Hello, I'm new to the forums but have been a "lurker" for quite sometime. I am finally at a point where I'm in the position to purchase a Porsche and I have a dilemma. I originally was dead set on buying a Cayman S 987.2 but after a recent test drive of an '08 C2S I have really had a hard time deciding. Aside the obvious different driving dynamics of the two cars I wanted to know which one would be more track ready for someone who is essentially a novice when it comes to HPDE? My gut instinct was to go with the less powerful mid-engined vehicle to better learn car control and also be able to drive it harder in the real world. However, while the C2S is more powerful it's not Turbo S fast where 80% of the power is just unusable on public roads. I did enjoy the "Porsche traction" when driving the 911.

I currently daily an '03 E39 M5 which I love dearly and will never part with, but I fear with the Cayman I would sorely miss the torque from the V8 in the Bimmer. Also, I just recently moved down to FL from SC and I certainly miss the twisty mountain roads back home but I currently live less than 90 minutes from Sebring . Whichever car I purchase wouldn't be my daily but would see several track days a year and weekend excursions mostly. I don't plan on making a complete track rat, so the interior of the 911 is a little more appealing to me. If money was no object I'd go 997 GT3 no question, but baby steps... Any insight is greatly appreciated!

 

Worst car mistake of my life letting go of my e39 M5 - glad you know better!

Good luck with Porsche purchase. Either car will be rewarding in it's own way.

 

I think either of them would be good track cars. The Cayman would be interesting because of the mid-engine configuration and the balance compared to a 911. That being said, modern 911s don't really suffer from trailing throttle oversteer like the old air-cooled cars. Don't get me wrong; you can still spin a modern 911 with PSM disabled. It happens regularly on race tracks. The additional power that the 911 offers is certainly appealing compared to the Cayman. I think you should try to drive one of each and then decide. You might consider paying for an exotic car driving experience and driving both cars on the race track. I've done the one in Las Vegas and the one in Orlando, although I believe the Orlando operation isn't in business any longer.

You're on a 911 board, so most people here will probably recommend the 911. I'm included in that group.

One more thing: you can use more than 20% of a turbo's power on public roads. Trust me.

 

for whatever it's worth, I was once questioning the local porsche dealer about the abilities of my carrera 4S. He kind of scoffed at me and said, 'you can and should track these right off the showroom floor'. He was confident about the build quality.

 

both are 'track' ready... and will do about similar lap time on the track.


by 'track' ready, I mean driving events, etc.... so u should be fine with either.


(if u r planning a season of race, I would recommend the gt3 cup car. hahaha)


if u want more torque, go with 997.. since u like the interior better anyways

 

You know it is really dependent on your skill as you enter the autocross or HPDE realm. Both pcars are more than track capable after a good alignment and tech inspection. I'm fairly new to HPDE, but have decent karting experience in the past, and in my 997.1S there is way more car than I can drive controlled still after a few sessions.

As a side note, Sebring might not be the best HPDE beginning unless you are an avid video gamer that can have previous knowledge of the complex 17 turn track before you get there. You can definitely go and have fun but it is hard to string it all together.

 

e39 m5 is a terrible car.

both cars need work to be really effective on the track, but I'd still go with the 911.

 

Just a note of HDPE events and being track-ready: Most HDPE events, at least ones that include time trials, require a hard-mounted fire extinguisher within reach of the driver. You'll need to check the rules of your local events, some require one all of the time.

it isn't too big a deal to add one though (and it can be an interesting conversation piece with passengers new to the car).

 

For novice level, either is great from the get go. As far as power difference. It's not a huge difference and the newer DFI has proven to be more reliable and has a better sump design. The 997.1 will have more torque than the 987.2 but the Cayman is a tad more svelt and nimble.
You'll be happy either way. I would advise just getting the car, which ever you settle on, out there as is and make incremental mods once you've got a good feel for it. Go to a good shop and get a more aggressive track alignment and Ho have fun.

 

I have done a few HPDE's and a handful of Autocross events over the years (mostly in BMW's I also had an E36 M3 in Dakar Yellow that I miss dearly ) but I really want to start developing more skills on the track. As for familiarity with Sebring, I have lapped it thousands of times virtually! I have every Forza Motorsport game for X360 and XB1 I also have a racing sim setup (iRacing) that I play pretty frequently. However it is still no replacement for the real thing!

I really did enjoy the 997.1 that I drove and it has made this decision harder than I anticipated. I have been compiling a "short" list of mods I want to do upon purchase and it seems the prices for parts on the 911 and the Cayman don't differ too much; which was a nice surprise. I still think i'm leaning towards the newer Cayman but every time I see a 911 on the road I start having second thoughts! I hope to have one of the two in my garage in the next few weeks. I'm going to look at a 2010 Cayman S this weekend. Thanks for everyone's input!!

 

I own both and race both. 2 very different animals, but both are amazing and track ready out of the box. The only thing I would recommend is swapping out your brake fluid with a high temperature resistant Motul 600 Brake Fluid. The brakes/rotors on the Cayman S (similar to base 911 setup) are a bit smaller than the 911 S brakes/rotors and I boiled the brake fluid in my Cayman S by the 3rd session out on a high speed cirtcuit. Did not have this boiling brake fluid problem with my C4S, but I still swapped the fluid out in that one too just in case.

Driving characteristics are quite different in the way you approach braking zones/apex/power on exit. The mid engine Porsches have great turn in response and understeer much less than the 911. That is the caymans strength, but they also oversteer more or spin the inner tire more on corner exit. Corner exit is the 911's strength. It's just a matter of seat time and good instruction to get the most out of each car. You attack corners differently in each car, but once you figure it out you can be very fast in both.

If you are aspiring to own a 911 some day... then go for the 911. You can spend all your track time learning how to drive the 911 wild stallion. If you learn in the Cayman S first and eventually purchase a 911 you will have to go through another learning curve.. it's a lot of fun, but you will take a step back for a few sessions while learning the characterisitics of the 911.

I love both cars, that is why I own both. Either one will bring you lots of excitement and joy. Its too bad you do not have a lot of curvy canyons in florida so you can really enjoy the cars more often than just at the track. I wrote a lot about thoughts on both cars on my website. see my link in my signature below and click on my "which Is your favorite", "997 racing" "987racing" pages too for more insight.

Best of Luck on your decision!!