Why we need to move away from 911 comparisons

The automotive journalists get paid, to some extent, to create controversy. This is nowhere more apparent, I believe, than in the persistent comparison between the 911 and the Cayman. I believe that the most important development for the Cayman's success is for it to stand alone on its own, very substantial, merits. The 911 comparisons, even when favorable, place the Cayman in the role of a competitor that requires further improvement and development in order to finally "dethrone" the 911. This may make good copy for the automotive "rags", but is not good for the future of the Cayman. Intentional or not, the Cayman becomes a wannabe, defined by the 911 rather than its own considerable attributes. If the Cayman finds itself in a position where success against the 911 determines its acceptance in the Porsche "community" I don't think it will be a positive development. Some degree of hostility already exists on other Porsche boards (which need not be named) for a variety of reasons, but which are not limited to Current Owner Syndrome alone. There's a lot of money and ego invested in our automobile choices (we are no different), but the 911 has a cult following with a constant supply of new members to sustain it. Keeping their other models distance from "the cult" is something the Porsche management understands and I don't believe it's just about marketing. While there are a lot of mature Porsche enthusiasts, there are many who, at least from their board postings, are infantile and easily provoked. Most of you have read the type of things I'm talking about elsewhere as well. Letting the 911 (and its following) define the Cayman is not what we want. My point in this rambling is that I believe this board has the potential to help the Cayman develop its own identity a serious, and eventually competitive, sports car independent of any of its siblings. We don't need to explain or rationalize why we chose a Cayman rather than a 997 or 987. The quality of discussion on the board has been very good, focused, and mature. I hope we can maintain those qualities as we inevitably grow. I see that there are now 380 members and the car has yet to be released! I believe that this car comes as close to the "elemental" sports car experience as we are likely to get in the 21st Century which seems like quite a lot to me. End of Rant Edited by - DaveC on 09/23/2005 10:43:42 PM

DaveC, I don't see your post as a rant, but more or less a reflection on the current state of affairs. If it isn't slamming the Cayman on the Boxster board it is slamming this Cayman site on a Boxster site. When you see such childish things it makes you wonder how we've managed to make it into the 21st century without blowing ourselves up. I don't have a problem comparing the Cayman to the Boxster or to the 911 or to any other car as long as it is done in a constructive and thoughtful way. There's no need to slam on some other car or puff up the Cayman and you are absolutely correct that the Cayman is NOT defined by any other car, even the 911, the Cayman is defined by what it is, nothing more, nothing less. You are also correct that controversy sells, it sells magazines, it gets people to act and react and I fully understand it as a marketing tool. Unfortunately, some individuals have a hard time separating that sort of controversy or conflict from their own personal conflict. You or I might not like it, but it is the world we live in. The Cayman will be what it will be but that doesn't dampen my enthusiasm for the car and hopefully the same is true for some 380+ members here as well. We just need to find interesting and constructive ways to spend our time until we can get behind the wheel of our own Caymans! You know it is going to be hard to see the first owner drive report while waiting on your own car don't you???? /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/teeth_smile.gif Let's get back to the fun! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/drinkers.gif

I've been WANTING and ALMOST ready to buy a 911 for over 5 years... But I put down a deposit a Cayman immediately after learning about it, 8 months in advance... And my Cayman will cost $78,950, a nice 911... I'm fine with 911 comparisons. It's easysee why Porsche so strongly emphasizes the Cayman's position below the 911 and why some have an almost religious view about it. Whatever, I might need a 911 temporarily [/quote]though, the wait is killing me!!

Every P car since the 911 was born has been compared to it. Why should the Cayman be an exception? Porsche has established, & indeed proclaimed, the 911 as its flagship. Most of the automotive press has continued to annoint the 911 as the sports car target through 4 decades. IMO the 'problem' many have w/the Cayman is that it compares too well & represents a threat to the natural order in Porschedom. I'm an air cooled 911coupe guy. I've had no interest in the 996. I've had no interest in the Boxster. When the 997S was introduced, I figured that maybe I'd consider that water pumper in its 2nd year. When the Cayman S was announced, I compared it to my 993 & to the 997S. For my daily driver, street & DE use it compared well. I just placed my order for a Cayman S. The 911 comparisons will continue & Porsche will sell every Cayman it makes.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I am buying the Cayman because I love the way the Boxster S drives but prefer a coupe for serious road work. The 911 is a great car and I have come close to buying one a couple of times. I agree that some people have a vested interest in thinking the 911 is a 'superior' car and I prefer to ignore them. I have no trouble comparing and discussing cars witha trueenthusiast. Iam hopeful that this forum will be made up of the latter. I didn't like the morons on the Corvette sites who would engage in Porsche bashing, nor did I like the people on the Porsche boards who did the same thing to the Corvette or M3. For the most part these are all great cars and a confident mature person will understand that. [/quote]Whichever one you pick is mostly a matter of personal preference. [/quote]There will always be insecure people who need to look down at others to make themselves feel better and the car hobby seems to attract more than its fair share of them.[/quote] <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">[/quote] <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">[/quote][/quote] <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">[/quote] <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">[/quote] <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I am somewhat disappointed that Porsche seems to have a vested interest in keeping the 911 on “top” because it will mean the Cayman will not be allowed to reach its full potential. [/quote]While I can understand Porsche’s interest in maintaining its brand image, it would be nice to let the cars freely compete in the marketplace and on the track. [/quote]I am satisfied with a 0-60 time of 5 seconds for a road car. [/quote]I have had faster and find there are more important considerations. [/quote]For those who require greater acceleration but want a Porsche, it will have to be the aftermarket or a 997. [/quote]The Cayman is getting great press and it will be interesting to see how it does once the car is released.[/quote] Edited by - BiggerTwin on 09/24/2005 04:48:17 AM Edited by - BiggerTwin on 09/24/2005 04:49:13 AM Edited by - BiggerTwin on 09/24/2005 04:49:51 AM

I agree with all of the above. If the postings remain this intelligent and mature it will be, at least IMHO, a breath of fresh air we can all enjoy.

i love the 911, i love the boxster, and i already love the cayman without seeing it in the flesh. my favorate car maker has always been porsche, and i'm glad that they make different cars for different people.

The main problem that the Cayman S has itis no direct competion. Its a flat six ,mid engined, two seat coupe, in Europe I cant think of any car that retails for £44,000 (that wont break down every two weeks). I would bet that some people inside of Porsche are happy to see the engine where it should be, in the middle, just where Ferrari have the greatest success. Just my 2p worth

the way i see it is this. i love the history and continuity of the 911. I love how it has stayed true to a sporty car without too much extra technology and avant guarde styling like bmw. BUT. I find the 911 to be a car for a different generation. I always loved it but always thought that it was unatainable. not because of price but because of the older type of driver I always see owning it. The cayman drove me nuts when i saw it. just the concept of it bring out a passion inside of me. i dont care for the boxster at all and never had. also i think porsche has been dying to raise the price of the 911 and the cayman will let them achieve this. the cayman has an X factor for me that hits the target audience and market. I dont think the 911 and cayman are in direct competition. there is some overlap but they touch two different demographics. not so much because of income or finances but because of what they want out of the car.

[/quote] [/quote]I agree with everything you said, and you may be right about this too but it doesn't apply to me. Someone on the CorvetteForum said people wouldn't cross-shop the 911 and C6. I did. Themain thing I look for in a car is driving satisfaction and fun. For my daily driver I am thinking about replacing my S4 with an A3 quattro, 330xi, or 530xi. An Audi salesman was surprised since the cars are so different but it makes perfect sense to me. I know I am not the average consumer.[/quote] [/quote] I love the 997 Carrera but the Cayman S should deliver more of what I am looking for in terms of driving satisfaction. Even if the 997 is a bit better, I don't think it is worth $10,000 to $20,000 more to me for a weekend toy that will have to compete with a couple of motorcycles for my attention. As I said in another thread, for outright speed and performance I would keep my C6 Corvette. For prestige I would buy a 911. For an involving driving experience, I am hoping the Cayman S is the best choice. I will have to wait till my car is delivered in March to find out if I made the right choice but I am pretty confident I did.[/quote] Edited by - BiggerTwin on 09/24/2005 2:57:42 PM

My local newspaper's auto section referred to the Cayman as 'Porsches new Boxster Coupe for colder climates'. I don't really care what others call it or compare it to as long as I enjoy it.

i could not agree more. just wait. im sure soon people will say thats its not a real porsche. those are the people that only beleive in 911's. this is the same things they said about hte cayanne. and look how much sucess it has brought to porsche. it gave them the financial stability to make the panamera and the cayman!