Planet 9

I test drove a 2008 Cayman S and enjoyed it, and price seems right, either buying or leasing. However, Corvette C6 Z06s are now available with only a few thousand miles on them in the mid-to-high 50s, they of the 505HP, etc. Also, new ones are heavily discounted, too. I am torn about which way to go. I do plan to track the car in the occasional DE event.

While this is admittedly a Cayman board, which way do you think I should go, and why?

Thanks for the insights.

Do you really expect an unbiased opinion on a Cayman board?

I cross-shopped the Z06 and the CS. There's no right answer. Get a test drive in a used example of both, so you can wind them out a bit, and see which one keeps you up at night. If you need horsepower the Z06 absolutely must be experienced. On the other hand, I thought the CS was more fun on a daily basis. Either is a great car.

Its personally preference man. To me the corvette will always be the "Redneck who won the lotto" car. The new Z06 still suffers from bad interior and its steering isnt quick enough imo.

The z06 would probably be more fun on long tracks with less turns, but I dont know what tracks you do DE's at. Any track without long straights the cayman would provide more smiles/mile by far.

Oh, and corvettes are a dime-a-dozen. You wont get the same looks in a Corvette that you will get in the P-car =p

No, and I have posted the same basic question on Z06 boards, too. Somewhere in the middle the truth likely lives, but I really want to hear a number of viewpoints.

Thanks for the input.

I recently traded an '08 ZO6 for a Cayman S, and also have owned a 997S and C5 ZO6, so I will offer some comments, although you might not find them too helpful. I made the change to the Cayman primarily because I am not doing much track stuff anymore, maybe 4 DE weekends a year. I find the Cayman a more enjoyable sports car for primarily street use. Its handling, steering, and braking feel are superior, and the mid-engine layout and short wheelbase make its responses very quick. Its handling characteristics and modest power combine to inspire a lot of confidence. It's a great car.

The C6 ZO6 is, in my opinion, probably the best pure stock track car one can buy new for under $100M. Since one can be bought for closer to $65K, it's no contest. It is incredibly neutral, and you always have the throttle as a tool for handling balance, almost regardless of speed. It demands a level of throttle management not required by the Cayman, and if you pay attention and learn from it, you will be a better driver. If you don't, you will be in very large trouble. The brakes are very good, the steering feedback is not great, but acceptable. The suspension has a bit more movement at turn-in than I like, but, you get used to it, and learn to trust it. The seat is lousy, but for 15-20 minute track sessions, liveable. It's a great car (see, I said I might not help you).

The Cayman S is extremely easy to drive, slow or at the limit; it's a fun car. The ZO6 is a very serious car; also fun, but at a level that can bite you hard if you try to be foolish with it. I would have kept the ZO6 for regular track use. It all depends on you.

Just out of idle curiosity, have you ever driven a Z06? Or any C6 for that matter?

I have owned three Corvettes, all C6 with the Z51 performance packages. Nice cars. I also had a first year Cayman S which I traded on a GT3 which has been bought back by Porsche as a (lets just say possible yellow fruit car) and it is replaced with another Cayman S. I have driven C6 Z06 vehicles. the straight line performance is WOW as is the C6. the seats are WELL BELOW PORSCHE. the suspension good but not great in that the rear transverse leaf spring can cause some wheel hop. If you want V8 "sit you back in the seat" and straight line acceleration get the corvette, you will be happy. If you want sports car fun, very nimble performance and just pure fun with great fit and finish get the Cayman S. when they bought back the GT# I chose the Cayman S over a 997 Carrera S ... .and of course got more money back to put in my 1983 Euro Spec 911 track car. As an aside you can put golf clubs in the back trunk of the Cayman and they are out of sight and locked. Hope this helps and I'm still a life member of the National Corvette museum and the unofficial laison between Porsche and Corvette since Zora Duntov who was the godfather of the corvette also raced for the Porsche factory Take care and enjoy what you get.

Im in the same boat. I sold my C6 vette which was really a wonderful car to drive and now am undecided between 3 replacement cars. Z06, Cayman S, or Carrera. I am almost positive it will be a P car and it looks like a loaded Cayman S for me.

I just love the sleek lines of the cayman over the bloated a$$ of the 911.

I just wish they would increase the engine. At least the '10 will have more hp with the DFI.

And we wonder why Porsche folks are considered elitist snobs. Oops, must be that Redneck factor, sorry.

When I bought my CS I had owned 3 vettes, 2 280zx's, 2 miatas, 1 S2000 and no Porsches. I came down to a C6 Z06 and a CS. My thinking was:

1. I wanted a $65K+ interior for my $65K+ dollars
2. big hp numbers are nice, but somebody else always has more
3. you can't use that much hp in an autocross anyway

So I got the CS with full leather. On top of that the styling is stunning next to the high-schoolish vette. And mind you, I am more of a vette guy than a Porsche guy. I still have a '70 454.

Much later the Motor Trend handling article came out and put the CS near the top and the Z06 near the bottom...they say the vette is not sorted out very well; way too much power for the amount of rear grip available, and of course the poor steering feedback.

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IF you want hard track abuse, go for the Vette and get rid of the runflats and put in some PS/2's, which will allow good road use too, instead of R compound tires. The ZO6 can put as much G's as a CS, stock for stock, but when you put the same tires on the ZO6 as in the Cayman S, it becomes a different story.

For everyday use, the ZO6 is just too harsh. This is why the ZR1 will have the Magnetic ride, as people who want to pay that much will want the comfortable ride. The fit and finish is higher in the Porsche, which is why it costs as much as it does for what you get on paper.

I am guessing you will go for the ZO6, but we will see!

I am an honest to god redneck and am in the same position of figuring out which car to buy. I've owned neither but have read essentially every article on both and I test drove both extensively back to back. Bottom line is I decided to buy a CS.

Both are great cars. The C6 is an amazingly fast car with gobs of torque available almost anywhere in the power band. I've driven a couple of Ferraris and the C6 Z06 feels faster and handles about as well. The only thing Ferrari has over the vette is mystique, price, and the sound of the exhaust. What I didn't like about the vette is the seating position (low), visability (poor) over the long hood, and the image. I'm just shy of 50 and the Vette just looks unsophistocated. Someone above said its a car for "a redneck that just won the lotto" and I agree. On the positive side, mods for the vette are not cheap but still less expensive than for the CS.

The CS doesn't have the torque or acceleration of the C6 but its plenty fast enough. The handling of the CS is head and shoulders above the C6. For me, the CS has better styling. I've always enjoyed nice looking rear ends and the CS has that hands down over the C6. Last but not least, when I presented the two options to my spouse, she squarely came down on the side of the CS.

So, I have the go ahead to buy. Now I'm looking for a reasonably priced used CS in red or yellow. I intend to purchase this winter.

Apparently half of us are former or current Corvette owners. I agree precisely with everyone else, on a track, the Corvette is king. When you get around the apex of that right-hander, point it towards the straight-away, and mash the loud pedal, it literally rockets to the next corner. Traditionally the Corvette is purpose built as a track monster, with normal automotive functions a badly implemented afterthought. However, the newer 'Vettes, particularly those outfitted with the 3LT package are MUCH MORE refined. To those of us with sensitive taste in cars, the ol' Chevy seediness still seeps through, but at least you no longer drown in it. Down to business though!
If you are very serious about tracking, by all means, get the Corvette. It is more competitive than a Cayman, hands down, and is in fact more competitive than nearly any other car in existence with a good driver behind the wheel and sticky rubber under it. It isn't as precise as a Porsche, and is definitely a bit of a challenge to drive on track, but I feel it's a lot more neutral and generally more rewarding once you learn it. Don't even consider Autocrossing, unless you have a LOT of patience. IMHO, the car is just too wide to begin with... Also, the upgrade path is LIMITLESS, and generally not all that expensive.
Should you desire a car that's genuinely a pleasure on the street, get the Cayman. On a back road, it's more fun than my 'Vette, in town it's easier to see out of and far easier to park, and the ride is simply perfect as a street machine. The Corvette has a myriad of niggling little issues that make it less than satisfying, annoyances you don't notice at 120 MPH + on a race track. The seats for example, are just sickeningly awful, words cannot properly illustrate how horrible they are. Visibility ain't that great, it's literally as wide as your average transfer truck, and you fall in/climb out of it. If you wanna get technical though, in my opinion, the biggest problem Corvette currently faces is that infernal transverse leaf spring. It's a progressive spring rate, and due to the multiple attachment points, it's very good at transferring shocks from the road directly into the seat of your pants. The handling to me also goes like this: Sharp turn in, followed by more and more roll as the G forces mount, then a set. Could be I'm crazy, but I swear Corvettes just don't seem to take a set in a corner exactly the way conventional vehicles do. (Initial roll, followed by a set) If Chevy would install factory coil-overs life would be much better.
It's your money though, just consider how much time you plan to track versus how much time you're gonna live with this thing day to day. As a daily driver, Porsche and BMW make FAR better products. At the track, Chevy's V8 two seater is a neck-snapping power house that'll make your eyes bleed. Were it me, I'd jump in a later year C5 Z06 before settling on the C6 though. The C5 is definitely a stiffer car, and it actually feels more racy than the relatively softly sprung C6. Much cheaper, and still potent enough to run down and pass pesky overgrown Volkswagens. Also, I loathe/hate/despise the tall 1st gear in the new model. Someone needs to take those airplane gears away from GM. (Yes, suggesting the older Z06 confirms my insanity)

I'm curious if your Cayman has PASM? My Z rides so much better than my Cayman S. My non PASM Cayman is the harshest car I think I have ever owned.

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2007 Cayman S
2008 Corvette ZO6

I am not an expert on sports cars, but I enjoy them just like everyone else... and I love to drive fast. I grew up driving Firebirds, Trans Ams, Mustangs.

But when I was a little kid, I had Porsche posters all over my walls. Porsche has always been the pinnacle of what a sports car should be in my eyes. I still remember the day my Dad bought his first Porsche. A 1988 candy apple red 911 twin tubo. It was the sweetest car I have ever had the privledge of driving in.

I seriously considered a Covette before I bought the Cayman S. For me, it was simple though. Although the Covette is nice, and very fast... it is missing that feeling that I get when I sit in a Porsche. Sitting behind the wheel of a Porsche is amazing. Everything is tight, and smooth, and rich. It just feel like an engineering work of art. It feels like a real race car. I just don't get that feeling from a Corvette. The Corvette feels very GM inside. Plastic, cheap, uninviting.

To each their own really, nobody can tell you what kind of car you should drive. You have to make that decision yourself. But for me, Porsche is the dream... and I'm living it.

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I preordered my CS and got it about 2.5 years ago. A very good friend of mine got a 2007 Z06 just about a year ago, and he happens to be a semi-professional race driver, so he knows how to best use what the Z06 has to offer, he uses it daily.

I use my CS daily as well and it now has about 42K mi., I still enjoy driving it every day and I take it to autox and DE events. My friend and I were talking last week and he started saying that he no longer enjoys the vette as every piece of it is shaking, rattling, and it no longer feels like the day he bought it. This is a person that generally keeps his cars 5 to 7 years. My CS is nearly as I first bought it, still no rattles or anything that has gone wrong with it.

Obviously, my friend is now thinking of changing to an R8, if the prices come down a little.

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R8 MSRP: $112,500 (ouch!)

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Rather than pointing fingers at the types of drivers, I'd prefer to say that the "cool/wow" factor of current corvettes doesn't hold a candle to the Cayman for the reason that you really do see corvettes everywhere. Sure I respect the car and its performance, but I don't have any passion for it. Heck the few times I've driven or gone for a ride in modern corvettes its made me think "man..this would be so cool if it were ~40-50 years older".

Obviously because I've chosen to purchase a Cayman I'm going to be biased, but the decision was made easy the first time I got behind the wheel. In comparison everything felt like it was there for a purpose, the amount of design time put into the car was immediately evident. The car really has a great balance of handling/power and the fact that its one of the best looking cars on the road doesn't hurt either. Unlike the modern corvettes that leave me pining for their classic roots, the Cayman reaffirms my decision every time I start it up.

And I understand it is still difficult to find it at MSRP.

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