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read some reviews, so for shitz & giggles built one online.

long story short the "affordable" Porsche with performance goodies is about 78k with 295hp. pretty car, no thanks on the price.

Isn't that like looking for a new handsome Subaru?

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Rich
http://www.v8mongrel.com/

Donnie has a Cayman on order. Ride along with him when he autocrosses it and I'm guessing you think it's worth it. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

Looks nice, but I would rather wait for an 'RS' or get a Boxter S which has the same performance for less.

Needs to have more HP than an STi for me.

- dow

Well, I don't want to split hairs, but...

The Cayman S has 15 more HP than the Boxster S. It also has 400% more torsional rigidity. It will also have stiffer shocks, stiffer springs, and stiffer swaybars than the Boxster S. It weighs a small amount less (57 pounds is the number I've seen floating around for comparably equipped models). And no annoying wind noise.

I believe at 295HP the Cayman S will have a slightly better HP to weight ratio than the STi, but definitely nothing anywhere close to proportional to the extra cost. What it will have is an extremely well balanced chassis that in all but the worst of conditions (which may only mean snow and/or ice or dirt/gravel) will kick the shit out of the STi in any handling situation.

Now, I'm an STi owner and likely will remain one. The two cars are not comparable for the most part. If the STi was what was in my price range and nothing more, well, it's a no brainer. Heck, the stupid STi even holds its value pretty well compared to other cars in that "class." The STi is a great car choice for a performance enthusiast who wants or needs four doors or simply prefers AWD.

As for the RS, well, waiting may be a futile effort. I've chased the rumor trail as best I can about the RS and it seems to stop at salesmen and magazine writers. Never seen a quote that they are even *considering* it. At best I think it's two years out, if then. The only way it happens is if Porsche decides to focus more on the Cayman platform for the true driving enthusiast to the point that they only keep the 911 for "legacy" type customers. But I don't see them *ever* moving something "ahead" of the 911 as their marquee car, so I'm not holding my breathe. A true Cayman RS will be kicking the proverbial snot out of 997's unless they find more ways to "cripple" it, which would be stupid....

As for the $78k sticker, that probably included PCCB. That's an $8k option that no autocrosser needs that isn't considering major national competition. If it *didn't* include PCCB then you put a lot of bling on there you didn't need. You can go all the way to $100k on the Cayman S in options if you do *everything* they have. But with nothing but performance options, mine is just under $78k, IIRC. I am hoping it's competitive enough to take to some ProSolos next year, plus, well, I had to have every performance option available.


--Donnie

Reminds me of something said at a local car get-together recently... somebody mentioned that the EVO MR is faster than an STi. Somebody else said, "how much does it cost?" The answer was something like $37k. The next question was "ok, but is it faster than a $37k STi?" silence... then "Uhhh... I guess not."

So - is the Cayman faster/better than a $78k Boxster?

Oh, and:



What is it you drive again? (That's kinda like when David Teague was making fun of an STi for having pink badges on it. )

PCCB & the chrono package. would love to have one, can't justify the up sell costs. way i look at it if they are going to build a car it should have the goodies already on it. i look forward to seeing yours Donnie.

Yes. When Porsche has to detune the car to make it less capable than the 911, it most certainly is a better car than any Boxster.

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

Why does this all sound so familiar? *cough*951*cough*

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Rich
http://www.v8mongrel.com/

Include 914/6 in that as well. Gotta keep the 911 on top at all costs!!

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Good point. They did it in the mid 70s with 914/6, in the mid 80s with the 951 and we would have a nice ten year schedule with the addition of the Caymen S in the mid 00's were it not for the fact that in the mid 90's, Porsche really had no other car available to save the 911 from!

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Rich
http://www.v8mongrel.com/

The establishment is that the 911 ( 996-997 etc) are the top of the food chain at Porsche.
Excepting the special Carrera GT, by the way there is a yellow one in the show room at Leith in Cary at the moment.
The Cayman is reported to be 8 sec slower on the Nurburgring than the 997. That track is rewarding car with power.
I bet that on a shorter/handling track like VIR North the Cayman might be faster than a 997.

Any how an old 1973 911 can give them a ride for their money.

Patrice

ya'll ain't making this any easier. must control evil urges.............

One thing I do know...a Cayman S is definitely not faster than a $78k STi.

I tend to agree with Steve about the goodies, especially considering that it isn't obvious you even *need* some of the goodies. You have to be looking closely to find that the "sport chrono" option is more than just an ugly lap timer sticking up out of your dash. It also has a sport mode button that gives you better throttle response and more aggressive suspension settings than you can even get otherwise.

I *almost* missed that in my order. I thought PASM and PCCB were the only real required options for best performance, but you need Sport Chrono, too.


--Donnie

I would like to say that I was HIGHLY interested in this car when I first started reading about it. Then, I noticed that while it was lighter than the STi, and MR, the fact that it is like trading equal but paying more performance wise.... eh.. I was unmotovated.

I think in about 5 years, this would make a good 'Daily Driver' to pick up. I still think there are other cars I would like to own first, and a Spec C is one of them. Hmm... I think I might actually import one first...

- dow