Do I want a Porsche?

*** To edit this, they sold both the Cayman and Boxster S last night, but the search for a Cayman S will begin.

Hello GRM Hive.

I am in need of your hallowed advice.

I have had Miatas since 1995 (currently have a 2016 Club) but have always wanted a Porsche.

My local Porsche dealer has a 2009 Cayman and a 2009 Boxster S for the same price (+/- $1000) and both of the cars have 47K miles (+/- 3K).  I plan on looking at/driving both on Friday and would be getting rid of the Miata.

What would the hive do?  I am leaning towards the Boxster S but the fact that it has a hardtop makes me question the condition of the soft top as I would like to go top down.

Also, am in correct in my understanding that the IMS issue does not affect these cars as I have read in several places that issue was corrected in 2009?

They also have a 2003 Carrera but the IMS issue does scare me on this one.

Thanks for your help and revered guidance.

With your years with great handling cars, you will answer your own question after trying both. I'm looking forward to your response.

I would buy the Cayman but that's because I think they're one of the most beautiful cars of the modern era and because the front end feel is like nothing else. Miatas are great and all, and there are perfectly good reasons to own them, but the Cayman is special. 

2009 is the first year that the IMS was not an issue. One of my cars came with a hardtop and had evidently had it installed most of the time; The soft top was like new on a 16 year old car. Like Hasbro said, try them both and you will know. It may not even be the difference in model, but the options and feel of the particular car.

What do you want it to do?  Commuter?  Canyon roadster?  Track toy?

On the street, either will do all the same things as your NC, just a little faster, and with higher operating costs.  And maybe a bit more panache.

On the track, a Cayman is a pretty effective tool, but so is an NC with good tires and a little suspension work.  Consumables will be more expensive on the P-car.

I don't know how stock your NC is, but other than horsepower, the P-cars aren't going to be that much better objectively.  Subjectively is a whole 'nuther question, and if owning a P-car is the only thing that will scratch that itch, go for it!

Rodan said:

What do you want it to do?  Commuter?  Canyon roadster?  Track toy?

On the street, either will do all the same things as your NC, just a little faster, and with higher operating costs.  And maybe a bit more panache.

On the track, a Cayman is a pretty effective tool, but so is an NC with good tires and a little suspension work.  Consumables will be more expensive on the P-car.

I don't know how stock your NC is, but other than horsepower, the P-cars aren't going to be that much better objectively.  Subjectively is a whole 'nuther question, and if owning a P-car is the only thing that will scratch that itch, go for it!

 

 

 

Thanks. Just to clarify, my Miata is an ND bit I have had an NC and two NAs.

The p-car would be my daily driver and weekend fun car. I don't foresee any track days but maybe some autocross. 

In reply to miatafan :

Get the Boxster. It's everything the Miata is but dialed up to 11 and with a Germanic precision. The noise right behind your head is great!

My bad... read '16 Club and thought NC.  We had a '13 Club for a few years.

For daily and weekend fun, go drive 'em all and choose the one you like best.

We drove an early Boxster a number of years back, and the ergos didn't really click for me.  Had a friend with a '15 Cayman GTS (PDK) and it was like a surgical instrument.

Javelin is right about the noises... 

Guys, just to note in case you missed it: The Boxster is an 'S' model (3.4L 310 hp/266 tq) and the Cayman is a Base (2.9L 265 hp/221 tq). Not that all we care about is HP. ...right?

In reply to AAZCD :

That is part of my dilemma.

Aren't those cars both built on the same basic chassis?  Assuming I haven't lost my mind there, wouldn't most performance differences be down to engine choice and suspension tuning rather than inherent to the car?

Yes, you do want a Porsche 911.  
 

Boxster S is the best deal.  Drive the 911 for comparison while you are there. Even if the IMS scares you, it’s a useful benchmark.

Just to stir the pot, why would you get rid of an ND for a Porsche that was seven years older if it's just a street car? The ND is going to be the exact same amount of fun on a public road, and is easier and cheaper to take care of.

For the track, get the 996!

Another thing about the p cars is the fact that you can join PCA which can be fun. Lots of tech, group drives, rallys, autox, and PDE. 

I've got an old 911 but I'm thinking about a boxster/ Cayman just because. 

If I wanted to do track days it would be a Cayman, for autox and all others a boxster. 

I'm in for your thoughts after the test drives. Caymans look much better, in my eyes, than the boxster. 

Had a 2009 Carrera S for a year.  In my test drives up to that decision I had driven a base Cayman and an early Cayman S.  The Cayman S felt just about perfect for the street.  The base was a little down on power.   When Porsche got rid of the IMS issues in 2009 they added direct injection to the motors.  My only issue with that is that it's tougher to make them sound good - at least in my opinion.  I spent a lot on my 911 to get it to sound how I wanted and it never worked out.  Drive both and let us know what you like, but if I had it to do again, a Boxster S would be the way to go! 

You'll never shake the idea of wanting a Porsche (my Matchbox and 1/24th scale collection is proof.) so just buy one.

The others above and presumably below will have better advice on which Porsche. 

After fighting Boxster power top mechanisms on multiple occasions, I'd go Cayman and never go back, unless they fixed something by '09.

There was one motor in the middle, that had what looked like a giant speedometer cable coming out of each end, one to each side of the top mechanism.  WHEN one of the cables broke, moving the top with only one cable would mangle the hell out of the top frame.  In one case it mangled the inner fender too.

Plus, speaking from something related to my by a happy Cayman owner, the lack of the top mechanism in the way will echo the engine sound up to you in ways that you don't get with a Boxster.  That made for a more grinful driving experience.

I'm partial to the Cayman myself.  

I think the Cayman is the better choice over a Boxster any day of the week, but most notably this is a Boxster S and a base Cayman.  In that situation I would probably go with the boxster, or else save a few extra bucks and wait for a Cayman S.  Of course the ultimate dream is a 911.

I like the looks of the Cayman over the Boxster.  However with the hardtop the Boxster then becomes a solid car with little if any flex.  Still not as nice design wise.  Of course the hardtop is removable, fairly easily as well.  I would ask to have the hardtop removed and test / check the softtop on the Boxster.  Essentially they are the same car aside from power that comes from being an "S".  

Can't wait to hear what your thoughts are.  

The answer to the question in the title is always "Yes".

I’ve had a bunch of Miatas and a pair of Caymans. My convertible days are behind me and I prefer coupes, but it’s worth noting that it’s pretty dark inside a Cayman and a sunroof is not an option. I don’t know if that is important to you or not, but it’s something to think about. 

I'll be the dissenting voice of reason. 

I would never consider trading a Japanese car for a German one. 

No way, no how. 

Edit to add: If you want a German car, lease it and when the warranty expires, give it back to them.