Hello!
I am not new to the Porsche scene but things have changed recently so I have a few questions for y'all! Brief background information: I have been racing 2 stroke TAG karts since I was 5 years old and Shifter Go Karts since I was 11. I purchased a 2009 BMW 335i (Twin Turbo N54 motor; went Stage 2+ within the first week of ownership) when I was 15. After 2 years with the 335i, I sold it and purchased a 2009 BMW E92 M3 with a manual transmission (absolutely loved it). I owned the E92 M3 from 45k miles to 120k miles, fully Catless with a tune. I tracked it, drove it extremely hard, and the whole time only one thing went wrong with it... a fuel pump, and it was covered under warranty.😃 So Ive never really had an unreliable German car, and I hear Porsche is very reliable also, is this true? To be honest, cost of ownership won't scare me, because I have a daily driver and won't need to depend on this car to get to work. Its for the track and joyrides, so it can sit in my garage until I gather the cash to fix it, if need be. Im sure it definitely will be cheaper than the issues my brother is having with his 2011 Maserati GranTurismo 4.7L haha.

My family has owned 911's briefly in the past but they were never driven hard or tracked, so I'm not sure about reliability when they are driven hard. People who own them and drive them properly have told me that they are super reliable, while other (non-AutoEnthusiast) people have told me that they are extremely expensive to maintain. Im assuming these cars are more reliable when driven spiritedly, like I experienced with my E92 M3? To get fluids pumping through them, instead of sit in a garage or driven below 5k rpm all the time, correct?
All of the help and info is much appreciated!

I sold the M3, purchased a 2014 Audi S4 for daily driving, and am looking to purchase a 911 or Cayman for the track and weekend car. At first I was thinking of getting a 997 Carrera S, then I drove the 981 Cayman S, 718 Cayman base, and 991 Carrera and really liked them all. They are all around the same price; I'm having a hard time choosing between them for a track car.

If I could find a manual 991 Carrera S for under $70,000 I would be up to stretch my budget a little but the 991 Carrera seems to be all I can find.

Is the 991 carrera that much slower on the track than the 997 carrera S?
I saw a CPO 2015 Cayman GTS for $60k so I'm considering that too

Thank you all for your time!
Appreciate your responses, looking to purchase this week!
- Paul

 

Expensive to maintain as far as routine service, tires, but very reliable. I too had a 335, then M3, Cayman S and now Carrera S. The 911 puts power down better because of the rear weight bias, but the Cayman is better in corners. On a track with lots of turns, the Cayman can keep up with the more powerful 911s, but on one with long straights, the 911 would dominate.
I like the less claustrophobic feel of the 911 and mine has more nice options than my Cayman did like full leather interior and upgraded seats (bought used).
For what you describe, a Cayman may be a better fit. The GTS would be great, a GT4 even better.

 

From what I've seen, the 991.1 is slightly faster than the 6 cylinder Cayman (but the Cayman may feel like more fun). I haven't seen a comparison with the 718. The driver is what's going to make the difference and it sounds like you will be competitive in either. If it were me, I would check the instrumentation on the Cayman to see if it fits your racing needs, there may be some functions missing.

If you are going to be tracking it, you should do consumable maintenance yourself as you will probably want to change oil more frequently and you will be changing brakes (including rotors). And, I think you will be wanting to get PDK because it is faster and changing the clutch is liable to set you back 5K. Other than that you should not expect major maintenance issues.

If you like the 718S dials, engine and the like you could get one with PDK for $70K (if you can keep your hands off the options list) and have the major parts warranty and not be buying someone else's issues. And it does 60 in 4.2 seconds (4.0 with SC) so it's plenty fast.

Good luck with your decision and let us know how it goes on the track.

ChuckJ

 

A Cayman...really...over a 911?
You will always be the little brother.
My brother calls the Cayman and boxster Porschettes.
I know people who are smarter than me, and many are, will chime in about how much better the mid engine things are, blah blah blah

911!

 

I also went the M3 to Cayman S (manual) to Carrera S (PDK) route. The 991S is an amazingly capable car. Very powerful, great chassis, wonderful brakes. PDK is fantastic technology. I track it extensively during the summer, as I did the cars before it. The Cayman S and Carrera S are extremely reliable cars. Consumables have been rubber, brakes, rotors and fluids. On both the Cayman and Carrera I run Pagid pads, Motul 600 brake fluid, Mobil 1 5w50 oil. I run oem rotors which are cheap but they are drilled and crack each season. Still much cheaper than Girodisc. Tires actually last pretty well on my 991. But finding a Carrera (or Cayman) with right options makes all the difference when you track the car.

The Cayman chassis is terrific and it is a fun, toss-able car to drive. I loved it. But I am faster in the Carrera. Nothing puts power down sooner and has more traction out of a corner than the Carrera. I find your comment about 991's being slower than 997's to be odd. Not my experience, for sure!

My decision to move to a Carrera from the Cayman was all the benefits it has as a daily driver. Bigger interior, more comfortable, quieter when you want it to be. But it sounds like this doesn't matter to you. I miss my Cayman, but the Carrera is the keeper.

 

Too funny. Porsche built the company on mid engine racers. Where have you been?

Now done with you and over to the OP. As a guy who has owned both in various forms, I can tell you they both have their pluses and minuses. Where the 911 has the edge in power (except in the case of my car), the power is offset by handling and steering that's not sublime. For sure my Cayman R would out hustle a 997.1 S, it didn't quite have the legs of the 997.2 S. It would murder either in the corners. The Cayman GTS is close to the all out performance of the 997S and still with far better handling, cornering. Not quite the grunt though of the 997.2 S. A base 991 is ill advised to try to show it up. Braking is something 911s have mostly held an edge since the discs are usually bigger and more powerful. PCCB in a Cayman levels the playing field. Ultimately the 911 is akin to a F4 Phantom II. Put enough power behind something and you can make anything fly. But don't get into a turning fight as you'll lose for sure. One day the 911 will have a mid engine and Porsche can put to bed the decades old failed experiment.

 

Good price. I just sold a 2011 Boxster Spyder last summer for that. As much as I liked the character of the '11/'12 Spyder, the 981 GTS is levels newer and more refined and a better performer. Mine was like new and super low miles though. I sold it and my Cayman R to buy the 2016 Spyder, which to me is the best of all worlds. I'm not complaining.

 

I don't think so. In the eyes of the public and automotive journalists, the 911 is the icon. Mis engine or not, people aspire to drive a 911. The Cayman/Boxster are great sports cars, but it wasn't their (or their predecessors) mid engine design that built Porsche, it was the rear engine 911.

 

There's some truth to that, but only after Porsche decided to put a moratorium on prototypes. Porsche built the company on winning Le Mans. That's a fact. They put all their effort on mid engine prototypes. Perhaps you've heard of the 908, 917, 956 and 962? Guess what they have in common? Eventually Porsche did want to tie overall Le Mans winning racers to production (not just sub categories) and at that point decided to abandon the 911 once and for all, and for a 924 front engine design no less. Except a lone wolf dared to take a 911 and win Le Mans with it out right. That was the beginning of the real life of the 911 and as you know it today. But now Porsche is back to prototypes (again to win Le Mans) and even the 991 racers have the engine shoved pretty far forward. So you see the mid engine did start it all, and now it's back. Not taking anything away from the 911. Porsche has done well to get out of it what they have. It's driven every ounce of imagination to make it work. For sure it's the most evolved car on the planet, but in the end it won't defy dynamics. To appreciate Porsche is to appreciate the 911. But to forget about what literally drove Porsche to the forefront is just ignorant. I say celebrate it all, but stop this if it's not a 911 it's not a Porsche nonsense. We have heard of the 918, right?

 

After owning a P4S, 981 Boxster S, 991 C4, and 991 GTS...I'm not counting the Cayenne for this discussion...I would say that the 911 really is the best Porsche sports car. At the time, I was torn between the M3 and the Boxster S and there is no doubt in my mind that the latter, albeit small, is the more fun driving car. Honestly, the Boxster/Cayman is like a precision tool in the way it handles twists and turns, and I think the 981 Boxster is one of the most attractive convertibles on the road, but it's lacking when it comes to sheer torque and grunt.

 

Have you driven the GT4 and Spyder? They have all the sheer torque and grunt your car does (close enough anyway), and they weigh several hundred pounds less. They are the best of all worlds. Oh I said that already. Personally I favor precision handling to grunt. I realize I'm in the minority that went from a 911 to a 987/981 and I have never looked back. It's ok, I'm not looking to impress anyone other than myself. And I've had 4 BMW M cars. I'm sticking with what I have maybe till death!

 

When the Boxster first was produced, I drove one (I think it was a base model) and was very disappointed, especially with the power. Recently my son was looking for a Porsche and we tried a 2004 S Spyder. I was very impressed! It was nimble, smooth, powerful, had great polar moments, relatively quiet (for having the engine a foot from your head), a fun short shifter and very enjoyable to drive. In fact, I was prepared to buy it as a collector car as it is number 69 of 500 imported into the US. I didn't get the opportunity because my son wanted it.

ChuckJ

 

Yeah when I was first looking to buy I started out looking at a Cayman... The longer I thought about it, I more I realized that if I bought a Cayman (which is a fine vehicle) I'd always wish that I had gone for a 911.

And since I tend to keep a car for several years it would result in me continually thinking about that aspect.

If it is just a car to you then who cares.. But if it is something more meaningful to you... go for the 911.. And nothing is wrong with a Base..

 

Tend to agree.. When average people think of a Porsche, they generally are thinking about a 911.. (and most definitely not SUV's and Panny's). Not saying anything negative about them or even a Cayman. But what comes to mind is a 911.

Funny, I was talking with a guy in the parking lot at work the other day about Porsche's (He wasn't a Porsche or even much of a car guy). And he asked me about those "new" 911 models that were kinda funny looking. He was implying that Porsche must have drastically changed the body style for the 911. As I asked more questions it became apparent he was just confusing a Cayman with a 911.

 

So the Cayman is just a car? You guys are . I get the fact it's all smiles when you own the flagship, but all are not equal. I wouldn't be at all smitten over a basic 991, S or otherwise. Especially considering how much coin you drop on the flagship. If you're going to spend 6 digits and up, it better be ***** out equipped. Because at the end of the day, you could have had a ***** out equipped GT4 and thousands left in your pocket. I'll skip the GT4 is far superior aspect since it's understood which is the clear winner. And by the way, where the 991 has depreciated considerably, the GT4 has gone up in value by ten thousand plus. I learned a long time ago that if you're going buy a Porsche, your best bet is to buy one of the limited edition cars. Unless you like tossing tens of thousands away.