Hi folks,

Nothing like planning ahead. My car purchase timeframe is Feb/March '06. I'm a previous 951 and 968 owner who took time off to start a family, etc. Now, with a new job and great wife who also loves Porsches, it is time to consider what to get:

996 C4S - is a 911, has the more aggressive front/rear/overall look I prefer to base 996s, is still pricey but can be found occasionally with a good deal, has had its initial depreciation

Cayman - is newer, has a nicer interior I'll spend 5 days a week commuting in, an aggressive look I really like and from all reviews will provide the raw, visceral thrill I've missed for 4 yrs. since I sold my 968. But will be MSRP and suffer first-year-of-new-model-type depreciation, something that haunts me from my '04 Audi S4 purchase.

I'll be stretching my personal financial comfort zone with either, so a lower cost alternative does remain - 02 996 C2. Sticking to '02 for exterior and engine improvements over '99-'01.

Appreciate all your inputs and who knows, maybe a healthy debate!

Regards,
Piccia
Brentwood, TN

 

If you're always worrying about how much you spend on it, you'll always be thinking about that instead of just enjoying the car. I think your best bet is to go for the '02 C2 and then look at going for a Cayman in a few years when they've depreciated.

 

I have the 987S, not a Cayman but close, and the 996 C4S. Just to give you my impressions.

The 987S platform is quick and agile, intuitively responsive, easy to drive fast. With the PASM, the best of both worlds, with a supple street setting and a firm gung-ho setting. The 996 is power, planted on rails, very rewarding when you learn how to drive it fast. While the C4S has a quiet cabin with only the low thrumm of the PSE exhaust, the 987S cabin is noisier with the whine of the engine tending to drown out the burbly exhaust unless you are WOT.

Overall, I'd say the the 987S driving experience is like being a child having tons of fun, while the C4S drivng experience is a more mature more serious fun. If I had to choose only one car to keep, I'd keep the C4S.

 

The same debate happened when the Boxster came out... It all boils down to ... Do you want a 911 or do you want the chicks porsche?

Trust me ... Just got rid of the chicks porsche

 

Thanks for the reply. Good background. Nice stable!

 

I was really excited when they announced the Cayman. Everytime I get the itch to switch from the 996 family I play with the configurator. That usually kills it for me. If you have the budget for a C4S hands down get it. The C4S is a Hot looking car you will also be driving a much more exclusive. I don't think there is any contest especially after the newness factor of having a Cayman wears off. A boxster can be had in the teens today that is not the case with a 99C4S.

Either way welcome back to the party!

 

Your first post said it all ... the C4s "is a 911."

 

I'd vote Cayman, just because it's two wheel drive. If you aren't going to be driving in bad weather a lot, rwd is just much nicer: the steering is sharper and turn-in is quicker, which is much of what the Porsche experience is all about. Obviously, there are those that disagree, but that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it!

If the Cayman is looking too pricey, I don't think you'll have to wait too long to find some low-mileage used examples, and you'll have a lot of warranty to protect you, whereas the '02's will be running out of warranty soon.

 

Have not seen the Cayman in person, but I think the 996/997 is better looking. With that said, I'm biased and have a Boxster and am addicted to the mid-engine layout. If money is tight, you could look at a 1 year-old 987 which would have the modern features you mention and would be a lot of fun for the $ with a good chunk of the depreciation already taken. Who knows, maybe in a few years Porsche will put a 911 engine in the Cayman or you can change out to a depreciated 997.

 

With all due respect to Boxster owners, a modern 987 S with 280HP is not the same as the first-generation 200HP "chicks porsche" you reference. However, this example is a reason I'd wait for the 2nd-iteration Cayman when Porsche hopefully realizes it's not an "S" and the hype wears off. I think Porsche still has some portfolio positioning adjustments to be made.

 

RWD vs AWD is BS, the C4S is an awsome platform, gayman is a joke. There is a hell of a lot more to a C4S than AWD, it's a very nice, complete package. If it had the x51, would have been perfect. Either you want a 911 or you don't.
Once I took my 8 yo son to the dealer, he walked up to a boxster and asked; 'Daddy, is this a girls car?', well the twentysomething yuppy looking at it turned beat red and walked away.

 

cayman looks great. newness factor has me interested as well. but the bottom line: put my C4S and a cayman next to each other and i'd still be all over the C4S. i'd never leave the 911 family even if the cayman is a better handling machine and has more modern amenitites. i think that when Porsche says, "there is no substitute" they are really referring to the 911

 

Cayman is definitely "in the picture", but not as a replacement, rather an addition to the family

 

I wouldn't get a Cayman yet....1st year models tend to have issues...I'd wait until the 2nd year when Porsche car work out whatever bugs might happen....and if there are no bugs you'll probably be able to pick up a slightly used one.

 

Agreed! If the money is a little tight for a C4S or Cayman, then go with an '02 C2. Less cost than the first two, more power than the Cayman and, of course, it is a 911.