[010101]

A couple weeks ago I test drove a Cayman. At first I just stopped to check it out for fun. I had driven a Boxster a few years earlier and really enjoyed it, but it was never a practical option for me. I assumed that the Cayman was almost definitely too small as well.

The first thing I noticed was predrilled roofrack slots. This means I can put a cargo box on the roof if I ever need to. Then the sales guy showed me a fairly large front trunk, and an even larger rear storage space. Why can't BMW make the Z4 coupe this practical?

Anyway... the next thing I did was sat in it. I was surprised at how much room there was. I am a pretty tall guy, and this thing had room to spare. This car seems to have a perfect blend of size and space. All the controls are very attractive. It has everything you want and nothing you don't. Starting it just requires turning a key like my old e36... nice!

Next I went for a drive in it. Everything in the car was perfectly positioned and weighted. The shifter action and steering feel were absolute perfection. I have driven a lot of cars, but the over all driving experience of this thing has no rival IMO. Driving a car that weighed over 700lbs less than the e92 335i really opened my eyes.

Before I had been telling myself that a 335i was the only car that brought everything together. Sure an Elise was more fun, but also impractical. An Evo was nice too, but the interior and image were pretty juvenile. The Cayman was a car I could live with day in day out and never need anything more. I suspect this is one of the most satisfying cars to drive at any price. I have yet to drive a 997 Turbo, but these guys think the Cayman is even better:

http://www.autocarmag.com/VideosWall...=222412&Mode=B


As soon as I got home I called my CA and cancelled my e92 order.

[MacAttack]

They're both great cars. To each their own. Good luck with Cayman.

...by the way...whats the price difference with comparible accessories?

[010101]

Originally Posted by MacAttack

They're both great cars. To each their own. Good luck with Cayman.

...by the way...whats the price difference with comparible accessories?

Yes, they are both excellent cars. I mean no disrespect to the e92. The Cayman is just more my style. I'm sure I can't go wrong either way.

It depends what you mean by comparable accessories. I know the 335i comes with a lot of stuff standard like Xenon, good stereo, automatic climate control ect ect. As you probably know Porsche options really add up. If I do end up ordering a Cayman I will get a pretty base model. The e92 I had ordered was a tad over $45k. The Cayman will be a tad over $50k. So about $5k for me. If I were getting all of the stuff the e92 comes standard with I would think it would be more like $10k.

I haven't made my mind up completely yet. There are some other cars I still might get. I just couldn't pull the trigger on the 335i after driving the Cayman.

[MacAttack]

I've been there. Thought about getting a boxster but when I started throwing out those accessories, it almost doubled of the price the car! Lols.

Hell...might as well order the E93.

Like I said...no insult taken. Don't think anyone would think that way. Good luck either way.

[010101]

Indeed. Some of their accessory prices are down right laughable. That's why if I go the Cayman route I will get a lightly optioned car. I think there is a reason Porsche makes more money per car sold than any other company. The e92 is definitely more car for the money. It is difficult to spend more money on a naturally aspirated car that's slower and has way less standard equipment. I guess every car has its drawbacks. I just have to choose the one with drawbacks I can live with.

[RiXst3r]

Cayman...
245 hp (SAE) @ 6,500 rpm
Torque 201 lb.-ft.
0-60 mph in 5.8 s
Top Track Speed: 160 mph

not impressed... I would need to go with the cayman S

[lawdude]

Hope you didn't lose your deposit.

[THE JEDI]

Bye

[E36325is]

Congrats! That's why I am keeping my Boxster S!

But then 335i is more abt practicality and handling wise hard to compare with a Boxer engine sitting behind ur back, I like them both.

[John 070]

I was surprised that when my friend drove me in his Cayenne S, he had to flip his day/night mirror manually. I would say a Cayman is more comparable to a 328, not a 335. It's got a 5-spd stick and around 201 ft. lbs. of torque. The S is above the 335 imho and more like an M. Looks-wise, there's no question, Cayman looks better than any BMW, and it's a Porsche. But the people who are seriously cross-shopping are usually looking at the Z M Coupe, not a 335 imho...

One thing that kills me about Porsche is the base could be 57k, such as the Cayenne S, and with options it's 87k.

[NFS13]

I looked at the Cayman also, actually the 'S'. but it came down to the back seats and a lot more storage room for trips. Couple that with close to equal performance and a lower price and there was no contest. Granted the Cayman is beautiful and a little more of a truer sports car, but putting cost in the mix for equal featured cars and its no contest.
*note - realistically this is not an apples to apples comparo *

[scubajag]

The Cayman and Cayman S are really quite different. The "S" has a new engine more similar to the Carrera, whereas the Cayman has the Boxster engine. That is why there is a signficant price difference. Both are great cars, but the Cayman S is faster and a better comparison to the 335i

[noodles]

I looked at/drove - Cayman S/Cayman and 335i.....the porsches are quite a bit lighter....but the Cayman although feels fast because the power curve and peaky is nowhere near as fast as the 335i....to be comparable you have to get a Cyaman S.....and comparably equipped you are looking at about $65k car versus a 46k car or so....almost 20k difference.....in addition there is no sunroof on the Cayman - that was a really killer for me in a small car like that you have to have a sunroof or something to open it up - and the stereo - even the Bose was no comparison to the BMW Logic....BMW is better for the $ but Porsche is probably more unique....and being lighter is a tad bit more fun to drive.....all that being said they all are phenomenal cars and just comes down to preference....maybe won't get sick of the Porsche as fast so xtra money is worth it....but I decided to go with the BMW since it excelled in so many categories....including praticality and useability

One thing I can say the dealership at Porsche was light years better then BMW....

[FirstClass]

Wait, are you looking at a Cayman or Cayman S? If it's a regular Cayman then but if it's the S then :rocks: .

[Viral]

I hope you can disable TC on this car.........that's what a true "driver's" car would have, right?

[010101]

Yes, I am talking about the standard 2.7 liter Cayman. The S is just a little more than I want to spend on a car right now. Now I know when you are just sitting there looking at specs the base Cayman looks like a terrible car. 0-60 in 5.8 seconds for a modern $50k sports car? They must be kidding right? You could get a C6 for $10k less that does it in 4.2 seconds!

There is nothing I can really say to people who look at the specs and think the Cayman is a bad deal other than drive it. Drive it for a few minutes and get a feel for it. I have driven virtually every performance car under $60k and the Cayman is the best one to drive by far. For the 99.9% of the time you aren't redlining through the gears in a straight line the standard Cayman has no rival. There is more to driving than power and straight line performance. If that's all you want get a Mustang with drag radials and nitrous. The feel, style and positioning of everything in the Cayman is perfection. It's not a car I would even consider just reading the specs, but once I drove it it became hard to consider anything else.



and viral.. of course you can disable it. now stop making dumb comments and go drive your wife's car

[spacedogg]

The only thing about the Cayman I don't like...is what Jeremy Clarkson once said about it....that it's a marketing department car...designed to fit perfectly between 911 and the Boxter. A little bit too perfectly. You can't help think that they could have made a really superior car...but held back so it wouldn't eclipse the 911.

(Of course someone is bound to pipe in here and say all cars are built to a compromise...but this is so artificially created...rather than a product that was first created, developed and evolved over time).

Having said that...I will fully admit it's a great car. And if you do get one...then good for you. I would definately say get a base model with few extras...no need to trick it out. It's a driver's car...

[musc]

I have drove both the Cayman and Cayman S. For me, there was a big difference. The acceleration was slow in the base Cayman. Don't get me wrong, its nimble, solid feeling and a well put together car. It just too underpowered. It didn't feel much stronger than an EX V6 Honda Accord. The Cayman S on the other hand felt great. Good power and nice balance. It also had the ceramic composite brakes. But optioned out it was 70K +.
The base Cayman I drove was priced around 58K. Way too much for what you are getting, IMHO; however, if you aren't too concerned with power, the base Cayman is still a great car. I just think you get a lot more car for less money with the 335i.

Good luck with your purchase.

[Viral]

Originally Posted by 010101

and viral.. of course you can disable it. now stop making dumb comments and go drive your wife's car

have you looked into the Boxster S?? Probably a better car for the same money....they're fast!

[ksfrogman]

Cayman-S would be the way to go. Save up for that. You might regret having the non-S.

[obLu]

How you figuring that you're going to get a Cayman for a little over 50k? Base model starts at 50 and I've *never* heard of a Porsche salesman willing to order a bottom of the barrel car. Deposit or no. (I half suspect that porsche sales staff are paid commission off the accessories and not the sale price of the car)

Good luck with it though. I love seeing people buying true sports cars instead of hot GTs.

[SP330]

Congratulations.

The only things that irks me about the Cayman is how Porsche has admitted to hampering it slightly as to not hurt 911 sales, and the grossly high sticker price.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it as can be told from your initial post.