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I owned a 2008 997s for three years, have spent thousands of miles in the seat of a 2006 Cayman S and now own a 2008 E90 M3. All cars are three pedal manuals.
The M3 is by far the most practical. As other have stated, it lacks low end grunt but really sings above 5,000 rpm. It's much more comfortable to drive day in and day out due to it's sedan roots over the Porsches. In my opinion, the shifter and clutch are not in the same league as Porsche. It's frankly, not that good. Moreover, while I don't expect Prius mileage out of an M car, be forewarned that real world fuel mileage in an M3 is atrocious and when you combine that with a very small fuel tank, you'll be stopping for gas A LOT. The good news is that you should be able to find a lot of very nice used E90/E92 M3's in your price range. The Cayman S is the most balanced, eaisest to drive fast of the three choices. A good daily driver that is an absolute thrill to drive quickly. It's not fully appreciated unless you autox/track the car. Downsides are that there's no backseat at all, visibility is somewhat limited (bad blind spot over the driver's right shoulder) and while not important to me.. the Boxster and Cayman carry what I think is an unfair stigma of not being a real Porsche. The 911 is timeless. While the handling isn't as balanced as the Cayman, some, like me, love the steering feel and weight transfer properties of the 911. Downside is that you're likely looking a very high mileage or much older 997's to fit in your budget. Personally, I think the 911 has the most charisma, the Cayman is the best pure driver's car and the M3 is the best every day vehicle. |
Originally Posted by Da Hapa
(Post 3871733)
....
The Cayman S is the most balanced, eaisest to drive fast of the three choices. A good daily driver that is an absolute thrill to drive quickly.... #1 Easiest to drive fast #2 Absolute thrill to drive quickly According to some, if a car is easy to drive fast, there is no thrill. That said - I agree with you. The Cayman S is high on the list of my favorite cars. |
I have not owned an M3, and I don't need my "sportscars" to be useful, beyond driving fun. So I did choose the Cayman R. I could have purchased the 991 as I was trading in an R8 V10 at the time, but the smaller, lighter, more compact and raw qualities of the Cayman R fit my needs better.
The Cayman R is a fourth car for me and it is only really driven on the streets on the way to he track, so I cannot speak to "living" with it day to day. That said I daily drove my R8 V10 during the poorer weather days and my V12 Vantage all summer (Suv's for trips with kids). Those two cars were the cars i drive/drove to work everyday. Driving a two sweater with more limited visibility and storage is not a problem at all, depending on your lifestyle. For some people a second car is needed. The interior of the Cayman R is more narrow than the other two. With two people it is a more intimate than most cars. It is also more spartan, for me that was a plus. It felt like a unique experience. The frunk is similar to the R8, very deep. The wider trunk in the Vantage is more useful. The rear trunk is useful, to a point. A helmet etc will fit there, but it is limited. Neither of the other cars had an extra trunk, so that is a plus. The frunk in the R8 would get very warm (120+ degrees). I don't know if the cayman is the same. The drive in the Cayman R is fantastic. So balanced, almost telepathic. If you have tighter corners, few cars are better suited. On big straight roads, its going to feel wheezy compared to your GTR. It is one of my favourite cars, but its a chassis car, not a horse power car. I do not in anyway regret selling the R8 V10 for the Cayman R. Both cars are beyond excellent, but the Cayman R was the better car for what I needed. It better fit the tasks at hand, and the type of experience I wanted. I think that's the key The 997 is likely right in the middle, almost offering the daily practicality of the M3, and almost as raw/connected as the Cayman. I know people who have them as their only car, and they love it. |
Originally Posted by RobbieX50
(Post 3732969)
I am thinking about selling my 2011 GT-R in search of something more entertaining to drive and less expensive to maintain. Don't get me wrong, the GT-R is plenty exciting and fast with a tune and a few bolt ons. However, I just miss shifting gears myself and want a more interactive driving experience.
The GT-R doesn't get exciting in my opinion unless you are driving it very aggressively at full throttle and redlining it, but this generally means exceeding 100mph+ which arrives in just seconds. It almost happens too fast to enjoy it. Sound crazy? I want a car I can enjoy driving aggressively and get a thrill , but also be lots of fun at more sedate levels. I am budgeting $40k and considering an early Cayman S (06-08), early 997 Carrera S or 2008 e92 M3. Has anyone here owned a combination of either cars and which do you like better overall? The car will be used as a part time daily driver and weekend fun car. I want a fun to drive, relatively fast, great handling car that is involving to drive. Something with charisma and character. TIA At 40K I feel you will get a better condition M3 but it will not be as fun to drive as a cayman s . The M3 will be faster in a straight line and it does handle nicely for a car of its size but it lacks certain driving characteristics found in the Porsche . 40K will get you into the repair shop with a 997s and you'll wish that you spent 55K out of the gate . My vote goes to the cayman S . it's a nicely balanced car and the manual gearbox blows away the M3 which is sloppy and ill positioned . |
Originally Posted by black penguin
(Post 3871941)
I have not owned an M3, and I don't need my "sportscars" to be useful, beyond driving fun. So I did choose the Cayman R. I could have purchased the 991 as I was trading in an R8 V10 at the time, but the smaller, lighter, more compact and raw qualities of the Cayman R fit my needs better.
The Cayman R is a fourth car for me and it is only really driven on the streets on the way to he track, so I cannot speak to "living" with it day to day. That said I daily drove my R8 V10 during the poorer weather days and my V12 Vantage all summer (Suv's for trips with kids). Those two cars were the cars i drive/drove to work everyday. Driving a two sweater with more limited visibility and storage is not a problem at all, depending on your lifestyle. For some people a second car is needed. The interior of the Cayman R is more narrow than the other two. With two people it is a more intimate than most cars. It is also more spartan, for me that was a plus. It felt like a unique experience. The frunk is similar to the R8, very deep. The wider trunk in the Vantage is more useful. The rear trunk is useful, to a point. A helmet etc will fit there, but it is limited. Neither of the other cars had an extra trunk, so that is a plus. The frunk in the R8 would get very warm (120+ degrees). I don't know if the cayman is the same. The drive in the Cayman R is fantastic. So balanced, almost telepathic. If you have tighter corners, few cars are better suited. On big straight roads, its going to feel wheezy compared to your GTR. It is one of my favourite cars, but its a chassis car, not a horse power car. I do not in anyway regret selling the R8 V10 for the Cayman R. Both cars are beyond excellent, but the Cayman R was the better car for what I needed. It better fit the tasks at hand, and the type of experience I wanted. I think that's the key The 997 is likely right in the middle, almost offering the daily practicality of the M3, and almost as raw/connected as the Cayman. I know people who have them as their only car, and they love it. |
Originally Posted by jaspergtr
(Post 3871746)
I know many people (here on 6speed) that would say these two comments don't belong in the same description.
#1 Easiest to drive fast #2 Absolute thrill to drive quickly According to some, if a car is easy to drive fast, there is no thrill. That said - I agree with you. The Cayman S is high on the list of my favorite cars. I've driven my share of really fast cars and most of them are thrilling for a short while... some of them have even scared the crap out of me. But maybe I'm old, conservative or weird but I've done enough AutoX and DE events to know my limitations. I simply can't drive many of today's sports cars at anywhere near their limits on the streets safely or without fear of a long time behind bars. The Cayman is so well balanced, with more than enough power for street conditions here in S. CA. If I were able to put my ego and lust for power in check, the truth is that it's all the sports car I ever really would need for street driving. |
996 Turbos's are amazing deals at the prices they are currently going for. $40K should be plenty of budget for a 2001-2002.
US versions are just a bit muted in driving experience IMHO, but easily rectified. Nothing more than a GT3 alignment and reducing the silly US ride height will do it. If you really want driver involvement, you can do a relatively simple and low cost AWD -> RWD conversion. Cayman would be my second choice. M3's just don't have the crispness or sexyness I like in a sports car, though I definitely appreciate the technology that goes into "hey, lets make this fairly big and heavy sedan / psuedo coupe deliver performance specifications like a real sports car!". 997's in that price range will still have intermediate shafts (pre 2009)... Not nearly as big of a deal as forum-gloom-and-doom might have you believe, but no clear engine or chassis advantage over the much less expensive NA 996. In fact since the IMS bearing isn't replaceable on the early 997's without tearing the engine apart, the lower percentage of 997 IMSB issues (vs 996 IMSB issues) doesn't give me nearly the peace of mind as just replacing a 996 IMSB every 40K miles. Very little incremental cost if you have the transmission down for a clutch or other service. |
Had an E92 M3 right when it came out in 2008. 6sp Manual. Also owned the e46 M3 which was traded for the newer one.
Hated the e92. It felt too heavy and disconnected. It was fast, but so what? There are other cars faster... in fact your GT-R is one of them. The V8 just doesn't work for that car IMO. I had also owned the 2007 M6 Cab, and the V10 was awesome, but it was a purpose built car... you're not racing people up and down the boulevard in an M6. Your grabbing fannies at night clubs with an M6 V10 cab. I traded the E92 M3 for a 997.2 C4S PDK (new) after 8mo of ownership and lost $15k, but never looked back. Absolutely loved the 997.2, but missed the 6sp manual even though I mastered the PDK. Now, I'm getting a 981 Cayman S. It is the most fitting car i have ever driven. By fitting I mean it fits like a glove, and has the responsiveness of my old S2000 from 2004, but feels so much more solid and much better car all around. Another option is a brand-new base 2014 Cayman. I found 2 brand new with very little options (ok, none almost) but nicely enough equipped stock 6sp manual for $52k in the LA area. So much car for so little money... almost steering me away from the Cayman S because of the $20k price difference! Whip that thing around for a year or two and if you change your mind / want to upgrade you probably won't lose very much $$ or sleep for it. |
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