Have an E-46 330, and had been following the Elise since it was introduced in the US. When a dealer opened up in town I drove one and it fit. For various reasons I needed to wait about 6 months to actually do it, but when I contacted the Lotus dealer they (inexplicably) didn't appear to be too eager to sell one. I was working an out of state deal and it was getting way too complicated with taxes and shipping etc. When my wife asked me what I might look at if Elise wasn't plausible - being a life-long 911 fan, I said possibly the new Cayman. She said just drive one -- that's all it took. In retroscect I think I would have been less happy with the Elise for all the reasons already mentioned ... FWIW, get the Cayman (no bias here, ha).

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DANIEL

Had my heart set on an NSX. Once I heard of the Cayman project, I put everything on hold. No regrets...

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2006 Cayman S
Basalt Black - Launch edition

Hmmm. Common theme here...

I was looking at A5s, with a particular interest in the S5. I also considered the G37...momentarily. Visited the Porsche/Mercedes/Audi dealership and saw/drove the Cayman. It was love at first sight.

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Rides & Drives: '07 BMW F800ST, '07 Artic Silver Porsche Cayman, '06 VW Jetta TDI 5M PKG2, and '05 BMW R1200ST

Corvette Z06
Porsche 911
BMW M3 Coupe
BMW M Coupe

The Z06 was awfully tempting, but in the end I wanted fun and refinement, not simply raw power and grip. If I lived in a place with long, straight, smooth, wide, fast roads (like Texas or Arizona) I might have succumbed. Jet Stream Blue with Linen leather was my favorite. I've been a C4, C5, and C6 owner, so this was the choice that had to lose. It did.

The 911 was interesting, partially because I found a leftover '07 at 15% off MSRP in colors I liked with full leather (white with black sport seats). I actually put a deposit on it. The problem - the 911's extra-long snout wouldn't clear my driveway without scraping, so I dropped the deal. Also, I liked the CS looks, handling, and ride better.

The M3 turned out to be too heavy for me to consider it as sports car replacement. I'm also not sold on the E90 looks. (I loved the E46 version, on the other hand. That's a pretty car.) Great engine, great seats, nice transmission, good build quality, cheaper than the CS, but too big and fat. White with a red extended leather interior was my choice. Perhaps when my wife finally takes over my Benz (she covets it) I'll buy one as a DD.

The M Coupe. This was a tough one. I like the looks. Blue with black interior had me smitten. I like the size. Fun to drive. The BMW engine is way cool. Unfortunately, the transmissions have synchronizer problems, and BMW ain't fixing the root cause. The seats are uncomfortable for my butt and back. The dash cover materials wouldn't be acceptable in a Kia. I don't like the "back seat" seating position, with a mile of hood in front of you. (I disliked that in my old C4 Vette too.) My wife thought the Bimmer was too ugly for words. (At least words suitable for this forum.) I could have had one for $12K less than I'm actually paying for CS. I wanted to like this car more than I did. I was a 5-year Z3M Coupe owner.

I was looking at the Bugatti Veyron, but I couldn't afford the insurance.

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Yours trully...The Caymanista

Aston Martin V8 Vantage, 6 speed 2007. Very sweet, yet I would not use as a daily driver. So, I decided to go with the CS. That way I'd enjoy it every day.
Looked at a Ferrari 355F too... triple black, drove very well. Never been a fan of metal gated shift setups. Interior was a miss-mash of ill fitting parts.
Tried the Jag JK-R - very large car with great power, yet no manual shift.
Then there was the Lotus Elise - too tall to navigate entry/exit. Very fun to drive... for a while. Had an NSX for 6 years and I wanted another mid-engine configuration.

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**** H.

Audi S5, BMW 335i coupe, Infiniti G37 S

Audi wasn't going to be available until April and I was shopping in November. BMW was sweet. Great interior, fast but the handling felt a little sterile to me (isolated from the road surface?). I love the look of the Infiniti and the exhaust note is just terrifc. But I didn't enjoy driving it nearly enough. Took it out for at least an hour and never did get it to shift smoothly. Great seats.

Any of those three would have been nice cars and more practical for a Father of 3. But I could not resist the life long dream of owning a Porsche when I found what I thought was a good deal. I also kept my old (as in paid for) Mercury Mountaineer as a daily driver.

Since then I'm in the process of getting a divorce, my 16 year old daughter confiscated my Mountaineer and the CS has become a daily driver. Not what I had planned but there are worse cars for a single guy if you know what I mean!

Nissan 350z
BMW Z4 coupe
Audi TT 2.0T
996 used
993 used
Have always been a Porsche guy. Wanted something track worthy that could carry my wife and I on a week long road trip, and carry bikes on the top.
When I drove the Cayman (2.7) it exceeded all expectations. Got back in my 1990 944 and said, wow, even compared to the brand new one, this is still a really nice car. It renewed my faith in the Porsche brand, and that was it. I hope when I go to replace the Cayman in 20 years it's just as hard to let go as the 944 was.

2008 BMW 335i sedan, 335xi sedan
2008 BMW M3 Sedan

(Sedans because I don't fit headroom-wise in the coupe)

2008 Audi TT
2008 Audi S5
2005 996 Carrera S

Really, once you take that first corner in the Cayman S, even coming from a Boxster S, it's all over, there's really no other choice.

bought cs in 07--bmw 335 coupe loved it--lexus is 350 loved it--mercedes c hated it--chevrolet c6 hated it--infiniti g35 coupe ok--everything started with my thought of buying a subaru wrx sti loved it but thought the new front end was UGLY--nissan 350 z liked it but the cargo area was TOO small for any cross country trips---also drove the camery hybrid but only out of curiosity--was impressed though--i said to myself i now know why they sell so many