Michael Cain

The 993 is just a car, its a bit quirky, but at the end of the day its a 12 year old Porsche Design.

I have owned my 993 since Jan 1 2005 and i have enjoyed the ownership, I did dream about owning this car for a long long time, I read so much you would not believe, i have lots of books and magazines, I believed all the hype and then bought one. Unfortunately my own imagination got the better of me and I have been let down.

The engine although semi powerful did not provide the excitement I was looking for, the handling compared to my previous car (944 S2 engine is the front and gear box in the back, perfect 50/50 weight distribution) was disappointing, I have never felt at one with this car, on the limit or getting close to it is unsettling. The car going round corners fast does not provide you with a great deal of confidence. There is always an amount of uncertainty that the car will lose its rear end, 65/35 weight distribution provides the driver with a giant pendulum, I have spun this car a number times and am now aware of the problem, you can not get away from the laws of physic's. For me I love throwing a car hard and fast round corners, this car does not allow me to do this!!!

The 993 design is beautiful, some say the most beautiful 911ever created, I lusted after this car for years, spent hours drooling over photos and critically comparing it too 996’s thinking how the moden porsche designers got the new design so wrong.

But after actual ownership I have experienced the flaws. The 993 is too small, it should be about 20 percent bigger, the wheel base is too short and creates interesting handling on the track, this should be longer! The engine should be slightly infront of rear wheels, not behind, giving better balance and handling, the instruments in the cabin are badly laid out, for example you can not see the speedometer as your hand when on the steering wheel blocks the reading above 80 mph. If you want to see what speed you are doing when driving around 120/140 you have to take your hand off the wheel. Not a good idea!

The climate control is difficult to use , air conditioning system is useless in hot weather. The front windscreen does not demised easily. The cabin space is too small for me, I am 6’3 with a long back, I have tried putting the seat in several different positions but cannot get comfortable. The interior design has of course had its day, the cassette holders behind the handbrake leave give hint of an entirely different generation.

With many of its short comings the 993 is not perfect but the engine sound I cannot fault, I just love engine the note at 5000-7000 rpm, it has to be perfect and an experience to savour. I would be very surprised if the new Cayman can provide the 993’s magical sound.

IMO though i do have a horrid feeling that the Cayman is going to be mass produced like the Boxster and we are going to see one parked on every street corner.

Never the less I am looking forward to the Cayman, I am looking forward to the handling and balance of the mid engined layout, a modern designed cabin an air conditioning system that works. At the end of the day you have got too look forward to the future and realises that the 993 has had its day.

Bull

Sounds like you should sell that 993 and get on the Cayman list. The 993, and 911s in general, are not for all people....thankfully!

Having owned several mid-engined cars, I wish you luck with the interior space issue.

pjc

I'm sure the Cayman will be a great Porsche - the truth is no matter what the company manufactures it soon becomes the product to compare others with. Where-ever appropriate road tests are found a Porsche is always in the starting gate and always performs well.

I hope it sells well along with all the other models so that Porsche can once again afford to return to the highest level of motor sport.

I can't afford a new model - whether I would buy one is another matter - but I love my 1976 and 1995 911s for what they are, beautifully engineered sports cars that kick my happy bone whenever I climb aboard. I expect Cayman owners will have just the same feeling.

PJC

George from MD

As a 993 owner (who will not give up my car for a long, long time, if ever) who is also in the market for a new Porsche the Cayman has great appeal to me.

But alas the wife wants a convertible and the price of the Cayman makes the Boxster look like a bargain (which, IMO, it is not). I was hoping it would have been cheaper, not more expensive, than the Boxster and am curious to see how many they will really sell at the price point they picked.

Michael Cain

To George,

Shortly after the Cayman S is released, Porsche is going to provide a cheaper alternative version, a standard Cayman with a 3.0 flat 6 Engine Producing 255 BHP. Ok well is not loads but remember thats still more than a BMW 3.0 Z4 (231@5900 bhp) and will be priced simlar.

In the UK the Cayman S is going to be £44K and standard Cayman around £35K.

A US version will be IMO priced to same ratio.

Regards

Michael

HK G36C

How many people here would race their brand new Cayman v. their 993? How many people race their cars here anyway? I don't mean weekend stuff once every three months or so where you cannot pass people in the corners and really don't race. Around town, down the biways...freeways...these cars are not worlds apart. Now, if you are talking CGT maybe, but than again you are talking 500k. Most of us have day jobs and families so we are stuck with weekend stuff, mods here and there where we can claim our cars are faster.

Mark in Baltimore

Michael, are your shocks nice and fresh or blown and sloppy? Crappy shocks can definitely contribute to your car's wayward handling.

That said, 911's have always required that the driver be able to master the car and demand a certain skill and discipline to drive quickly. The blueprint is not perfect, but Porsche's domination of racing with the 911 layout cannot be disputed. Perhaps the reason you are spinning so much is that your shocks are bad, your driving skills could use some refinement or you are truly geting the most out of the chassis and your skills have far exceeded the limits of the design.

George from MD

My 993 is now a track only car. It can be driven on the street but I do so only rarely- it's loud and it's stiff and I don't have any street tires for it anymore. I don't "race" it but do eight or so DE events a year (and occasionally we do pass in corners but we aren't supposed to).

My wife actually wants to buy the Z4 and I am doing my best to get her into the Boxster S instead (my real preference is a used 996 cab but she wants a new car). It would replace a BMW 528 that is my daily driver. I think the Z4 is a fine car, and dealer wise, I think BMW service is far superior to Porsche's (at least in my local area). But after driving the Boxster S a few weeks ago I was sold- it is hands down superior to the Z4 in virtually every way and I thought it was faster than my 993 (at least it felt that way- in the limited test drive I took). I loved it and she did too- even if she wouldn't quite admit it- but it is significantly more expensive than even a loaded Z4 3.0- and that's without a reasonable amount of options. If we do get it it would be used, on a very limited basis, in DEs. Right now both of us drive the 993.

For what its worth I really hate the looks of the Z4- I told her that washing it would feel like fondling Chris Bangle- uuughh.

And I'll add that until Porsche has definitively fixed the RMS problem anyone who tracks their Cayman may be asking for it.

infinii

How much reading did you do if you didn't realize beforehand that the 911's are very susceptible to spinning out due to the weight distribution?

These are all things someone should check BEFORE buying a car, nonetheless a car as expensive as this. You'd try on a pair of $100 shoes before. Wouldn't it be logical to sit in the car before shelling out so much $$?

You're talking about a car designed in the early-mid 90's. Of course it is a different generation, you didn't expect an XM receiver and 6 disc changer did you? My wife's Infiniti still has a casette deck in it. IIRC, alot of current-gen MB have tape decks as well.

Hard to believe this is the only thing you could find likeable on the 993.

Regardless of mass production, high cost will ensure this car isn't going to be parked in every corner like a Toyota Corolla.

I don't own a 993 yet but could your constant problems with the A/C be due to the car being old and requiring a recharging of the A/C coolant? Pre-996, the 911 was a sports car. If you want the luxurious ammenities you keep listing and the comfortable cabin, get a 996/986/onward. For all the reading and researching you claimed to have done prior to your purchase, your expectations for the 993 and the car that it is are vastly different.

George from MD

I think the 993 is a very stable platform. If you're spinning it's because you're lifting- or something is seriously wrong with the car. When I questioned Hurley Haywood (yes that one) about the superiority of the mid engine vs. rear and Boxster v. 996 he stated that he and many other drivers really preferred the rear engine layout- it allowed them to better "plant" the car when exiting a corner and put more power down sooner. Of course Hurley is a Porsche salesperson too- and he was driving a Boxster that day.

texas911

Cain, looks like you're ready for a 997.