autopc

Anyone drive a Spyder or Cayman before the 997?

What prompted the switch to the 997?

Pros and cons about either?

Alan C.

I had an 09 Cayman S with PDK. I had owned 911s previous to the Cayman. I started to think I wanted more interior room and started looking. Drove a few 07 and 08 C2S models and came away thinking it wasn't worth the switch. Although they had more room I liked the Cayman better. Then I drove an 09 C2S and was hooked. I really liked the power and the feel on the road/back roads. It is different from the Cayman. The Cayman feels to be a bit more solid but the Carrera is way more fun. There are certain visual aspects of the Cayman that I like better than the Carrera and vice versa. It's all a trade. Had there been a Cayman R on the floor when I picked up the Carrera I might have taken it home.

I'm not really a good one to judge from as I trade cars way too often. I still have the GT3 I looked at in the back of my mind ;-)

Mbiondo

I had a Cayman S before the current C4S. Broke my heart trading it in, but even though I could not find one thing faulty on the Cayman, or one single item to complain about, I never felt I had the real thing. Every time I saw a Carrera on the road, I felt that it was the real thing. So I decided to test drive the Carrera for myself and immediately confirmed my feeling. The Cayman is svelte and nimble, but the Carrera felt more solid. The power of the C4S, of course, is something unmatched by the Cayman.
But if I had to give you the abridged version of my take on why I moved to the Carrera it would be 1) looks, and 2) sense of driving an icon, the real thing.

Alan Smithee

I had a 997.1 (which was in the shop a lot, giving me the opportunity to put plenty of miles on Boxster and Cayman loaners) prior to my Spyder. I was always happy to get back into the 997 after the Boxster/Cayman; it just felt more upscale, with more space, Alcantara headliner, PCM, and some other details.

That said, driving a 997.2 after having had the Spyder, I was shocked at what a boat it felt like. And with the current generation, the Boxster/Cayman has closed the gap a bit with regards to interior quality vs. the 997.

You really have to try both for yourself. They are built on the same basic platform, and can be optioned similarly, so it is really personal preference.

autopc

I test drove a few Caymans and 997s over the years. Newer ones most recently a few months ago at a Porsche Road Show. It's hard to compare cars I drove years ago but the newer cars really felt better. More refinement and the whole driving experience was more exciting? The newer '09+ models have much nicer interiors across the board.

Porsche really has something for everyone. In general is almost seems like Porsche has gone towards a softer more luxury ride? It really depends on what options you choose. I remember driving a '08 Cayman S without PASM when they first came out, it felt like a Buick compared to one with PASM in Sport mode.

The Spyder feels like it is wired in to your body. Did the 997.2 you drove have PASM and Sports Chrono Plus?

Marine Blue

I haven't driven a 997 so I can't comment on the driving experience unfortunately.

The Spyder does feel like it's wired into your body, having test driven and owned many cars over the years I've never felt anything like it. I think it's as close as you can get to combining modern technology with overall driving feel/experience. That connected feeling does tire you though, it certainly isn't a long distance cruiser and for me two or three hours behind the wheel is satisfying enough unless I'm headed towards the mountains!

Chris from Cali

I had a 2006 Carrera S which I traded in for an RS4, then added a base 2007 Cayman to it. The Cayman was a lot of fun, but I missed the way a 911 drives. Nothing else is like it. I replaced the RS4 and Cayman with a 2009 Carrera 4S. That said, I'd forgo the 911 next time for a nice Cayman S with a manual transmission and sport seats. It makes more sense...