Serious question??
Since the Cay R is slated for deliveries beginning Feb 2011 it's a good bet that no one has experience with both cars. The Gallardo is a magnificent supercar but almost useless for "mostly city driving". You will rarely have it out of 2nd gear. The Cay R is a great everyday sports car that can also get groceries, haul surfboards, or look sharp in the valet at your favorite restaurant. It is pretty stripped of creature comforts though as more of a motor sport variant. My choice for mostly city driving would be a Cay S PDK PASM.

 

A Gallardo as a DD sounds like a long stretch. A great weekend warrior but that is about it. Also if this is going to be your only car reliabilty could become an issue as well as maintaince costs. I drive a 2010 Cayman lowered on H&R springs and TPC stage 2 suspension as a DD with no problems. Did not notice where you live? If you live anywhere there is snow I would be weary.

dave-t

 

Doesn't TPC's stage 2 kit use eibach springs?? Isn't the addition of the eibach springs what differentiates it from their stage 1 kit?

 

I was just mentioning that one car may more suitable for daily activities.

I wasn't trying to start a debate about another off-topic issue. Any car can be modified to be made better. That wasn't my point. The GT-R is more suited for ME for the daily conveniences, and it is high enough that I can see clearly when navigating through traffic. That is all. I was trying to relate that to the Cayman (being my favorite Porsche) offers better storage, higher viewpoint, etc... (when I got into the Gallardo, I had a hard time looking through the window of the cars in front of me).

 

We'll just put $8k into a GT-R, total cost would be similar, ~700HP, AWD and DCT is tough to beat....

 

Get a Cayman since you are talking about city driving. Driving a Gallardo in traffic would really suck. All that jerking and you can't see **** with all the SUVs and buses around you, being 4 inches off the ground. Then there are those parking buildings that won't fit.

I'd spend it on a 911S. Cayman is great but I still like 911s more.

 

a cayman will never even come close to a gtr...and a turbo cayman? just get a 911 turbo. I would choose a Gtr or an AMG for daily. Just remember with the cayman, porsche being porsche will have another model of the cayman out in probably less than a year....

 

A turbo cayman is a completely different car from a "911 turbo" lol you obviously don't know much about P-cars. A turbo'd cayman will also outperform a gtr, for less money, and look 10x better doing it.

 

Thanks for you inputs.

I've a e46 M3 (silver grey + red interior + csl wheels) which I love and not thinking of selling yet - fast enough for city, lots of room, very nice SMG gearbox. I'm looking more of a 2 seater sports car that has better handling and especially better road/steering feel with similar of better performance.

I've always love the Gallardo (especially the early design). It is at a very attractive price point right now and that's one of the reason for considering. Yes, one of the key concern is the running cost. They have very low mileage cars over here so that is a bonus.

The Cayman R caught my attention because of its extra weight saving (even though they can properly do better if this is their only car on the catalog), mid engine layout and well know handling. One of the downside is you can't easily take a look at the engine.

Putting power aside, wondering if the driving feel/feedback around town and twisty mountain roads of the Cayman S/R be good enough that I won't miss the gallardo.

 

FWIW, Go out and drive a Gallardo and a Cayman-S to have an idea. Only you can determine what willl make you happy.

As others have mentioned they are very different cars, one is an exotic and the other one is one of the best handling sports cars around.

Given that you have a E46M3 currently, I can give you some feedback having owned 2 E46 M3's (6-speed and SMG) a while back and currently owning a 08 Cayman S and having a Cayman-R on order.

The Cayman's in stock form will handle better than your current car and will provide better road feel and feedback.

As far as power goes the S54 engine on the E46 M3 with the individual throttle bodies had much better throttle response as well as urgency compared to the M97 engine on the 987.1 Cayman S and the few DFI engined 987.2 Cayman S's that I have driven. (The GT1 derived block on the 996/997GT3's is similar in regards to throttle response to the S54 engine)

PDK on the Cayman is better than the crappy SMG on the BMW, the 6 speed on the Cayman has a much better feel than the 6-speed on the BMW (really awful).

The interior of the Cayman will feel very spartan compared to the BMW, engine noise will feel more prevalent because the engine is right behind the driver and there is no physical separation between the passenger cabin and the engine compartment (just the engine cover).

Brakes on the Cayman's are way better than any E46M3 with their floating calilpers.

Things that come standard on a BMW will be more than likely options or part of packages on the Cayman, so prices will creep up quickly before you know it.

IMHO the only reason to choose a Cayman-R over the regular Cayman-S will be if you plan to track your car frequently.

There are other cars out there besides the Cayman that might fit your tastes, so shop wisely and drive everything under the sun so that you won't have any regrets later on.

 

 

A Gallardo is a Gallardo ... so get a Porsche
You will probably still driving it 10 years from now, while if you try to do that with the gallardo, you will be broke, or the car will fall apart.
Gallardo is a great looking car, but def. not as reliable and not the same quality as a Porsche

 

Excuse me? OK....you can take your turbo cayman and blow a seal or two while I would take a stock gtr and use it everyday....please act your age, this is an opinionated statement. I have had 996 911's and multiple AMG's...please...I know what I'm talking about. This is a proper, classy forum. Let's keep it like that.

 

Bro. Numbers on the sheet don't equal to result. I own both, I can't tell you that you need a rocket for the cayman to outperforman the gt-r.
Plus, stock cayman is rather plain looking car IMO.

 

Easy now boys, let's not overstate our positions. The GT-R is an amazing car and in stock trim runs 1:31 at Willow Springs with a pro driver:
http://www.fastestlaps.com/tracks/willow_springs.html Duane S. has been turning 1:27 in a Cay S Spec. with suspension, tires and stock motor. Both cars can turn very fast laps.

The OP stated he is looking for a car to do "mostly city driving" not a track rat so probably best to take the pissing contest somewhere else.