Trying to get my first
Porsche
Confused between a New 2012 Base
Carrera
(manual) vs a New
2012 Cayman S
or R (manual)
The CR is almost at $75-80 and the base CR is at $92-95.
Any opinions on which is a better manual transmission and also a better driving / ride feel and performance?
I know I am posting this in the
911
section but looking for honest opinions
BTW I am in So Cal and it is hard to find a new
2012 Cayman S
.
Thx in advance
The
Carrera
is going to be a little more practical and comfortable--then I would say the
Cayman S
, and finally the R.
Performance wise, I don't think there is a huge difference, but those would probably rank: Base
Carrera
, R, S.
The real thing that splits these up is mid engine vs. rear engine, which gives each a different feel.
I would see if you can test drive one of each and see what you think--there are certainly supporters on both sides.
Finally, there's the status of the
911
. I guess there are some people out there that think the only "real"
Porsche
is a
911
and Boxsters and
Caymans
are for poor people and girls :hilarious:
In the end, they're all great cars in their own ways. Personally, I went with the R because there was a special circumstance at my local dealer that let me get an incredible deal on it. I love the car and wouldn't trade it for anything (anything that I can afford that is), but I would probably be saying the same thing if I ended up in a Base Carerra.
Good luck with your decision and no matter what you go with you'll be getting a fine car.
I believe the new 7-speed manual on the
Carrera
will be the first implementation of the
PDK transmission
with a manual clutch.
I test drove the 991 base(manual) and the
911S
PDK
yesterday..
I own a
2011 Boxster S
..I would get the
Cayman
R over a base
911
..
I liked the new
911
but dont love it..I also prefer man over
PDK
..
This is really where you need to sit down and think for a moment,....what car do you really want/need?
The 991 is a great sports car that leans a bit towards the GT side. The CR is a great sports car that is a bit more focused for tracking events, with the CS right in the middle.
Do you plan on tracking this car, or will it be for street driving only? Will you really be exploiting the last 10th of handling that a mid-engined car offers? If so the
Cayman
R may be the right answer.
What equipment do you want? If your looking for a sunroof, that is a 991 option only. Do you need a bit more more room inside and/or need to take an occasional 3rd passenger or child along? Again,
911
is the answer. Do you like the classic updated looks of the new 991? As good as the present
Cayman S
/R look today,....in another year or so they will be replaced and start to look dated, that's just how it is.
All the cars mentioned are fantastic in their own rights,....if it were me I'd wait till I see what the
next
version of the
Cayman
is going to be like before my purchase. This way you will be comparing like generations of different
Porsche
models. Right now the
Carrera
is the latest
Porsche
coupe offering, and it shows. When the
next
version of the
Cayman
debuts I'm sure it will be just as impressive.
Have you driven any of the three yet?
Or, you can try the
997.2
Carrera
with 6spd. I tested one for a friend when I still had my RS60
Boxster
and was surprised to find the base
Carrera
to have much more punch than the
Boxster
. The difference was noticable, more than the hp difference ... almost like the gearing in the
Carrera
was lower. You can find new ones with hefty discounts and some lease turn-ins are showing up at attractive pricing; some with very low mileage.
Thinking_Man, I highly recommend test driving them back to back. Each car has its own advantages and disadvantages. There's no bad
Porsche
but there are wrong ones for certain people.
Good luck
