Have owned a Cayman S with a TPC turbo kit and 450HP for a couple years. Love it. BUT, I jumped on a 993 C4S when I found an excellent one with 21k miles on it. I have wanted a 911 widebody since I was a kid. If I ever had to sell one of them I don't know which one I'd pick.

 

Cayman, hands down.

 

Definitely the Carrera. My Carrera is not a toy for sunny days. I use the back seats, and even when I'm not planning on using the them, they've come in handy on the off chance someone needs a ride.

Also, as much as I like the Cayman a lot, the Carrera just speaks to me more. Maybe that makes me old fashioned, but don't mess with a classic.

 

Have to admit... as a Cayman S owner (06 model)... I still lust after the 911.
Whilst the Cayman may just be the better car dynamically, there is a lot of heritage and nostalgia about the 911. I'm scouring adverts looking at 911's now!

 

Top of the line is midengined 918 (and rumored 960) !

Flipping the engine on a 991 will loose the backseats, and will destroy the character of the car ! A 991 with the engine flipped and without backseats is just an expensive Cayman.

You do realize Porsche won Le Mans last year with an **** engined 911 ? Won against Aston Martin, Ferrari, Corvette and the likes ...

And if you see the trophy section of the museum in Stuttgart, you can see how many victories Porsche and the 911 have racked up in the past !
Those can't all be flukes !

And if I recall correctly, Porsche has more wins on Le Mans than Ferrari ...

I am proud to own and drive a Porsche, proud to own and drive a 991 !

 

Amen! There is no substitute

 

I'd rather have a 911 hands down. Owning and driving my 911 (2006 C2), is just as much about the development lineage and racing history as it is driving performance. There's something about having a 50 year pedigree in the 911 that excites me every time I pick up the keys and compels me to talk about the car with anyone who will listen...that being said, I fear that 911s in the future may in fact become watered down and lose some of this cache. e.g. 991 Turbo/GT3 no manual transmission? even as an added cost option? In talking to a Porsche salesman with 20+ years experience, he unequivocally explained that Porsche is trying to expand its market of 911 buyers and that means making some sacrifices ...If that is the case, it is quite possible that the Cayman will fill the void for those looking for the purest and perhaps most unadulterated driving experience in the years to come...what this means for the rest of us 911 enthusiasts is that prices on 997 and earlier 911s are only going to go up...

 

I couldn't agree more. If you stop and realize what the 911 means to the Porsche brand you will quickly come to the realization that this question is mute.

The 911 IS Porsche. I believe if Porsche ever puts 400 HP in a Cayman, you will be able to get a 911S with 500.

 

So then the question becomes - "If the Cayman had the 911S engine....?"

Now we've accounted for that change. Why go out of their way to make additional engine components to make something weaker? Why not use existing components?

(I know - this goes back to purposely lessening the capabilities of the non-911 cars)

Basically - back in the beginning of the Boxster days (I know it was originally positioned as entry-level Porsche), before the Cayman, why could they just put the same mass-produced 911 engine in there, and then call it a day? Cayman rolls along, same mass-produced engine, no new assembly line, no new parts. Cheaper assembly, etc...

Everybody wins.

 

Jasper, I swear.......

Why doesn't Nissan make a mini gtr and turbo the 350z and put and and DCT on it?

Why didn't GM put a LS3 in the solstice?


Different target demographic and different market segment. Common sense seems not to be a virtue.

 

I wasn't going to bring in other manufacturers, but this has been done before.

Nissan actually put the Skyline GT-R (RB26TT) engine in a hatchback before. The 350Z, Skyline/G35, M35, Altima V6, Quest, all shared the VQ35DE, now they all share the 3.7lV6 (370Z, G37, etc...). Chevy has already put it's Corvette V8 in a Camaro, various Cadillacs (V), etc....
Mercedes does this as well.

The engine packages we are discussing (Cayman vs 911) are not that much different. It's not like I'm suggesting putting a big block in a Miata...

It goes back to the Aston Martin dilemma - all of the motors in all models are practically the same (V8 vs V8, V12 vs V12). I see this as a good thing (purely from an enthusiast perspective).

 

In my opinion, the 991 is not a better car than the 981 or vice versa. They are different. To me the problem is that the cars are too close to each other in terms of performance related to the pricetag. The 981 S has come too close to the base 991.

I've said this before and I'll say it again...
They should get rid of the base and S-versions of these cars.
Give the base 991 the 3.8 flat 6 with 400hp. No more S. Just an optional powerkit with 30hp extra and, more important, also more torque. Then give the 981 the 3.4 with 350hp and a similar optional powerkit of 25hp extra and extra torque.

This makes the gap between the cars slghtly bigger and more important... The 981S doesn't have the same engine anymore than the base 991.

My Boxster's pricetag was half the amount of a well specced C4S. Does the C4S give me twice as much fun, power, or whatever benefit? No... It doesn't. Yes it is a 911 and my Boxster isn't, but I kinda got over the idea of "needing" a 911 when it is not my DD.
If I wanted to use the car as my daily driver, I would've certainly gone for a 991, especially because the C4S has AWD. But it is a weekend/fun car and my Boxster is hibernating in my garage now for the winter, so I don't need the AWD. I have an AWD family car for that purpose.

The difference between these cars is that the 981 platform is purely based on having fun. It puts a smile on your face and especially the Boxster has the advantage of putting the top down if you like (I don't like a 991 cab, so for me personally that wouldn't be an alternative. Targa could be....) The 991 brings that same smile on your face, but feels at the same time as a more mature car and is much more suited for use as a daily driver.

Would a Cayman with 400hp make sense? Maybe, but it would still be a different car compared to a 911 with 400hp... It doesn't make the Cayman a better car than the 911, only different.

Suzy991 (iOS app)

 

Could we leave it there? This sums it up very well.

 

Don't switch it around now. You complaint was the 911S motor in the Cayman. Both have a flat six, but that isn't the issue now is it? The devil is in the details.

The GT-R has a VR38 motor, not a VQwhatever. And you know the motors aren't even remotely comparable. Cheaper cars get either cheaper parts or leftover materials. This concept rings true every time. The Cadillac got a cheapened version of the LS9 (sound familiar?) The Camaro got the left over LS7's from the Z07 and the 427 Convertible after that to get rid of inventory. Even still, neither are competitors for the Corvette, even with those motors. Three different categories. Luxury, muscle car and sports car. The 911 and Cayman are very much in the same performance category. Luxury sports car, just on different tiers.

Imagine if Nissan put AWD, DCT and Turbocharged VR38 in the 3200 lbs 370Z???? Or just put a big ole V8 or Turbocharged V6 in there with 550 hp. That car would certainly make some noise.

 

You're right. I don't disagree with much here.

EXCEPT - there was no 'parts bin' for the Boxster (and ultimately Cayman). Because the only parts were 911 parts. So NEW parts had to be created. My first issue - why create something new, just to make it less (without the normal attributes - i.e., some people prefer economy over performance, etc...).

And I'd LOVE a RWD, DCT, 550HP (V6TT) 3200lbs car. I was secretly hoping the new 'Vette would be.

The post you responded to was me at an odd moment in my day, when I saw someone say - if Porsche moves the engine, seating formula, etc... and still call it a 911, I'd like it. I guess that set off a trigger - because, to me, it would no longer be a 911.

But yes, you addressed my concern prior to that - why not put an existing engine into the new car, instead of creating a new engine inferior to existing one?