2010-13 California vs new Porsche 911 thoughts?

Nothing will handle like a Cayman S.
I had a 2013 them went into a 991 cab. That I still have. Everytime I think of selling my 991 I change my mind. Something about a 991 that just fits. No it's not the fastest car the Ferrari will eat it for lunch but it's stone reliable and classy. Now for the Ferrari, if I was looking for a California I would spend a little more and get a later model like a Cal 30.
or a California T. The 30 with a little more miles wouldn't hurt for the money. It's more reliable than the older California. Would the HS package make a difference not really unless you track it. If you find a 30 without it and it fits your bill go for it.
Just look carefully to see if it's a slow driver like mine ( live in Hilton Head ) hard to push it around here or a track car.
Good luck either way. Keep both if you can. The Cayman S is sweet.

 

I had an '05 911 Carrera S convertible. I just bought a '10 Cali. Very different cars and love(d) them both but hands down I would choose the Cali (no ****, right? lol)

However, you're talking about a brand new 911 vs. a '10-'13 Cali? That's tough. I just drove a friends 2018 911 GTS. It's an awesome car. Styling is better than before and the engine sounded 100% better than just few years ago. But that's the GTS and not the base 911. I agree with the other poster, if you're going to get a Cali instead of the new base 911, I'd go with the Cali 30. (not the T). I personally hate turbos.

Good luck!

 

Any thoughts on a cayman gt4?

Considering one as it has a stick and the right mid-engine bones...

SV


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I've driven the 718 Cayman GTS, the 991.1 Carrera S on track and on the road; and I own a Cali30 HS that recently got Novitec sport springs.

The Carrera is a better car than the Cayman as the 991 just feels more solid and sounds better. The 718 has a "hollow" feel and "hollow" sound to it when you drive it hard, feels cheaper than the 991. Both cars handle very well but the 991 definitely has more power. The Cali30 HS is faster, sounds much better, and is more entertaining to drive. The Cali30 HS handles as well as the Pcars but without the HS, it is simply too soft when pushed so the Pcars handle much better if the Cali30 does not have the HS suspension and steering.

IMO, the Pcars are excellent cars and less complicated but they are not as exciting to own as the Cali30, everything else being equal. The Cali30 also adds a folding hardtop which delivers in effect, the driving experiences of a 2nd car with minimum compromise. When you buy an exotic, you are essentially buying exotic experiences, not an appliance, so the more exotic experiences the merrier. This is why the T and the PT also have retained the exact same roof - it worked and helped Ferrari sell a lot of cars.

 

I own a 997.2 S and a 2011 Cali. They're so different, they are the perfect complement to each other. Both fun to drive, either in a spirited fashion by yourself or grand tourismo mode with the wife on a date night.

If it were me, I would find a CPO 997.2 generation or 991.1 non turbo 911 that floats your boat. Then a CPO Cali 30. Drive them back to back, then decide. Better yet, get one of each. [emoji2]
T

 

991.2 S all day no comparison.

 

OK, this is semi-random, off-the-top-of-my-head thoughts, so apologies in advance. Maybe in all this babble, there's a useful nugget or two.

2011 S - lower to the ground, better on twisty roads than my Cali, better steering (almost telepathic), more comfortable for longer drives, rear seats bigger (which makes it a better road trip car). I took it on a 500-mile/1-day round-trip yesterday, and it was great, I felt pretty good after all that driving. If I did that in the Cali, I'd be back-achin' & worn out. I find the ergonomics and cockpit layout of the 911 more purposeful, much better laid out, and more intuitive. I hardly ever need to take my eyes off the road in the 911 to work some knob or button. I like shifting with the Ferrari paddles much more than the buttons in my 911 (if you buy a 911 w/ PDK transmission, I'd get the paddles - I think it's called the Sport Wheel).

Exhaust sound is better on the Cali (both are stock for me); the growl as you accelerate out of a turn is pure sex!

I can usually take curves @ 20 MPH above the suggested speeds w/o a sweat in my 911; about +10 MPH in my Cali. The 911 sticks to the asphalt, the Cali a tad more "boaty", it has more body roll. I've had both on the track, and I was more confident in the 911 than the Cali. Maybe that's me, maybe that's subconsciously the difference in $$$ if I ran into anything giving me pause, but that was my take. The Cali was great powering out of turns into straight-aways. However, with the 911, I was on the gas earlier in turns. My 2011 Cali is better in a straight line, it only takes a little foot pressure on the accelerator, and you're doing "go to jail" speeds. Also, at high speeds, the Cali feels more at home (I'm not sure "at home" is the right phraseology, but @ 100 MPH the Cali is cruising easy with that V8!) .

The interior is more luxurious in the Cali, that Italian leather smells great, but the controls for things like cruise control (needed here in Texas), setting the TFT display, adjusting the clock, etc. are counterintuitive to me to the point of being distracting if I try to manipulate them. The NAV is much better on my 2011 911 than my 2011 Cali, the latter being almost laughable. However, iPhone/Google Maps/WAZE make this diff largely an non-issue. I do, however, find it easier to connect my phone via Blue Tooth in the Cali vs. the 911, and less cabin noise in the Cali (top up, of course), & indeed have done a couple of teleconferences from it.

The Cali is a hard top convertible, while Porsche offers no such thing - a major plus for the Ferrari. It's like getting two cars for the price of one! A Porsche is a lot more low-key than an F-car, so you can take it more places w/ less stress. 99% of the attention is positive, but it's something to keep in mind. The F-car is a special event. People say that a lot on this site, to the point it seems banal, but it's true. I still look down @ that cavallino on the steering wheel after 2+ years, 14+ thousand miles, and have to pinch myself "Holy carp, I own a Ferrari!"

The above are my impression, for my style of driving, and may not reflect your anticipated usage. Definitely drive both. Also, if you want CPO, that means you are taking it to an authorized dealer for service. If so, you need to "test drive" the dealers you may be getting service with. Talk to local folks in FCA & PCA and see what they recommend. Good luck in your decision.

 

I have owned 41 Porsches including a one of a kind 997S that has over 130K in modifications (mostly one off parts I designed) with around 650 hp weighs about 2530lbs no traction controls, and it still scares the crap out of me every time I get behind the wheel. My girlfriend drives a 718 Cayman S which is the only Porsche I've ever owned that is stock. I have no idea how you drive OP or your skill level, at my age what my mind knows and my body can do are very different things. I have a CA T no handling package, compared to my 997S, the 4C, or Evora 400 it is not going to win any handling contests. If you are open I also have an AMG GTS that so far has amazed me. Though I have yet to find a situation that the CA T could not handle, I have yet to push it that hard. In most cases these cars even in stock form are far more capable than their owners. I rarely drive with traction controls (I never got used to them) on when I am driving my warm weather cars, and I have something I do that I have recommended to others for years. I have these flags with suction cups and I go to a big empty lot (office parks on weekends are perfect) and I make my own little course, turn of the traction control and see what I and the car can do. It is a good way to learn the car, your nerve, and your skill in handling the car, which is more times than not the real issue. Not what the car is capable of, but what you are. Good luck.

 

I’ve been a Porsche Club of America member over 30 years. The Ferrari wins hands down. I’ve had two California’s and now a California T. I drove all of them all year in nw Ohio. My 2016 T now has over 30,000 miles. At a DE (driver education) event with my 2010, first Ferrari, the only guy I couldn’t pass was driving a full race Porsche, although I could keep up.

With a second set of wheels and Pirelli Sotozeros it is amazing even on ice and snow. And the Cali will sound better!

I also have a FF that I drive all year, Ferrari’s best kept secret!

 

Why not look at a 997.2 turbo S cabriolet
Rocket fast and handle real well. You can find nice low mile examples in the 80’s
2011-2012 years.
Good luck

or check out the new NSX it’s an amazing car that can be had in the 120’s on a 17’
Looks “exotic” and you can daily drive it.

 

I sold my 2012 Cali for a new 2017 C4 S cab. Best decision I ever made.


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Interesting analysis. Have you looked at Lotus? It ticks a couple of your boxes.
T

 

The Evora 400 is an amazing car, though you must get it in a gearshift. The auto box is not that good. I have had the chance to push the Calf T a bit more (it is going into winter storage next week), and I think it is pretty good in 90% of situations any normal driver would need. Here are some suggestions for you, but you will need some skill to keep these first two on the road. C7Z06, in gearshift (the auto is also damn good) it is a monster that just sticks to the road. The AMG GTS, you need to put in race mode to get everything out of it, but it is more car than 99% of drivers can handle. I have owned 2 430 coupes (one F1, one gearshift), you will not like it. The gearshifts will be too slow. I just bought a M4 which is in my opinion more of a sports car than the T, and yesterday I put a deposit on a 991 C4S. Never thought I'd buy a AWD sports car that I did not intend to turn into RWD. I have said this before but people have their own definitions of what a sports car is, unfortunately mine has changed over the years as I have gotten older and my life has changed.

 

One more thing to keep in mind this is Ferrarichat and I remember when I first came here (an autistic guy who sees cars as adult tinker toys sets, they need to be taken apart and put back together better), and mention of any car being better was not met with great applause. There are far less of the kool aid drinkers here now but I think there is a sore spot for some when the California is thought of as less than it is. It was not made to be compared to a Cayman, or even a 430, it was made to bring a new type of customer to the brand (which was smart consider it became the best selling model), and believe me the majority of Ferrari spends their time cruising down main street, not his hitting 180MPH on a track.

 

I think calling the steering like a muscle car is a bit unfair, I think the California, even a non HS car, steers better then a Challenger Hellcat. I never compared the California to sports cars, I compared it to V8 Aston Martin, Maserati Granturismo, Jaguar ect. I think Ferrari did an excellent job with the California. It’s just not a seat of the pants sports car like the 458 or 488 are.

 

Hear they’re doing great deals on the new vantage.

 

As I mentioned, I've put quite a few miles including track miles on the Cayman, Carrera S and Carrera 4S. The Cali30 handles just as well in everyday driving at legal speeds but the Pcars are better at the limits because the Cali's factory suspension setup, like other Fcars, is biased towards oversteer, often described as a "tippy-toe" feeling. Some people says this makes the car "more fun" to drive. Well, maybe if you like playing with power slides but not if you are trying to nail a run up an on-ramp or go 10/10 on a high speed track corner.

Unfortunately, people often expect to drive performance cars as-is from the factory and have them do everything the way they would like them to. All cars are designed with some design bias and until you understand the car's potential and modify its setup bias to your preference you are just using them "off the rack" expecting custom performance from them and getting disappointed.

The factory setup from Ferrari caters to buyers different from Porsche's. If you are a discriminating driver and like your cars to work a certain way, you have to modify them.

 

I see the steering in my Cali as generally more GT-like and my 911 as more focused, direct, sporty, but the Cali is no slouch (as an aside, if that's an issue, get a Porto). For the couple of times I had the Cali on the track and the one or two times I have needed to make high-speed maneuvers (once to avoid a desk that had fallen off a truck on the highway!) it has responded brilliantly...T