MoeMonney

I would like to know who thinks will peform better, the Cayman S or a 996 Carrera 2. I am considering buying a 99-2000 Carrera 2 6spd, but now that the Cayman S is out I am thinking maybe the Cayman would be a better choice.

Thanks,
Charles

hly

doesn't the Cayman S already outperform the 997 on the nurburgring?
I would assume the 997 is at least equal to 996

MoeMonney

wow, if it does outperform the 997 then I will definetaly consider the cayman over a 996.

MikeN

Porsche has pretty much said "when properly configured the Cayman S will outperform the 997 at nurburgring"

Properly configured means......PASM, 19" wheels, etc. So an out of the box Cayman S without these options may not be a 997 beater. Tack on another $5k worth of options and then you might have one.

Woodster

I had a 99 996 C2 and although it was a beautiful carit was not a "high performance track
car" Cayman S should be much more exciting!!!
Great cars either way...
cheers!
marty k

bet

Spec. wise the Cayman S looks like it will have better (or very similar) performance "numbers" than the 99-01 996 and more than likely superior "ring" times. While the mid engine design is considered a superior design for a race car, the handling characteristics and driving experience is completely different from a rear engine car. Power not withstanding, the Boxster drives, feels and has mannerisms that are completely different when compared to the 996. Some really like the mid engine feel and some do not. It really comes down to preference. If track times are the most important factor for you then more than likely the Cayman S is the car for you.

When I was shopping, the biggest problem I had with the 986S was the torque (or lack thereof down low) compared to the 996 (I have not driven the new 987S yet). For daily driving duties the 996 was more fun to me and had a better daily "drivablity" factor in my opinion. However, the specs. of the Cayman S appear to be very similar to the 3.4l in the 996. While it surely laps the "ring" faster than my 996 real world driving impressions remain to be seen.

As for which is a higher performer….that is going to depend on your driving skill. I know that either car has more performance than my driving skills can handle. Therefore a superior driver in either car would drop me like a bad habit at the track with me in the other car.

All that said I will be taking a long hard look at replacing my 01 996 in a year or so with a Cayman S.

red996

The 911 is still the flagship model. I think this thing is still a boxster coupe. Just because Porsche calls it something else does not make it so. The 3.4L 911 is a great car, but the 3.6 makes it so much better. That extra torque from the 3.6 makes it so much more fun to drive. I mean is the 997 3.6 almost the same engine from 02 on? I love my 02 996.

fahren affair

imo, the 987S is a better performing car than my '00 996 C2 was. the cayman S should be better still.

Coochas

Did anyone else read (Autoweek) that Walter Rohrl's Nurburgring (N Loop) test times for the Cayman S were
1) 7 secs FASTER than "a similarly equipped Boxster S" and
2) 4 secs faster than "the 911 Carrera"
I wonder if this was a 996 or 997.
I find it amazing that in the hands of the right driver that the lap times around such a long track are so close between the models!!!

RWO

I was told by a Porsche insider that the Cayman does 8:11 at the ring. He did not say what configuration that was. That would be faster than the 997, slower than the 997S...

If it's true

Roy

Sean

I agree. There's probably not much real world difference between these cars. In the hands of an average driver (like me), the faster car would probably be the one that's "easiest to drive fast."

BTW, one could say that the Boxster S looks like even more of a bargain! It's within seconds of a 997, has a drop top, and costs $20k less. Outstanding value proposition.

Jim Michaels

I agree about the 987S being a relative bargain; only 3 secs off the 997's Ring time (it's an 8+ minute course remember), top drops (but not my thing), and much cheaper too (don't mind that though). The August Excellence article on the new Boxster S is over-flowing with praise. Porsche quit the air-cooled league (as have others) years ago; how much longer for the rear engine?

"Now, to put a water-cooled engine in the rear and to have the radiator in the front, that's just not very intelligent." -Ferry Porsche (Panorama, Oct. 1973)

Coochas

I posted a thread yesterday in the 997 forum which shows the 8:11 Rohrl ring time for the Cayman S and how this stacks up to various 996 and 997 times.
Note that the Boxster S time is likely an older model - a 'newer' time for a Boxster S is 8:18 as pointed out on that string.
Hope this helps you in your performance comparison.
Nurburgring Times P-Cars