Hey Guys,

I always wanted a porsche. Im a newbie I admit. Only in the lastv2 months have I finally learned to distinguish a cayman from a carrera, learned about mid-engine vs rear engine. Cornering vs muscle.

Im 6 foot 4. I always wanted a Cayman S. Fast forward 1 month:
porsche financial crushed my dream of that Carrera S Cabrio I had picked out. 115k$ was too much for them to lease.

I drove a cayman S and found its a bit small for my height. Later I testdrove a carrera S conv and found poweseats help this trouble by lowering the seats. the carrera even let you recline the seats.
But since I cant have the carrera I have to decide between:

2010/2011 Cayman S or 2010/2011 Boxster S

or
2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

The Boxster S has the nice drop top. Which could help with the hight. I admit I never liked the look of its butt. The Cayman S drives wonderful but is tight. The Cadillac is roomier, has rocket launcher torque (6.2 L 556HP V8 Supercharger, the corvette Z01 engine) .

What would you do? I drove all of them. I like the power of the CTS-V but not its image/brand, its a powerful brick though, reviews are good.The Cayman S is sublime but in Los Angeles Traffic under 4rpm it feel underwhelming. How often will I get into a canyon?
The Boxster S should have nearly the same power/agility at the cayman. do you guys feel they do drive different?

price is almost the same around 75k$ for either. +/-5k$ is not a consideration. I doubt ill do any track stuff, never have, maybe trying it buts a DD and more city than freeway too.

 

I was underwhelmed by the V1 CTS-V I had. The V2 might be different, but the car was plagued with little stuff always breaking, rattles and other annoyances. Also, it handled like a pig compared to the Cayman. I traded it in on the Cayman and never looked back. I find it's just as comfortable and a hell of a lot more fun.

Of course, the V2 CTS-V is a different animal so ymmv.


Mike

 

I might have to go with the power on this one.

 

they're two entirely different cars. the only thing they have in common is that they're both 2drs. if i had to choose between the two, i'd go w/ the CTS-V b/c of the sheer power and the grunt. put some exhaust on that baby and hear the supercharged V-8 rumble. you can put on a smaller pulley and make even more power.

 

CTS-V would be better. I am 6'2" 220 pound, maybe after one hour driving I'm having hard time in my wife's cayman. leg room is too small for me but i'm fine with my other 2 997s.

 

@crazymikie: I know they liked the 2011 CTS-V Coupe a lot. I havent heard about any rattle annoyance but its totally possible.

@kaotic504: I agree the shotgun torque impressed me and the rumble is nice. The Cayman felt very tame on the road if its not a freeway

@aznevoviii: thats good to know. dealer wont let you drive for an hour
thats why I liked the Carrera S conv because of power seats (lower and leaned back) and no top. thats what makes me wonder about the boxster S.
do you have power seats in her cayman?

anybody in the LA area that would let me ride in your cayman/boxster for a while to check it out?

 

The CTS-V is not my kind of car but it sounds like it could be fun. I have a 2009 Cayman S with the sport crono package. I am just over 6'4" and its my DD car. I love it, and I have never looked back! (Or been passed by a cadi!)

 

You can get the power seats in both the Boxster and Cayman. The CTS might be better sitting in traffic. A porsche is made for driving the back roads.

 

i saw both a CTS & a CTS-V at the dealer this weekend. the *** is huge! much, much worse than i thought from the pictures i've seen. the plain CTS looks odd... rear wheels look miniscule with that rear-end. however, the CTS-V balances out better... the mean looking bulging hood, bigger rims, huge twin exhaust tips, and aggressive spoilers all around make a huge difference. the CTS-V is one mean looking car... but its is SOOO different than a Cayman style wise...let alone performance wise. apples to oranges. my two cents, i'd have to go with the Cayman.

 

get the caddo

 

thanks for responding. are you thin or big? Im about 300lbs and I testdrove a boxster S yesterday. the power seats help headroom wise but the width of the cabin is definitely to small for me. i can touch the right car door without leaning over.

I think I will go with the Caddi till I can afford the 2 inch wider carrera in 3 years.

 

Yes, I am more thin than big, so for me the car is a perfect fit. Have you considered picking up a used 911? If you drop back a few model years the price point is the same. Good luck!

 

I have considered it but it needs to have the wonderful PDK and that means 2009 at the oldest. quite hard to get, especially to lease (business deductions) not buy/finance

 

I have a Cayman S with the TPC turbo and it is a lot of fun. I went recently to a CTS-V driving event at PBIR and the coupe looks good and drives like my previous E55…lots of power, torque, and weight...but there is a 6-speed manual. If I needed more room and wanted a more comfortable ride, I would go for one.

 

thx thats great to hear. how is the turbo on the cayman? i heard its an aftermarket hack but supposedly very solid.