Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquility
I wanted to become a member of the Pcar family but 'un/fortunately', I still place importance in *value*, and -for me- it didn't make sense when I was shopping new to get a Cayman w lower power but almost $20K(!) more vs my Z4 (and this was back in the day, I don't know the price craziness now).
Porsche is a funny brand because their icon will always be the 911, even though the Cayman is the better driver's car. For unfair reasons, some other ppl will look at those who bought the latter as supposedly not being able to afford the 'real' Porsche (which is nonsense) and the company itself will invariably make sure that it doesn't step on the 'hallowed' 911 by intentionally keeping it underpowered and not to its full potential, which is really, really aggravating. All this affects how some ppl want to be viewed by others, and they don't even really bother w what is actually the better driver's car but rather the image of a certain model and the sound...I had an old thread where a lot ppl would choose a wicked-sounding car that handled like crap instead of an awesome handling car that sounded bad, which is just totally missing the mark if one claims to be a true driving enthusiast.
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In late 2014 I was on the search to add a sports coupe to the fleet. The quest started with the then new C7 LT1, but I couldn't reach deep enough to consider driving a V8 occasionally on my 165-mile daily commute. So, I turned to the 1st gen Cayman as the next choice with the thought to try something different than a BMW. I found a CPO 2008 Base Cayman optioned with the S wheels. Test drove it the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2014. I wasn't all that impressed with it. I drove it on the best curvy roads you can find near Tysons Corner, Virginia (there are a few). The steering didn't give me hand orgasms and as I was expecting. Perhaps the mid-engine chassis, I guess, was just so completely neutral to the point it was boring(?). And WTF, you can't see the engine? In a Porsche? I found that really funny. The following week I planned to go back to buy it regardless, but after doing my homework and not being satisfied with the answers to the IMS bearing issue, I was getting cold feet. I drove it again and decided I didn't fit the interior very well. Being broad shouldered is not a design consideration Porsche gave the Cayman. And being CPO didn't mean much as far as purchase security went. The car I was considering turned out to be a service loaner from a dealership in Wilmington, South Carolina.
On the drive home from the dealership it dawned on me that BMW had dropped the E86 Z4 Coupe on the world (a year after I bought my E90). I recalled the Bimmer magazine review of it at the time. The E86 never sold well for some reason, but like your car and the 2nd gen Cayman, the E86 weighed a bit more but had about 20HP more power than the 1st gen Cayman. By mid-December 2014 I had bought my low mileage black 2008 E86 3.0si Coupe. They will have to bury me in it, as it will be my last possession when I leave this earth. A way better car than it's Cayman counterpart. IMO.