Not really looking to trade in my ISF but wanted to get some opinions on the 2012 Porsche Cayman R. For those that may not know the R is a special edition Cayman that was only made for 2012. Basically it weighs about 120lb less than the Cayman S, has 10 or so more HP, bigger wheels (19"), fixed spoiler, racing bucket seats. I can also see it holding its value because it was a limited production car. It weighs about 2800lb and has 330HP. 0-60 is ~4.2 sec and it is mid-engined.

I toyed with the idea of selling the F only because of my desire to get into a decent powered light car with a manual trans (want to avoid the other German companies). Plus the Cayman R isn't priced as much as the 997 Turbo/GT3. I'm nowhere near selling my F but just wanted some opinions

 

love it (except for the spoiler); I've read tests that said Cayman S will outhandle a 911; don't know about that but I like the Cayman better anyway, midengine + more rare than any 911.

I'll take the white one

pic from this thread http://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-b...r-project.html

 

Looks slick in white

 

Any more opinions?

 

Simply buying a Porsche is one thing, but if you plan to keep it past the warranty (or any period of free service), keep in mind that Porsche repairs and service are some of the most expensive on the market.

 

why not a Cayman S, would be cheaper? I did drive one in Vegas though

 

^ agree. Love the Cayman R, but it's overpriced for an extra 10 hp. Cayman S is the better value.

 

Agreed guys, thanks for the insight. I didn't realize Porsche maintenance costs are probably insane compared to my ISF. Plus performance of the R and the S aren't that much better than the ISF if that. A 997 Turbo or GT3 would be a real upgrade but I'm not ready to shell out over $75K for a car just yet.

 

Car is gorgeous but will not retain value like the 911. I am thinking of getting a Porsche too.

 

thoughts on C7? low mx, fast, handles, etc

 

Porsche maintenance isn't particularly insane. Oil change intervals are broadly 10,000 miles or annually on a 911 (it was 20,000 miles per Porsche on my 2007, it reduced on my 2008) and it's easy to do it yourself if you prefer. Porsches are reasonably bulletproof and don't go wrong all that often. I actually spent more on MB factory maintenance for my E Class than think I've spent at the Porsche dealer. There are also a ton of excellent independents out there.

As for whether the 911 or Cayman is "better", I'd wager that most of the opinions on that (in general, not those posted here) come from those who never set foot in either car, much less driven either one reasonably hard. The actual answer is that they are different - whether one is "better" is subjective. Each offers an excellent but different drive, each is an excellent car and an excellent choice. The 911 handily outsells the Cayman and that, of course, gets dismissed by the poorly informed as it being bought by "posers". The reality is again different, you'd be amazed how many 911 owners track their car, drive it very hard and drive it daily.

Either way - if you are driving a Cayman, a 911 or a Boxster you're driving a very special car indeed. All just fabulous cars.

 

I owned an IS F and Cayman S at the same time for about 6 months and have driven both on the track. To get my opinion, please see my signature block below.

 

Sorry, I guess that sounds a little harsher than I intended.

The IS F is a great car and if I had more $ and garage space, I would have kept it. But when it came time to go canyon carving or to the track, the Porsche (once it arrived) was always chosen without much thought. This relegated the IS F to DD and long-distance duty. The rough ride, the too-small seat and the lack of back seat space make the IS F less than ideal for those chores - hence the GS 350 FS which is way more comfortable, but a little frustrating when you attempt performance driving. (The Porsche with PASM set to normal is a less rough ride than the F and needed for California's horrible roads.)

The IS F is a high performance sedan that delivers. The Cayman S (with MT) is a true, wind-it-through-the-gears sports car and much more fun to drive, although you have to actually drive it.

I would say if you just drive around town and on the freeways, just keep the IS F. Porsche is not too special in those circumstances although it works as well as the F. If you want to turn heads or if you want to do actual high-performance driving, get the Cayman R.

The reason I got a Cayman S and not R is because the way the R loses a good chuck of that weight is from a feature called Air Conditioning Delete and Radio Delete. I wanted both of those since the S is more than a track car for me. You can get AC and a radio with an R but you get some of the weight back as well so your back closer to the S.

Also, I found an S with the limited slip option (LSD is standard on the R), and MT and other features and colors I liked. If I had found a R with the same options I got with the S, I would have got that.

A slightly used Cayman R is really not that much more expensive than a well-optioned S and I looked at a couple of very low milage Rs that were less than what I paid for the S.

The Cayman S is a little slower in a straight line than the 2011 IS F, but much faster through the curves. I think a Cayman R with PDK would beat an IS F in any performance scenario.

So decide what you want and also go drive the R. YMMV.


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