[live2shift]

I need to choose between two cars and I would like some imput from folks that may have driven both. Here are the two cars.

08 Cayman S- 15K miles, Silver/Black interior, 6 Speed, STD 18" wheels. 195HP, Pwr seats,heated seats, Xenon headlights, heated seats, Bose upgrade, 6 CD, mats. 30 months of factory warrentee

09 Cayman - NEW 0 miles, Black/Tan interior, 6 speed, 265 HP (new engine design) 18" Cayman II wheels, heated seats, bluetooth, ipod interface, 7 speakers. $3,000 more than the 2008.

I sell my cars every 2 years or so and I am thinking the resale will be better on the new 09 even though it is a non S.

I don't now about the power difference between the cars as I have only driven the S and it was great. I aslo don't know about the tan interior on a black car.

thoughts, I need to choose quickly. thanks!!

 

[TheBookof911]

Oh, I don't know, I had a black and tan and I thought it was great. That's a tough call particularly since you trade your car so frequently - warranty isn't as important in this case.

I think you need to drive both and decide. Either way, I think you will be fine. Also, I am a big fan of Xenons, so that would affect me, but that's perhaps personal preference (as well as a little bit of extra safety perhaps).

 

[live2shift]

Do the Xenons create that hard line on the road if you know what I mean. I had and M5 that had some kind of performance headlights and it made me dizzy looking at the demarcation between the light and dark, nlike most headlamps that diffuse softly.

 

[beleary]

I need to choose between two cars and I would like some imput from folks that may have driven both. Here are the two cars.

08 Cayman S- 15K miles, Silver/Black interior, 6 Speed, STD 18" wheels. 195HP, Pwr seats,heated seats, Xenon headlights, heated seats, Bose upgrade, 6 CD, mats. 30 months of factory warrentee

09 Cayman - NEW 0 miles, Black/Tan interior, 6 speed, 265 HP (new engine design) 18" Cayman II wheels, heated seats, bluetooth, ipod interface, 7 speakers. $3,000 more than the 2008.

I sell my cars every 2 years or so and I am thinking the resale will be better on the new 09 even though it is a non S.

I don't now about the power difference between the cars as I have only driven the S and it was great. I aslo don't know about the tan interior on a black car.

thoughts, I need to choose quickly. thanks!!

Hey if the 'S' has only 195 HP, I'd be leaning towards the base model with 265 HP. Someone must have done their mods with a hammer.

 

[chas365]

Do the Xenons create that hard line on the road if you know what I mean. I had and M5 that had some kind of performance headlights and it made me dizzy looking at the demarcation between the light and dark, nlike most headlamps that diffuse softly.

In front of the garage, when I turn on the Xenons, I can see the diffuse demarcation line come up to level; but it's not noticeable to me on the road. In contrast, the projector beams on my wife's 240SX make me crazy with the marked hard-line contrast. I like my Xenons.

The memory power seats are great if you have two drivers. Wish I had them; I tried them out in the same kind of comparison between a used 06 S and a new 08 Base (Black/Tan looked great). In my case the horsepower difference and 5 speed vs 6 speed wrote the check.

Silver will always look cleaner.

 

[live2shift]

Some good points. For sure the silver will always look cleaner, and Man I do like as much HP as I can get. I really like the thought of the Xenons as well. I think for resale that the S might be better in the long run even a year older?

 

[sctrent]

I need to choose between two cars and I would like some imput from folks that may have driven both. Here are the two cars.

08 Cayman S- 15K miles, Silver/Black interior, 6 Speed, STD 18" wheels. 195HP, Pwr seats,heated seats, Xenon headlights, heated seats, Bose upgrade, 6 CD, mats. 30 months of factory warrentee

09 Cayman - NEW 0 miles, Black/Tan interior, 6 speed, 265 HP (new engine design) 18" Cayman II wheels, heated seats, bluetooth, ipod interface, 7 speakers. $3,000 more than the 2008.

I sell my cars every 2 years or so and I am thinking the resale will be better on the new 09 even though it is a non S.

I don't now about the power difference between the cars as I have only driven the S and it was great. I aslo don't know about the tan interior on a black car.

thoughts, I need to choose quickly. thanks!!

I prefer Cayman S for 295 HP. How many miles do you think you will drive in 2 years? Add that to the 2008 and 2009 and go look on AutoTrader for similar year cars with the additional mileage. And in 2012 you will still have warranty on 2009 while the 2008 is almost over.

 

[live2shift]

I probably average 7-10K per year so in 2 years the used car will have over 30K miles and the new one less than 20K. This could effect resale for sure. I am mostly concerned about the performance of the car at the end of the day. I am wondering if the new 2009's are that much of a better car?????

Is the suspension of the 09 improved over the 2008S?

Apparently the 2009 cayman has the big brakes and six speed of the 2008S so it is almost and S with 30 less HP, is this true?

 

[markstudy]

The 09 has a new engine that might be worth something?

Engineers have simplified the design with fewer moving parts, which should translate to better reliability. Its cylinders are now of the closed-deck design, and the crankcase is comprised of two castings instead of four; the oil pump delivers its output based on demand, reducing parasitic losses; the cams are chain-driven directly from the crankshaft, eliminating the previous intermediate shaft. The bucket valve tappets, which also control the variable valve lift, are lighter and smaller in diameter

The other updates were more for the track guys... better cooling of the steering system has been addressed?

 

[sctrent]

I probably average 7-10K per year so in 2 years the used car will have over 30K miles and the new one less than 20K. This could effect resale for sure. I am mostly concerned about the performance of the car at the end of the day. I am wondering if the new 2009's are that much of a better car?????

Is the suspension of the 09 improved over the 2008S?

Apparently the 2009 cayman has the big brakes and six speed of the 2008S so it is almost and S with 30 less HP, is this true?

Unless you track and go all out shifting to max speed limit, 30 hp is not much of a difference in civilized daily driving. But it is a rather basic 2009 Cayman. Neither cars have PASM so you won't really notice suspension differences. If you can negotiate away the $3K difference, IMHO the 2009 would set up for good asset trade for your next car in 2 years.

 

[sctrent]

You also might want to consider which is the more favored color combo in your region. I prefer Silver rather than Black because I have had Black cars and they are so demanding to be cleaned.

If I were to get back to Black then I prefer Black / Black leather combo and go evil stealth mode. But then I am a West Coast Aero Engineer / MBA Finance Technocratic type of guy who enjoys technical precision and the surgical cleanliness of stark colors. YMMV.

 

[Marc-In-The-Box]

Personally if it weren't black I'd go for the '09 at the additional expense but with "0" miles, the tan interior, the numerous upgrades and the better resale value. The "S" is good for $10,000 when new but like the numerous options available becomes much less valuable at resale. I'd personally go for a base model in perfect shape with low miles vs. an "S" with higher miles that someone else has "enjoyed" but performance is not my priority. With your choices I'd never go for another black car (being a lunatic about caring for my cars I had one and will never have another) so I'd keep looking.

 

[Falcon7]

Unless you track and go all out shifting to max speed limit, 30 hp is not much of a difference in civilized daily driving. But it is a rather basic 2009 Cayman. Neither cars have PASM so you won't really notice suspension differences. If you can negotiate away the $3K difference, IMHO the 2009 would set up for good asset trade for your next car in 2 years.

+1 on that thinking!

 

[live2shift]

Well thanks for the input, it was a very difficult decision and one that I agonized over. At the end of the day I wend with the Silver/Black 08S. I liked the color combo, and wheels, and the Xenons were important. The car came with certification so I am hopeful that in 2 years selling at 08S with a 3 year factory warrentee will be a decent resale. Here she is...

 

[sctrent]

Excellent!!! After I went to Xenons, hard to go back. Kind of like HD TV and Blu Ray. Clear side markers are good. You will be tempted to Drive hard after warm up. Do not resist - the car will ask for more. Just be careful of slower traffic and envious cops.

 

[live2shift]

This car is a highway missile. I have always enjoyed driving my 02 Turbo (for sale) on the highway but I enjoy the cayman just as much especially above"rear wing up" speeds!! Even in 6th gear she pull really strong for a little old six cyl. and is real stable with high speed lane changes