omg i love the cayman, that thing is so nice.

 

i think the regular cayman may be able to take the Z. it only has 245hp, but is about 550lbs lighter.

 

in 4 months 07 will come out and id say it will best caymans times and still be much cheaper. id wait for 07 and go with that . whats 4 months youve had that car for 17 years

 

the cayman outhandles the Z33 by a pretty big margin.....slalom numbers and skidpad dont necessarily tell how well a car handles...they're just numbers for reference.

(for example, an s2k outhandles the Evo (look at stock SCCA class rankings), but the Evo has higher slalom speed and skidpad numbers on paper...)

cayman is faster too in the straightline. better interior, higher class....

but that's what u get for paying much more for the z33...

 

I have an 03, the trick for me was to put wider tires on with a lower aspect ratio. Running 255/35/18 f and 265/35/18 b. Difference is inmense. Even the understeer was almost gone completely.

 

True, but applicable to some Z models and with some minor stuff it can be reduced considerably. Please, allow me:

03 base has a 3188 lb curb weight - 123 weight reduction = 3065 lbs

The cayman weighs in 2866 lbs and has a drag coeff. of 0.29 also.

http://www.carfolio.com/specificatio...mobile-Porsche

 

Well, since the OP mentioned Consumer Reports......check out which car made the top 10 sports cars list, i'll give you a hint....its not the Cayman.

 

Then why are you considering a Porsche?

 

How about a 335 Ci ?

 

6 cylinder twin turbo, thats gonna be an insane machine. I can't imagine a modded one.

 

I have been told that Porsche is very reliable long term. This may not be true. But I would certainly choose one over a Chevy for reliability. The Interlagos Fire color of the Z is just SWEET! I will hopefully testdrive both this weekend side by side. If I choose the Z I will definitely wait for the 07.

 

Have you thought about the new BMW 335i coupe??
very sexy, 300 hp twin turbo 6, 0-60 under 5 sec.
smoother ride/ luxury, 155 top speed, 6M LESS $ than caymen S (about 42k)
only litttle more than loaded Z, maintenence included, runflats,
a zillion other options
Check it out, think its my NEXT car (if not, the skyline GTR)

 

Go on any car specific forum and you'll find out all the problems the vehicles have. The Z doesn't have anymore then any other sports car. I was humbled by reading articles in Evo with some of there long term tests to realize every car has its little things. For instance their 550 Marenello had the same front tire wear issue but 10 times worse then the Z.

I think Porsche make a great everyday sports car just know that the intial price is only half of the extra expense of owning the car. Services are expensive and kiss resale good buy if its not a Porsche dealer do it. If I was spending Cayman money I'd want it to be strictly a toy and get something like a 993 Turbo, used C2S or used GT3.

 

if money is no issue, you shouldnt even have to ask this question!

Handling would own the Z. RWD and mid engine...come on now. Like someone else mentioned the porsche is in a totally different league now. Former boxster might be a different story.

 

I Test drove the BMW 3 series sedan (the coupe was not out yet). I could not understand what all the fuss was about. Cheap looking fake wood, harsh, punishing ride, brakes that were so sensitive that you almost throw yourself through the windshield when you touch them. Am I missing something? Exactly what is so special about BMW? Not to mention horrible long term reliability and one of the worse initial quality ratings. Talk about paying for a name! The only other car that I have considered is the G35 coupe but I guess the new one isn't coming out till next fall.

 

your a grown man, the cayman is more professional, go for it

 

If you have the ability to get a Cayman S, it should be no contest. Yes, for the price, you could take the Z and beef it up so that it has way more power and nearly as good grip, but there are very few Cayman S on the road--the rarity factor is a big plus for the Cayman. I see 20-30 Zs every day on the road. The Z is turning into the Acura Integra, imo. That's great for Nissan, as they have a really successful car, but as an end user, I hate seeing everyone else with the same darned car. You won't have that with the Cayman, at least for the first 3-4 years.

 

You drove your Nissan for 16 years. You'll never be able to do that w/ the Porsche w/out major overhauls and mucho dinero in service fees. If I were you I'd go w/ the M3. It has performance, style, class and the name recognition for your clients. If not you could get the G35 coupe, but you'd lose on performance. It does have a nice luxurious-sporty feel though and more room than the Z or Cayman.

 

I have driven a 2001 330 and the steering was impecable. The precision and feel was incredible. Ten times better than my IS250. It was the right tightness, perfect steer ratio, chunky wheel, nice diameter. Just great. They have messed it up quite a bit with their active steering. You can check out a recently used M3 also.