Cayman invite...
 

After returning from a drive in the Box yesterday, I went out to the mailbox to get my mail. There was a rather cool looking black envelope with my name handwritten in silver. I flip it over and it says PORSCHE in embossed lettering along with an embossed crest. Hmmm..I'm thinking, I wonder what this is?

It's an invite on January 27 to the local "VIP launch" of the Cayman S. I'm not a member of the Porsche club, and I didn't buy my Box at this dealer (Woodhouse, in Omaha), but I have had all my service work done there (and they do a really great job, at a very reasonable price, I must say), so I assume that's why I got it.

I'm thrilled. I'll never be able to afford a new Cayman, or any other new Porsche, for that matter, but I'm sure excited about getting to see one. Even my wife is excited about it.

I'll report back after I go.

Doug

Cayman test day
 

I also received an invitation in the mail. It was yesterday at Porsche of Oakland. They had two black/black Caymans available for test drives - with a salesperson, on a short loop through Oakland and on the freeway (highway 24). The Cayman promises to be one heck of a car - better than my 2001 Boxster and better than several 996s I've driven. Clutch engagement is very smooth and gradual, almost impossible to stall. Shifting is buttery smooth. Steering seems to be to be a little over boosted compared to my Boxster but is just as precise. Suspension seems to be the same as standard Boxster (on city streets) but more supple on small, sharp bumps. The view from the cockpit is about the same as the Boxster with the top up. Needless to say it is more rigid and quieter. Since the car had only 11 miles on it I didn't take the engine much over 3,500. However, while at 70 MPH a slight poke on the gas in 6th gear resulted in an immediate push from the seatback - good torque and throttle response. noise quality and level in the cockpit is about the same as the Boxster although the exhaust is somewhat louder, about like a 987.

Build quality looks good. The only downside I saw was the snap-up cover over the cup holders just above the glove box. It did not align with one side of the dash trim. This was one one Cayman. The piece on the other Cayman was OK.

I went to one of these a couple of weeks ago in Mclean , VA. Lots of wine drinking and or'devures were served and they were giving away free Boxster and Caymen posters. There were 2 Caymens in the show room. They were pretty nice! Though I felt like there is a very limited market for this kind of car. One of the reasons I bought a Boxster was the convertible aspect of it. The "front" interior was identicle to the boxster. The rear section has more room do to the hatchback configuration which is nice but......no sunroof.... which is a must for a hardtop. Definately go and check it out. Quite a fun and informative evening. And if they have one there, the salesmen will let you look at the Carerra GT but just look.

When I sat in the local Cayman S, it felt very very small to me. I didn't like the feel, preferred the feel of the Box or the 911 coupe, which has decent room inside.

That is just me. I didn't drive the car, which of course, could change everything.

:cheers:

Just zipped down to the dealership to pick up my updated windscreen clips (new design is supposed to be less flimsy). Saw my first Cayman, which was out on the lot locked up so I couldn't sit in it.

Very nice looking car inside and out. I think I'd buy a 987S though, just to have that top come down. I'm addicted to Porsche convertibles now.

Here are some Cayman S photos. They are starting to show up all over on Porsche dealer's sites:

a fellow PCA member who is one of the more knowledgeable Porsche people I know and spends vast sums on track days and Autox (has a GT3 and and S2000 just for fun!) had this to say. Interesting because his primary fun car was a BoxsterS.
__________________________________________________ _________
"Coming from a Boxster S to a GT3, I was expecting the Cayman to feel like another Boxster. I was wrong.

I drove the car for about 1 hour, then jumped back into my car, driving the same roads to get a feeling on the differences.

It's a totally different Porsche. The Cayman is fast, redline in 2nd at 76mph, with 3rd and 4th very close. The steering feel is really good, and better than my nimble S2000.

The car I drove had 19", steel brakes and regular suspension. Very neutral car, but not as boring as the Boxster S. The car has a bit of understeer on 25mph-40mph turns.

The car is really big inside. On my Boxster with the seats all the way back, I didn't feel comfortable. On the Cayman, there is plenty of legroom and headroom.

I'm so used to my thicker steering wheel, that the Cayman steering wheel felt skinny.

When I jumped into my car right after parking the Cayman, I noticed that my steering wheel requires longer inputs. The GT3 is a much more stiffer car (very tight), raw, louder, way more powerful and feels much lighter.

The Cayman steering is very precise, but the car feels a bit heavy. The good news is that it uses a 50# battery, a heavy exhaust, heavy wheels, heavy seats, a stupid catalyc converter next to the headers, so there are close to 200# to be taken out without much effort.

I'm seriously considering this car, but it can't substitute the dynamics and emotions on the 911. Definitely a good second Porsche to my GT3, as long as it's priced on the low 40s.

The 997S didn't click any special feelings. This car did."

Damn, I don't know how to feel about that review. He doesn't get any feelings from the Boxster S? :confused: Different strokes for different folks.

Jango, you must have gone to the HBL party! I wasn't able to make it, as I live 70 miles from there, and Tyson's is NOT FUN during rush hour.

I got an invite since I bought my Boxster from them.

"...but not as boring as the Boxster S"

I hope to one day achieve this state of mind!

Yep, that was from HBL. I bought mine from them as well.

He has nothing but good things to say about the BoxsterS but this was a guy who really pushed the BoxsterS hard and having seen the GT3 up close at our PCA Autocross events is it easy to see how any car would be boring to drive next to the 996 GT3 MKII. The car is a beast! and completely impossible for frequent use on public roads. Even at a bumpy Autocross course with a steep grade on the back half, the GT3 undercarriage takes a beating (and the passengers!).

The BoxsterS over a lap is boring in the sense that it is soooo predictable, precise and forgiving. Some purists think the 911 and Boxster are too heavy and over engineered. The GT3 is the anti-Porsche nowadays if you will.

I guess the CaymanS is somewhere in between. Although I don't like the sounds of feeling like your in a big cabin when your working the wheel. I love coupe's that feel like cozy racing cars I mean when you REALLY drive it.
Can't wait to hear it in 2nd gear at 7K RPM's. My old friend is trading in a 645 for it. :D