white924s

Are you sure about that? Here's one that's not too far away, and looks like it's already set up for DE work, for $25k:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-c...k-477rwhp.html

NJ-GT

Not quite, Carlos has many more Cayman maintenance bills than you and I combined.

Apex Rex

I've seen quite a few C5Z's for under $25k around the area Z. They can certainly be had for that kind of coin. The other week I saw a C5Z for $15k, but no idea of what sort of condition it was in.

jrgordonsenior

Found your GT3 for you with lots of track goodies.....

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...260147485.html

va122

Yea seriously. get that car.

shustermeister

I had a C5 Z06 and had a bunch of fun for not much $$. Needed a race seat/harnesses/bar ($1000), bigger radiator w/oil cooler ($1200), heat shield wrap on tie rod ends, race brake pads, extra rotors (NAPA $30 each), CCW wheels with tires ($2000). The car just ran - drivetrain was bulletproof, brakes were the weakest point and if doing it again would put in StopTechs.
I did get to instruct a C6 Z06 and it was MUCH faster than the C5. not sure how it would fare against a 997GT3, but the C5Z was a good match to a well prepped street 996GT3 at the time.
For well under $35k, you could have a very reliable, very fast C5Z, and there is quite a bit of tuning that can be done to the LS6 motor. For under $50k, you should be able to have a ridiculously fast and reliable C6Z. It doesn't have that precision feeling of a Porsche, but it is still a lot of fun.

mooty

LMAO. ok, i shall not buy another.

Krokodil

You two are nuts (not that there is anything wrong with that). There are known and reliable fixes for the problems with the Cayman (oiling, PS). Just fix it right the first time and stop expecting the stock parts to work better the next time around - it won't happen.

We fixed the PS one time, 3 years and 100 practice/race hours ago with no further problems. Same goes for the blueprinted engine (80 hours). In the last 2 years the car has not missed one lap of a race weekend for a mechanical problem.

Yes, the stock PS and oiling systems suck, but they can be fixed somewhat easily.

Cheers,

88clbsport

I have both and can't decide which to keep....both are fun and the bmw is faster by almost 6 second @ WSIR, but I am a Porsche guy.

The M3's are a ton of car for the money....

white924s

Another idea - what about a BMW Z4 coupe? They're a bit more rare than some of the other options, but from looking at the classifieds, they seem to be in the right price range.

Does anybody here have experience owning one or driving one on the track? Any thoughts?

mooty

i had both. i like the M3 b/c it's faster.

va122

I vote e36, sooo fun. Good IP cars can be had pretty cheap.

Z-man

Another question: anyone here track a 996 Carrera post motor failure? In other words: do you track a a non-turbo, non-GT2/3 996 whose motor has been 'fixed?' after it spun the #2 (?) rod bearing? If so, what are the proper fixes, and how well has the car been holding up since the fix?

Thanks,
-Z

manalex

Not a answer to your question, but I've been tracking mine for a little over a year now-only use it for track, not street. I'm about to install an LSD and will likely take the opportunity to complete the IMS retrofit while everything is opened up. At this point purely preventative and not because I have any symptoms of trouble. I have the a 99 with the 3.4L and 85k miles.

cgomez

Tit still the best trackcar platform. Period. I had no issues with PS in the last year and a half. The oiling issues atre sorted with OEM fixes like the X51 oil pan and most importantly using the right oil level. As a racecar is as reliable as any other Prosche bar a Cup Car. Mine ven survived the 4 Sebring races earlier this year.
I just wished Porsche did a Cayman Cup Car. Yes there are two private series now, but will need to get a newer car for that so not worth it for me to spend all that $ in converting my perfectly setup car.

However, a racecar is a racecar and there's a lot of maintenance $ that needs to be done if you want to avoid dissapointing DNFs. (On a track car you mostly wait for things to wear off or break, on a racecar my view is that it always has to be 100%)

BTW, the Cayman will get some rest this year..... Got a new toy