mic575

I was getting ready to pick up a 2002 corvette as a hobby toy to play with and drive for fun only. I then was thinking maybe instead I should buy a 957 do it all, fun and utility, to replace my nice to drive but boring RX350 and just stick with 2 cars in the family (wife's and the 957). I only have a 2 car garage which means with buying the vette the lexus would sit outside in the weather.

I don't love the idea of juggling 3 cars for 2 drivers but I want something fun to drive that I can tinker with so I am doing one or the other. I like to diy wrench, I like solving problems. Maybe 1 autocross a year. Closest P dealer is 2.5 hours away, 1 good indy in town for complex stuff. Cost of either approach is about the same I think. I can afford any approach, just frugal by nature. Interestingly, I have had a fair number of problems with the RX, currently have 2 dead door lock actuators I need to replace and another on its way out - hand locking my "luxury" suv right now.

If you had this choice what would you do? Thanks for reading.

NelaK

First - the only 957 that can provide a 'thrill' will be a Turbo or Turbo S. Especially if you're cross shopping with a Corvette.

Second - I don't know if the Cayenne is a great car for wrenching on. You can, I do, but its expensive, fiddly and not really fun the same way wrenching on my other cars is.

I think you should keep the two cars you have right now and instead get something like a 914, 924S, 944, older Boxster/Cayman etc. Something small, cheap, easier to tinker with and much funner than a Cayenne or a Corvette.

Avec

I think you can get most of your "sports car" boxes checked with a 957. Additionally, it is a people hauler, stuff in the back hauler, all-weather machine.

jcastle

I'm amazed at what my 05 CTT can do for its size/weight, but it is NOT a sports car. I'd keep the RX (way more reliable than the Cayenne) and get a 986 Boxster or 996 911. Cheap. Relatively easy to work on.

dr914

I would not get an extra car if you have to keep one of them outside, not good at all. Weather kills cars. That said, if you already have cars to seat four and carry some stuff, buy a Porsche boxster!

Pillow

Get the Corvette if you can stand the interior. The powertrain is incredible for the money.

SavageGeese FTW!

Stick the refrigerator outside or sell it.

Quadcammer

cayenne is not a sports car. or anything close to it. yea, it drives nice for an SUV, but thats as far as it goes

mic575

Thanks for the input, theses are very helpful perspectives from you wise individuals. I am going to check out the 986 Boxster and 996 911. They are much more common in my area as well.

Libast

Get the Cayenne to tow your Corvette/Boxster

nodoors

I would go with the corvette or a turbo cayenne, but in either case you are going to need to keep that Lexus. You can not depend on a 955 or 957 (unless maybe it is a v6 - which is downright boring compared to an LSX vette) as your only daily driver for any length of time if you have to get to an office everyday or pick up kids from school. I love Cayenne's, but I think most here have a garage full of cars and will agree.

nodoors

Also, don't buy a cheap Cayenne that 'needs work.' It will be a losing proposition. Cayennes are not fun to wrench on and you want to at least start with one that is already tip top if you want to have any chance at staying ahead of the constant maintenance they require.

95_993

I'd go the corvette or another sports car and keep the Lexus as others mentioned. You can actually DIY anything on a vette fueling and keeping the hobby enjoyable....but not so much on Cayenne.

Petza914

nodoors and some of the others are spot-on with their comments. I'll add that if you want superb handling out of a Cayenne and sports car like acceleration, it's going to have to be a Turbo, Turbo S, or maybe even the GTS, but has to be equipped with PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control). It's amazing that this technology allows a 5,000 lb vehicle to corner almost completely flat. That feature was standard on the Turbo S and an option on the other 2 models - tough to find on a GTS, but possible. The GTS has 400 HP, the Turbo, 500 HP, and the Turbo S 550 HP. Anything less and the car is really too heavy for the power to be really sporty.

From reading this forum though, I'd say it's not a great only vehicle. Mine is very low mileage so I haven't had to deal with any of the maintenance or repair issues yet and it's primarily our family vacation car, but when they do need some work, it's not a quick couple hour process due to the disassembly to access things, availability of parts, etc. Figure it's a day to get to where you know what's wrong and can identify the part you need, then it's an order from somewhere with a couple of days for delivery, then the installation and put it all back together - usually spans a couple days or even a week, so it's a great car to own if you're a 3-car/2-driver family (or more cars).

Absolutely love ours, but have 7 cars for 2 drivers and it sits most of the time between family vacations to preserve it as I want to have it for 20 years or so.

v10rick

986 Boxter...my wife owned a 2001 convertible which was a fun car for sure, until she crashed it.
BUT be mindful of the intermediate bearing failures, common on that model and others with the same engine.
Like the Cayenne bore scoring issue once it happens the engine is history.

TomF

It may not be a 911, but if you have PDCC and a CTTS with stock 550+ HP (635 in mine) it sure checks a lot of boxes. I have had a half dozen 911s of all generations, btw...