Goodbye Cayman S & E90 M3... Hello BRZ! *Pics*

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

There are so many Porsche fans here because if Porsche decided to put out a ~$26k 2+2 coupe it would pretty much be an 86. And goddamn are their cars beautiful;

Originally Posted by chrisl

Well, the easiest way to figure that one out is simple: Go test drive one and see.

you should be sacred off,i would be too,because i know financially i got no business drivin' the german,i just simply can't afford their "alleged" superior
german engineering. i have zero desire to drive one based on that point alone.

[loam]

Originally Posted by orthojoe

+1

The answer would be a resounding yes if you do. Before I got my 987, I had intended to buy a 370Z roadster. Then I saw both cars and drove both. The spyder was definitely worth the extra money, so I sprung for it.

Not necessarily. I drove the cayman as well and was supremely unimpressed by the non s. The extra cost for the S along with what a pain in the butt it is to work on sank it for me. Plus the added downside of not having a back seat.

[jmaryt]

Originally Posted by Marrk

@strat61caster: I love you, strat. You know that. But this bullfrog-with-four-wheels ain't pretty. Also, you may have heard that placing the engine and tranny aft of the rear axle is . . . let me think, what's the word . . . insane. Yes, that's it. Insane. That's why Porsche has been trying to kill it off for the last 30 years. But technology, as usual, screwed everything up, and they found a way to compensate for all the the design flaws by using 400 on-board computers.

Last year, I was thinking of buying an '88-89 3.2, but the driving experience was disappointing, My 944S2 was a better car.




---->

this is "dead nuts" accurate! the original design was "f**ked from the beginning from a chassis handling perspective,and compensating for this over the years has been an engineering priority,along with systematically boosting
the (o.t.d.) price substantially to equal the (g.n.p.) of a third world country.
the germans get every last dime for their cars,because,after all,shouldn't you be expected to pay for "alleged" "superior german engineering?" (lol!)

[YW-Slayer]

OP, I was just thinking about the original comparison between the BRZ, Exige and Cayman the other night. I concluded - perhaps a bit too late - that you had missed the point by comparing a 4-up 86/BRZ with the other 2 cars. This was only because my wife was in the car, which I thought made it less fun to drive, and at <110lb she's not exactly heavy! Anyway, I'm glad to see that it eventually won you over (not that I dislike the Exige or Cayman).

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by YW-Slayer

my wife was in the car, which I thought made it less fun to drive, and at <110lb she's not exactly heavy

Sounds like a perfectly good excuse to pick up some light wheels and a crank pulley replacement kit to me :P

[Doug&Julie]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

...And goddamn are their cars beautiful;

Yup. Gorgous. Absolutely. Frikkin. Gorgeous.

And hey, if we're posting pics of our 911s...

[Ganthrithor]

Yay, proper headlights!

[Vladror]

i just did more than a 1000 miles in the past week in a 2004 Porsche boxster S and I have to say I was glad to get back into my toyota this morning. The porsche is very fast and incredibly stable but i just found it boring to drive after a while. It's almost like playing computer games in god mode. Fun initially but then you start wondering where the challenge is ...
Perhaps the later versions of the boxster bring the fun back and i'm still keen on trying a cayman but I was surprised to learn power doesn't equal fun.

[orthojoe]

Originally Posted by Vladror

i just did more than a 1000 miles in the past week in a 2004 Porsche boxster S and I have to say I was glad to get back into my toyota this morning. The porsche is very fast and incredibly stable but i just found it boring to drive after a while. It's almost like playing computer games in god mode. Fun initially but then you start wondering where the challenge is ...
Perhaps the later versions of the boxster bring the fun back and i'm still keen on trying a cayman but I was surprised to learn power doesn't equal fun.

I'd rather have a BRZ/FRS than a 986 boxster. The 986 is ok, but is really old at this point. You can get one for much less than a BRZ/FRS. That being said, I've never heard anyone say driving a Porsche was not fun/engaging and is video game like.... ever. GTR? yes. Evo? yes. Porsche? No.

[autobrz]

The limits of the cayman is so much higher than the brz, it should be less fun because you'd have to go much faster and do much more dangerous speeds before you can get the car to slide a little. besides mid-engined cars tend to have more serious driving dynamics that don't allow for too much hooliganism.

[Marrk]

Originally Posted by autobrz

The limits of the cayman is so much higher than the brz, it should be less fun because you'd have to go much faster and do much more dangerous speeds before you can get the car to slide a little. besides mid-engined cars tend to have more serious driving dynamics that don't allow for too much hooliganism.

What he said, kinda.

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by orthojoe

I'd rather have a BRZ/FRS than a 986 boxster. The 986 is ok, but is really old at this point. You can get one for much less than a BRZ/FRS. That being said, I've never heard anyone say driving a Porsche was not fun/engaging and is video game like.... ever. GTR? yes. Evo? yes. Porsche? No.

That looks like a 986 Boxster S with only 258 hp so it is far from fast. Maybe he was driving a tiptronic which would take just about all the fun out of a Boxster and make it seem like more of a video game.

[Onealpha]

You guys have said it all. I am a former Porsche Boxster S owner. I now drive a BRZ Limited. I am very happy with my choice.
As for buying a used Porsche, all I can say is, Make sure you have cash ready for parts. Porsche parts are very expensive. When you need a battery, or a set of tires, or anything for that matter, get ready to bust out the wallet. I didnt buy used, but I worked for a major Porsche dealer for a few years and was friends with the parts and service guys. I used to pay cost for parts like batteries and tires and that made me cringe a few times. I used to hear about customer bills and see what the cost was on these things. I would not own one used unless I could afford to pay the cost of maintenance. Just my 2cents. Anyhow, good luck to you.

[orthojoe]

Originally Posted by autobrz

The limits of the cayman is so much higher than the brz, it should be less fun because you'd have to go much faster and do much more dangerous speeds before you can get the car to slide a little. besides mid-engined cars tend to have more serious driving dynamics that don't allow for too much hooliganism.

I understand the concept of the BRZ/FRS in terms of handling/feel over power, but I think you may be drinking a bit too much of the kool-aide if you think that the capabilities of a 250-320hp car is too much to have fun in. A cayman should be less fun than a BRZ? For real? A mid-engined car is ideal in terms of balance, so I don't see how a mid-engine platform could be considered a negative.

They're both great cars at different price points with different pros/cons. To say that a cayman should be less fun makes.... no sense.