When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I was very aggressively looking for a cayman gts for about six months and then the dealer had me test drive a 911. DOH. A year later I'm in a 991.2. Go figure.
Sounds like you guys may have helped me make a decision. 991 it is!
As far as the S vs 4s, its mainly so I can just drive in the rain and light snow - Unless there is a consensus that its a waste of cash. I'd rather get more options than 4WD, but Cayenne I had was awesome in wet/Snowy conditions. I felt SUPER safe. Any Ice, it will be parked (which is generally what we get in Dallas) - Also, Im not looking to win any drag races with anyone besides myself. Just me and the car having a bit of fun. I see a few comments about the 991.1 vs .2 - Any one with real world exp in either or maybe have a set locally in dallas? I am a PCA member, but havent been able to get to any of the Maveric events.
S vs 4S for light snow or ice won't matter if you are still on summer tires. Having winter tires are far more important for those conditions.
I put a winter tire set on for the winter (mainly when the temperatures drop below 40 degrees). Not putting down 4S vs S - the 4S is heavier and takes up a little bit more room in the frunk but there are obvious performance advantages to AWD (and you get a very slightly wider rear track and a reflective strip on the back) - just that winter tires are more important if you are going to drive in snow or ice than how many wheels are getting power.
Sounds like you guys may have helped me make a decision. 991 it is!
I see a few comments about the 991.1 vs .2 - Any one with real world exp in either or maybe have a set locally in dallas? I am a PCA member, but havent been able to get to any of the Maveric events.
JB- you'll be spending close to $100k for your dream car. Are you really going to take it out in very bad weather? I'd hate to wind up in as fodder for a sliding pickup on a bad day. Consensus is that the awd drive line, while fantastic, isn't a necessity. Spend more money on options or a bad weather beater.
As far as the .1 vs .2 decision, my experience was the incremental price to the .2 was easy to take. Given lofty prices for good .1 cars, the higher torque in .2 should at least be experienced. I felt the .2 base compared favorable (if not more responsive) than the .1Ss that I've test driven. None of these cars, even the base .1, is remotely slow, they have different driving characteristics that appeal to different drivers. Have fun with the hunt.
I think you made the right decision (my own opinion, of course).
I faced the same decision last year, ready to trade in my Boxster S (and had previously owned a 911). My only hard plan was to order a new Porsche, to my specs. Early on I was set on a Cayman S, or maybe GTS. Eventually I bought a new 991 C2--and could not be happier.
For me, the decision came down to two key questions:
1. What did I really want, in terms of car use? More "sports car" or more "GT"? Lighter, nimble, smaller feeling or more substantial and even more comfortable? Canyon carver, track toy, day tripper, or touring tool?
I have done the race thing, probably will not autocross or time trial seriously again, and find myself looking forward to more multi-day road trips. Thus I leaned more towards GT.
2. What model would meet my specific needs? My test drive perceptions, and interpreting impressions by others, told me the 991 would suit my needs better.
After these questions, it came down to more subjective likes (and input from my wife, who thought the Cayman too "boy racer").
That's because of the difficulty of getting cargo into the back seat of the 911.
Not something I've experienced myself, since I have a cab. When the top's down, the rear seat is directly accessible. I might feel different about the difference if I had a coupe.
S vs 4S for light snow or ice won't matter if you are still on summer tires. Having winter tires are far more important for those conditions.
This is absolutely true. It's not just snow, either, it's a bad idea to drive on summer tires if the outside is below about 40-45. I've got a 4S, and I once got a bit sideways on a turn without pushing it because it was cold and I hadn't gotten my winter tires yet. Summer tires turn into slippery blocks of plastic when it's cold.
Originally Posted by PJ Cayenne
JB- you'll be spending close to $100k for your dream car. Are you really going to take it out in very bad weather?
"Snow on the road" is not exactly "very bad weather." Of course, I live in the Boston area, not Texas where JB lives, so if I were shy about taking my car out in winter I wouldn't have the use of it for 4-5 months a year. Driving on snow shouldn't be scary unless you're on summer tires or just have no experience driving on snow at all.
The "dream car" argument is a bit of a red flag for me. Either you can afford the car or you can't. If you can, it's not irreplaceable. If you can't, it's not such a great idea to spend money on what is in the long run an expense, not an investment.
Coming from a 911 guy ,For backroad technical (lower speed )driving, in my opinion ,the Cayman is the better handling car. smaller ,lighter, mid engine and yes , many Caymans can I believe defeat most so called super cars under those conditions . However a Cayman is not a 911 and never will be. There is more to life then statistics
However a Cayman is not a 911 and never will be. There is more to life then statistics
I'm not really sure what this means. I guess you could be talking about the badge - some people are really into the prestige aspect of the car.
Whether a car is an enjoyable driver's car is not about focusing on statistics, so I wouldn't throw that line about statistics in there. There's a lot to be said for mid-engine designs, just because of weight balance. Of course, there are people who just plain like the more tail-happy distribution of a 911.
As I said upthread, we have both. My wife prefers her 981 S because it's smaller and she likes how nimble it is. I like the power of my 991.1 4S, and the rear seats have been convenient a time or two. I can't really point to one or the other and say "this is the inherently superior car," absent the available engine options.
Coming from a 911 guy ,For backroad technical (lower speed )driving, in my opinion ,the Cayman is the better handling car. smaller ,lighter, mid engine and yes , many Caymans can I believe defeat most so called super cars under those conditions .
All perception IMO. The 981 feels like a go kart, but it still gets beat down the most technical roads by the 991. My 991S would run away from my 981S on the tight mountain roads around here.
I owned all the cars you mentoned. I traded in my fully modded E92 335i (full M3 suspension mods and full bolt one, LSD etc) to a 981 CS. I missed the TQ and Power of the modded 335i, but the Cayman was way more solid and capable overall, not to mention gorgeous, especially the 981.
After 2 years I was lusting for a 911 and found the perfect CPO car and traded in my 981S for a 991.1 C2S.
As much as I miss the go-karty feel of the Cayman, the 911 was much faster for me on track (I tracked both). It's a much more capable car, but the Cayman had this great smaller car feel. I really miss it some times.
In your price range you will have access to some great cars.
I would consider a Gt4, if you want a pure performance option. But looking at 991.1's I would try to find a GTS, as you get the widebody and the 2wd. If I lived in dallas I would skip the 4wd.
I would never compare a 981S to a 991S, simply because 75hp and 50 torks are insurmountable in such otherwise similar cars. Sure, if budget is a consideration, or you're willing to acknowledge to yourself that the 981S or GTS is going to feel (and be) a good bit slower than the 991.1 S or GTS and you just want it for the handling feel or the compactness.
But fortunately, price for price it's easy to equalize the motor aspect with a GT4. 15 fewer ponies, 15 fewer torks, but 150-ish fewer pounds make it close enough for gov't work. And a '16 GT4 will go for about what a 16 991S goes for.
I'm not saying you'd like one better than the other -- that's personal. But I am saying that the standard Caymans are only going to beat the Carrera on one metric -- cost. (And looks in some eyes, again very subjective*.) But if you're willing to throw away the cost advantage of the Cayman by going GT4, you can even-up the comparo.
I have had a 987S, 981S, and now a 2016 991.1 C4S. The 981 is easy to toss around and quite responsive. It is a fun car to drive but definitely runs out of umph when you want a little bit (or a lot) more.
The C4S is a big car and surprised me how much of a difference it is from the 981 (especially the wide hips on the C4). As others have mentioned, driving casually around town in non-sport mode is generally pointless as the car is fairly unresponsive (especially relative to the 981S). You must leave the car in Sport to keep the revs up which absolutely destroys any semblance of decent gas mileage. Now when you want to just get on the gas, the car is simply magnificent. I like to call Sport+ on my C4S the "giggle" button. Passengers can't help but giggle.
At least around here, the downside of driving a 911 is that people can't drive for $&!@ and have no appreciation for nice things. I was never overly concerned about driving/parking my 981.
07-01-2017, 10:45 PM
