Drove a 2008 Cayman S Last Week!
 

Last Friday my car was at the dealership getting all new tires (PS2's) and an alignment. They gave me a new Cayman S (Tip and 19" wheels) as a loaner car.

I was very impressed with the car. Handles great. Maybe even better than the Boxster, dare I say. You can see how the coup really adds to the rigidityof the car (but I would greatly miss the convertible top) The car really-really instills a lot of confidence. Very well balanced and sure footed.

It was a very easy and immediate transition from the Boxster to the Cayman. I don't think I would be saying the same if it was a 997.

This is the first time I have ever driven Porsche's TipTronic. I liked it a lot from a convenience perspective and up shifting. Very responsive. But, I did not like it from a downshift perspective. I like to row gears on the downshift. Heel/toe, blip the throttle, and downshift. Much more fun. I would never buy a Tip but I can see why people would like it for traffic, convenience and spouses who share the car.

My wife drove it and loved it. She has NO interest in learning to drive stick, so this was a big plus for her benefit.

I don't think I felt the extra 15 HP (295 vs my 280) but the car was very fast and sounded great.

I still like my Boxster better....but the Cayman was very impressive.

The Cayman is a fine driving machine. I felt more hemmed in than I do in the Box and for me, it was an uneasy feeling.

Give me the ragtop anytime!

man, I always get the Honda Accord! although last time it was the V6...they told me it was the Japaneese Porsche....lol....

I need loaner negotiation classes!

B, was the dealer good for tire pricing? just curious.....

Bill,

That's awesome ! Just wondering, which dealer gave you a Cayman ?

( like Super, I always get stuck with an Accord :( )

Nick

I had the same experience as you; got to drive a Cayman when the Boxster was at the dealership. I liked it a LOT, but would also still buy the Boxster over it. I still prefer the overall roadster experience and what little performance benefit there may have been would probably only have been noticeable the 2% of the time that I toss the car around driving up to Big Bear. BTW, the one they gave me had a manual gearbox, and the powertrain felt really well balanced.

For those wondering, my dealer is Pacific Porsche in Torrance, CA - when my car is there I always get a Boxster to drive, except this one time all they had was the Cayman and another time they gave me a Cayenne. I would blow a gasket with them if they tried to put me in a Honda!

I remember when I took my car for full service @ the dealer, they were giving me a Boxster S (they have no choice coz they run out of loaner car and this is before they change their process of getting a rental car) and I declined it...I refused to drive any car that's newer and faster than my stock Boxster...hehehehehe :D

but they gave me an Audi A3 S-Line which didn't realy help coz' I end up getting rid of my Matrix a week after I return it and replace it it C230 K that was replaced by C320 that the guy who supposed to pick it up last weeken didn't show up :mad:

Nick and Super, I was at Motor Werks in Barrington. The key, I think, is to have an appointment well in advance, for several days (weeks even). They only have so many Porsche loaner cars. This is also true when my wife brings in her MB. If short notice, she does not have access to a Mercedes.

Super, as we all know, anything Porsche related co$ts a ton. And then compounded with the dealership, it can really get out of hand quickly. But, I am going to be pretty loyal with a dealership at least until the car is out of warranty. My tires are 19's so they were very expensive.

People may or may not know this, but Porsche's tire distributor for the USA is Tire Rack. For the most part, the dealership can (may or may not) offer the same pricing as TR. Given the convenience that the tires are at the dealership (I know TR can drop-ship) no shipping charges (but I do pay sales tax) it was about a wash.

The balancing and alignment are ROCK SOLID. I got 20,000 mies with my first set, so I expect this again. All told, the cost of ownership just for tires and alignment was 6 cents per mile.

As a side note, Porsche paid for the front 2 tires (tires only). This is due to Michelin discontinuing the Sport Pilots in 19". I complained to PCNA, and they agreed to pony up for the 2 fronts (if I agreed to switch all four tires to PS2's). I only really needed rear tires. But, since the rears were no longer available, and Porsche requires a "Porsche approved tire" I used that in my favor to negotiate a settlement.

I respect Porsche Atlanta a lot for this decision and proper Customer Service.

Every time I drive Mark's 07 BoxS, I whine all the way home in my car. So, I have put off driving a Cayman S because, well, I'll want one real bad and I can't have one.

I learned the same thing about topless bars 25 years ago. :D

Yes - they are really nice cars. I drove a Cayman S while I was having the dealership reprogram my key fob last summer (which has already stopped working again! LOL)

I really enjoyed it - the intake & exhaust have a really deep bellow. I couldn't even begin to test any limits, but I nailed it a few times & threw it into a few corners. It was impressive & clearly a desirable vehicle, but that sucker was $68K!!! I have always felt that as long as you're comparing same year & same options, that the Box is technically "more car" because you get the choice of roof up or roof down, and the stiffness, while significant can't possibly matter to most people that buy the car. You'd pretty much have to ONLY track it, and track it weekly to really get the value... IMO.

I would also add that the Cayman was fitted with 19" Bridgestone Potenza RE050A's. The tires were excellent. But, I don't know if I would purchase them over the PS2's.

The RE050A's are less expensive by about $80 per tire....but the treadwear rating is only 140.

The PS2's have a 220 rating for treadwear.

Just a consideration.

I don't know if they're available in 19", but the new Goodyear F1 Asymetrical is rated tops now (TR) and is also rated at 240 on wear, in 18" They're $240 per set less than the PS2s. ($1178 - $938 plus ship, respectively)
I wish I could drive on some F1s, somewhere, as I really like the PS2s.
I liked the F1 GS-D3 on my RX8, but I can't say more than I like the PS2s on my box...........I guess the $240 will mean I'll try them.

Quick, according to Tire Rack, there are NO Goodyears available in the proper size (265/35/19) for the rear tires in 19"s.:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?width=265%2F&ratio=35&diameter=19&ski pOver=true&y=6&ratio=35&skipOver=true&width=265%2F &diameter=19&x=15&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen =20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&RunFlat=All


Yes, the fronts (235/35/19) would be available.

Honda Accord v6 has more power than most Carreras ever produced.
Tells you something about our priorities. THere's no reason in the world that a commuter car needs that kind of power.

p.s.
CaymanS is by far the best handling sports car I've ever driven.
And I DON'T think it needs anymore power. This notion that a legit sports car needs 600 HP is dumb. That being said I wish they made the front end look less like something out of "Cars" the cartoon.

I was all about getting a Cayman S but wanted to be sure so I tested a new 997 and new Boxster S.

In the end, I didn't like the feel of the 997 as much as I thought I would. The front end felt squirrely in turns (not even high speed) like the tires were soft sidewalled. I love the look but in the end, I'm so used to the mid-engine feel I decided to stick with that platform.

Likewise, I've moved off the Cayman due to the hard top. It handles so well but I like the convertible option.

Now, I have to decide if an upgrade to a Box S is worth it since my 986 base is in excellent condition and paid for! Damn you Porsche.

That's cool because I'm sticking with 18s. I crap my undies now, when I hit a sharp bump. :eek:
I'd have heart failure on 19s. :D

You can buy a mint low mileage 2000 Boxster S for about 20 000$, and even cheaper if you pick one up in September when dealers are desperate.

I drove a 2008 Cayman S and while it is more responsive and powerful, the difference with my 2000 Boxster S is not THAT huge.

However, compared to a 997 base model, the Cayman S feels sooooo slow below 4000RPMs!!!