JamesKen

That depends on the track and the driver. There are Caymans at my track I will never be faster then and Turbos I can beat. As far as outgrowing the Cayman I don't think the 991S has enough power and a lot of people think the base Cayman has more then enough so no one else can answer this question for you.

I really like the Cayman and still stare at them when I see them but I wanted more power and have always wanted a 911. May be I will get the GT4 in a few years I don't know. The cars are in some ways very similar and in others very different so I think you could go nuts making a pros and cons list. I would drive both and take a long hard look at them and see which one stirs your soul more and go from there. I think sometimes we are to overly analytical for a purchase that is really made for passion

chuckbdc

You will not go wrong either way. Two great cars. The GTS will have all the good stuff and be in brand new condition. Don't know what's in the 991you are considering.

I left the 911 fold for a Boxter S RS-60, sort of like a GTS. Thought I would never go back to a 911 (having owned two before the Boxter). One extended ride in the 991S and it made the decision for me. Confirmed every day.

Larry Cable

991S

distracteddev

heh, see my note on Canadian pricing: http://www.porsche.com/canada/en/mod...911-carrera-s/

The base 911S is starting at 117k in Canada while the highly optioned Cayman S/GTS will come in around 95k. So it would be a 20k jump to just a BASE 911, let alone if I added on a couple of options.

But you do bring up a good point -- in my original calculations I was only considering Cayman S (new) vs 911 GT3 (new). Perhaps the difference between the Cayman S and the 911S (non GT3) is big enough that the extra 20k is worth it.

I could easily afford the 991S, its the GT3 version that comes in at 150k before our 12% tax in Canada that pushes me past my comfortable range.

So I guess the better question is How much better is the 911S (close to base) vs a Cayman S (highly optioned) on the track? The 911 looks so much longer, I can't imagine it being near as nimble but I guess thats why they added the rear steering.

distracteddev

Thanks for you input, would love to hear the reasoning behind your suggestion if you have the time!

distracteddev

Wow, you really think the 991S doesn't have enough power? Are you running a 911S Turbo now to quench your thirst or looking for aftermarket solutions?

LexVan

No rear steering on the 991S. Only the Turbo and GT3.

JamesKen

First your other question. With the same driver on most tracks the 991S will be faster then the 981S. Depending on what you are doing with your feet a 991S can tend to oversteer or understeer more then a 981. A 981 feels more balanced to a lot of people. Once you learn to get the most out of a 991 it will easily beat a 981 out of the corner. Since a lot of tracks have corners where exit speed is a priority and most track have some type of straight aways the 991S wins almost every time. I think the best way to sum it is up is that a 991 is harder to learn how to drive to the limit but once you do learn it will give you more options coming in and going out of a corner where I think the 981 shines mostly mid corner.

As far as power I had always planned on buying a used turbo. My dad has had several 911's half of them being modified turbos so that is the direction I was headed. After driving the 991 I was sold on the new PDK, style and chassis. The turbos were not out yet and are more then I am willing to spend.

Every day I drive my 991S I am more and more happy with it. I still can't get the most out of it on the track but am getting better. I would not be surprised if some day I pick up a used 991 Turbo, GT3 or GT4 but in the mean time I am very happy.

lunarx

If track is your primary motivation, get a Cayman GTS.
Its lighter and has the rear trunk to help with transporting all your track essentials.
I saw a Cayman S at a dealer with PCCB and it was discounted to 83K.
Seemed like a good track toy.
http://hoehn.porschedealer.com/new/Porsche/Cayman+S/2014/White/white/1035397/info.php

ipse dixit

Depends on what you intend to use it for.

Daily driver? 911 all the way.

Track toy? Cayman GTS is probably a better bet, but will really depend on the type/skill of driver you are.

Steve1788

Get the 991s. I had the 981 CS for 8 months, just traded for a 991 4S. Just to share my personal experience...thought about 991 almost everyday out of the 8 months 981 CS ownership. Now happy and satisfied with 991 C4S. Will not go back to cayman s or gts, cayman gt4 might be a differnet story. Nothing wrong with cayman but it is just not a 911!

Mondrian

What % of your decision is based on the car's track ability vs its use as a daily?

jpbesl

I owned a 2007 base Cayman and now a 991S, so I'm absolutely not going to help you with a power comparison But I'll comment on a few other things.

First, practicality. I didn't realize how much I'd use the rear seats until I had them. Forget the fact that I have to have them for my daughter, I use them a lot for others to join the fun. With the Cayman, many times I just winded up taking another car because there were more than two people involved. Second, the frunk is great, but the Cayman's hatch provided just a little bit more versatility for long and wide items.

Next, performance. Again - I'm not going to comment on the Cayman GTS power because it's a whole different world than my 2007 base. However, I'll say the 991S thrills me every day, and I'm only left wanting for another 1k of revs before redline. The top rev band is so spectacular, I just want to be there all day. So I hit the rev limiter frequently. Contrary to my Cayman where I HAD to be above 5500 just to get reasonable power, the 991 makes stuff happen at most RPMs.

Handling I think I can make a more fair comparison. I like to get the tail out a bit - my prior cars were E92 335i and E92 M3, which are basically built for that. So I'm just going to talk about the cars doing one of my favorite pastimes - low-speed tail out fun. Since you have the FRS, I'm sure you don't want to lose that kind of tail-happy fun those cars provide.

In the Cayman, I could forget about breaking the back end loose at lower speeds in the dry - just not enough power. But in the wet, I could really get a sense of the chassis dynamics. In short, I was taken aback by the center of rotation (in a good way). It really does feel like an axle was driven through the center of mass and the car is pivoting progressively around it. Very friendly, very predictable.

My salesman and experience with older 911's had me afraid to play with the tail on the 991. His quote "It's not really meant for drifting." So for the first year or so, I didn't really grab it by the scruff. But I couldn't take it anymore, and one day in the rain, I said "**** it", turned off PSM and had some fun. Is it as progressive as the Cayman? No. But it was more predictable than my M3, and the tail snap is absolutely a non-issue. I've had this car at greater slip angles for longer than any other car I've had. I've ended up with my M3 facing the wrong way a few times, but so far never with the 991.

Now in the dry on warm tires, it's harder to get the back end to go at low speeds, but not impossible. So I tend to have fun on cold tires or in the wet.

OK enough of the hooning. For actual handling, the 991 has slightly more understeer than my Cayman. But if I throw on more lock and give it throttle, it's a non-issue. The PTV and/or raw torque will get the nose pointed where I want. (BTW, the PTV is a weird sensation when you first experience it. It's this odd rotational feeling at the seat of your pants that feels a bit unnatural, but you can't argue with the results.) That said, sometimes I find myself in too high a gear chucking it in and it washes wide a bit. Just be attentive, error on the side of a lower gear and power on a bit to correct. I haven't aggressively trail-braked to see if that's a good strategy as well. Maybe others can comment.

Coming OUT of corners is a similar story. Once past apex, it's pretty rare where I can't just hit full throttle in the dry in both cars and launch out with confidence. It's just that with the Cayman, I was yelling for it to "come on!!!", in the 991, my stomach enters my throat and I hang on. I don't know what corner exit is like in a Cayman with decent power. 911's always had excellent corner exit because of the weight over the rear wheels, but the 991's engine is pushed forward more than in the past. So maybe they're more similar than different?

Finally, ride quality. My Cayman rode harder. I have PASM in the 991 (not SPASM) and I find it perfectly fine for blending comfort and staying level in corners. I'll ride on hard shocks all day, I don't care. But I have a wife and I think the 991S PASM on comfort mode is about as harsh as she'll stand. She hated the Cayman's ride with a passion. As for body roll, I _think_ my Cayman stayed slightly flatter around corners, but I also didn't hit corners at the speeds I have in the 991.

So there you go. Hope my rambling helps a little.

bccars

What car poster was on your wall when young ?

perretar

Cayman WheelBase is 1" longer than 991. But 991 is 4" longer overall.