cayman to 997T

[djo69]

I have recently bought a Cayman. Though it is no dought a great car compared to most, I am bitterly disappointed with the power.

I am now seroiusly considering consenerating all my toys, including the Cayman, and int just one good toy (early 997 Turbo). A good one seems to be around £50K.

It would mean selling my Mint XJS Covertable, Mint Classic Mini and the Mint Cayman. Would I get a Mint low milage 997T 2006/2007 for that sort of money?

[V8KSN]

Did you not test drive the Cayman before buying it?

I think if you gave us a value of all your cars and a budget then it would be easier to answer your question.

[jimmy p]

I would buy one of the early turbos RSJ have in currently at £43k, look good value at that with their warranty.

[djo69]

V8KSN said:

Did you not test drive the Cayman before buying it?

I think if you gave us a value of all your cars and a budget then it would be easier to answer your question.

No I didnt test drive it. Got someone to do it for me. Had a Boxster S once and thought that was OK. I then had a CSR260 (Caterham 7) and got used to real power, but didnt consider the masssive drop when buying the Cayman (Too impulsive apparently, according to the wife)

Best Prices
XJS £18k
Mini £6k
Cayman £15k
Total £39k

£10 extra to play with gives me a total of £49k

Assuming I have to make a few deals to sell I am looking at £44k to £49k

[Carl_Docklands]

I don't see why not, there is a tidy looking Turbo up at JZM for less than that.

I personally would not swap a Cayman for a Gen 1 Turbo I would save your pennys to get into a Gen2 Turbo. I did not find the Gen 1 Turbo to be as exciting to drive, the Gen 2 Turbo is much more tail happy.

Cayman is one of the best driving experiences, just be careful you don't downgrade the type of driving characteristics you like just in the persuit of more power. You might get more power but there are other things to keep in mind about the Turbo. Significantly increased weight is one of them.

[V8KSN]

djo69 said:

V8KSN said:

Did you not test drive the Cayman before buying it?

I think if you gave us a value of all your cars and a budget then it would be easier to answer your question.

No I didnt test drive it. Got someone to do it for me. Had a Boxster S once and thought that was OK. I then had a CSR260 (Caterham 7) and got used to real power, but didnt consider the masssive drop when buying the Cayman (Too impulsive apparently, according to the wife)

Best Prices
XJS £18k
Mini £6k
Cayman £15k
Total £39k

£10 extra to play with gives me a total of £49k

Assuming I have to make a few deals to sell I am looking at £44k to £49k

In that case, I would go for this - http://www.rsjsportscars.co.uk/used-porsche/porsch...

I have nothing but good things to say about RSJ (I bought my 997S from them last year) and the prep that would have gone into this car means that you would be able to drive it trouble free straight off the showroom floor.

[Martian O]

Carl_Docklands said:

...You might get more power but there are other things to keep in mind about the Turbo. Significantly increased weight is one of them.

What, circa 50KG! The extra 200BHP will take care of that!

[Junior Bianno]

Got to say, I think a fair amount of BS is talked on forums about the driving enjoyment of the 997 Turbo. I think they are absolutely fantastic to drive. The power and grip are addictive, and it's a pleasure to hoon down country roads. I've got a well sorted 964 C2 coupe as well, and while it is definitely more "911ish" to drive, I wouldn't say it's better on twisty B roads etc - just different.

...and if you haven't driven a 997 Turbo yet, I don't think you'll have an issue with the power available. Especially if you get one with the mental button (Sport Chrono)

[SalesManager]

Junior Snap I have a 997T & 964 C2 also!

To the OP is your cayman a 3.4S?

[Carl_Docklands]

Martian O said:

Carl_Docklands said:

...You might get more power but there are other things to keep in mind about the Turbo. Significantly increased weight is one of them.

What, circa 50KG! The extra 200BHP will take care of that!

Difference is north of 100KG and you can feel it more because of the increased speed you carry.

The extra width of the car coupled with the weight are not always great companions for tight british country roads. For that type of driving the Turbo would not be my tool of choice. The compact dimensions of the Cayman with the lightness of foot and more supple suspension encourage confidence.

Just saying to the OP, don't automatically assume its a better steer just because of the BHP. The Turbo is more at home abroad or on British A-roads where it is awesome. M-way driving is great due to the overtaking but the licence losing capabilities of the turbo limit its effectiveness.

Edited by Carl_Docklands on Wednesday 3rd April 13:31

[AlexA911]

Get yourself a 996T and keep them all !!!!

500-550hp should be plenty for you and easily achievable.

Take you out in mine if you want.

[Paul O]

997 Turbo is fekking rapid.

Here's my view on my Cayman 2.7 against a 997 Turbo if you fancy a read...

http://motorcloud.net/porsche/911-turbo-vs-cayman/

[sticks090460]

I recently aquired a '57 plate 997T with 20k on the clock from an OPC at 48.5k including 2yr warrnaty. It is scarily fast, and I haven't even tried the Sport button yet. I would say it's more of a GT than a sports car; it does everything without any drama whatsover, so it feels less exciting than my previous 996C4S for instance (noise being particluary absent in comparison), but as a car to get from point a) to point b), I can't think of much that would be quicker in all weathers (GT-R possibly?). It is an awesome machine.

[mm450exc]

The turbo is a beast! 680NM (500lb ft)in Sport mode!

With a bit of a geo adjustment it makes for a nice track weapon. A lot of fun on fast tracks like SPA.

[996GT2]

Carl_Docklands said:

Cayman is one of the best driving experiences, just be careful you don't downgrade the type of driving characteristics you like just in the persuit of more power.

+1 to this


I went from Cayman S to 997 GT2. I don't regret the move as the GT2 is the perfect 911 IMO, but I really miss the way I could drive the Cayman quickly and feel like I was actually quite a good driver, the GT2 makes me feel almost as inadequate as my missus does.

[djo69]

Paul O said:

997 Turbo is fekking rapid.

Here's my view on my Cayman 2.7 against a 997 Turbo if you fancy a read...

http://motorcloud.net/porsche/911-turbo-vs-cayman/

Thank you for this. Excellent read and exactly what i needed

[PORTERR]

I have recently gone from a Cayman S to a 07 997 turbo from a OPC with 15,000 miles on the clock.

Absolutely love the Turbo and have not regretted it one bit.

The power is so addictive I never get bored of it. Especially in sport mode.

[IMI A]

Carl_Docklands said:

I don't see why not, there is a tidy looking Turbo up at JZM for less than that.

I personally would not swap a Cayman for a Gen 1 Turbo I would save your pennys to get into a Gen2 Turbo. I did not find the Gen 1 Turbo to be as exciting to drive, the Gen 2 Turbo is much more tail happy.

Cayman is one of the best driving experiences, just be careful you don't downgrade the type of driving characteristics you like just in the persuit of more power. You might get more power but there are other things to keep in mind about the Turbo. Significantly increased weight is one of them.

Gen 2 turbo worth the extra if money no object. At less than £50k for low mileage OPC example with 2 year warranty the gen 1 turbo is somewhat of a bargain. Agree with another post that the 996 turbo is absurdly cheap for such s good car. both earlier cars have Mezger based engine which can trace its engine block back to veritable 3.2 Carrera. GT1 Le Mans winning car also has modest similarities with 996/early 997 Turbo. Engines good for 630 BHP without any internal mods and a bit of tuning and upgraded turbos/exhaust.

To be fair thinking it through my money would be on a gen 1 if I was buying right now as the Gen 2 upgrades justa ren't wrth an extra £20k in my view. Williams Crawford have stunning looking example but you can not beat 2 year OPC warranty in my view when buying a turbo. I've easily had £10k of warranty work over six years of ownership but I do drive it daily.