Covered as nauseum before, comes down to personal choice do you want a coupe or a convertible? Buy what you want.

 

I know youwere seperated at birth from the production lineK-Man /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/wink_smile.gif


The point I'm getting at is how do you justify buying the Cayman when for just an additional 3k you can have more or a car. I'd be interested in a Cayman owners view.

 

Are you saying that you read the 127 messages that already exist discussing this and still want more?


http://www.planet-9.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4136&FORUM_ID=1&CAT_ID=1&Topic_Title=I+would+like+a+refund%2E%2E%2E&Forum_Title=Cayman+Chat


Or http://www.planet-9.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4190&FORUM_ID=14&CAT_ID=1&Topic_Title=Complaints%2FInquiry+about+Cayman%2FBoxster+call+here%2E&Forum_Title=Cayman+ComplaintsWhere Freestyle also brought this up./fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/beer2.gif

Edited by - Santa Fe on 09/10/2006 3:16:05 PM

 

Easy: I like the coupe. I'm done with convertibles. I bought a Mustang GT convertible in 2000, after driving in a friends Z3. At the time, I liked the open feeling of the conv, and I needed a back seat (kids).



But after 6 years, I decided that wind in the hair is overrated...in part because hair is over rated (losing mine). Now I know that 'you can't compare a convertible Ford to a Boxster....' argument can be made. But that's not the point. I and many others just prefer the coupe, for looks, feel and even practical reasons, like being able to autocross or track the car with having to install a rollbar. Or stow a hardtop roof in my crowded garage etc.



In the end, its a personal decision, and not about saving money.

 

When I look at the Cayman I see a racy sports coupe with a flair of the exotic in those voluptuous rear haunches. The design is simultaneously fresh, muscular, and yet familar as a true Porsche. When I look at a Boxster (one of which I owned from 99 to 03) I see a pleasant but rather mundane push-pull design that I grew tired of quickly. The Cayman speaks to my sense of passion in sports car aesthetic, more so than even the 911, and almost to the degree Pininfarina's and Ferrari's best. That's how I justify the Cayman over any of the other choices I might have made. An definite answer to your question, if not definitive.

Edited by - DaveC on 09/10/2006 2:55:02 PM

 

What part of 'Cayman = coupe, Boxster = convertible' don't you understand?

 

2different cars all together...enough said.

 

No point at all. What's the point in life?

 

I believe Freestyle is not talking about the Cayman as a line of car. He was specifically asking about the Base Cayman model. His point is, the 07 Boxster S now delivers Cayman S performance for $3k more than the Base Cayman, and a convertible to boot (some, a lot of people, like it, I don't). Why would anyone buy a Base Cayman?


It is valid question, andI don't have an answer.


CP

 

Me want coupe, me want coupe!!!

 

Question: Who buys a base Cayman? Answer: Someone who wants the look of the Cayman for $10K less than the S and believes that nothing the competition (whatever that constitutes) offers is equivalent or comparable and is not just shopping price. The number of people for the base Cayman may be large or small, but Porsche isn't going to lose money by offering the car to whomever they can sell it to. The same question was being asked about the Cayman S by the 911 crowd on other forums.

Edited by - DaveC on 09/10/2006 7:04:44 PM

 

I thought the Boxster S was 54 and change and the base Cayman 49 and change, meaning about a $5K difference, not 3K difference, am I wrong? Also for some people they simply may not want a convertible and simply cannot afford the S model so for those people the base Cayman makes perfect sense!

 

I don't see a lot of CS on the road today. I have never seen a base C. Maybe 5 years from now the CS or C will be as common on the road as the boxster. I don't think so. I am very happy that the CS will likely go down as a Porsche classic. I suspect we will see a book in a few years.

 

I bought the base Cayman because to me it is a better car. It looks better, it handles better, it gets better MPG (it is a daily driver), it is still dang sporty, did I say it looks better, and I hate drop tops...

 

The point? Simple, more market capture at different price point results in more sales.

 

I know the boxster and cayman share parts, but you put the two next to each other, and they don't seem to look different? They have very different visual personalities.



But if you want to argue along those lines, and in the cases where convertibles are more expensive than their coupe counterparts, why the heck would someone pay extra for a car that offers less structural rigidity, more weight, and less pleasing looks?



Personal preference.

Edited by - Speed Racer S on 09/10/2006 7:54:29 PM

 

If i only have 1 car, likely i would buy the Boxster S b/c it's a drop top, but since i have 2 other convertibles, the choice is simple. CS gives a better drive hands down! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/thumbsup.gif

 

Not everybody wants part of their car to be made of fabric...

Can you really 'justify' buying any Porsche. Either you 'want' one or you don't.

 

do you actually own a boxster s? i have had two. if you really know how to drive you will realize that boxster and cayman are totally totally different cars.


if you bought cay b/c it's 15hp more than box, you bought the wrong car. unless you are shumie, you WILL NOT be able to tell a 15 hp increase. it' s not possible unless you are racing someone who's of equal driving talent on a highly control experimental condition. 15hp is nothing.


can many feel open top cars should cost more. that's not true. why should open top cars cost more. in asia, you can't give away open top cars.


and if power was important Z06 can blow away any porsche for the same or less money. and Z06 is durable and is a marvelous car every bit as good as porsches.

 

oooooooh, Mooty, you're asking for trouble!

 

why the heck would someone pay extra for a car that offers less structural rigidity, more weight, and less pleasing looks?

As one who bought a Boxster, I guess I can answer for at least one guy. The short answer is, I like it. I LOVE being out in the air with this incredible Porsche under me. The longer answers are:



Price: Last May I paid $45,365 for an '06 Boxster off the lot with 10 miles on the clock. That's $6,000 below sticker, a great price for a brand-new Porsche. My car has just a few options, and I love it. If I were ordering one, I'd skip the Bose and save another $900 or so.



Rigidity: This is a non-issue. I don't track the car, and no matter how hard you push it, there is simply no scenario on the street where the difference in rigidity makes a difference in the drive. Keep in mind that the Boxster is a very rigid car, certainly more rigid than many coupes including one of my own; it's just not as stiff as the Cayman.



Weight: Another non-issue. The Porsche site lists the base Boxster at 2,877 lbs. and the base Cayman at 2,866 lbs. Eleven pounds is about a gallon of milk. Against 240 horsepower it might as well be a flea.



Looks: Personal preference. To my eye the Cayman looks better, and it looks a LOT better than a Boxster with its top up. But my top is always down, and as a roadster the Boxster looks just fine. Most of its views (front, top, etc.) are excellent and some (rear and rear 3/4) are outstanding. The only plain Jane view is directly from the side at beltline height.



The Boxster can do something the Cayman can't do, and that's drop its top. Up here in the Sierra Nevadas, there is simply no substitute for a cool evening in the mountains with awesome scenery everywhere above you, that flat-six engine wailing behind you and the famous Porsche chassis and running gear beneath you. Did I mention that I LOVE this car?

 

Well, I had a '00 Boxster S and I miss driving home in the middle of the night with the top down year round here in Tucson, but the Cayman is all around a more enjoyable car to drive. Much stiffer, I could feel the Boxster frame twist everytime I drove out a driveway at an angle (not to scrape). Much quieter, even with the insulated roof in the Boxster. Better security, as you can't rip the roof open with a knife. MUCH CHEAPER TO OWN IN THE LONG RUN: My wife's '98 Cabriolet which lives in the garage and only has 40k miles on it is on it's second roof, at about $6k to replace. My Boxster S had to have it's roof replaced just after the warranty expired, but Porshe paid for it anyway (I can't stop raving about Porsche customer service -- doubt Chevy does this much for Corvette owners....) so I don't know how much it costs to replace the Boxster soft top, but the technicians tell me you can plan on replacing the roof every 3-5 years. Factor that expense into the cost of the car. Still, I do miss driving at night under the stars. I can only imagine how much more I would miss it if PCH were on my route.... Greg

 

Surf City, you missed the first part that prefaced that question.


I said 'But if you want to argue along those lines,'


I simply mentioned those points as a ways to signify that buying a car isa personal choice.





Just so you don't get the wrong idea.

 

I think the point of the Cayman, like most autos is to make profit for the car maker. In this case, Porsche is able to sell a car that costs less to produce than its convertible iteration for more. That makes for a larger profit margin. Unfortunately for me and possibly others, I don't want a porsche convertible or any other convertible. I don't want to spend the money required for a 911. At present there is no other car that really interests me and that leaves me considering the cayman. I was hoping it would be priced a little lower rather than a little higher than the convertible since that's how other companies would probably price it but that didn't happen. Oh well, what can you do. I'm sort of hoping that Porsche may reduce their profit margin on the cayman somewhat to be more in line with production costs but as long as they can sell enough of them at the higher price, why should they? At least they didn't raise the price in 2007 and actually reduced the price of the metallic paint a little. I guess it's a start.

 

One reason to buy a base Cayman is to put a 3.8L Carrera engine in it for onlt $23K more. Some of us would have done that over paying for a 3.4 first ....