74goldtarga

M3, 2002-2004 C2 coupe with good records and an LN engineering intermediate seal fix already done. Cayman R is nice but outside of what I would be willing to spend. I am starting to think about buying your '86 951 when you sell it after all the hard work and money you've put into it - just think how nice it would look in another Rennlister's garage while you drive around in a 370 Z

The siren song of a Lotus Esprit still calls for me. I know I will hate the decision not long after buying it - but the exhilaration of seeing it in my garage might possibly be worth it.

TexasRider

Now Gold you are trying to put the squeeze on me here LOL - and it is working.

That is ONE of the reasons that I said No Way immediately when they told me the Ford Boss price. I flatly said to them I can buy a new BMW M for less than that. And of course there is the issue that you are re-charging, or trying to , for the items Ford already put on the car at $50,000. So a $28,000 availability charge. Of course they said "Its worth it. Look at the Bullet car." Oh sure but Steve aint here and there is only one. But you will need to dodge some "bullets" to try to do that deal.

But I do like the Porsches. I do. I just dont want to have to work on them as much going forward. In the "new shop" I will have room for a couple of cars, maybe even a couple of more, separate from the garage. So I am keeping a spot for the 951. But I hope ALL of them dont want the same attention.

And I have been thinking about taking an extended road trip and traveling around and even seeing some of the RennListers sometime. I dont want to have to have them call ahead for parts and having a working visit. It not that bad, but you know what I mean too. I do have confidence in my 951. But if I get off as far as Minnesota or something that could be a different story.

Thanks and Happy Holidays too.

67King

Have you considered looking at a regluar Boss, and not the Leguna Seca? They are like CLub Sports - ultra, ultra rare, and marked up accordingly. The regular Boss stickers at $40K, and they sell for about the same. And it actually is a good car. FWIW, I have a friend who has one, a turbocharged 308QV, a 987S, and a 997. Another has an M3 track car. I'd give both of my 951's and my 968 for one, and not look back. But it is a very different car.

But back to the Cayman. It is similar in size, weight, and range. There's the regular Cayman, the Cayman S, and the Cayman R. And the IMS problem was supposedly fixed with teh 2009 engines. It really is the most analogous to the 944.

zerMATT951

Mustangs are too big and WAY too heavy. They need 400+ horsepower just to have fun.

You're used to a lightweight, tight handling, flickable car... a Cayman S (used) or Cayman R (new) seems like the perfect choice.

JimV8

I like my car and I wonder what it will be like to drive it. Since getting it my driveway's had an MB diesel Turbo, an Audi A8L and a Jeep wrangler and the big van. The Audi and MB are gone and good riddance. The Jeep is so stiffly sprung it rattles the filling out of my teeth on city streets. The big van wins the prize for best all round and perfect for carrying big bulky things such as engines and wheels, etc. It has command of the road view, comfortable seats, big engine, and is big enough to intimidate most other drivers so that I get the respect out there that I justly deserve.

It's coming up to 400,000 kms now and works great but the time is coming for replacement and it's going to be a difficult one because I don't like the look of the new vans. At this point second choice is a Chevy pickup as it is does pretty much the same. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited looks pretty good too.

TexasRider

I did not really know about the Cayman R.

I will have to go to the dealer and have a demo in a Cayman though. I dont know about the green color one though .

The R certainly is lighter coming in at less than 3000 lbs. It has an interesting torque curve. I would have thought the torque for the six cylinder would be pretty flat across the whole rpm range. It is flat in the lower rpms, then takes a kick up at 3500-4000 and then flattens off again. The Hp is very linear though.

TexasRider

In the Porsche line with the Cayman, the S, and the R, each $10,000 buys you a step up in performance. But it does look worth it. Of course I might have to keep any of these cars for a while. So pretty soon ya'll be saying "Hey aint you tired of that Cayman yet." Move on to a "real Porsche." You know what I mean.

If I go to the dealer they are going to want to show me the used 911 S they have. Had a pretty good price too. I am going to say "Cayman first."

Those 911 guys have been so hard on us 951 guys for so long it is hard for us to join them.

spencang

In the latest Excellence magazine, there is a good comparison between the the R, the boxster spyder and the carerra gts. Check it out!

TexasRider

I will have to make a bookstore and Starbucks run in the 951 and grab that later. Thanks Spenc.

TexasRider

WAIT A MINUTE here fellow 951's -ers.

I cant get that car.

Look carefully at the shape of the that torque curve. It looks like a 911 profile. Those sneaky 911 guys and German engineers. Got to get that 911 in on us somehow.

TexasRider

I got it.

We sell our two cars. We drive a hard bargain on two new Caymans. They change that bearing or warranty the thing for 100,000 miles or somethnig.

We motor out. Go pickup Miss Avatar and others. Head over to the Everglades Rod and Gun Club. Then over to Naples. Then over to .......... well hell how about Texas. Ooops got to drop Miss Avatar off at the airport before we get over here in InJun country . I might lose my scalp !

74goldtarga

I have been on the track with a Boss 302 (with MASSIVE slicks front and rear) as well as the new Mustang GT. The Boss was quite a bit faster than my car - I asked the driver why he didn't buy the Laguna Seca edition and he said you could add LSD and other mods much cheaper than getting the Laguna Seca. I could keep the Mustang GT behind me even on the straights (higher corner exit speed was higher despite obvious horsepower advantage to the Mustang). The Boss is a sweet car and I have been tempted by them as well. For Cayman R money I think you will be able to get the 2013 Mustang GT500 with 600 hp. Also, if buying new, a new Cayman will be released soon correct - I'd hate to get an R and then find out the new Cayman S is awesome and has a lower MSRP which would not surprise me.

TexasRider

600 Hp . It is good that I am a bit older and dont get crazy anymore.

That has to be like our last track day. There were a couple of Corvettes running, by themselves mostly I might add, that did not have great corner entry speed. About mid corner or later they started some throttle. When lined up they put the gas to them. On exit they put a lot of gas to them, but not on the floor I dont think. A Gt2 or 3 or something might could have kept them behind them. Most everything else was toast. Including a couple of Z's and a radical.

But in reality I have to do first things first. First I have to get a new shop built that can do a big lift. I looked at here at the house. But with a regular little pool house attached to it and one oversized garage and tall for the lift it was going to get up to approaching $200,000. Hmmmm, no. I might do it at the farm. Heck we might just move there and build a new house IF we could sell this place quasi-reasonably.

I know what you mean about the Lotus too by the way. I always thought that they are the best looking cars and possibly the best looking ever made. But while I dont want to think about Porsche car maintainance, I would fear a Ferrari or a Lotus.

A 1995 Espirit 4 cylinder.

mclaudio

My brother has a 95 Esprit. It hasn't been bad about maintenance and he daily drives it. My experience with F 308s/328s has not been bad either. I've spent more on my 944, but I restored it so it's note really a proper comparison.

The Cayman is actually not a bad choice. It's a bit of an anti-911, similar to the 944 and 914 (my two favorite street Porsches, despite owning mostly P 911s). I had an 07 Cayman and it handled better than my 996. Steering was sublime.

For Lotus, I would look hard at the Elise. The prices seem to have come down on those. My brother also had an Elise 190R race car - great driving car. Though stock, it kept up, if not more, with most GT3s at the track.

EspritS4s

I agree!