cello

Assuming facts as indicated in the original question:

I would go Cayman if it was solely used as a track car or if it was to be used 70/30 or so as a track car. If use was less than 70/30 track, I'd go 911.

Now, if it was a Cay with the GT1 block GT3 engine I would take it even if it was my only car ....

pbarch1

I'm kind of a big guy, the Cayman just feels too small.

ELUSIVE

So just this afternoon I read the January 2010 Car & Driver that is the 10 Best Cars for 2010.
In the editor's Letter they talk about how they raised the price cap this year to 80k and the base 911 Carrera just squeaked in. The also says this:

"It was the first time we've ever had the mother of all German sports cars in the running, and I thought it would be a shoo-in for a spot on the list. Not so. The Boxster/Cayman duo beat it with a combination of value, poise, and -- dare I say it -- higher levels of driving enjoyment"

Food for thought.

swajames

Coming from the same magazine that went the extra mile to make sure that a fully loaded M3 finished with a higher points total than a totally stripped Carrera (e.g. with things like trunk space, rear seat space, rear seat comfort, features and amenities, rebates and price accounting for much of the points difference) it's hardly surprising. C&D seems to enjoy hammering the 911. Luckily, other auto magazines (such as Automobile which made the 997.2 its sports car of the year last year) can appreciate the car for what it is...

equiraptor

You didn't. I was responding to implications in your post. My response was overly hasty, perhaps I can do better now.

I don't agree with "if performance is key the cayman is the choice." But I suppose that depends on how you define (or relate to) performance.

If "performance" is just "the best potential lap time of the car," then yes, the Cayman is the choice. But if "the best potential lap time of the car" is the only thing being considered, neither of these cars would be "best" as other vehicles have faster "best potential lap times."

If "performance" includes the style of driving the car needs for that best potential lap, and the skill (or enjoyment) the driver has for that style, the Cayman is no longer the clear choice of the two. Some drivers would do better in the rear-engined 911 as they're more skilled at that style. Even for "performance," they may prefer the 911.

If the "performance oriented driver" is interested in competing, the class the car is in impacts the choice, and that varies depending on the type of racing to be done.

So what implications did I disagree with?The implication I see of this is, "Any driver who claims to be 'performance oriented' would chose the Cayman for the most fun and best driving excitement." I disagree with that. Even with better acceleration, I'll find the rear-engined behavior of the 911 more fun and more exciting than the balanced behavior of the Cayman.

What I got from this when combined with the above is, "If you picked the 911 and think it's for performance reasons or fun on a track, you're fooling yourself, you actually chose it for prestige reasons."

I wouldn't pick either Cayman or 911 if I were trying to set the best lap time on a track. I'd pick a dedicated track car that weighed around half (maybe less) than either. If I'm picking a car I'll have fun in while driving on the track, it'll be the 911. It has nothing to do with prestige and everything to do with the size of my grin as I come up pit lane.

stevepow

If it were powered the same, priced the same, looked the same, and they called it a 911, then OK - a Cayman maybe, otherwise no. That was my only reason for going into the dealership - to get a 911.

buckwheat987

equiraptor,

you make some good points...as i have said in other posts I prefer the rear wheel drive expereince also...but there is no doubt IMO at least, that many people here and in other forums make getting an "S" a top priority for new people and they base in only on performance.

That being said...(and we can disagree on performance; thats fine with me)

based on your asesstment then....would a PDK optioned car still be a performance car? I certainly think so but in your assestment would it be less of a drivers car since one MIGHT argue that it takes less skill from the driver to drive fast. Just wondering.

equiraptor

Well, I never said the 911 was more of a performance car than the Cayman. I never said needing more skill was a requirement for a performance car. I just said different preferences for the style of driving, the type of skill, mattered and could impact which was the better performance car for a particular driver. A traditional manual needs a different skillset from a PDK car, but that doesn't make a PDK car not a performance car.

So, yes, a PDK car certainly could still be a performance car.

Bruce R

Too much Top Gear in your diet Herr Buckwheat? Clarkson holds the same opinion on the Boxster.

buckwheat987

Never watch it.

As it stands now I would always pick a 911 over a boxster as they are now.

Put equal power in and I'm not so sure. Its not like the new 911 are like the older versions and that much, much harder to drive.

Anyway...like I said...IMO an interesting question.

buckwheat987

sounds good to me...

swajames

I'm not sure I buy into this whole debate about how Porsche cripples the Cayman by hobbling it with lower power output solely to avoid cannibalize 911 sales. The same argument is, of course, just as relevant to the 911 itself - the power output on the Carrera and Carrera S has been just as carefully managed, by marketers rather than engineers, for years. Porsche could easily have gotten more than 355 HP out of the 997.1 engines for example, but perhaps was more mindful of cannibalizing sales higher up in the 911 range. I don't think the Cayman has been "marketed down" to a materially greater degree than my 911 in all honesty.

chrispeart

For 10 minute spurts alone I really enjoy driving the cayman more than the 911. I almost bought one over the 911 for this reason. For highway cruising to work each day the 911 is miles better than the cayman though. That noise and heat of the midengine encroach into a longer journey. Also, I much more enjoy walking into the garage and walking around the 911 and getting into the drivers seat...feels much more special. The sheetmetal of the 911 draws your fingers to it like no other. To top it off, and to get to the point which made my wife tell me which car I was allowed to get----Back seats. I get so much joy out of driving the kids to school in dads race car. Again just me, just back roads, just in the car, cayman.

vman4639

I don't disagree with you, but I read the same thing regarding Ferrari and 911's on the Ferrari board - except we were in the "almost" column.

buckwheat987

touche