There are a couple things missing from this conversation:

1. Cayman has no rear seat in which to place my son. Deal breaker.

2. Cayman draws little emotion relative to the 911. Drive past a bunch of people waiting for a bus in each car, and tell me which car they look at. It's not just the history, it's the pure, simple, unadulterated beauty.

3. One can relatively easily drop a 3.8L 997 engine into a Cayman S, then SuperCharge it. That'd be one heckuva track car- I know of 2 in Atlanta. But it'd still lack pts 1 and 2 above.

So it all depends what you are going for. IMHO the ultimate no compromise car is the Carrera. I'm not sure there is anything out there that is as capable, in so many different ways.
CATTMAN

 

If you have the money for a Carrera and buy a Cayman, do yourself this favor:

1. Take your right hand
2. Form a fist with it
3. Punch yourself in the face

The first thing Carrera guys do when they drive down the street and see a Cayman S is think, "Awww.. the fool should have just bought a Honda Civic." KIDDING!

GET THE CARRERA. OR BUY MINE AND I'LL UPGRADE TO 997TT.

 

Well said and I agree.

I'm frankly surprised by how much Cayman bashing is going on here whether its meant tongue in cheek or otherwise.

My 997S replaced an Acura NSX and so I really seriously considered a Cayman S since the dynamics of a mid engined car were so near and dear to me. In the end, I chose the 911 because I simply liked it more and the vesitgal back seats were a big selling point. But I can easily see why some prefer the Cayman S.

In the end... buy what you like best. Who cares what any of us say or think?

 

I would disagree. If my wife and I had to choose own only one car I think the BMW M3 Coupe makes you give up less then the Carrera. The back seat in the M3 is suitable for real people and the folding rear seats make cargo space sufficient for most any set of errands. That being said, the Carrera has a lot more utility then I thought it would.

 

Ryan, Describe Real People!

I have a friend that has an M3 both the 6 and 8 cylinder versions, and the back seats are a little better then the Carrera (which I always have said are useless), but they are far from useful for people with legs. I was driving Audi S4's before I bought my first Carrera S, and said that if I am going to drive a car with a useless back seat I might as well drive a Porsche. The M3 and the Audi are both very close in rear seat room, and unless I moved my drivers seat way up, I was not getting an adult in the rear.

If you want back seat room, start with an M5 or S6 or E63AMG, but don't say that the M3 can carry real people, unless you meant real small people!

 

we've had a B5 S4 and E46 M3 and I truly believe (despite interior measurements) the M3 had more rear room. You are correct, at 6'1" if i was driving anyone 6' or taller sitting behind me would be miserable. But with the Carrera, it's more the roof line AND the leg room rather then just the leg room like the M3.

I do completely agree with you, the M5 is the perfect compliment car to the Carrera (I'm not much of a Merc fan). And that has a real rear seat for leg room for real people. Though if I had to pick just one car, I think you can get by with the rear leg room in the M3. We weren't hauling around 4 people that often, but in a pinch, it's more reasonable then the jumper seats in the Carrera (which I'm surprised at how much room is back there). But more then hauling 4 people, it's the utility of the trunk and folding seats. The front storage in the Carrera is actually quite good, but to be the only car to live with for two people might be frustrating.

 

I realize this is heretical - but my dream 911 would be one that ditches the rear seats - stuffs a GT3 engine ahead of the rear wheels and looks like a 911.

I really considered the Cayman S because I think it is a fantastic driving but rather awkward looking. IMO it is also lacking in the interior department as well. For my first Porsche - I needed to have the icon.

 

Had a B5 A4, B5 S4, B6 S4, and none of them had reasonable leg room. I have had a Passat Wagon, Audi Allroad, and now the Touareg, and all them have reasonable rear seat room. The M3/A4/C Class are all small cars, and I guess Audi was the first to understand that and the new A4 Platform is longer. I am surprised at 6'1 you would think that the leg room would be acceptable in the M3. I like the M3, but I don't think that the rear seats are any better then Carrera. But as I said I think the Carrera's are a waste, I removed mine (3 Bolts) and am running a true 2 seater and about 60lbs lighter.

 

60lbs. in the rear seats alone? holy crap.

 

That is what I thought when they came out, I packaged up the two floor mats the seat bottoms and the seat backs and estimated the box weighed around there. The seat backs are very heavy. After the roll bar went in it was really bad for getting in and out of there. Makes an M3 look spacious

 

Whoa! Those seat backs must weigh 55lbs because the bottoms weigh next to nothing.

98% of the time I don't use the back seats for anything but storage.

hmmmm...

 

Weight reduction vs having a handy shelf for storing a tool box or something....hmmmm

 

I guess that is what my brother thinks when he sees any Carrera less than his 700 HP EVOMS 997 Turbo, so the concept of someone in a wannabe Turbo looking down on a Cayman is sort of a joke.

 

I have a 10 year old and she fits behind my wife in the passengers side very nicely. So the rear seats are great for us.

 

A 911 by definition (since 1963) is an all-in-the-rear design. If you like a mid-engine car the Cayman (or Boxster) it is. And BTW... the Cayman is a great car, no more, no less than an 11, just different. This thread clearly shows prejudice on both camps, and that is senseless.