality you'd drive nowhere near the limits of either car on a public road, but you might be willing to carry a bit more entry speed as psychologically you know the engine is in the "right" place for it.
I love the 911 precisely because it's not like the Boxster if that makes sense! It's more difficult to get it into a corner, you're a little more wary of going in too fast, but if you're lucky/skilled enough to find the sweet spot turning in under brakes, the car seems to pivot supernaturally and point to the apex and then on the exit you can give it more loud pedal as the car just squats and goes. And when it does move into oversteer, the lovely surprise is that it's not scary like you think it will be and is very easy to ride out a little drift mentally scoring you mega man points
It's a mega cliche but I think the 911 may be ultimately more satisfying as a result of its foibles. But conversely I think the Cayster is a car you can jump in and enjoy more of quicker, which if it's a car you're not going to track much (if at all) and just drive on the road may be more important.
What I would stress finally is that whichever way you jump, make sure you get the geo looked at on the car and at the very least set to factory geo, or preferably to a geo that someone like Center Gravity recommend or settings that are customized to you, it makes a big difference. It's my eternal regret that my C4S was a bit of a horrible undesteery monster on track the whole time and I never pulled my finger out to get the geo sorted, I suspect it would also have been epic if I had. If you're going to spend 10s of £ks on a Porsche, a few hundred quid for a geo is a no brainer.
I test drove both 911 and Cayman back in 2006 (?) and bought the Cayman S which I still have
I really liked the Cayman which I felt was more nimble, the 911 clearly had more power but for value I thought the Cayman was a clear winner (at the time Cayman S £48k vs 911 4S £90k, yes I understand the spec/tech where quite different). The Cayman is also a little more unusual, certainly back then and even now. I love my car and as it has a private plate most people have no idea it's as old as it is. Would I buy a 911 if money was no object, yes of course.
First post btw, been meaning to join for a while.
I really liked the Cayman which I felt was more nimble, the 911 clearly had more power but for value I thought the Cayman was a clear winner (at the time Cayman S £48k vs 911 4S £90k, yes I understand the spec/tech where quite different). The Cayman is also a little more unusual, certainly back then and even now. I love my car and as it has a private plate most people have no idea it's as old as it is. Would I buy a 911 if money was no object, yes of course.
First post btw, been meaning to join for a while.
Mario149 said:
What I would stress finally is that whichever way you jump, make sure you get the geo looked at on the car and at the very least set to factory geo, or preferably to a geo that someone like Center Gravity recommend or settings that are customized to you, it makes a big difference. It's my eternal regret that my C4S was a bit of a horrible undesteery monster on track the whole time and I never pulled my finger out to get the geo sorted, I suspect it would also have been epic if I had. If you're going to spend 10s of £ks on a Porsche, a few hundred quid for a geo is a no brainer.
As someone else said too the 996 C4S wasn't pleasant. That was certainly my experience of a 996C4 - the power to the front wheels corrupts the steering spoiling one of the 911's better features. Roadtests at the time were also less than complimentary of the C4 - so I think it's more likely a characteristic of the model rather than a set-up issue. The 991 C4S Cab I tried was far far better. Nobody has mentioned tiptronic - it might be better than some of the slushboxes of the time, but it's pretty dreadful compared with todays PDKs, so best to avoid unless auto is a must-have.bcr5784 said:
Mario149 said:
What I would stress finally is that whichever way you jump, make sure you get the geo looked at on the car and at the very least set to factory geo, or preferably to a geo that someone like Center Gravity recommend or settings that are customized to you, it makes a big difference. It's my eternal regret that my C4S was a bit of a horrible undesteery monster on track the whole time and I never pulled my finger out to get the geo sorted, I suspect it would also have been epic if I had. If you're going to spend 10s of £ks on a Porsche, a few hundred quid for a geo is a no brainer.
As someone else said too the 996 C4S wasn't pleasant. That was certainly my experience of a 996C4 - the power to the front wheels corrupts the steering spoiling one of the 911's better features. Roadtests at the time were also less than complimentary of the C4 - so I think it's more likely a characteristic of the model rather than a set-up issue. The 991 C4S Cab I tried was far far better. Nobody has mentioned tiptronic - it might be better than some of the slushboxes of the time, but it's pretty dreadful compared with todays PDKs, so best to avoid unless auto is a must-have.More grip at the front and removal of the driveshaft etc so that you binned AWD and some weight and I reckon you'd have a lovely car to drive on track and road that looks amazing to boot
One day I'll put my money where my mouth is an do this Edited by Mario149 on Thursday 19th February 11:39
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