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      01-23-2012, 04:00 AM   #1
KKM3
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About to pull the trigger on a Cayman R

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to drive both a 2011 Cayman R and a 2010 gt3 back to back. The drives consisted of 30 minute run in both cars up mullholand canyon in souther Cali. First off, I would highly recommend auto gallery in woodland hills for anyone looking to get into a Porsche. These guys are amazing and go the extra mile to help you with the entire buying process. I bought my 911 from them and my next car will be purchased through them as well. Ok, now on to the good stuff. The first drive started around 2pm, and the cayman r equipped with a manual transmission was first up. We took topanga canyon up to mullholand and thats where all the fun began. Before I start getting into the mind blowing handling, let it be known that the cayman has 1 of the best, if not the best manual transmission out there. Who the hell needs a dual clutch when the manual in this car is this good. Secondly, the 3.4 liter flat six is as responsive as the engine in the m3 and a lot more response than the bigger 3.8 liter dfi engine in my 911 and with 330 hp and weighing in at only 3000 pounds, the power to weight ratio is not that far off a carrera s. it's fast, much faster than what I was expecting. Felt just as fast as my e92 m3. The steering feel was very very good although IMO my 911 has a heftier meatier feel which I prefer a bit more. When it comes to pin point precision nothing is better not even the almighty gt3, more on that later. For those of you who have had the pleasure of driving the mullholand canyon know what a great twisty road it is, especially when there are no cars in front of you cock blocking. We got lucky on both drives. There were a couple idiots who were driving 25mph but luckily got out of our way. You will never know driving bliss until you drive either of these cars. I was blown away with the cayman r and was sold after the first couple of long sweepers. Fellas, the cayman r is arguably the best handling car in the world. This cars stays so flat through the curves it's utterly amazing. The pin point laser precise steering and perfectly balanced mid engined layout will get you through a turn at mind blowing speeds. Talk about confidence inspiring, wow, WHAT A MACHINE! And at a reasonably priced 70k. Having possibly the best handling and most driver focused car in the world for that price is a steal IMO.

Next up was the gt3 which I've driven a couple times before. We took pretty much the same exact route. With 435 hp the gt3 felt Much faster than the cayman, and was one of the nicest sounding motor exhaust noises I have ever heard. The steering had plenty of feel and very precise as well. The difference is that when driving the gt3 through some corners, it can get a little scary,The gt3 is a very thrilling ride but no where near as confidence inspiring as the cayman. I enjoyed the nervous feeling it was very exciting. The 2 cars are an absolute joy to drive, just in very different ways. I will not soon forget the amazing time I had in the gt3 and the amazing sound tht care makes. However I will not miss the brutally hard clutch and shifter. The clutch is soooooo hard and cant imagine using it on a regular basis. Some people like it a lot but for me, I'll take the 6spd in the cayman.

The nice thing about the gt3 is that the seats were pretty comfy and offered many levels of adjustability. The buckets in the cayman make it extremely hard to get in and out of and offers no adjustability except for moving forward and back. IMO its a small price to pay for such an amazing driving experience. I'm sold on the cayman. At 70k, I'm saving nearly 45k over the gt3 for a car that is arguably the best drivers car in the world. I have such a new found level of respect for Porsche. Not since my e36 m3 have I felt this way about a car. I urge all car enthusiast, everyone that enjoys an amazing handling car to go and drive a cayman r. I will wager that most will come away with a new level of respect for Porsche and their dedication to making cars for people who love to drive.

Hopefully in the next few weeks, I'll have the exact one I want in my drive way.

Last edited by KKM3; 01-23-2012 at 04:09 AM..
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      01-23-2012, 08:10 AM   #2
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Good read, and awesome that your gonna pull the trigger. As awesome as the cayman seems to be from everyone i have heard from that has driven one, i would never be able to chose a cayman over a GT3. No way no how lol. The gt3 is a legend.
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      01-23-2012, 08:34 AM   #3
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God, I wish I could have one of those next to my M3!!!

GT3, always my favorite car. But that cayman is a real scalpel.

Good luck with your choice, I know I would have to flip a coin!!!
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      01-23-2012, 11:06 AM   #4
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The way BMW is going, especially with M cars , I will seriously consider a Cayman S or R for my next car.
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      01-23-2012, 11:23 AM   #5
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What color?
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      01-23-2012, 11:33 AM   #6
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Good read!
For the GT3 heavy clutch part, I wanna add something to it. There's one day, when I drove my 997.1 GT3 RS back from tracking at Buttonwillow on Friday. I sat in traffic on 405 for 6 hours. My left foot couldn't move for the next few days. Then I sold my GT3, AND that's also why I have an M3 with DCT now. LOL
I also had a modded Cayman, the best handling car for streets. You will be happy with whatever you go with, either Cayman or GT3.
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      01-23-2012, 11:43 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nine View Post
What color?
Black. I'll post pics of both cars when I get around a computer.
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      01-23-2012, 11:44 AM   #8
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Congrats on the purchase. I'd do the same (get a Cayman R).

Seems like most people and magazines compare the Cayman S/R to 1M. Did you consider 1M?
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      01-23-2012, 12:12 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erhanh View Post
Congrats on the purchase. I'd do the same (get a Cayman R).

Seems like most people and magazines compare the Cayman S/R to 1M. Did you consider 1M?
I'm more into Na cars. I'm sure the 1m is a great car but without a true M engine I wouldn't consider it.
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      01-23-2012, 03:40 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KKM3 View Post
I'm more into Na cars. I'm sure the 1m is a great car but without a true M engine I wouldn't consider it.
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      01-23-2012, 04:33 PM   #11
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It's hard to beat the rear mid-engine layout. Congrats! I know that car is fun to drive.

Last edited by erio; 01-23-2012 at 04:38 PM..
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      01-23-2012, 05:09 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wwjd15 View Post
Good read!
For the GT3 heavy clutch part, I wanna add something to it. There's one day, when I drove my 997.1 GT3 RS back from tracking at Buttonwillow on Friday. I sat in traffic on 405 for 6 hours. My left foot couldn't move for the next few days. Then I sold my GT3, AND that's also why I have an M3 with DCT now. LOL
I also had a modded Cayman, the best handling car for streets. You will be happy with whatever you go with, either Cayman or GT3.
Not to threadjack, but help me understand - you have Cayman S as a street car and M3 as track car. I am contemplating to sell M3 and replace it with Cayman R mostly because of tracking, so I'm wondering why you went in the opposite direction
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      01-23-2012, 05:31 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxL View Post
Not to threadjack, but help me understand - you have Cayman S as a street car and M3 as track car. I am contemplating to sell M3 and replace it with Cayman R mostly because of tracking, so I'm wondering why you went in the opposite direction
I had the 987.1 version which has a weak engine for track. My car blew engine oil all the time even the car had secondary oil pump and deeper oil pan. I had to refill about 3 litter of engine oil after a track day, and of course, the car blowing out smok all the time during high G turns.
Also, I had the famous powersteering pump problem. Everytime I went to SOW or Button I killed my P/S pump. Porsche didn't want to warranty it due to track driving.
I loved my cayman but again I couldn't stand tracking my car with worries. So I ended up parting out the car and sold it last summer. I miss my cayman all the time, I'm kind of regret that I sold it. I should have kept it as my DD. Sadly, later on I found out that lots of problem was due to the shop that worked on my Cayman had no knowledge about cars. That's why my cayman always got into troubles. Anyways.
Here's some pics of my old toy.
Don't mean to threadjack too! Sorry OP
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      01-23-2012, 07:17 PM   #14
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Wow that cayman r looks awesome.
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      01-23-2012, 07:20 PM   #15
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Congrats on either purchase as I'm sure they are both exciting to drive. What color have you decided? PTS? I had a 997.1 GT3 prior to my M and yes the clutch was way too stiff for dd but you get used to it. I'm hoping one day to jump back in to Pcar in the near future. My previous gt3
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      01-23-2012, 08:41 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoLo View Post
Good read, and awesome that your gonna pull the trigger. As awesome as the cayman seems to be from everyone i have heard from that has driven one, i would never be able to chose a cayman over a GT3. No way no how lol. The gt3 is a legend.
I'm partial of course, but have to agree.

The OPs post was a good read, but have to say that a broken in GT3's shifter is absolute bliss, with precision rifle bolt action. I've owned four 911s, two of which were AWD (997 turbo was one) and have to say that the gt3 NEVER feels scary or exhibits any of the classic front end lightness similar to other RWD 911s. The gt3 feels as confidence inspiring as either of the AWD 911s I have owned and I have driven mine at some extreme cornering speeds. Even passengers, have said how the car seems to bely logic when cornering; after they have exited the car having to throw up.

The Cayman has excellent genetics, no doubt, but Porsche would need to really unleash its potential before I would ever consider one for a nano second over a gt3.
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      01-23-2012, 08:58 PM   #17
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wow that R looks badass..
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      01-23-2012, 09:07 PM   #18
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My E90 M3 lease was up one week ago, and I was thinking of pulling the trigger on a Boxster Spyder to replace it. But I ultimately decided to stick with the M3. My thinking was that the M3 provided maybe 85-90% of the handling of the Boxster Spyder but a little more power, and far more practicality (four doors, fully functional rear seat). Plus, with the new Boxster/Cayman about to launch, I figured I would hold off on the Porsche and see what the new model looks like.

But there is no question that the Boxster Spyder (and Cayman R) provide an incredible, viscersal sports car experience that is hard to beat for the money.
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      01-24-2012, 02:54 AM   #19
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Great write-up! While I am also currently in the market for a car in the Cayman R price range, I couldn't bring myself to go that direction when the upgrades for the next gen platform are already well known: including lower weight and wider track as evidenced in the Boxster specs already unveiled.

Maybe its a personal problem, but I have a hard time considering a car that I know will be improved upon in the near future... even tho its probably the best pure sports car currently on the road. The next gen Cayman S is probably a year or so away, and will likely have a slight bump in power and maybe even a slightly lower weight than the current Cayman R. Plus it is guaranteed to be a looker based on what I've seen from the much improved looking new Boxster. Then that will come out and a Cayman R will be in the pipeline... etc...

That's why despite its heft and less sporty qualities, the E92 M3 (in some fun individual color) is still a more desirable option for me... knowing the next M3 will never recapture certain qualities. For me I'm down to an M3 or a TT-RS... and I think the TT-RS is winning! Rarity and uniqueness compels me!!

I'm jealous of you, enjoy the Cayman R for what it is today!
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      01-24-2012, 06:12 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JusCruzin View Post
My E90 M3 lease was up one week ago, and I was thinking of pulling the trigger on a Boxster Spyder to replace it. But I ultimately decided to stick with the M3. My thinking was that the M3 provided maybe 85-90% of the handling of the Boxster Spyder but a little more power, and far more practicality (four doors, fully functional rear seat). Plus, with the new Boxster/Cayman about to launch, I figured I would hold off on the Porsche and see what the new model looks like.

But there is no question that the Boxster Spyder (and Cayman R) provide an incredible, viscersal sports car experience that is hard to beat for the money.
I agree.

I think the new Spyder is absolutely beautiful
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      01-24-2012, 08:34 AM   #21
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epic, love both cars. Post pics of the Cayman R when you can.
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      01-24-2012, 01:39 PM   #22
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I was with you until the part about it being affordable at $70k... lol
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