Looking at these to machines and wonder what the difference is, both in performance, real life power (not magazine comparisons) and feel on the road.

Is the Cayman the drivers car they say it is, or do they only praise the S version?

 

S model has 50 more HP as you stated plus
1.White Guages(you can change to Red ,Yellow or alum look) aftermarket
2.S model rear logo ( Most owners debadge anyway)
3. Red calipers and brakes are slightly bigger all around except 2009 and now they are the same but still black not red(You can paint them though)
IMO- It all depends on what your intentions are and what you are use to.
My advise is to go drive the 2 cars and look at your personal financial situation but buy the car that makes you happy .Both are a great enjoyment to own

 

Thanks... To me it stands between 2002 NSX, Cayman or brand new Z4... Weekend driver to be driven a lot...

It's just that I don't think I want to pay the extra $ on the S and I want to know if I'm missing out on something in terms of handling.

 

If an 02 nsx is an option than $ for an "s" should not really be an issue. I'm in the market for a 06-07 cayman s and find pleny for 40-42k which is less than your going to pay for an 02 nsx. My last toy was a 91 nsx which was a lot of fun but had some first year issues.

 

I'm not paying US prices, because I'm located in Scandinavia. The cars I mentioned are just around the same price level, more or less. The Cayman S in about 10k$ more than the NSX, and the Z4 is 10-15K$ is less than the NSX but has much less power. Power doesn't really matter that much though.

I was thinking of getting one low miles 91-92 NSX but I want to avoid the early cars problems as well (that window thingy that breaks, Bose-unit cutting out etc.). The 2002+ are more expensive but I'm sure that I'll get a superb car for years without any issues. The Targa roof on the later model is a big plus too. Somehow I love the facelift NSX with the Targa roof off, but I hate the look pre-facelift NSX Targa! Although I'm interested in hearing how your NSX was in terms of reliability, other that those small fixes it needed?

Any other cars I should consider? I don't want a 911 (although a 965 Turbo is on my to-own-someday list but that is another category than 997's).

 

On my 91 nsx the plastic clip on the scissor device for the drivers window broke. The air conditioning went and The traction control went. The car only had 30k miles on it. The other car that I'm considering is the 370z nismo. Not as much prestige, but also cheaper maintainance and repairs.

 

I have 39K on my 2007 2.7 Liter Cayman and Its NEVER had even 1 single service Issue I do my own maintenence and have the Durametric software to turn off the service lights . This car has cost me Very little to own for 3 years and its my daily driver . This is one ROCK solid car IMO .Very well made

 

Okey, thanks for the replies.

Jrod250: Thanks a lot, now I am NOT going to believe that a 1991 30k miles NSX is better than a 1991 90k miles NSX in the matter of parts breaking It's gonna have to be a 2002 for sure...


Can other Cayman owners chime in as well? I'm looking to having the car for two - three years minimum. I just want the best and most reliable drivers experience.

 

i bought an 09 cay /auto [my first po] ive got 3k on it so far [i bought it new] ive been driving corvettes for 30 years ,my last one was an 07 z06 that i put 50k on it.i would have got another z but GM was going under so i got the po. power wise compared to a vette the po is a slug but it is VERY WELL MADE. would i buy another....i doubt it

 

FWIW, as a previous owner of a 97 NSX (NA2 3.2 Liter) that I had for 6 years. The later model NSX's do not suffer from the snap ring issue, the only real wear item on my vehicle as a road car were the door Bose Amp failing after a couple of years and the Brake Master Cylinder leaking as well. Other than the car was very reliable.

In terms of handling, out of the box a Gen I Cayman S with PASM outhandles a stock NSX hands down, in terms of power the NSX engine feels stronger and seems to rev quicker than the Cayman. The brakes on the Cayman are lightyears ahead of the ones on the NSX if you plan to do any track events.

That being said the NSX does not suffer from some of the well known issues that the Cayman suffers, like Oil Ingestation/Oil Starvation problems with the Engine and the Power Steering system when using R-comps.

Overall for a street driven car you can't go wrong with either the Cayman or the NSX.

 

Allright. Thanks again. I tried the Cayman at the local dealer today. Although very nice quality feeling, excellent seats/interior, and just enough power and amazing drive feel - I'm sorry to say that the car didn't feel special to me. The confidence it give you that sais "you can push me even more" is very cool. To you Americans it would be like the Corvette C6/Z06; Great car but not special enough if you only can have one sportscar in your garage at a time!

They had a 993 Turbo there too that caught my attention but they wouldn't let me drive it, reserved for some customer apparently. I told them to give me a call if they got one that I could try. A notch over my current price range but I'll see what I can dig up before next summer season. They opened and closed the doors of that machine and it felt so mechanical and beasty that I need to try one. I always loved the solid feeling of old german cars and that's the string it played on me!

 

Good luck on your Quest for the Car of your Dreams
I got mine already hope you do to

 

The dream is Pagani Zonda F ClubSport but that's not gonna happen But I sure want to experience all the good stuff I actually am able to.

Thanks for the wishes, Porschepet, happy motoring

 

I'm warming up to the idea of trading my 335i for a 2009 Cayman S and may drive one this week. I had the same question in terms of equipment differences and quickly realized precious little comes standard on the Cayman S.

The major turnoff to this car is Porsche's flabbergasting a-la-carte pricing for options that either come standard or are bundled in option packages on almost every other $60K car. I priced a Cayman with options I consider essential and hit $70K without even breaking a sweat and that's with no PDK or NAV system

 

aftermarket folks aint cuttin ya a break......6000.00 for a complete exhaust system