If you could afford it, would it be crazy to own both a 911 and Cayman to trade off with daily driving? I drive 25-30K miles per year, and like to have 2 cars. My current back up car is about done though, ready to move on (it's an old bmw with >100K miles). I honestly don't enjoy driving it any more.

Are the 911 and cayman different enough to be a fun trade-off? I think so...I know that most people have as their second car a SUV or truck or something similar, but honestly, after driving a porsche, I don't know if I want to buy anything else.

So how about a C2S + base Cayman 2.9? Probably put snows on the cayman in winter, its weight distribution makes it the better winter car (other car would be C2S, not C4S). Another choice could be an S4 for the winter, but my first Audi experience was bad, and, in addition, I hated the Audi seats too for long commutes.

Btw, my wife drives a Subaru Forester, flexible schedule, so I could drive it in a pinch if A LOT of snow.
(Also, I don't want a convertible or SUV--and I'm NOT a winter SUV/summer convertible kind of person)

 

I think it can be fun.

 

I think its a great idea . I love the variety of two Porsches and agree with you that one can be used for daily driving and the other as a long term keeper. Given the pricing points and overall desireability of these cars .. I woild pick either a used Turbo or Gt3 above the Carrera though. The Turbo has the last of the Gt1 engine and I feel it will retain a great deal of respect even years down the road because of that. The Gt3 is the most pure platform for the car .

With thse two choices --it's just a matter of do you want a street car or a track star as the long term pampered vehicle.

 

yes, I thought about:

2.9 cayman pdk --daily
+
2007 Turbo (tip) as second car, instead of C2S pdk

 

Hard choice . It's true that the tiptronics are priced so well but they are dated. On the other hand the PDK is also poised to evolve because it's still somewhat new to the mass produced street cars.

after coming out of the PDK Cayman the Tiptronic may disappoint despite the Hp, engine and overalll amazingness of the Turbo.

Can't get a manual ? That would seal the deal with my vote otherwise I might jump to the PDK C2S over the Tip Turbo.

 

unfortunately, I have a bad back and had to give up manual trans. --due to having to have weight "forward" and thus more stress on back to use clutch/left leg.

Yes, I don't know that if one car is a pdk,that I'd even want the tip turbo.

I must say, though, that the 911 and cayman do have a very different feel!!

 

Do not succumb to the siren of more and more. A Turbo is not necessarily a better choice. Turbo boost is all fine for straightline bragging rights but does not match the linearity of the current 3.8l 9A1 engine. The Turbo is heavy and lacks the agility of the S. The GT3 is a fine car but the 997.2S is a better street car, even if a weekend driver.

BTW, if you want a Turbo get the new one w/ the DFI engine. I predict it will prove itself superior to the famous but aging GT1 engine.

 

I could see doing a nice Boxster - drop top with a trunk and a frunk. I'd have to give it to my wife though or she would absolutely kill me. I could see her in a Boxster - that'd be hot. ;-) But she's hard core for SUV, so that's another thing that ain't never gonna happen.

Cayman though - too similar to me. For a more practical DD, I'd go with an M3.

 

I would wait and get the full use out of the Cayman , Then the next car you either get the C2S or the Turbo PDK . I am leaning toward the Turbo PDK (used) and having the cayman be two more years older with more miles.

 

+1, coming from having a 997.1 turbo.

However, I drove the 997.2 w/ PDK and OMFG is that an amazing car.

To the OP: Interesting that you would have picked the Cayman for DD -- I would have thought you'd want to perhaps strip that down to a weekend/track car and drive the 911 as a DD.

So if you choose the Cayman for DD, I'd say go GT3, or perhaps another brand altogether for you weekend toy.

 

yes, cayman as DD might seem odd vs. the 911. The 911 is a bit more comfortable for commutes, would be loaded, would have XM, etc. To add to that, my current cayman has a great fabspeed exhaust and is getting a killer aftermarket stereo too, so it could seem more like the let loose or weekend toy, and when you want SOUND, blasting through the twisties-- cayman's specialty.

OK, I'll cut to the chase...
Who am I fooling. There is no logic. What I really want is to get up every day (for work), look into my garage with excitement, and decide which porsche I feel like driving that day... both great, but dissimilar in handling and feel. BOTH would be daily drivers (except on snow days in the winter). I don't want a dedicated weekend extra-special toy, or to worry about keeping miles low. Why not make that fun choice every day of the week?

I realize that everyone will say how ridiculous it is (and possibly inappropriately ostentatious and foolhardy) to buy 2 new porsche coupes within a year for yourself, as opposed to a more logical Cayenne/C2S Cab combo or something like that. So be it.

 

It may be heavier than a 997.2 but it still a porsche and it can do some amazing things on the track with a good driver.

To the OP I own both platforms and enjoy each of them for different reasons.

I've taken both to the track in low level DE's and both perform well. And each takes different driving skills to drive at a high level.

I have passed many 911's, including turbos in my boxster and been passed by many caymans and boxsters while in my 911.

If you can swing it do it.

 

When I went shopping last year I was trying to decide between the Cayman S and the 911 base model. I chose the 911 because I was only looking for one car however in your case owning a 911 and a Cayman could be interesting. The mid-engine design of the Cayman makes it a better handling car than the 911 however there were a couple of things that bothered me about it. Most of all was the noise. That engine sits just inches behind you and you always have the feeling you are part of a NASCAR pit crew the whole time you are driving it. Turning the radio up doesn't eliminate the engine sound it only masks it a little. If you are a Porsche "purist" who is in love with the sound and never gets tired of it then you won't mind the Cayman one bit. For me however, as much as I love the engine sound I also like to listen to my music.

The other thing about the Cayman that bothered me is that you have to do some significant disassembly just to see the engine let alone work on it. I fully realize the modern 911 engine is quite complex and most issues are best left to qualified techs but I just couldn't stomach the idea of owning a car that I couldn't even see the engine. Again, this may not be an issue for you but it was for me.

 

the thing that bother me about the cayman is the way it looks - i just dont like it..just my opinion..i also think the older boxsters look better than the new ones...the only thing wrong with my 2002 box s was the plastic back window..they fixed that problem in 2003..i just love porsche..next up is a cayenne S for the wifey - her merc R350 just doesnt have enough pick up for her..

 

I enjoy driving both of them for different reasons. I'd say go for it.