Michael Cain

Hi Folks,

Well I like it, its not the best Porsche design in the world given but remember the Porsche motto "Form follows function" and on that ethos this is going to be one hell of a track day car.

Forget the GTS and CS light weight versions of this car, the current S (295 bhp) model weighing 5Kg more than the standard boxster at 1340Kg is already impressive. That means 217 bhp power to weight ratio. The boxster S is 207bhp and the 993 is 202 bhp per tonne.

In the British press, Autocar magazine released these figures from Porsche Testing at the notorious 13 mile Nurburgring. The Porsche test driver was Walter Rohrl who drove all these cars not including the 993 :-

Porsche Cayman S 8 mins 11 seconds
Porsche 997 8 mins 15 Seconds
Porsche Boxster S 8 mins 18 Seconds
Porsche 993 8 mins 28 Seconds (this was not driven Walter, but someone else)

There are a lot USA Chaps on this site complaining about the cost of this car, well just think your selves lucky that your not living in the UK.

For example :-
Porsche Cayman S UK Price will be £44,000 ($80,000+)
Porsche Cayman S US Price $59,800.
(Exchange Rate: Price Converted Dollar to British pounds = £32,848)

Unfortunately us Brit’s will pay a staggering $20,302 (£11,152) more for the same car, and you lucky American Chaps think your being ripped off.

There is going to be a standard CAYMAN fitted with a smaller 3.0L engine launched after the S model which will cost £35K, which is still too high, this should be the price of the S model.

Regards

Michael

flatair

Stop your whining, us "yanks" don't get to have fun things like the 993 RS

Martin S.

Cayman....water cooled and probably lots of the same problems encounted by Boxster and 996 AND 997 owners. I get feedback on these models from a friend, a wrench at a Porsche dealership.

Performance wise, technology wise, the 993 is a 1994 car with a few improvements that migrated into the breed through the end of the model run. I am sort of fossilesque...close the patent office I say, the 993 is the end all for me, well, I will make an exception for a GT3 car. I don't want water cooling, Variocam, a navigation system, blue tooth, carbon fiber rotors...all those pesky valves per cylinder...

The 993 will not be as fast as a Finnish Cayman (I want a German car, sorry!). And the 993 will never have the latest technology found in the Cayman...but the 993 is a 993, a legend in its own time. If you want proof, look at the resale value. A 993 narrow body bought for $65,000 new in 1997, with good condition and moderate mileage, would sell for at least $40,000 in SoCal. To me, that is over 60% of the value after 8 years, yeah that's right, 8 years.

I have had mine for over 5 years. The more I drive it, the more I love it. 43,000 miles in 5 1/2 years. I'd drive it every day but I have a company car. "Baby" and I have a date at the track in about a week.

I'll drive there in air conditioned comfort, moderate cabin noise as a result of the Sound Package and the RSRs, six (6) CDs to choose from. With less than one (1) hour of preparation for the track (mostly removing stuff from the car), adding my numbers, I will be ready to drive the wheels off this car.

993 for me! Finnish Caymans for others, let them have them.

texas911

Ahem, well I'm sure the Cayman will perfor a lot better than a 993, its 10 years newer in design. Plus its really a mini Carrera GT with its mid engine layout and should be pretty solid structurally since its a coupe. But expensive it is.

Ray Calvo

You like it? Go buy it! I'll keep my 993.

Brett - 1996 C4

If you moved the steering wheel to the left side and reconfigured your roads, think how much you'd be saving!

Michael Cain

You should always buy what you like, the 993 never gave me much confidence going round corners fast, I guess I'm not that good a driver, the Cayman would IMO offer better driving rewards and handling.

Martin S.

I am keeping mine...

orcfromthesouth

Why don't they plonk the 3.6 in the Boxster S and the Cayman.....charge a few '000 and get over it! It would make a great optional!

chris walrod

I am sure Porsche had to be careful just how much performance they put into the Cayman. Its much like the Camaro and Corvette where GM had to keep handcuffs on the Camaro so it wouldnt outperform the Corvette, as this is GM's flagship.

We all yearn for lightweight, high power P-car products, but 911 has to remain Porsches -sports car- of choice, one would think. Of course the CGT is in a league of its own being more of exotic supercar status

That said, even with less HP, the Boxster has proven to be superior on-track in some areas.

Me? I'll keep my 993 as it reaks quality, heritage and 30+ years of development. Although, I wouldnt be against having a more modern P-car alongside my 993..

Dr. No

The great thing about the 993 is, whatever the flaws and quirks of the original design, it's the pinnacle of the rear-engined, air-cooled 911 p-car, and the last reasonably available, non-mass manufactured one.

But you've got to love the handling of a mid-engined p-car!

I'd like to have a garage (and a bank account) big enough for the 993, a 356, a '73 911S, a 964 flachtbau, a 997 and a Cayman.

Mankster

Thats Tax and exchange rates for you. The pre tax price of the Caymen S is £37445 in the UK. It may be £1.82 to the Pound now but when I was in the US last I only got $1.60, which would make the Caymen s $59915.00 before tax in the UK.

I don't think many of those who buy 993's do so because of how fast it goes around the Ring compared to other cars for the same money or even other Porsches for the same money.

Still think the Boxter S is better value than the Caymen, though a Caymen GTS may be interesting !

Arrwin

Hmm....never thought of it that way....that makes it that much more appealing!

JM993

Something I've learned which has liberated me in my years of car ownership: there is always something out there that is faster and/or better handling. Our 993s are behind the times in both areas. So what? My BMW E30 M3 is further behind the times. I still love it. Finally understanding this provided me the piece of mind to restore my M3 without the pressure of creating the fastest car I could make. Why? Because even if I threw every go-fast part at the car (to the detriment of reliability), I'd still have only a marginally fast car. Same goes for the 993. I could spend $20K on my car and it would still only be in the range of the new 997S (my next car, by the way).

Lesson learned: just enjoy what you have. Comparing our cars (objectively) to newer cars (especially Porsches) is a losing proposition.

Joe

1995 Porsche 993
1988 BMW E30 M3 2.5 (240 HP)
1988 BMW 325is
2001 KTM 400MXC

pcar964

First off, put Rohrl in the 993 and let's see a real comparison on the 'Ring. Second, I drove a new 997S and Boxster S (both with sport suspension) at a dealer recently, and I have never felt so disconnected from the road in a Porsche. They are also both so easy to drive fast, it feels like you're watching a video. There is a line that's being crossed in the pursuit of faster more "capable" automobiles - but crossing that line seems to require more and more isolation of the HUMAN element from driving, i.e. "point the car and hit the gas, let the gadgets do the rest."

No thanks, I'll keep my old 911.