Eh, I can live with sub-13 second car...

[Lonnie]

While this thread is dedicated to BudgetPlan1`s Porsche Caymen S 4.0 and its speed and "slow" time at the quarter-mile dragstrip and how he can live with that, I think the majority us "can live" with the vehicle we drive. We drive our vehicle that we currently have for a whole host of reasons, but it is most likely because it is what we can afford. For some it is its utilitarian use, like a truck for your work or business, or a van to haul the ever-growing family and kids to all the activities they are involved in, or an AWD vehicle because we need it for the (long Wisconsin) winter months, like my `06 Ford Freestyle AWD I bought from my Mom`s estate when my siblings decides it was best for her not to drive anymore. It is why we call them "daily drivers" and from what I see in this Autopia forum, those vehicles get some pretty good detailing care, as they should from fellow Autopians.

That said, I thank BudgetPlan1 for his detailed (pun intended!) exploits with his Porsche Caymen S. What a great car and car owner. Love his pics at car shows that they attend.

 

[roscopervis]

Great cars. Of course they don`t have the history or are an icon like the 911 is, but to drive each, the 6 cylinder Cayman S` are just in the sweet spot of pretty much everything. Just enough power, light enough, the balance of everything is pretty much right. Mine`s only a 987 but I`m a fan.

A 911 in contrast is still a wonderful car to drive, but there`s an adaption to be made, it`s more challenging.

This can potentially be more rewarding, but i don`t think it ever feels like an extension of you the way the Cayman does.

 

[BudgetPlan1]

Great cars. Of course they don`t have the history or are an icon like the 911 is, but to drive each, the 6 cylinder Cayman S` are just in the sweet spot of pretty much everything. Just enough power, light enough, the balance of everything is pretty much right. Mine`s only a 987 but I`m a fan.

A 911 in contrast is still a wonderful car to drive, but there`s an adaption to be made, it`s more challenging.This can potentially be more rewarding, but i don`t think it ever feels like an extension of you the way the Cayman does.

We were planning to head down to the Porsche Experience Center last winter to do one of their `Cayman v 911` Experiences but alas, COVID put the brakes on that:

I surmise that everything I like about the Cayman would not translate well to a 911; I have a lot of faith that the Cayman won`t hurt me or get outta sorts given the limits of my skillset. The 911...more power, heavier back end might be more willing to get away/oversteer if I got dumb...which is always a possibility

A friend of ours (and one of the primary instigators of "...you should try a Cayman") had a beautiful GT3 that he was often offering up for a day but I never took him up on it and alas, he recently sold it:

Too chicken on my part, I guess...opportunity lost!

I think many consider the 987 series the `classic` Cayman, the real Must Have in the series. Aside from styling, is there really that much difference between 987 and 981? The blue on yours is killer with the wheels!

Kinda a bummer that the driving season is drawing to a close...

 

[roscopervis]

When I was looking for a car I was open to a 911 too, but after driving a 996 Carrera, Carrera 4s and a 997 Carrera along with a couple of Caymans, I have no problem with having more power, or adapting to a rear engine, but the Cayman just drives better. For their ages, the performance difference isn’t much different, the engines are the same but with different capacities essentially so they feel similar, with a bit more grunt in the 997 (obviously becoming more apparent the more exotic you go I’d imagine). As has been mentioned, it’s about the experience. The 911 is an experience, but the Cayman is a better balance all round I feel. The only other car I’ve driven that was perhaps more natural was a Lotus Elise, but that had 130 hp, no power steering or servo assisted brakes. It basically drove like a large go kart with gears!

I’ve never driven a 981 to compare. The general consensus is that the steering feel gets worse with modernity, but you get the direct injection engine, better infotainment and other incremental changes which should add up to an improvement.

My car is actually Basalt Black, it is the blue sky in the reflection giving that colour. That’s why I think it’s a nice picture.