Help wanted: how to fall in love with a 911?

I have a 2016 base Cayman 981 which I love. However, over the past year I have had the itch to get a 911 and test drove a 996 TT, 997.2 Targa 4S, and a 997.2 C4S and I had previously test driven a 991.1 C4S. However, none of them made me feel special like my Cayman does. Although my Cayman does not have the power or iconic status of the 911 , it feels much tighter, focused, nimble, and more fun to drive. I’m keenly aware that the 911 and the Cayman are very different animals, and especially as I have only driven AWD 911s . I’ve always wanted a 911 , and am trying to love a 911 , but I am always left feeling disappointed. Would you have any suggestions or recommendations for me? Thanks in advance!

Thanks for sharing. I’ve loved the 911 since the mid 80s and always wanted one. I couldn’t justify the cost and bought a 981C. I absolutely love the way this car drives. A buddy has a 997.2 Turbo S that I hope to drive (to say I have) and to compare. There is no way I could justify spending 3x for a car like that though. It just can’t be that much better (or at least I don’t need much better than I have). I’m glad I got the “entry level Porsche ” Cayman . Shawn in VA (USA)

My two cents. I drove a 911 before my Spyder . It was a nice car to be sure. Frankly I'm not really sure why I didn't but it. I will say this though: I believe anyone who would say the Spyder is less of a sports car is just buying the legend. I will concede that the 944 could have used a lot more power, particularly with the AC on. Excellence said Porsche considered a six for the 968 but in those days they 100% didn't want to anger the 911 purists with a car approaching 911 performance. With a 944 you had to keep the rev's up to get all the goodness out of that car. However now, when comparing say a 987.2 and an equivalent 911 ? Pushing either one even a little will take you to the iron house inn. The differences are not as blatant as they were when it was the 944 versus the 911 . That's even more true with the advent of the Cayman GT4 . Porsche 's sports car offerings have no "dogs" in the line up, even the turbo fours have giddy up.

My first Porsche was a 911 (see avatar). I loved it but I had to sell it to go to graduate school. However, when the Boxster/Cayman came out I was hooked. I just love a mid-engine car.

Having had driven many 911 and a 930 I drove my first Cayman 981 a couple of years ago but no money to buy. Then when I could afford a 981I drove a 718 and was turned off on the 718 car doesn’t have the bang of the 981 . After 4 years I found the car it is a 981 GTS and it’s more than I could image. My friend has a 2020 Carrera 4s and he loves the way my car handles compared to his. Sorry but once you drive a mid engine your hooked !!! I could afford a used 911 but the 981 is the car for me.

Since I have both… I hear what your saying.. I have a 987CS, which I refer to as the mid engine 964… the shape is similar, it’s still small and you can toss it around like a 964…. It would run circles around a 964 tho. I had one so that’s what I noticed straight away how they felt My 997 is a GT3, but we can’t compare them two.. if you line up a Cayman S with a Carrera S, it’s a closer match.. Carrera is faster (hp) but the cayman is lighter.. the cayman is easier to drive on the limit… both cost the same to maintain, generally speaking.. it’s easy for me to say the Cayman S is a better car and for the money right now it is… A Carrera S will cost you nearly double year depending… both will cost 20-30k if you inherit a bad motor… so if it’s my money knowing what I know… the Cayman S is the better value. The Carrera S IMO is really only better in appearance but that is subjective, unless you’ve seen my Cayman … it’s not your average looking Cayman S Now is a GT3 worth 3-4 times the value of a Carrera S? I’d say yes it is… but really, no it’s not. That is a lot of money for 100-120hp more than a Cayman S . It’s not just the hp that makes a GT3 great, but the asking prices now is not of this world. I bought mine in 2015 when everyone just wanted the 991…. Nowadays? Chit..

This is an interesting thread for me. I bought my first Porsche , a base 981 Boxster , a year ago, and I just returned from a 6-week, 6000 mile west trip to SoCal and back. I have been thinking a 911 would be a better "touring" car for that application. There have been a few times when I've thought, "Hmmm, I'd like a bit more power here...", and the 20" rims with no PASM can feel a bit harsh on the rougher roads. All that said, I was never uncomfortable, even on the final 750 mile day.

I tried out both. All the 911 's I tried seemed like serious cars. The 987's seemed like fun cars. Fun wins over serious every time with me. Usually about now in my ownership of a car - 2.5 to 3 years basically, I start getting "the itch" - to try something else. It's only a very rare car that avoids that fate. The '09 987.2 / PDK Boxster has kept the itch to not even on the radar. It's one of those rare "keeper" cars. The last cars that had that effect on me were a '69 Volvo 1800S (the 6th in my series of 1800's that I owned) - which I took to 175,000 miles and only sold it because the frame rust was getting iffy, guy who bought it from me took it another 100k, and a 1967 Volvo 122S wagon (180,000 miles, sold it back to the dealer who sold it new to me) - just a damn fine car I really always smiled while driving. The other 45 or so cars I've owned have all fallen victim to the "itch" - even the '65 XKE. Since you already have a 981 that you love - I'd just try getting more involved with it. Take it to the track, do a cross-country drive in it (the real acid test of "keeper" or not..) Do some accessorizing to keep it "fresh".

Good point! I guess I missed that you had a 981 , but they have great potential. Wheels, suspension, aero… put your own stamp on it… granted mods for a Porsche cost a lot. Exhaust 2500, headers 2500, suspension 2-3k, 3-5k, wing 2500, reflash 1k… that’s 10-12k. Doesn’t take long

I firmly believe that if the 911 didn't exist first, the Cayman / Boxster would be considered iconic like the original NSX. In fact, is there anything the original NSX does better than the Cayman ? There's probably not much if anything at all. Yet because the 911 exists, the Cayman doesn't get the high reputation that the NSX gets.

The NSX doesn’t compare to a cayman at all. I had a 94 and put a turbo on it… besides the MR2 is and will always be a better car than the NSX, but that’s not better than a cayman either.. had two of those 700hp…. The 911 is their iconic car and will be until it’s an EV and then it’s just battery placement… will they mount everything behind the axle or in front of the the axle? Or both?

Honestly, I don't think they are underappreciated by everyone. At least not those that have actually gotten behind the wheel. It might still be considered a cult following, but it's not a fringe cult. It's worldwide and in considerable numbers.

What I mean by underappreciated is that it's common to trash-talk the Cayman by those who've never experienced owning or driving one. In forums for other car makes, I've seen criticism against the Cayman (including the GT4 !) for being a "parts bin" car. Marketing likes to say things like "the Cayman uses the engine from the 911 Carrera " but the engineering reality is usually different: the parts were designed to work for both the 981 and 991 platforms, not for the 911 first, then Cayman / Boxster later. The release schedule may make the 911 come out first, but the engineering happened many years prior for both platforms. When the 987 Cayman first came out I remember there being a lot of talk from non- Porsche owners about it not being a "real" Porsche . Fortunately this fallacy has largely faded away. Still, a coworker told me about how my 981 wasn't a real Porsche a week after I bought it. He owned a 914 back in the day, yet he found some reason to think that a Cayman is somehow not a Porsche . All that said, I sometimes think about trading my 981 in for an older 911 , perhaps a 997 Turbo or 993 Carrera . The 981 is a bit too refined and effortless at being fast, and I prefer an older car that isn't as refined and more raw feeling.

A parts bin car… lol. A GT4 has a 4.0 Carrera motor too, not a GT3 4.0. Caymans are a little more affordable than a 911 , but a 911 was 50k more so on a used market that’s not going to ever change

We drove a Boxster when they first came out - first P-car we had driven. A friend worked 4 tens to be a P-car tech on Fridays. He suggested we try a 911 prior to purchase. We did and both agreed we were in the 911 crowd. Purchased a G-body Targa then a 964 RS America for autocross. Suggest trying a 964 before purchase. For us the best 911s for those who want to drive a car not dependent on computers and still want air bags. Our track times are ours w/o computer assist. We have driven a water cooled 911 - GTS - still prefer our 964.

And some Cayman guys don't think the Boxster is a real...... And S guys think the so-called Base is...... It's all just human nature. I'm not offended in the least. I've made the comment before but I have a well sorted MX-5 ND and a pretty pristine 987.1 Boxster . Both carry the hairdresser baggage. 🤣 Yet both are wonderful examples of automobile engineering even with upclose scrutiny.

So it’s really the same as the camaro vs Mustang stigma…. Lmao when I hear the words “ cayman or boxster is a poor mans 911 ”. I quickly and boldly correct them and say “no, it’s a Poor mans Carrera GT”…. I usually get a brief pause…. Most actually agree….

That's a good one, I'll have to remember that for next time!

Completely understand this sentiment (my 1974 Ducati is probably the epitome of "raw feeling" in the motorcycle world). Some refinement, e.g. the improved torsional rigidity of the 981 over previous Boxster generations, is welcome and doesn't detract from the driving experience. In terms of effortless speed, a 2.7 with a manual gearbox makes extra demands which enhance the experience. The lower gear ratios on 1st-3rd of the 2.7's G81.00 transmission compared to those of the S model's G81.20 also add a bit of extra engagement. I guess that's the fine art of building sports cars, balancing rawness and refinement, and different drivers and manufacturers make their own judgements about the appropriate blend of each.

Even Homer agrees - air cooled is the way to go! .

. Then there is this - - .

Same here. I've wanted a Porsche since I was 8 years old, way back in the 70s. For most of my life that meant a 911 . I didn't finally drive any Porsches until about 5 years ago, which included a GT3 that was awesome but a little too intimidating for me and anyway out of my budget. I went with a Cayman 981 Base PDK because of the handling aspects you described. There's just no getting around the fact that a mid-engine configuration is ideal. If I had the room or budget for a second Porsche I would go for a five-speed 911 but as I only have room for one I will wait until when and if they relocate the 911 engine to the middle and maybe finally get the 911 8 year old Johnny has always dreamed of. Don't let anyone else's idea of what a Porsche is or is it affect your gut instinct of what you love. Cheers!

I still think the best example of a 911 that does it all is any Carrera S C2. For the cash you can’t beat it… cayman vs Carrera , for the most part it’s the cost…

Go with your experiences, not your preconceptions. No model is better in every way. Do you have a favorite aspect you'd like to enhance? A deficiency you'd like to address? Let this guide you, be it trying something new or customizing your current ride. Or maybe just spend some quality time going on a nice drive or waxing your car and remind yourself of why you chose it in the first place!

Hi Everyone! Thanks very much for everyone's replies and support. To provide a little bit of background, when I went Porsche shopping back in 2015 my intention was to buy a 911 . However, after test driving the 981 and 911 , the 981 seemed to be more fun, engaging, and much better value to me. However, the 981 GT4 would have been very tempting to me if it came with PDK and I could have gotten an allocation back then. On the side, I loaned my younger university daughter the Cayman last week while I was away on vacation. She has driven it before but never for an extended period of time. On my return she said, "Dad, I love the way the car drives and handles! When I get a job, I'm fine living in squalor as long as I can drive a Porsche !" lol.

I never dreamt of owning a Porsche . A few years ago I bought a SLK as a small car for commuting. Then I bought a 982 718 Boxster S . Then all I could think about was owning a 911 cabriolet. 3 weeks ago I took delivery on a CPO 2018 911 GTS cabriolet. I recognize that I came from a 4 cyl Boxster S to a 6 cyl GTS , so it may be different for someone with a 6 cyl 982/ 981 or earlier. A lot of driving emotion comes from the engine sound. TBH, I could not be happier. It is a completely different driving experience for me. Apart from the sound, the 911 is a much nicer ride and feels much more stable at speed. I took the Boxster on a couple of PDE track days and I was not comfortable over 200km/h. I haven't reached that speed on a public road in the 911 , but at the speeds I have tried, it is much more planted. My 2c worth.