Buy 911 or Cayman S

Hi, I am having a hard time making this decision. The price difference is not my concern. I just want to make sure I buy the right Porsche. 1) I do not want to regret not buying the newly styled, aggressive looking and better handling Cayman S. 2) If I buy the Cayman S, I do not want to regret buying the ultimate icon. I am pretty sure that most of the buyers are going through the same dilemma. Any recommendations?

Drive them both and buy the one you like best. They are both great cars and if you make your decision based on what is most important to you, you shouldn't have any regrets.[/quote]

Moto, BT is right, you have to drive them both and feel the difference for yourself. I just think it is also kind of neat to have a newly desinged firstyear Porsche. You could always lease for 3 and then decide? Aloha Russ

It will depend some on what you want to do with the car - will it be a daily driver, or a weekend car? Street and/or autocross and/or track? Do you value brute acceleration over cornering and balance? I'm moving from a 996 turbo to a Cayman because I like to autocross, and the turbo is a frustrating car to autocross... surreal on the track, and and ridiculous crossing the Nevada desert on Hwy 50 last summer, well into triple digits, but frustrating to autocross. The Cayman will solve that and be almost as much fun on the track. Both will give you a great driving experience. I agree with Alan, drive them both and make the decision that way. brad

Motocayman, you are not alone. I offer you this, learned from much suffering and agony. Only a back to back extended test drive will help if you are the rational type. If you're like me (I work in a creative field, meaning that I'm basically irrational), keep reading. There is no simple answer, other than to realize that you can always buy/lease one now, and trade it for the other later. Presto! Assuming you are not 75 years old, or in questionable health, and you can afford either car now, then likely you'll be able to absorb the hit to swap cars in a couple years if you change your mind.... For example, last year, I bought a new 997 911 S. It was my first Porsche, I don't belong to PCA, PGA, or the PTA. I was simply responding to the 997's headlamps (I despised the 996 headlamps). Because it was during the bitter cold of a midwestern winter (key factor to story), I wasn't able to drive 997 S much (450 miles), and when I did, it was dull break-in driving, but it sure looked great in the garage, yes it did. I was stunned with my brilliant purchase. People were looking at it constantly (it had just hit the showroom floor, mine was the first I'd seen on the road). My neighbors loved it. My wife loved it. My 545i hated it. However, as the winter wore on, I began to feel that I'd bought the car on a whim (I did. It was my wife's idea. She despised my S54 M Coupe). Then I began to feel guilty about spending so much money on a car (yes it can happen), when I already owned a very nice car that was free and clear, as had been the M Coupe. I'm thinking, people in the world are starving. Soldiers are dying, I'm just spending. As a coffin nail, the 997 had not one, but two rattles (dash, and door)! It was also sans many options that I would have liked to have ordered, so I sold it back to the dealer, ate the loss, and figured I was done with Porsches forever. That lasted ten months or so, and I went back to the dealer and ordered a new 911S with every go fast goodie I could find (except the Aero Kit). It was 131K before tax. I was extremely stoked... for a couple days, anyway. Until sanity prevailed and I revamped the whole order. Now it's a Cayman S. I rationalized not buying the 911, which to me is beautiful, like this....although it is only 5K less expensive than my first 997 911 S, my new Cayman is 40K less than the Uber X-51 911 S I was going to buy. Both spec'd PCCB. EVERYONE says this 986 S7C is the best driving Porsche ever. But honestly, also a bit less beautiful, and less rapid than the 911. You WILL notice the weight hanging off the rear axle on the 911 (unless you're a zombie), and I didn't like that bit of the family heritage. I liken it to a sporting motorcycle with a shaft drive. So, the day I feel that my ideally balanced Cayman is getting too sluggish, and the Car Devil on my shoulder says: "should have bought a 997 S, dork", I'll send the little Cayman to Ruf in Dallas. I visualize that if I'm able (as in still alive and not destitute), I might slide into the next gen 911, the 998 one day. Finally, I'd say that the only way to get it all wrong is to try and rationalize spending that much money on yourself, and wind up never owning either one. Life is very short, and as you get older it goes by more quickly, so don't waste a moment.

motocayman, You know the question you ask is sort of like going to a Chicago Cubs website asking which baseball team is better the Sox or the Cubs and even though the Sox just won the pennant, fans will tell you the Cubs are the best or only team in baseball. /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/confused_smile.gif That aside, I think most people here will tell you that you should drive both as well as other cars you might be interested in, figure out what you want, figure out what you want to spend and then buy accordingly. The great news is no matter what you choose in the sports car segment over $50k you are bound to get a pretty good car that is fun to drive. There is no right or wrong, only what is right for you right now.

All, Thanks for your comments. I have made my decision to go with the Cayman. Finalized the order today. here are the specs: -Black / Black -Manual -Sport chrono plus -PCM 2.1 -Bose -Heated Seats -Sports Steering Wheel It is a Feb build. Now the wait begins......

moto, Great choice, one of my favorite combos. Russ

Congrats on making what must have been a difficult decision. 'Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.' - Victoria Holt

A lot of grown up advice in our little corner of cyberspace.

Well, Congrats! Remember, the Cayman is like 50% 997!

Russ, I was first going with the Basalt black or Artic silver, but my local sales manager recommended regular black. He had seen all three colors and thinks that the regular black is dead sexy. I am a huge black fan. It will be a pain to keep it clean, but it's worth the trouble. What specs did you go with?

Cayman is 50% 997 and 50% what 997 cannot be!

moto, I have been with black cars for almost 20 years and as far as I am concerned the work to keep them beautiful was worth it all. I think this car looks so stealth in black. It is a magic color that just exudes power, and I can't begin to tell you how hard it was for me to order cobalt blue! Everytime I see a black Cayman my heart aches a little. Enjoy your black beauty! Russ

Moto, I have a black one on order for Febbruary build, too. Sand beige interior, though... My last two Porsches have been black, and I found something this year that changed my car-washing life... the P21S synthetic drying towel... basically, a synthetic chamois. I tried everything to dry a black car, which is the hardest part of the process - special terrycloth towels, turkish towels (you dry and dry, and get lint and streaks), a chamois (drys well, but pulls off the wax), and then I got the P21S towel, and you fold it over, and use it kind of like a squeegee. You wipe the wet black surface, and the surface is now dry and lint and streak-free. It's like magic. Good luck with your new black Cayman, brad

Lizard King, Great Post!!![/quote][/quote] -Good story -Good advise -Great perspective on life Thanks for taking the time to share personal experiences and philosophy. Good reading. [/quote][/quote]

Brad, I just ordered one! Thanks for the tip, it should work as well for blue. http://www.superiorcarcare.net/p2dryintow.html

Hey Russ, Cool... it comes in a small plastic case that you also store in. You're supposed to keep in there damp... when you're done, wring it out, keeping it damp, fold it up and stuff it back in the case. The case has holes in it so there's some air gettig to it. If it get dirty, you can throw it in the washing machine, and it's just like new... It should work great on that beautiful cobalt. I use all their other products, too. Their wheel cleaner is great - spray it on, hose them off, unless they're really dirty, then you do have to hit them with a soft brush or sponge - I buy it 5 liters at a time. Their car shampoo (doesn't strip wax) and wax are also fantastic, and easy to use... Have fun... brad