Cayman is GR on black with 8000 kms on it and Boxster is black on red with red roof and 3200kms. Sport seats and pasm in Cayman but not Boxster. Probably wont track it . Looking for fun sports car........which one??

 

Not quite an apples to apples comparison. Enclosed car vs. roadster. Do you really want the top down/open car experience? Or will you be satisfied with an enclosed car?

Answer those questions and you've answered your "which one?".

 

Deleted.

 

Cayman.

 

Think youre right......

 

I am obviously biased as I own a 981 Cayman S; but the lines of the Cayman are just that much better than a boxster IMO. Although, red top on black is drop dead gorgeous as well.

 

I'm with Macster. The primary difference is open top vs. closed. Ultimately the Cayman will handle better than the Boxster due to the hard top, but if you are not going to track it, then that attribute really doesn't matter. After that look at price and equipment and see which you prefer. I will say that I have the sport seats, and they are terrific.

 

Thanks. Thats my dilemma. Not sure about open car.

 

Having owned a 2002 Boxster since Jan. 2002 I can tell you a few things about open cars.

One is you really have to enjoy/want/desire the top down driving experience. I primarily bought the Boxster because it was mid-engined and had the cargo space a Toyota MR2 didn't have.

I gave the top down driving a chance but I just didn't care for the beating from the wind and the extra noise.

Also, where I lived -- about 20 miles east of KC MO -- there were about 2 weeks in the spring and 2 weeks in the fall when the weather was pleasant enough to drive with the top down. At other times it was wet, or too cold, or too hot and humid with the sun beating down to drive with the top down.

If you own a soft top car and if you keep it long enough you have to budget for a new top. (I'd add a new rear window first but since 2003 Boxsters have come with a glass rear window and I've never heard/read about this having any problems.)

I forget now when I had the rear window replaced. It cracked as I was not paying attention to putting the top into the service position.

The top of my Boxster lasted until sometime in 2015 then developed a leak in the center of and just ahead of the top edge of the rear window. This even though I hadn't used the top in years.

Might mention that I drove that car in all kinds of weather and the top never leaked a drop of water in all the miles and years.

A new Porsche top was around $3200 (with a nice discount -- if you can believe it -- from list). This didn't include the installation cost. I went with a GAHH top which cost installed around $1400. The GAHH top has the same size/type (plastic) rear window and as best I can tell is a very good replacement top. Time will tell if it has the longevity of the factory top.

Surprisingly, the Boxster is pretty quiet with the top up. The top is well insulated and wind noise is low. Being a roadster the car is more softly sprung and a bit less harsh riding than I remember my 2008 Cayman S being. 17" wheels/tires on the Boxster vs. 18" wheels/tires on the Cayman S play a role to be sure.

My 996 Turbo is quite a bit a harsher ride the Turbo being even more stiffly sprung and while fitted with 18" wheels/tires the suckers are very width and have a very small sidewall.

The view out of the Boxster -- with the top up -- is not as good as the view out of the Turbo. I can't recall now the view out the Cayman S. When you test drive both examples you'll be able to make this call I'm sure.

The Boxster is a very good handling car. I don't notice the lack of a rigid roof. The car was designed from the ground up to be an open car, a roadster, and as such is very stiff. I can toss the Boxster around and do not feel the car flexing at all unlike my experience in soft top rental cars, like a Camaro, Mustang, and maybe something from Dodge/Chrysler.

If you truly like/want the soft top/top down driving experience I can't think of a better car than the Boxster.

If you prefer a hard top car, if you don't fancy the top down/open air experience, I can't think of a better car than the Cayman. (I am waiting for the new Cayman models to arrive -- due sometime in Jan. of 2017 -- to decide if I want to move to a new Cayman and give rid of my Turbo possibly even my Boxster.)

 

Thanks for that great reply. Pretty sure I'm going Cayman/911 unless I'm thrilled by Boxster top down experience. Thanks again.

 

If you've never had a convertible then defo boxster, completely different driving experience and something you should defo do for a couple of years, in now on a Cayman but at 36 years I have have 8 of those in a drop top and decided I preferred the aircon on and the windows up, but that's because I'm rarely doing less than 100mph