I need help please. I am going to buy in the next 30 days one of these cars. I am looking at 997 S with 10 to 20 k. Which would you spend your money on if the car was a keeper and you would put 10 to 15 k a year on the car and track it maybe 4 times a year? Your experience and advice in appreciated. Thanks

 

I rented a 987.1 Cayman S in Germany last May, I would not even consider it as a alternative to a 997. Even with 30 more HP, it can't match the feel and pleasure of the Carrera.

Without a doubt a C2S would be my pick.

 

For me, it depends on what you'll get on the 2k9 -- whether or not to get it instead of the 997. I like the look of the Cayman and it seems that in the 2k9 year there are a lot of creature comforts that can come pre-installed (eg. ipod integration, xm). I guess it depends on what is more important to you.

Edit: just a thought... but, you should consider posting sam thread in the Boxster Cayman forum. You'll likely see Cayman owners bringing out their bias. Not sure how swayed you'll be by arguments, but I'm sure fans of both will defend their positions

 

My wife has an 07 CaymanS as her DD and while it is a nice chick car , my 01 996TT is the go to car whenever we want to have fun. She does not want to take her Cayman on any of the ORPCA drives since the larger 996TT has more room and puts a bigger smile on our faces.

Something else to consider is the 09 Cayman is going to drop like a rock in price. For the amount you will lose off the sticker price in the first two years you'd probably be able to by a 996TT. That being said, why not just go for an early model Turbo and save a **** load of $$???

 

Personally, I would get the 06 997S for several reasons. Largest depreciation hit has already been taken. The 09 Cayman value will drop like a stone the moment you drive it off the lot. The Carrera is way more comfortable and has much more interior room. I own a 2001 Boxster S and will look forward to my next car which will be a Carrera S. The Cayman is even more clautrophobic than the Boxster, owing to a fixed roof. Lastly the Carrera styling is far superior to the Cayman, which to me looks rather like a toad ! Drive both and then decide which one YOU prefer..........

 

Go for the 997, I found that I enjoyed the power and torque of the 997 on the track at lot more than my Boxster S, so for an ocassional track car I think you will enjoy the 977 more. On the other hand the Boxster was a much easier car to drive on the Autocross.

The interior space of the 997 is a lot nicer than the Cayman as well.

 

I mean no disrespect but honestly, I really don't understand the point of online questions like this.

1. Why the hell should our opinions matter to anyone? You're buying the car, buy what you like. What we like is irrelevant.
2. Moreover, what kind of response do you expect in the 997 section? Most of us had the same choice and guess what... we drive 997s.
3. Finally, drive both cars. They're both awesome sports cars in their own right and honestly, quite different in look and feel from one another. Chose the car you like most. See point one.

Good luck.

 

I would buy one of the used 997S cars here on 6speed. Click on my sig for details

 

I think I can add a balanced and fair response. I just purchased an 06 997 and was also looking at purchasing a Cayman S. It ultimately came down to the Carrera S being just that much more car then the Cayman. From suspension, performance, options, style and comfort. The Cayman S interior is quite inferior to the 997 in every which way, not to mention the additional performance, across all spectrums. I almost went with a Cayman, I was going to settle for it. I am so glad I did not settle, I would have regretted it every day.

 

I would rather have the 997S used . It already took the depreciation , and has not faced any DFI snags . The new car is simply not a 911.

I would rather have the best of what was than the lesser of what is .

 

Thanks for your input. What I wanted was to see if someone saw this from a different angle than myself. Being in the used car business I was leaning toward the 997 because of depreciation, performance and looks. The Cayman was drawing me because of the new engine (didn't want to pay for new 997) warranty and handling in turns. I posted this same question on the Cayman web site. I have auto magazines from years past until the present (Autoweek, 999, Excellence, etc.) One thing that always struck me was that everybody and I mean everybody was always comparing their car to the 997. I guess when you're on top that it what is going to happen. Anyway thanks for the advice. I guess my wife will just get over it 997 it is. Just a footnote I have owned 2 boxsters and a 911. I have driven both the 997S and 09 Cayman S. Thanks again!

 

Was in similar position to yourself 6 weeks ago- test drove the 09 Cayman S and 07 997S back to back on 3 different occasions and came away with the same feeling each time- that the Cayman felt relatively claustrophobic, had a cheaper feeling interior, was clearly down on power, and to me doesn't look anywhere near as good as the 911- not to mention that the 997S had already depreciated $35K and was less $$$ than the Cayman S. My wife asked- "what's there to think about, dummy?"

 

I would consider a Cayman S...because we already have a 997S as a third car, and the Cayman would be my wife's daily driver. Might look into it when she's done with her Boxster. But then again, you could pick up a year old base Carrera for what a Cayman S goes for, so perhaps another 911. We'll see.

J

 

I test drove an '06 911s and an '09 cayman s last week. I really like both cars. If money is a factor, I'd go with the 911 because it has already taken a hit in the depreciation.

 

you obviously havent driven both, otherwise the decision would have been easily made. so, do yourself a favor and take porsche up on their first-mile promo going on right now and test drive both.

cayman is a great car, but after 500 miles in an cayman s, my 997s felt so in a league of its own.

cayman is a fun dd car. 911 is a FUN car