Cayman - very impressive
Discussion
Had a drive in a Cayman yesterday - white with red alloys. Ok, so its not a 911 but then again its not 911 prices.
The exterior shape may not be to everyone's liking - i'm not convinced, but its a quality drive.
It was the 3.4 with 295bhp and was very responsive, sounded nice at higher revs, had superb steering/feedback through the s'wheel and handled marvellously.
Is it worth the money? Yes
The exterior shape may not be to everyone's liking - i'm not convinced, but its a quality drive.
It was the 3.4 with 295bhp and was very responsive, sounded nice at higher revs, had superb steering/feedback through the s'wheel and handled marvellously.
Is it worth the money? Yes
shadowninja said:
I think it looks great - better than a Boxster and a 911. The rear of a 911 constantly reminds me of the Crossfire, and we all know what Clarkson said about that... 
Really? - my view has always been that Clarkson not liking something is a very good reason for buying it!! 
Pugsey said:
shadowninja said:
I think it looks great - better than a Boxster and a 911. The rear of a 911 constantly reminds me of the Crossfire, and we all know what Clarkson said about that... 
Really? - my view has always been that Clarkson not liking something is a very good reason for buying it!! 
It always surprises me how much people pay attention to WHAT Clarkson says. I find the HOW entertaining but that's about it. He's not my age group anyhow...

Has anyone ever heard the Porsche take on why the Cayman costs more?
The Cayman was launched whilst I was waiting for my Boxster to be built and when I mentioned it to the chap I was dealing with he didn't try to offer any sort of justification for the extra cost, I don't remember his exact reply but the gist was "tbh it's just how they've decided to pitch it".
The Cayman was launched whilst I was waiting for my Boxster to be built and when I mentioned it to the chap I was dealing with he didn't try to offer any sort of justification for the extra cost, I don't remember his exact reply but the gist was "tbh it's just how they've decided to pitch it".
hutchingsp said:
Has anyone ever heard the Porsche take on why the Cayman costs more?
The Cayman was launched whilst I was waiting for my Boxster to be built and when I mentioned it to the chap I was dealing with he didn't try to offer any sort of justification for the extra cost, I don't remember his exact reply but the gist was "tbh it's just how they've decided to pitch it".
The Cayman was launched whilst I was waiting for my Boxster to be built and when I mentioned it to the chap I was dealing with he didn't try to offer any sort of justification for the extra cost, I don't remember his exact reply but the gist was "tbh it's just how they've decided to pitch it".
Imagine the Cayman had been launched BEFORE the Boxster. Pricing would have been just the other way around. Porsche definitively don't want to ruin their great margins just to be consistent...
hutchingsp said:
Has anyone ever heard the Porsche take on why the Cayman costs more?
The Cayman was launched whilst I was waiting for my Boxster to be built and when I mentioned it to the chap I was dealing with he didn't try to offer any sort of justification for the extra cost, I don't remember his exact reply but the gist was "tbh it's just how they've decided to pitch it".
The Cayman was launched whilst I was waiting for my Boxster to be built and when I mentioned it to the chap I was dealing with he didn't try to offer any sort of justification for the extra cost, I don't remember his exact reply but the gist was "tbh it's just how they've decided to pitch it".
The explanation I got was that compared to other mid engined coupes(gallardo f430) it was actually cheap!!
911wise said:
The explanation I got was that compared to other mid engined coupes(gallardo f430) it was actually cheap!!
Very possibly, though I don't know enough about all the cars in that price bracket to know if that's the case - I suspect it is for cars (Boxster and Cayman) you can happily use 365 days a year as a sensible every day vehicle.
The thing I don't entirely get is that usually a convertible costs more than a coupe, the reason being there is R&D and structural work etc. that means it's not as simple as just cutting off the roof. Presumably this works the other way round though, if a car is designed from the ground up as a convertible and you plan on making a coupe version it's not just a case of slapping a roof on?
Or has the "convertible tax" in the past basically been a posing tax and the Boxster/Cayman duo is one of the first that turns that on its head?
shadowninja said:
I think it looks great - better than a Boxster and a 911. The rear of a 911 constantly reminds me of the Crossfire, and we all know what Clarkson said about that... 

We know what he said, but we might not care as anyone with any knowledge of cars finds things out for themselves and does not need a TV presenter to tell them what is cool, what looks good or which is the fastest around a track....
I tried a cayman s about 6 months ago, and thought it was a bit disappointing, handling was great on the road, though bit understeery on the track and back end gets really light as you change gear at high speed (~140ish). Great sound as you boot it, though really could do with a bit more punch
Agrre on Boxster issue.... I get to drive a mates from time to time and there would appear to be a little more rigidity about the Cayman and I find the hatch quite useful for putting the shopping in.........nightmare when you get home having explored the handling, broken packages and such....still good car.
911wise said:
chickenskin said:
though bit understeery on the track and back end gets really light as you change gear at high speed (~140ish).
Yes it becomes a real yawn on the daily commute!
Fair play, although I think a lot of owners will have track days in mind when they buy one of these. I spoke with a porsche experience instructor about this, sounded as though the 19" wheels on the one I tested didn't do it any favours.
clubsport said:
Agrre on Boxster issue.... I get to drive a mates from time to time and there would appear to be a little more rigidity about the Cayman and I find the hatch quite useful for putting the shopping in.........nightmare when you get home having explored the handling, broken packages and such....still good car.
Porsche (when pushed) admit that the Cayman has more than 100% torsional strength* than the Boxster. Its at the same levels as the 997s.
According to the sales figures quoted in 911&PWorld, Cayman sales are now more than Boxsters. Clearly the £4k difference in price doesn't put buyers off. There again, £4k isn't much in the Porsche option price world: http://thecarlistblog.blogspot.com/20
SS7
* I'm not an engineer so don't flame me, but I mean its resistance to twisting along a line through the centre line of the car
Edited by shoestring7 on Monday 22 January 09:18
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