Cayman vs 911 | FerrariChat

Cayman vs 911

Discussion in 'Porsche' started by BillyD, Apr 27, 2020.

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  1. BillyD

    BillyD Formula 3
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    Guys, I'm tempted to do a Porsche next but I am a newbie to them. Haven't driven or been in one since a 911 in 1975.
    Thinking of 2009 or newer with PDK. Cayman seems small, is it really the same as a 911 from the door forward?
    Cayman or 911? What should I look for as far as options and model? I don't think I want the complexity of a 4S unless they're bulletproof. Never going to be tracked, just a touring car if comfortable enough for old bones.
    What should I expect in maintenance $$$ compared to F cars?
    Budget around $50K
    thanks
    Bill
     
  2. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 13, 2014
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    Both are great cars. Have lots of friends in PCA that own Caymans, and universally they seem to love them. I have owned a '11 997.2 S for six years, and about 50 K miles, and it's still a blast to drive. Great handling, precise steering and an iconic sports car. I prefer the older pre-991 generations, because I prefer a less cluttered interior and less tech for what is a weekend fun car.

    Since you mentioned touring, the most surprising aspect in our ownership has been how comfortable it is for road trips. We've probably taken ours on a half dozen trips of 1000+ miles. The fake back seats are great for a little extra luggage. With PDK, and cruise control, it can effortlessly chew up highway miles. If you want to get off the main roads and thrash it a little, use the paddles and throw it in Sport or Sport+!

    Maintenance costs have been commensurate with our Cali, maybe $5 - $6 K all in as a wild guess, all in, gas, insurance, maintenance and repair.

    I would hop on Rennlist. Lots of great info there.

    T
     
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  3. zygomatic

    zygomatic F1 Rookie
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    As Tom said above, it really is a choice between two good cars. You won't go wrong with either. To me, the biggest difference between the two is the cockpit "feel". The Cayman feels a little more enclosed, more cocconing the 911, which is more classically upright with a larger greenhouse. To my mind, this makes the 911 a better tourer -- but the Cayman can do that job well, too.

    In terms of what options to look for: with a PDK you'll definitely want Sport Chrono / Sport Chrono +. They will allow you to choose how aggressive the PDK's shift points are. With SC on, the car really stands on its toes and gets ready to run. Easy way to spot the SC cars in the 997: they have a timer clock in the middle of the dash (sometimes known as the "wart")

    In terms of comfort options: I have the heated/ventilated seats: they're nice to have. Similarly, if you can get the Power Comfort Seats, they're a nice semi-sporty seat with not-too-aggressive bolsters that have multiple power adjustments. The regular Comfort Seats are good, too, but the power ones have more adjustment and allow settings to programmed into memory. The Sport seats are a rarer option, wtih more aggressive side/hip bolsters. Probably not needed for a tourer.

    In my experience, the 997s have been pretty much bulletproof cars. I'm going on 8 years of ownership. Other than wear items, there haven't been any issues with the cars. I haven't heard of any issues with the 4S or 4. Folks who own them love the "planted" feel they have, and the fact that they can shrug off rain/snow/inclement weather.

    One thing you may want to look into is a stereo upgrade. The 997 series does not support Bluetooth audio or CarPlay. This may or may not be an issue for you.

    Most of all: enjoy your new car when you find it
     
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  4. Island Time

    Island Time F1 World Champ
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    ^^^^can’t stress this enough. “S”s do come without the sport plus. Make sure it’s a “plus”. Best bang for the buck you’ll ever get in *any* car.

    I’ve had a Gen. 1 and 2. They are both cars that I could drive all day and upon arrival....they’d still leave me wanting to go around the block before parking them.

    I’ve never heard one bad thing about Caymans. Owners seem to love them.

    It probably boils down to what size car you want.

    Edit: Those sport seats are nice. More support without that “race car” feel. But that might just be an old man thing.
     
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  5. Island Time

    Island Time F1 World Champ
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    Be careful with these 911’s. They’re ticket magnets, not because cops love pulling them over but, you’ll find yourself speeding without knowing it. (It took 6 to convince me to take it to the track)
     
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  6. Devilsolsi

    Devilsolsi F1 Veteran
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    Cauymans are the size that 911s used to be. The 911 has gotten huge!
     
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  7. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Cayman = sports car

    911 = GT

    How do you drive?
     
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  8. jag-oo-r

    jag-oo-r Formula Junior
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    As a PCA Instructor and a guy who has passed most things at the racetrack in his Boxster, I'll tell you that the Cayman's mid-engine layout is really a defining quality of the car. At the racetrack, you'll be really glad you went that direction. But for nearly any other use of the car, you're probably better off with the 911.
     
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  9. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    Lots of excellent advice. Now that I have had a few extra hours of sleep, I would add $1 - $2 K to the above wild guestimate, if it's a year in which you need to replace the tires. With my mileage and driving style, and my wife nagging me about the ages of my tires, I get about 2.5 years per set, and rears seem to wear out faster than fronts. A set of good Michelins, Pirellis, Bridgestones, etc. seem to run about $2K installed @ a dealer...T
     
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  10. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    I love the Cayman for what it is, but i cant help and look at them as a toy whereas the 911 has that mature class. If you track it, then 911. I have had 3 911s, and love them for everything. They are fun to drive, fast, reliable, comfortable and i can put my kids in the back.

    Costs as said above are really tires. Expect 2k+ for a set of 4 with alignment every 15-20k miles. The annul service is about $1000.
     
  11. zygomatic

    zygomatic F1 Rookie
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    Caymans are headed that way, too. The 981 and my 997 are very nearly the same size!
     
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  12. Pawilly

    Pawilly Formula Junior
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    I've had my '07 987.1 Cayman base, 5sp manual, PASM, Sports Chrono, since 2009, as my DD and it is and has been a wonderful car. Other than a transmission replacement under warranty in '10, it has been annual maintenance and tires. She now has 94K+ miles and I hope to hand her down to my oldest son or grandson. The handling is a joy and I love to feel the way she rotates around in a corner. You can put a lot of "stuff" in the frunk and trunk. I differ with amenasce; she is not a toy. Or, if it is, I'm a toy kind of guy.
     
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  13. BillyD

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    You guys saved me a ton of research. Do either of them have an Achilles heel like the previous ones IMS bearing or Ferraris headers and DCT? Anything I should look out for?
    Have they fixed the lift off oversteer problem of the early cars?
    Thanks again
     
  14. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    Things that I can recall from RL are bore scoring, and water pumps. I vaguely recall bore scoring being more troublesome in earlier 997s. And in colder climates. The earliest 997.1s have the infamous IMS. It's been a while since I read into these, but at least you have a couple of buzzwords to Google. I've had the water pump replaced under warranty. About 3 or so years ago. A battery died on me. Weird leak in the windshield wiper fluid reservoir that took some detective work by the fine folks at Porsche Plano. Had to replace a coolant expansion tank cap. And, I snapped the plastic bit on the switch that pops the frunk, but that's on me, since I yanked on it like a mug...T
     
  15. zygomatic

    zygomatic F1 Rookie
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    Tom's list above is exactly right. The other thing that the DFI motors (post-2009 911s and Caymans, except the 2009 base Cayman) often see is Air Oil Separator (AOS) issues.

    A smaller worry is interior squeaks and rattles.
     
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  16. Island Time

    Island Time F1 World Champ
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    Generation 2 bore scoring? The engine was redesigned specifically to keep the rear cylinders from doing that. They put more water journals around them to keep them cooler. Didn’t work huh?
     
  17. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    I think it was more of an issue for 997.1 vs. 997.2, but have not personally researched this in years.
    Sometimes it's hard to get a straight read on possible things to look for in a particular model
    on Rennlist since many discussions about the pros and cons of any Porsche model often devolve
    into partisan debates between those who think the sky is falling & every car will suffer from it, on one side,
    and those who think every flaw is grossly overstated! ;)

    T
     
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  18. donv

    donv Two Time F1 World Champ
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    You should have no problem finding a 981 Cayman for less than your $50k budget. In fact, there is a nice looking one on BringATrailer right now:

    https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2014-porsche-cayman-s-15/

    I own a 981 Cayman S, which I ordered new. So far it has been perfect, with basically no issues.

    As for the size, I'm a big guy (6'4", 240) and the Cayman fits just fine. But I would suggest trying both-- I'm sure your local Porsche dealer could accommodate you with test drives.

    Personally, I love the Cayman, and I chose the Cayman over the 911 when I bought mine. So I made my choice. The Cayman is just so much fun to drive, and the small size is a feature, not a bug, as far as I'm concerned. I have owned 911s for years (currently own a 75 911S), so I have experience with both. My Cayman is about the same size as my 75 911S, incidentally-- just a bit wider.
     
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  19. Island Time

    Island Time F1 World Champ
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    My 06 had had a new engine at 3,500 miles. (Some of those cars were running around on their 3rd and 4th engine).

    09 on should not be having any cylinder issues.
     
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  20. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    +1

    The Cayman is one of the few pure sports car on the market today.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
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  21. Texas Forever

    Texas Forever Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    BTW, I just picked up a Cayman loaner. It is the much hated four banger with a PDK. Really, really, fun car.
     
  22. VGM911

    VGM911 Formula 3

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    Porsche addressed the IMSB (intermediate shaft bearing) and the RMS (rear main seal) issues with the introduction of new engine designs in the 2009 model year.

    As for Porsche's PDK (double clutch) transmission, I never thought that I'd like it since I was born and bred on stick shift cars, but it's a marvelous transmission and with the shift paddles, it's great fun.
     
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  23. Patek

    Patek Formula 3

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    something special in that Cayman area would be the Cayman R for 2012. Not many made and in the 50-60K price.
     
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  24. tomc

    tomc Two Time F1 World Champ

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    Great call. I chatted up a guy who drove his R to Costco. He loved it...T
     
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  25. VGM911

    VGM911 Formula 3

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    I'm fortunate to have had both a 911 and a Boxster (which, as you probably know, is pretty much a convertible Cayman). I loved my 911, but the Boxster's handling was simply outstanding - it danced around corners like a ballerina. It was just plain FUN to drive.

    The 911 (in the hands of THIS amateur) felt heavier and I had to work harder to get it close to its handling potential. The power was exhilerating but it wasn't as much fun to drive as the Boxster.

    All in all, they're both great cars, but I smiled more in the Boxster. And I think you'll smile, too, in the Cayman. Buy it.
     
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