<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt">All:<o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt">I've got two major questions in which I'm interested in hearing your responses. [/quote]<o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.5pt">1)What was your driver for buying the Cayman instead of the Boxster or 911? <o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in 0pt">2) Have you heard any comments regarding what 911 owners think of the Cayman?<o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in 0pt"><o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in 0pt">So here’s my .02c<o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in">1) [/quote][/quote]I have always loved the styling, power and mystique of a 911. [/quote]However, a new 911 is outside my financial means, particularly w/options that I value. [/quote]I currently have a used 911 C4and although I’m content with the car I’m not ecstatic. [/quote]When you buy used it’s rarely exactly what you wanted. [/quote]On the other hand there are very few soft top cars that I like, and the Boxster styling doesn’t appeal to me. [/quote]Prior to the Cayman, IF a 911was in my future it would have been a few years off. [/quote]In my case, I suspect the Cayman cannibalized 911 sales. [/quote]<o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in 0pt 0.25in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .25in">2) [/quote][/quote]I have not heard any direct comments from current 911 owners (I know I’m one but as a Cayman buyer my opinion is not fair). [/quote]Some/many 911 owners look down upon Boxster owners, sometimes known as “the poor mans Porsche”. [/quote]I assume this feeling will prevail but with the power and handling reviews it a less legitimate position. (for the record I don't care about other opinions)[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in 0pt"><o></o>[/quote]
<p style="MARGIN: 5pt 0in 0pt">Thanks for your time.<o></o>[/quote]










Edited by - PACayman on 02/04/2006 9:06:51 PM

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PACayman
Factory: 2006 Cayman S / Lapis Blue / Stone Grey Full Leather & Heated Sport Seats with Crest.
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My sports car driver was a 540I, I have had many 911's and loved everyone, this is my first mid-engine and I'm very impressed, I really don't care what others think about my car choices (to mature, old or whatever), I had a 911 driver almost lose control of his car today trying to look over the Cayman. I can afford what ever I want and I wanted the Cayman even when the C4S I had a deposit on arrived. Go with your feelings and never second guess yourself (about anything).

Edited by - Santa Fe on 02/04/2006 7:19:10 PM

for what its worth......

1. I have always wanted a porsche and about 2 years ago became financally secure enough to purchase any porsche I wanted ( except the the carrera GT...damn thats expensive!). I spent the last year and a half trying to decide between the carrera 4s or waiting for the turbo, or....buying a used turbo. I have read lots and lots and when they started talking about the cayman, i listened. the early tests and reports really peaked my interests. when i saw the first pictures...it just felt right. i am a porsche begineer if you will, and so the cayman seems right for my entry into the exotics. im really not that fond of convertibles so the boxster was never an option. besides...the boxster just never really appealed to me as a performance sports car.

2. The dealership where I purchased my cayman may have been just blowing smoke up my ***, but they said they have had several 911 owners order caymans and plan on trading in. One C4S owner apparantly paid to have his car stripped down to lighten it to race on the track.. He came in and test drove a cayman....paid to have his C4S put together again, and traded it in on a cayman. like i said this is all from the sales guy at the dealership, so who knows.....but why would he lie...i had already bought the cayman.

fun times...

__________________


My Cayman may be gone...but not forgotten.

For what its worth I was a Boxster owner and planned on getting a 911 untill I drove the Cayman. The car connects with you in a way that a 911 never will. While I was at the dealership there was a gut trading his 911 on a Cayman. I used to care that I didnt have the 911 when I had my Boxster but now I can have either and I dont want the 911. I think there will be plenty of people that feel this way and it will only help the Porsche name because the 911 will always be classic Porsche.

This is a sensitive topic with some folks, but let me toss in my 2 cents worth.


1) I bought the Cayman because I've already owned 2 Boxsters and a 996 C4S. All have been terrific cars and the Cayman S is no exception. I 'could' have purchased a more expensive car like the 997 but I didn't want to when the Cayman S became available. Personally, I like the looks of the Cayman S more than anything else Porsche offers currently. I like 2 seat sports cars and I like Porsches, seemed like a natural fit to me.


2) 911 owners appear to be in either 2 camps:
Camp A - These 911owners put down the Cayman as something 'less' than a 911. They claim their 911 is superior and always will be superior and look upon the Cayman with blinders. It is the Camp A type that you find on message forums bashing the Cayman, or stating phrases like 'it's a good car for what it is', etc. They claim to love Porsches, but don't miss an opportunity to take a shot at the Cayman. They secretly fear the Cayman S and that their 911 is no longer the king of the hill, they also dismiss sales figures that show the Cayman S outselling the 911 and Boxster combined.
Camp B - Camp B knows a great car when they see one and they are looking for ways to trade in their 911 for a Cayman. They secretly fear the Cayman and admire it at the same time, it inspires them like their 911 no longer does. They don't tell any of their friends in Camp A about their secret desires, instead they just nod politely when members of Camp A speak. They don't want to put down the 911 so you won't hear them talk bad about their prior car, just that it no longer met their needs, when in fact what they want to say is 'Damn this new car is Sexy!'


We have a local PCA member and fellow track junkie who just traded his 993 Twin Turbo even-up for a new Cayman S (the Seal Grey one you saw parked next to mine in a couple of dealer lot shots). Now by all accounts the 993 Twin Turbo is a great car, but its time around Nurburgring is in fact slower than the Cayman S's time. Not like that particular statistic should be what makes you choose a car, but he isn't the only Porsche track junkie that I know who either has purchased a Cayman S or has one on order. He's a Camp B guy.


I don' t think I owned a 911 long enough to become eithera Camp A or Camp B type. I respect and admire the 911 but from owning one I know what is good and not-so-good about them. We had friends over for dinner tonight and I'll leave you with the words of one of my long time friends, we go back to college days and both owning 2 seat sports cars together, in his words:


'This is the best looking Porsche you've owned out of all of them!'


I let him drive it tonight and that's all he was talking about the rest of the evening, how it handled, how precise it was, how fast it was, etc. etc. Not that I need affirmation from friends and family to make my purchase decision, but something like that was nice to hear after the fact.

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oh...i almost forgot...porsche did a magnificent job marketing the cayman s to me. when i go to the porsche website and watch the movies, etc...its like porsche is saying, were so glad your here...look what we made...just for you.

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My Cayman may be gone...but not forgotten.

Bill,

A lot depends on what part of the driving experience you like to do. There are many reasons to purchase a sports car, and many reasons to change from one to another. The Cayman will be my 6th Porsche over the last 26 years, and the first non-911. I've loved all the 911s I've had starting with the 68 911L Targa, and I'm selling a 2002 Turbo and getting the Cayman.

For me, I've really gotten into PCA competition over the last few years, and while the turbo is an amazing car on track days, I also have a lot of fun autocrossing, and the turbo is not a great autocrossing car... it needs room to run. The Cayman in my mind will be fun for both. While not possessing the breathtaking acceleration of the turbo, the Cayman will be great fun on the autocross course, where I'll finally be able to keep up with the Boxsters and 914s for crying out loud, and it will be fast enough, and much more precise to drive on the track. All around, for the kind of driving I do these days, the Cayman fits the bill - even more than the mighty turbo.

Also, I really like the way the car looks, and you know, it was just time for a change.

I guess this makes be somewhat of a Camp B guy, but I have no problem telling the Camp A guys why I'm making the change. I predict many more will see the light.

brad

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When I bought my '99 Boxster I felt like Porsche called me up and said, 'Karl, how would you like us to build a special car for you?' And then, when they were thinking of the Cayman, they called me and said, 'Karl, we know how much you loved your Boxster, so we were just wondering if there is anything you might like even more.' Just in case Porsche is reading this, if you call again, I'd like DSG gearbox, more HP, and less weight (get rid of the stereo, AC, etc. and go with sliding plastic windows, race seats... anyway, almost perfect now)

I drive a beautiful 914-6 which is a blast to drive, corners like a go-kartand that air cooled 6 screaming just inches behind me. It will wear you out if driven around town as a daily driver, so I was looking to add another Porsche to drive more often. I have always liked the Boxster S but was looking more towards a 1993 RS America, or a 1989 911 Carrera Coupe, two cars that I think will remain more valuable than other years. The Cayman S started showing up in magazines last year, so I waited. I caught a picture in a magazine 6 months or so ago of a Guards Red Cayman and was stunned. I decided if the car looked anywhere near that good in person....I had to have it. I saw the car in person at the dealer in late December and handed over my deposit. I drove two of them at different dealers to get more time in them before I made my final option selections. The test drives were absolutely outrageous. I had never driven a car that felt like that. I knew this car would be one that changes the history of Porsche. They had finally made a better 911...and the Cayman S was it.


I like 911's but the water cooled cars didn't do it for me. The GT3... I like, but the Cayman S is a stunner. I was talking to a neighbor (2004 Boxster Owner) who asked why I bought a Cayman at more than the cost of a new 911 (mine is kind of loaded) . I told him It wasn't about the cost to me.... It was about the car. I told him to drive one and he would understand.


One of my buddies who has a 2004? 911 C4 Turbo, who hates Boxsters, went to Germany and drove a few Caymans. He came back (December 05) and told me the car was a blast to drive and sounded bitchen. He said I was really going to like it....that it was a really nice car.


Cheers



Edited by - mission beach on 02/04/2006 10:48:22 PM

Edited by - mission beach on 02/04/2006 10:49:29 PM

The Boxster was never in the running for me. I'm generally not a fan of convertibles with the S2000 being the only possible exception to that rule.
The 911's were a little bit more than what I was willing to spend and I've never fully warmed to the look of the newer 911s.
The Cayman's remind me of the 993 which is my favorite 911 body style.