Moderato

When I hear stuff like this it makes me not want to spend the extra money for the 911.

TD in DC

How much driving experience do you have?

Also, you really need to make a priorities list. Porsche makes vehicles for nearly everyone. It is simply a matter of knowing your own priorities, and then knowing the product line-up well enough so that you know which vehicle would best meet those priorities.

And yes, I have spent too much time thinking about this myself. Hmmmm. Keep my 996 Targa (which I love), get a 997 GT3 . . . or get a Cayman S . . .

Another great thing about tracking a Cayman S is that, since one can be picked up for "almost" half the price of a 997 GT3, most of us will drive it harder on the track because there is less to lose . . . . Maybe we shouldn't think that way, but I love my 944 race car because I could walk away from it without too many tears if I lose it on the track . . .

Moderato

I currently have an 06 M3 ZCP and an 06 STI. I'm not really planning to buy just yet but when Porsche comes out with the new DI engines I might be interested. I'm trying to decide if I want to get a Cayman or a 911. I've always wanted a 911 since I was kid...blah, blah, blah. OTOH the Cayman just looks more exotic to me then the 911. Plus I love the idea of the mid-engine. Just about every exotic sports car has a mid-engine design. In fact the only reason I can think of not to get the better balanced Cayman is because "it's not a 911." I haven't heard anyone chime in and say "the 911 is better then the Cayman because of the rear engine." All 911 owners mention, more powerful engine and more roomy interior. For me I don't care about power or roomy interior. I just want to get the best handling luxury sports car on the market for less than 100K and I don't care about power or room.

TD in DC

Well, I am going to confuse you a little more.

First, who cares what anyone else thinks about your car? Screw 'em. So long as you are happy NOTHING else matters.

Second, I am a huge fan of the mid-engined platform . . . BUT . . . I will say that there are advantages to the rear-engined platform once you learn how to drive them. The mid-engined platform is well-balanced and easy to drive fast. When you drive them at the limit, though, I think they can be tougher to catch when they step out. By contrast, a rear-engined platform takes more time to learn how to drive, but it can be more predictable when it comes to stepping out (particularly the modern 911s, which are pathetically easy to drive) AND the rear biased can be used to your advantage. The 911 is a driver's car, and very good drivers can use the weight bias to their advantage. Think of it this way, the Cayman is more like a top, which means it is easy to rotate (think nice turn in), but it will also spin rapidly. The 911 is more like a hammer, which might take a bit of work to turn, but at least it rotates slowly enough that mere mortal drivers can usually manage the rotation to the most effective use.

I hope this helps.

Moderato

Damn, you did confuse me more. When I hear stuff like this it makes me want to buy the 911.

fast1

If I were getting a pure street car, I would rank them as follows:

997 Targa
997 TT
997 C2S
997 C2
Boxster S
Nothing else would be acceptable

You don't find the CS acceptable for street use? I've driven a CS on many occassions and I find it to be a great street car. Handles extremely well and is relatively comfortable for a sports car.

TD in DC

For street use, I would want the option to take my kids. The only exception to that is the Boxster, which is the closest thing to a traditional "sports car" that Porsche makes (e.g., 2 seater roadster). But I would probably never even make it that far down on the list . . .

Marv

If your budget can stretch that far, then consider a GT3. I have a loaner Cayman S right now, which is strangely appealing to me, but the GT3 is otherworldly.

One thing that you may not have heard about the 911 is that the rear engine bias provides a lot more grip when exiting a turn. A mid engine car benefits from lower polar mass. They behave different and need to be driven differently. It is not so easy to really say one is a clear winner over the other, but I would agree to the argument that a mid engine design is a powerful weapon on the track.

fast1

From an engineering perspective, the mid engine is the way to go for best handling. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't taken a basic College Physics course. Over the years Porsche Engineering had done a great job overcoming the inherent flaws of a rear engine layout, so there's no question that the 997 iteration handles well on the track. Nevertheless, when Porsche decided to build the GT which is the best car that they could without respect to price, they went with a mid engine layout.

Moderato

I always hear this statement....besides suspension adjustments what else has been done? Also, besides the tendency for the rear end to swing out like a pendlum, what are the other inherent flaws of the design?

Moderato

I think this would be the car for me, too bad it's going to be out of my price range. *sigh*

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2008-por...97-future.html

Edgy01

I like the option of having 4 seats. Not something I use much, but I like the option. Let's not kid ourselves, we're not racecar drivers, we drive on the streets of America or Europe and the difference between handling with midengine vice rear engine layouts has been virtually dialed out in the Carreras and Caymans. (is that Caymen when plural?)

Likemystoppie?

911's are perfect daily drivers. I love the CS, so if the budget didn't fit w/ the 911, the CS is a FANTASTIC CAR!

Jukelemon

I have never driven a Cayman but I have driven a Boxter S during the time that my 993 was in service.

As well, I have driven an e46 for the past three years.

Point one, I ma NO race car driver BUT I feel I have taken the cars to some respectable limits.

What I notice is that the cars are ALL fast and precise-just different. The 993 feels, to me, more stable and planted. Feels is the operative word. On the M3 in particlaur, the whole car/steering feels lighter and feels almost like your are in a go cart-keeping with the feeling thing. The Boxster felt the same way to me. Not bad, not better, just different and less appealing to me.

As well, when at red line limits on both cars and considering weight, ALL are extremely fast and capable given what most do. To me though, the 911 rear engined platform feels more planted and predictable. But again, I am talking feel and not numbers which to most, if not 99.9%, is the real reason to choose if money is not an issue.

JimG

The cayman wheelbase (95.1") is actually a little longer than the 997 c2 (92.52"). The cars are virtually the same height (51.4 vs 51.5") and width (70.9 vs 71.18). The 997 is longer overall (172.1 vs 175.6).