Faboo

If u can really afford the CaymanS there is no point in buying the 370z unless u prefer the looks...people talking about maintenance and whatnot...shouldn't matter IF you really can afford the car...

I think the Cayman S is a great car and if i had the money would definitely buy it. The 370z shouldnt have anything to do with it

j.arnaldo

It takes a GT-R to beat a Cayman. Period.

Pushing_Tin

That's good because they are the same price. Me I'll pay half and get 95% of the performance and do without the brand snobbery.

2bits

Just because someone has enough money, doesn't mean they should spend it. Rich or well-to-do people don't get that way by spending money where possible, they spend it wisely.

I could buy a Cayman S, yet I'm looking very closely at the 370z. It's 95% of the car, half the cash, and virtually as fast.

If I had 10 million dollars, sure I'd buy a Ferrari without thinking. But most people shopping for low-end Porsche's (Cayman/Boxster) still value a buck and a good deal.

BonesZ33

iTrader: (2)

Nothing but a name badge


cayman interior is whorrible compared to the Z


for the minute difference in price.. you have to be a complete fool to buy a cayman.. ... cayman = i want a porsche but im to poor to get the 911

TreeFittyZee

the 370z is actually supposed to be in competition with the Porsche Boxster. The media puts the 370z against the Cayman because the 370z is just a better car than the boxster.

Both the 370z and Cayman are great cars but i like the 370z better than the Cayman for the fact that it really is just as fast without costing as much. You could get a FULLY loaded 370z for around $40k while the base price for a Cayman starts at $50k

Old Chuck

Many here have thoughts that the Cayman is much different and better then the Boxster but it is not true. Porsche found a way to sell a hardtop for five grand more the the convertible. The Boxster was built as a drop top so it is extremely stiff and the hard top adds little if any. Porsche has created "another model" in our minds and a step up toward the 911 with the Cayman. Great advertisment but those who know the car know it is a Boxster with a hard top. That is not bad and both are wonderful cars. The Boxster and the Vette are the only two cars I know of that are as stiff in drop top form as the hardtop. Both were designed as a drop top first then the hard top. Most figure out a way to do a drop top on a model that has been selling well and then they have to find a way to stiffen it but always fall short when on the track. The point here is to put the Cayman where it belongs. It is a great car but not a great step up against the Boxster. OK, to help the car move Porsche did give it 10 more hp this year but that is the first real difference since the Cayman came on the scene in '06. Is either worth the price? That is up to the buyer to decide but to pay five grand more for a hard top is great selling job.....

35oZephyR

iTrader: (4)

Good point!



Glad someone finally emphasized the boxster connection. I still see it as the same car but not too many people will distinguish that, or at least want to.

j.arnaldo

That IS, Pushing Tin!

TreeFittyZee

there is more to the cayman to seperate it from the boxster than just a "hard-top"

the cayman weighs 176lbs lighter than the boxster

The suspension design is fundamentally the same as that of the Boxster, but features revised settings appropriate to the increase in chassis stiffness resulting from the Cayman's fixed roof so the Cayman has slightly more aggresive spring rates than the boxster

Old Chuck

The weight for the Cayman is deceiving. Many tests have put it lighter and some have not. Many have questioned Porsche's claimed weight which is often over as is their horse power. The weight for the convertible top motor is the main difference for any weight however, some tests have them weighing the same or Boxster lighter. Some tests had the Boxster faster and turning as fast as track times. The spring weights are matched for vehicle weight for both. With a set of coil overs or aftermarket there is not much difference. For '97-2005 the Boxster was the only mid engine in that price range for Porsche. The Cayman came into being in '06 because a hard top was thought to sell more cars and it gave Porsche another model to push. Whichever you choose, they are great cars but not much different and it would take someone who is an excellent track driver to tell the difference between the two. Few could push the drop top Boxster past its limits...

Pushing_Tin

Huh? WTF does that mean?

mkaresh

Got to think about the magazine's best interests as well. As an advisor in grad school used to tell me, "Why publish once what you can publish twice?"

So an article when the Z is new, then another when the Cayman is revised...

mkaresh

For a long time I didn't post curb weights on my site because they're often obviously bogus. For example, a car will get a new engine, yet the published curb weight doesn't change. Does the new engine weigh exactly the same as the old one? Not likely.

I finally posted them because some info in this case is probably better than none at all.

I do think that giving the Boxster and Cayman two different names makes little sense. As if anyone then thinks they're two entirely different models. Should Nissan give the Z roadster its own name?

Interesting you should mention spring rates. One of the magazines this month notes that the new PDK Boxster gets stiffer rear springs and dampers, "because PDK owners will want sportier handling." My suspicion: they're stiffer simply becaue the PDK trans is heavier.

Old Chuck

I agree that spring rates are most likely tied to weight. Many folks will always drive a manual just because it seems to connect one with the road and they have driven manuals all their lives and to "add" something special to the PDK is not what P usually does unless they can get extra money for it. Which in this case is the case. However, I two, believe that in the 987 that weight is the factor. The "sell" to separate the Boxster and Cayman is beneficial to Porsche. Why else would someone pay five grand more for the hard top. Another way Porsche will separate the models in the minds of future customers is that Boxster production will be moved back(from Finland) to Germany and the Cayman will be moved from Finland to Austria in 2012. Now they just assemble the cars in these plants but to separate where the car was assembled(made) will be an attempt to further separate the almost identical brands in the minds of the public. There is a reason why Porsche makes more money on cars then anyone in the world and how else can a small family business become one of the worlds largest?

SnakeBitten

iTrader: (8)

As of now you are correct. Nismo 370z may possibly change this fact.

mkaresh

When the Cayman was first introduced, it had a more powerful engine and special suspension tuning. Since then, the hardware gap between the Boxster and Cayman has gotten narrower and narrower.

And so with the 2009 they only charge $3,500 more for a fixed metal roof

Could any other manufacturer pull this off? Probably not. Then again, how many Caymans do they sell?

Old Chuck

Mike,
When the Cayman was intoduced the hp was the same as the Boxster(295). It is only with Porsche trying to separate the models that the Cayman now has more HP with the intoduction of the DI engine without the maligned IMS. For the first year, the two models have different hp with the Cayman having I believe 10 more. This is done through the exhaust. All in all, a driver would not notice the difference between the two.
Have not checked the Porsche site but would be surprised if the base price were less then four grand difference but will defer to you as I would assume you checked.

mkaresh

My info suggests that, in the US at least, the Cayman launched in 2006 with only a 3.4, while the 2006 Boxster was only offered with a 2.7 and 3.2. The extra 0.2 liters was good for 15 hp and 15 lbs.-ft.

For 2007 the Boxster's 2.7 was offered in a new base Cayman, while the Cayman's 3.4 replaced the 3.2 in the Boxster S.

streetracer

iTrader: (1)

They will raise it when the time comes. For now, the 370z is on top. Why waste your bullets! A year or two from now they go ahead and direct inject the engine and bump up the compression ratio a little. That will sweet things up a bit, i think.