KANSAS997

Anyone else already tired of hearing about the Cayman in all the mags, online, etc. That if it had a 3.8 that Porsche would never sell a 911 again...yadayadayadyadyad... Geeez I love Porsche don't get me wrong, but this car is driving me nuts... It is cool, but it is not a rear engine Porsche. I understand the whole mid-engine balanced better handling thing. I also have to be honest and say some of the owners I have met are acting a little snotty, being better than thou like, almost like they want to say... "I can't believe you would buy a 997 with this on the market now." Maybe it's just me but this is the vibe I am getting from this car. I'll probably getted exiled from rennlist for writing this...

Coochas

Cayman my ***,...you know what I mean.

OCBen

Talk about an asslift!

Alan Smithee

The Cayman has been praised for sure, but I've read the articles in most major publications and don't recall any condemning the 997.

The only recurring theme I'm aware of is the Cayman's odd pricing strategy, made even more odd by the Boxster S 3.4 in 2007.

Edgy01

Hey,--let them have their splash in the pan. It's all good for Porsche,--which ultimately is good for us.

I don't for a minute think that 911 sales will be taking a big hit as hundreds of buyers switch to the hardtopped Boxster,--I mean, Cayman.

KANSAS997

Alan- I agree, I have read that as well, and although I have not read any direct hits on the 997, little hints have been layed that bigger motors in Cayman's would equal a hurting for 997's . Check out the new issue of e.c.

Alan Smithee

EC as in European Car? No thanks...not a fan.

Don't get me wrong...I think a 3.8 Cayman would be great. I don't see it necessarily stealing many 997 sales, though: If they offered the Cayman with 3.6 and/or 3.8 motors, pricing would of course be higher, and therefore in-line with the 997...while it would provide a handling benefit, it is not as practical nor does it have the panache of a 911 Carrera...which is what 99% of buyers are after. I don't give a crap about panache personally, but the back seats are important to me.

Now, if the Boxster came with a 3.8, that would be cool. The lower pricing structure and added cost benefit of the convertible top would have me forget about those rear seats.

nkhalidi

If I could've had a 3.8 from the factory in a Cayman, I would've ordered one instead of a 997. The 911's rear-engined mystique is cool for sure, but I'd prefer the inherently better-balanced mid-engine platform. Back seats don't matter to me; they were out of my car in week 2.

Just my view.

Alan Smithee

While the back seats have only been used a couple times/year, the space is useful for larger items. I had two golf bags back there last weekend, and had $350 worth of stuff from Costco the week before. Couldn't have done either in a Cayman.

lwilkins

Well, I was smitten by the Cayman S prelaunch hype, and planned on buying one. I've owned 5 prior 911's, am a racer, and was not overwhelmed by the talk. I really like the Cayman S, and had spousal approval to buy one, but testing it against the 997 back to back, I could tell a distinct difference in the acceleration.

My decision was based upon, (1) how often I would drive it on the street vs. track = straightline acceleration is important much more often than the supposedly ultimate handling (which I can't imagine using, or even approaching, on the street), (2) the extra room of the 997 in the rear (I tested and could in fact get 2 golf bags and a very small bag in the back of the Cayman S, although not the size of golf bags that you see on the PGA Tour, vs. I can get 2 bags plus a lot of stuff for a weeklong outing in the back of my 997, (3) the interior quietness of the 997 compared to the Cayman S, and (4) wanting the LSA multi-link rear suspension instead of McPherson struts (maybe the Cayman S doesn't need the LSA).

So I bought a lightly used 2005 997, with stock suspension (for about the same price as a new Cayman S), and am delighted. I have since been on track in a Cayman S as an instructor, and it is a sweet car, and may be even prettier from some angles (subjective).

I'm sure I'd have been thrilled with a Cayman S, had I gone that route. Still, for me, the 997 definitely is preferable as a daily driver.

Lee Wilkins

ronmart

Unless things have changed since the last few monthly sales figures I've seen, the 997 is selling more than the Boxster and Cayman combined each month. I think that speaks volumes as to how great the 997 really is and what the Porsche faithful think of it.

The cayman is a nice car, just like the boxster is a nice car, but I don't care if the Cayman had the power of a Carrera GT - there's still something special about the 911 and a rear engine car.

EDIT: Oh, and yes, I'm totally sick and tired of all of the Cayman is going to make the 911 obsolete hype!

KANSAS997

there are many cars sold in the states that would be interesting to me if they would drop the right motor or gearhead improvements under the hood. A few that come to mind as a car enthusiast first and Porsche addict second would be:
a twin turbo 350Z
The return of the real Supra or Toyota product.
The V8 powered M3
More manual transmission offerings by Mercedes in the AMG based factory cars
A killer full on Honda/Acura V-tech powered sport compact
The new Dodge Challenger in a trim package/motor that everyone can NOT afford
A M3 that reminds us of the E30 car.

My point of starting this thread was I think the Cayman is not the car the 997 is, I think I have met people who have removed themselves from the Porsche family of owners by acting crappy, and it reminds me of the reaction that v-twin Harley guys/gals had when the old V-Rod appeared... oh yeah that boxster engine thing just creeps in everywhere...

Happy mid-engine motoring... (MR2's and Fiero's are doing great numbers on AutoTrader...)

arenared

I fully agree with the above. There is too much history and prestige with the 911 for anything to make it obsolete. Some people like the Cayman. Some people don't. There are mid-engine people just like there are rear-engine people. There are convertible people just like coupe people. There are those who desire the back seats. There are manual and Tip people, AWD and RWD people, turbo and normally aspirated people. It just goes to show you one size does not fit all, variety is the spice of life, etc., etc. My opinion is that the more choices Porsche offers the customer, the more customers they will attract and retain in the family.

icon

ron,
u.s 2006 ytd thru aug. sales are almost dead even b/t the four boxster/cayman variants and the nine 997 variants listed.
the figures are a little misleading given all the dif configurations in which the 997 can be purchased.
porsche sacrificed boxster sales to the cayman to keep from eating into it's higher profit 997 sales.
my local dealer has 2006 boxster's at 10% off through the end of nov.
i guess it's a nat'nl promo?
probably partially due to the increased hp of the 2007's.

personally i like both the 997's and the 987's
heck, i wouldnt even mind a 980!

p.s. ron - have you heard the cayman is going to make the 911 obsolete?

sales figures from renntech.org

arenared

Very interesting numbers!

Curious, in the 997, cabs outsell coupes by 10%. In the 987, coupes outsell cabs by 40%.

Also, only with the Boxster do the base models vastly outsell the 'S' models whereas for the rest, the 'S' vastly outsell the base (including Cayenne).