Anyone ever drive a Cayman?

My local dealer gave me a Cayman S as a service loaner and I've got to say I was pretty impressed. The lower torque and HP vs. the 996 is evident midway up the powerband, but overall I liked it. I would love the opportunity to flog one at VIR! Just curious what other 996 owners think.

It's a really tempting package, I have to admit. The problem for me is that only the 911 has enough authenticity cred to outweigh the realities of living with a Porsche. Consider any other product in the line, and it becomes hard to ignore all the other choices out there.

I drove a Cayman non-S as a loaner for one afternoon. It was way under powered, IMO. I am sure the S would be much better. Unfortunately, I am too tall for the Cayman. In order to get the leg room I need, the seatback is forced to go almost vertical because it hits the firewall. Sitting in that position is very uncomfortable. If I want to recline the seatback, I have to move the seat up so the seat back doesn't hit the engine firewall. Then I don't have enough legroom to be comfortable. Either way, I can't win.

I'm sure someones has.

Yep - considered one before I found my 996. Great car, extremely well balanced. The interior is nice, but a tad on the cramped side (for me). Nice power, great options. Perfect car for track weekends. C.

I might have had the same loaner....Meteor/Black...damn nice too. Really enjoyed driving it. Fun car, without question, but glad to get my C4S Cab back.

I own a base Cayman in addition to my 996 (my wife drives the Cayman, actually). I love that car. The balance is so perfect and the handling is just stupid-perfect! Admittedly, it is a bit down on power, but interestingly enough, the engine really loosened up and seemed to gain quite a bit of torque and power after about 2000 miles or so. I mean it. It's like a different engine now. Btw, in it's class, there is nothing out there that can touch a Cayman S.

I had a student with one at WSIR last July. He had the whole suspension set up and the car was well dialed in. It handled great. I wasn't able to really test it out not being my car, but from driving it at 6/10s, it felt great.

Drove one for a day. Had a Boxster S before my 996. Cayman and Boxster drive the same. Mid-engine fun for sure. Both corner on rails and balance is unbelievable. 996 still is a more mature older brother.

My GF drives a Cayman S. We've had it on the track a couple of times. IMHO, it is by some margin a better "sportscar" than the current 911s. Give it an engine and it would be amazing. Jim

I drove a non S with about 8000 miles on it. I really liked the interior and feel of the car, but it was not the same experience as I get with my 996 and PSE (Cayman was much more tame), and I really noticed the difference in power, which was the biggest negative. I would really like to drive an S.....actually, I am a little scared to drive the S because that might just complicate my life

I had one as a loaner when my 996 was in for a RMS repair. Drove it for about a week. In it's own right it is a very good handling car but very underpowered. When you take into consideration it's price vs. power and build quality (this car already rattled at 5,000miles) I would take my old S2000 over it anyday for $15,000 less. It was nice to then go back and drive my 5 year old 996 and still have it put a smile on my face.

I recently bought my first Porsche, a 2003 Carrera Coupe. In the loooonnnnggg process of shopping/education, I drove the Cayman and Cayman S several times. In fact, I had worked a sweet deal on a brand new Cayman and, on my last test drive, I decided it was a bit too loud (interior) and a bit to closed-in for me. With zero space behind the seat I had a wee sense of claustrophobia. I LOVED the way both Caymans handled though. Very tight and balanced.

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This is how I felt during my 5 or 6 month ownership experience...let me add not enough torque either

I don't know about the plain Cayman but I don't understand the concerns about lack of power in the Cayman S. A stock S will make quick work of a stock 996 on the track. It would be more fun with more power but what car wouldn't.

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yea not sure what these dudes are smoking here, but the cayman S is just as fast as an n/a carrera is it not? it's a fantastic car that drives well, but it's problem is it's not a 911. sad to say, but hey heritage counts in this toy/luxury material game.

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It does. That's why I wish they would keep building the 911 as a pimped out sports/GT car and evolve the Cayman into a ***** out, stripped down pure sports car. I think there is room for both.

I may have had that same loaner from Hendrick, too. The handling of the car and the interior design is top notch, but it didn't feel like all 295hp were there. My C4S with 320hp and much more weight seemed to have much more "go" than a 25hp difference would indicate. Maybe the torque difference made it feel that way, but it just didn't jazz me on the street like I thought it would. On the track, probably a much different story and I might like it more than the 996. Haven't had that opportunity yet, though.

not driven one... but would like too.....

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One problem is the first two gears are taller "on purpose".

Check out the December issue of Car and Driver. It has an article about a Cayman conversion that includes a 3.8 liter engine upgrade. It pushed the cost the TT level but not the performance.

I didn't care for it. Too small and cramped feeling for me. Had the normal slow version which didn't excite either.

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You are kidding right? It's just individual opins of course.......but I think the CaymanS is a hoot......if I had room in my garage for another Pcar, it would be there. Too small?.........I'm 6'2".....and it's fine.......too confining?.......hey it's a 'sports car', the 911 has become a GT touring car. Don't think I'm down on 911.....have 3. Cayman handles beautifuly........like they say, when approaching that corner, don't brake, just turn. Need more power?.......I can not remember a car I've had that I couldn't say that.........anyway, keep the RPMs up anf the Cayman is plenty of fun.....just my opin.

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I am completely serious. I have owned 2 S2000s and they both handle as well or better than the Cayman. Build quality was better, maintenance was cheaper, and the engine didn't run out of breath so quickly as the Cayman. Oh and it's a convertible and again costs $15K less.

Must have been just been the car I drove.....dlr demo Didn't feel tight at all....handled poorly......on hard acceleration, the rear was hopping all over the place. Like I say, must have just been the car.

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Putting an S2000 in the same breath with a Cayman S? You're totally ****in' hi

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The S2k handles as well or BETTER than the mid-engined Cayman? You're nuts. ...and the engine runs out of breath quickly? I'd rather my car ran out of breath than have no breath at all for the first 5k RPM. We are talking about the HONDA roadster, right? As for the "it's a convertible" comment: Porsche has had a Cayman convertible for years, called the Boxster, so I'm not sure that's an advantage. It sure wouldn't be for me, as the only reason I never owned a Boxster is because it was a convertible. The MX-5 competes with the S2k. Neither compete with the Cayman.

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I agree- I owned a boxster and actually liked everything about the cayman s better than a 996 but no back seat for my little guy and that won out. I have never felt more connected to a car than the cayman and it was every bit as quick as the 996. When jr is driving his own car I have no doubt that I will get one.

I've driven a Cayman S twice. Once as a loaner for a couple of hours while I had new tires put on. And once at RSR3 in the "Test Drive a Cayman" scenario. Both were Tips, and the loaner had less than 200 miles on it so I took it easy in it. But the RSR3 drive was better. The instructor was holding me back a little (mainly telling me to brake way too soon). But when he got in the driver's seat, it was very eye opening. It's not a 911 and I wouldn't want to swap mine for a Cayman. But it's a hell of a car. I can understand why there is such a debate about Porsche needing to develop it as their racing platform to combat the F430 onslaught. I would certainly love to have one as an addition to my 911.

My youngest son arranged for me to test drive a Caymen S for my birthday last summer at the local Porsche dealer. Brand new, low miles, black on black, and I would say it was one of the best cars I have ever driven. The power was well matched, the brakes fantastic, and the overall handling was superb. I could own one in a heartbeat and probably will at some point.

I would love to drive a CaymanS. From all reports on it I've read, it's a very fast and capable car. I prefer 911's because they are more practical and have that coveted "heritage", but I wouldn't by sad if I owned a CaymanS instead.

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I don't think I ever referenced the Cayman "S" Just the base Cayman. Having owned 2 S2000s for over a 5 year period of time I feel I know the car very well. I think my 1 week "test drive" of a base Cayman gave me a pretty good knowledge base for my comparison. Of course I expected to get flamed on a Porsche site for statements about a Honda. However if you go back and look at the Road and Track or Car and Driver reviews of the S2000 and Boxster they are always praising the S2000. In fact Porsche's response to the S2000 was the Boxster S because the base model was getting spanked by the much cheaper S2000.

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S2000 also comes standard with 6-speed transmission, HID headlight, mechanical limited slip differential, leather, traction control. In my opinion (as the OP asked for) the S2000 is a better value and competes with the base Cayman.

I got a Caymen S as a loaner when I got the oil changed a couple weeks ago. i liked the power and it felt a lot smaller then my TT. It almost reminded me of driving my 964 only more updated and alot more power. I didnt like the seats much but thats probably because my TT has nice cushy pre chewed looking (supple) leather ones.

If you could as I have experience first hand what this chassis can do after we transplanted a 997 S 3.8 X-51 lump in to it's belly, adjustable coilovers, various other GT3 suspension bits, hand built header/exhaust combo and a dyno tuned Revo ECU (all good for 400+ bhp) I can tell you that this layout IS the way forward for Porsche. Porsche needs to (and eventually will) make this setup available from the factory!

yeah, I drive the convertible version all the time. I drove one as a loaner last year but only drove it a few miles that day. I liked it.

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Typical ignorance badge arrogance here. It's comedic. The S2000 is a fantastic car and I would easily take an S2000 (yea a Honda guys) over a base Cayman and would be hard pressed to spend $50Gs on a Cayman S over the very capable and celebrated Honda S2000 in the low $30s. The amount of huff and puff in responses to ucrazy's post is commensurate to how often and how deep the poster bows in front of the Porsche throne which is bordering pathetic. If you love sports cars (light and nimble), you gotta love the Honda S2000. Same goes for the Cayman/S.

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1) More gears does not a better car make. Some of my dream cars only have four gears. 2) I don't even have HID headlamps on my 996. I don't buy 'em for the headlamps. 3) It's been suggested that an LSD isn't offered because the performance would be too close to the 911's. What does that tell you? 4) Leather? See "HID headlamps". I wouldn't care if I had cloth. 5) Traction control? It's available. I don't know anyone that bought a Porsche because it was a good value. That said, the Cayman doesn't compete with the S2k; if anything, the Boxster would compete with the Honda (who would compare a convertible against a coupe?), but in the real world, offer someone both and they'll probably take the one from Stuttgart every time.

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Of course the S2k competes against the 987. It competes by being a significantly cheaper to buy and run for pretty similar capabilties. When I got my 996 I was on the verge of buying a new '07 S2k instead of an '03 Boxster S - it was only coming across a well-priced CPO 996 that stopped me. I did - I was looking for something fun but daily-drivable for $30-$45k. As well as the Boxster and S2k, I also looked at the new Mustang, C5 Corvette, 350Z, M3 and STi, all of which have different advantages and disadvantages. I got the 996 because I thought I might never again have the opportunity to drive a Porsche every day!

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So the 911 competes with the Ford Mustang and 350Z?

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i actually like the cayman headlight design better than the 997's

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werd, homie. I owned an S2000 and consider it a very capable car on the track, auto-x, and canyons. If it had a Porsche badge, it would be up on a pedestal in the forums. It's certainly a driver's car.

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church

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Sure it competes . It also wins

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If it had a Porsche badge, I'd be like wtf is that Honda doing with a Porsche badge?

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Cool........we're ignorant, arrogant, comedic, and pathetic........I always knew this group was multitalented.

Drove a Cayman S at PSDS. If it were not for needing to transport my 8 year old from time-to-time, I would definitely own one. Also drove a Boxter S at the same, and I'll never say a bad word about one again. Call it a "chick car" if you want, but its light, responsive, and an absolute blast to drive. You can push it way too hard and get away with it.

The S2000 is underpowered on the torque end. You have to revv it all the time to drive it, otherwise it's like driving a convertible accord. I hated it!!!!

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2006 Honda S2000 US sales: 6279 2006 Porsche Boxster US sales: 7879 It's strange that Honda sells fewer S2000s than Porsche sells Boxsters, even with a MAJOR price advantage and uh, all that "better performance". I bought my Miata from a new S2000 owner. He admitted to having second thoughts on the S2000 purchase because it requires one to drive it like they're angry all the time, whereas the Mazda rewards virtually any driving style. I thought that was a good way to put it.

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VTEC rules!!!!

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you gotta be the most simple-minded dude on rennlist

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every car has its own set of strengths and weaknesses your 996 turbo can be criticized just as harshly as the s2000, but we already know what those are so let's just say both cars offer a unique value to the consumers who choose to buy them

If you're 6'2" or taller forget it.

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I'm simple-minded because I think it's strange that two cars that you claim compete directly with each other have sales figures that don't support that, even though there's a major price advantage on the slower-selling car? If you take into account used cars when determining a model's competition, you're using the term "competes with..." drastically different than most anyone else in the automotive industry.

the only problem with the cayman is Porsche themselves ... they are holding back the cars true potential and wants to keep it as the lil bro of the almighty 911. The bad thing about the cayman is its little or no warning when you crossed its performance boundaries... it'll spin like a top... while the 911 will give you some warning before it lets go...

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+1,000 That's one of the side-effects of a low polar moment of inertia. If you are going to drive the limit, you'd better be paying attention. When I got my Boxster, I seriously had to recalibrate my internal gyroscope to be about 4X more sensitive, but it can be done. Now, with other cars, they feel like slow motion to me.

I drove a base Caymen and the 04 996C2 back to back. I bought the 996. It was tempting to consider a brand new Caymen vs. a used 996 dollar for dollar, (acutally the Caymen I drove was a few thousand less than the used 996). The Caymen was a very well mannered and fun car, but as soon as I heard my mind saying "my wife would love this car" I knew it was too tame for me. Plus, the interior felt noticeably smaller than the 996 and I was already in love with the growl of the PSE on the 996. I also have a thing for the jump seats as reminiscent of the 68 911 I once owned.

I took the day off and drove a Cayman S and an 04 996 back to back. I really like the Cayman S dynamics. With a limited test drive I played with the motor and handling going through underpasses. It's a sweet car. Afterwards I drove the 04 996 coupe. The motor didn't feel as 'smooth', but obviously stronger, so I'm curious if the 3.4 996 motor is as smooth as the Cayman. I wonder if the 3.4 is more to my liking.

I had a cayman S as a loner for a day. I put 150 miles on it and loved it. I bougt one two weeks later. It feels more nimble a shifts nicer than my996. The engine feels as strong as my 3.6