Grunty

Which do you think looks better? Sort of silly but it is important hat the car appeals to you.

Chiboy

FWIW, I'm not a horsepower guy, and started off thinking I'd get the Cayman. But coming from an E46 M3, the base Cayman felt really lethargic. I quickly moved to the Cayman S, and then ultimately to the 991 base. I am more than happy with the base 991 and when I've driven the 991 S, it didn't make me wish I had escalated even more to that model. But I do think the Cayman needs the S. It's tough to drive a base Cayman for $60k or whatever and feel like you have the power of a Honda.

Grunty

He lives in Manhattan, yes? This would likely be his one and only car. The rear seats are nice and all but a 911 isn't gonna cut it for runs to SAMs club and the like. I DD my 911 as well but I also have an suv for the occaisonal heavy lifting.

NoGaBiker

I totally get that. First of all, I've happily owned a 986S Boxster back in the day that made 265hp, and I loved it while I had it. And I used to race Miatas so I am totally in tune with the joys of deft-handling but low-powered sportscars. That said, I had a loaner base Cayman when my 911GTS was in the shop last year. I was prepared to love it for a couple of days. I wound up not bonding at all. It was a PDK, like all loaners, but even driving it in Manual, as I do my 911, the lack of power and absence of the PSE sound, made the car feel slow and sterile. I'd probably feel differently with a base manual 981 in the mountains where I could exploit the handling it's known for. But as a daily schlepper, that was one disappointing ride.

07CarreraS

My father has a 2015 Cayman S w/PDK and I have a 991.2 with PDK. I drive his car all the time and I will say that I do like the compact sportiness to it being a 2 seater and the sound emanating from right behind my ears but it does lack some grunt compared to the 911. At times it just feels heavy due to the lower power. It does need to hit the higher rpms to really enjoy the feel of the car but this thing handles on rails. My 911 accelerates instantly and has less noise and is more comfortable for daily driving. To be quite honest, I'd be happy with either one. Storage wise the 911 seems to have a little more room. I like the look of the 911 up front but love the profile lines of the Cayman.

I originally was going to get a Cayman GTS loaded to the gills but when I heard the new 991.2s were coming I decided otherwise. Either way, it's a win win for you.

Hurricane

I thought he lived in Northern Virginia. So confusing!

c_Gio

Am I the only one who thinks Macan? Fully loaded GTS for less than 90, great for rain/traffic/skiing. Ends the one car vs 2 car debate. More comfortable but fast as heck.

Maybe I'm a party of one. But worth test driving it...

Disclaimer: love my 911 GTS but would have gotten Macan turbo if I didn't also have a Benz GL in garage.

maxpowers

With the Macan you can only get an automatic. Great for holding things, but I can't imagine it's anywhere near as much fun as the Cayman or 911

rbrenn

I was faced with a similar situation last year when I test drove a 991 GTS coupe and the Cayman GTS. I ended up with the Cayman GTS. While both are great cars, they are very different. The 991 is larger, a bit more comfortable and flexible with the back seat. I found the 981 Cayman more of a classic sports car and very easy to get a lot out of it.

The point here is, before you get into the particular specs/options, I'd suggest that you test drive both back to back, and then do it again a day or two later to find out what it is you'd like to drive. There is no wrong answer here, but, at least for me, the test drive made the decision very easy. Then, and only then, came the long list of questions about of how to option it.

Good luck.

c_Gio

Agreed. If he was dead set on MT, I wouldn't have said anything... But since he seems to be considering PDK anyway... Thought I'd throw in my cheap 2 cents.

911 and Caymen are sportier than Macan, no doubt. But Macan is (I bet) sportier than most non-Porsche sports cars. For instance I'd rather have a Macan turbo than an M4.......

Noah Fect

Buy a gently-used CPO 981 Cayman S now, then evaluate your options over the next year or so. I don't think you'll lose a whole lot of money on it if you decide you want to go to the 911 later. It's like real estate -- they aren't making any more of them.

No one else can tell you if PDK is right for you, so you need to try both.

07CarreraS

I have a Macan S and it is a very satisfying drive and could only imagine if I had the GTS or Turbo. I love the blips of the gear changes as your accelerating and the way it drives and handles. However, I would never pick one over the 911 or Cayman.

Jeffdehr

+1

Marvinta

07CarreraS

+1 I think I'd take my chances with the M4