320 rwhp FD vs. 2010 Porsche Cayman S
 

Which would you pick as a track weapon and why?

I'm having a lust affair with the Cayman S recently, maybe I'll get one.

The cayman because the oil lasts more than 500miles. And it's 5x the price. And it's a Porsche. And the brakes are more ready for the track.

FD.

Id leave the porsche for the everyday deal ;)

For a new cayman you could get a used 996/993 turbo which I would pick any day over the FD - at least the 993.

The 996 turbo is a monster but it looks a bit dated

993 turbo, maybe its just me but this will never look dated
http://www.aussiemotoring.com/pics/porsche-993.jpg

viper gts can also be had for around 35k which IMO is still better than the cayman.

It seems like a stupid financial decision to track a 2010 Cayman, especially since you have the depreciation and the potential of wrecking it. Would you be taking out a loan for the car? That's very relevent here. If money isn't an issue you can buy whatever, but most likely you will have to weigh the decision for its financial implications.

I would never go into debt to take a Cayman to a track. Not when you already have an FD and an s2000. What the hell is the point.

This.

I smoked a heavily modded one at my last event.

I danced around one on the street some time ago. These evaluations are always subject to whether the driver could drive, but I certainly didn't feel the car had anything on the FD. He layed it out there, and I met the challenge w/o much ado. Don't know why it would ever be a superior track choice.

The Caymans sure look nice and get great reviews but it doesn't make financial sense regardless how much you have to spend. That is if it's going to be a track car. You can do more with a lot less as the RX-7 proves all the time.

You would lose more in depreciation than you would in buying another RX-7 or something else in the price range and building it up to have strictly track car.

I agree with the others, the 993 are the last of the classic 911s. They look old compared to the 996 and 997 but they are more pure, classic, and small.

How is it dated? It's only a like 5 years ago.

Are we talking a dual purpose car or a dedicated track car?

For dual purpose, Cayman. For a dedicated track car, FD.

Mark, if you buy the Cayman please make sure you check in on us from time to time ;)

I was trying to figure out why it matters if the car looks dated or not... assuming this whole debate is about building a track car.

Take the FD. . .

This thread caught my eye because i've got 2 friends. . .1 with a Cayman S. . .and 1 with a 300+whp FD. . .thought the OP was either of them haha

FD walks all over it . . .they've got a video of them driving at the track . . .

I test drove a CaymanS recently because I had some of the same thoughts as you. As you know we both have an FD and an S2000 as a DD, so I assume that our interests in vehicles are fairly similar. I absolutely loved the caymanS. It was refined, classy, yet still a blast to drive. That being said, if "fun to drive" is youre deciding factor, Id take the FD hands down. I was thinking about selling my FD and S2000 and picking up a cayman, Ive just decided to sell the S2000 and get a cheaper DD and focus on finishing my 3rotor FD. The cayman S is capable, with its dry sump and other track focused gear, but I just couldnt justify the price. You can pick up a late 90s Viper GTS with low miles for the price of a slightly used caymanS (which Ive also been kicking around.) Just my opinion, but the FD is much more fun to drive.

Interesting, because you just said the CS is a blast to drive - too refined/sanitized?

On a more philosophical note: do we as FD owners envy Porsches? I've heard this accusation made in other circles.

That's what I'm struggling with, a used one is more reasonable, of course. There is a guy in my neighborhood with an '09 Cayman S...we've done a little run and gun a few times, and the car is certainly no slouch. I can't believe any 300 rwhp FD would "walk all over" one.

Thanks for not banning me for the 28th time, Rich ;)

Having Sex with a virgin is a nice experience......

But having sex with a woman who has experience is much better.....


I would take the FD to a track day any time.... especially since im assuming you've tracked it for quite a while and have modded it to reflect that.

a Porsche? Not so much..... i have this fear of driving cars with the engine being behind me.....
i've driven NSX's, MR-2 turbos, heavily modded beetles and an old 911 turbo..... those are scary for me....but take that with a grain of salt.

Anything short of a GT3 and I'm keeping my 7.

Do I envy Porsches? I DO envy the great club, the corales at every racing event I go to, the tons of great mods and set up expertise for them... all that stuff is great. You'll be lucky if you SEE another FD at any given car/track event, and half the stuff being made for them (or not) is by unreliable wannabe businesses, it's hard to find people with real expertise to work on them, let alone quality set up advice, etc.

I can only speak for myself---- No.


Street =/= Track.

993tt
 

Hey I'm right there with you on the 993/996 TT but from everything I've ever seen (I'm always looking at the 993TT), it's not often you see a used 993TT (unless it's high mileage) for as cheap as a Cayman S.

The 993TT has done a good job holding it's value.

Now you can get into the 996TT all day long for the price of a Cayman S and that thing is a BEAST in stock form.

I don't even know why the Viper is in this conversation, besides it's magazine times it's a much different car than anything else being discussed in here. Owning both a turbo Porsche and an FD is another financial move that would be hard to justify because of upkeep.

You've got to ask yourself... do I want/need this so bad that I would go into debt for it? This isn't the time to pile on debt without really good justification... If you want another car in that price range, sell the FD and the s2000. Get an older shitbox and buy the Cayman/993 Turbo/Viper/whatever.

I remember my grandfather talking me out of owning two Rx-7's and an Infiniti (none of which are worth anywhere near a new Cayman) at the same time. He was so right.

Hell no. I hate porches. The carrera GT is just about the only one I like. Also this one...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_959