Cage adds much needed rigidity to that flimsy FD chassis as well :) RX-8s reportedly have double an FDs rating; three rotor RX-8s fare quite well on the track, if you can get past the fugly looks.

In that case upgrade your suspension, run quality street tires, and don't drive like a nimrod and you'll have nothing to worry about :)

Excellent thread! I'm a former 924 turbo and 924S owner-autocrossser, and I was lucky enough to find a salesman foolish enough to let me take a Cayman S on a test drive once. The chassis is utterly brilliant, and the general platform of the Cayman S(mid-engine-longitudinally-mounted-normally-aspirated-flat-6-two-seater-coupe-with-luggage-space) is the ideal dual-purpose sports car for me. There's also rumors of a lightweight clubsport version in the works.

In 2009, the revised Cayman S received the new 9A1 engine, which has been far more durable/reliable than the previous M96 engine with its intermediate-shaft failures, oil ingestion issues, rear-main-seal leaks. So far, the 9A1 has held up very well at the track. That being said, $70 G's for a 320HP sports car is ridiculous.

My issues with the Cayman S have more to do with Porsche's marketing department than anything else. I hate how they hamstring the Cayman S with the 3.4L to preserve the 911's status. Porsche could easily offer the 385 HP 3.8L from the Carrera S; the engine dimensions are the same. 20% more power, almost zero extra weight, minimal additional manufacturing costs, seems like a no-brainer to this engineer, but what do I know? It's not my job to milk 911 buyers for all they're worth.

Dear Porsche, I'd happily take out a big fat note to own a 3.8L, lightweight Cayman RS-clubsport-whatever-you-want-to-call-it. I'd even pay 911 prices, and you could keep the PDK, PASM, and PCCB (that's double-clutch transmission, active suspension, and ceramic brakes in Porsche-speak).

Great post, thanks. If Porsche offered a "clubsport" Cayman with the 3.8 for about $60k it would sell extremely well. No way I would even consider a vette at that point.

Would I miss the squeaks and rattles of the ol FD? I doubt it....

So true... :sad:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

Just wait and pick up a used 2009 Cayman if that's what you like (outside the price tag). As they always say, you have to pay to play. Most Porsche owners thing the amount of money they spend getting a Porsche is worth it. I don't know, I don't own one (yet).

However, they do hold decent value over the years, but they loose quite a bit on the first year so just wait it out for a used one.

^ from the above link (regarding the Grand Sport)

:lol:

This actually reminds me of many of the V8 vs. rotary argument threads in the sense that a car is more than the sum of it's empirical performance characteristics... if it weren't, a Caymen is a rip-off. There's a lot more that goes in to feeling good about the purchase price that varies depending on your values. There's the prestige, heritage, the club, how you perceive the car as a reflection of you, the amount of mods and set up advice available, etc.

Only you can decide the value of those things.

What's astonishing is that an 18 year old, $32k Japanese sports car with a few bolt-ons can hang with - and beat - a $70k 2010 sports car from Porsche that has many more years of development. Speaks to the overall sound design of the FD, despite it's flaws. Is the balance/handling of the Cayman superior to an FD? Only a track expert could answer that question, but my bet it's very close, if both cars are set-up right.

That's why we love these cars, despite the PITA factor at times.

At most times ^. Lol

A mid-engine car is always going to be a little easier to get around the track than a front or rear engine car. This is part of the reason they don't create a GT3 or an "out of the box" track prepped version of the Cayman as that would remove the 911 from being their flagship car.

Right, but the FD is more of a rear-front engine layout

Gordon - in your opinion, is there a handling advantage to rear mid engine vs. front mid engine, as Porsche claims?

50/50 is the magic number right? At that point does it matter where the engine sits?

IMO, it does. I've been in several what most consider to be true mid-engine cars (cars like NSX's) and they are a night and day difference on the track. The FD can be a bit tricky to get around a track quickly. There are a lot of things that can bite you in the car. The NSX and some of the others are a lot more balanced. Even with their stock suspensions (early model NSX's don't count ;) ), they are extremely well behaved even when the nut behind the wheel isn't.

That's doesn't mean they are better cars per say. People love the 911 but also claim it's one of the more difficult cars to tame on the track.

i think, you could buy an FD, mod the hell outa it, still have alot more money in your pocket, and have an awesome track car.

dont go for the porche, my 2c

LOL

The NSX is a fantastic handling car, no question

Seems to be the general consensus

"Track weapon" between those two - I'd go with the FD and I would keep the engine modifications simple and straightforward. Remove as much weight as possible.

The Cayman is a good car, but expensive to modify and to maintain/repair if you bang it up.

Someone mentioned an aircooled Porsche as an option. I bought a '91 Turbo about a year ago and love it. Taking the car out on the track, though, would mean me getting comfortable with a mild engine rebuild costing more than the purchase price of an entire sorted, track-prepped FD. No thanks.

Outside of those options, for a track car I'd personally consider a C5 vette or a turbo miata. Good aftermarket support... and lets you keep repair costs to a minimum!
Best,
John

Very true on the modify and maintain repair if you bang it up. My families 2007 Porsche Caymen S was hit on the right fender. There was very little damage to the other car (Saturn) But since the front of the Porsche is mostly plastic the car broke the radiator and messed with the suspension/control arm. The total cost of the repair was 15k. Far from a cheap fix.

Insurance rates must be high for any Porsche

Everything points toward keeping your FD.

Hm... My SCCA experience would say something in the chassis class of something like an M3...

The E46 is a great car, light, nimble, agile, not a pig, nowhere NEAR the cost of the 99x and at the end of the day, it's still a Bimmer.

Insurance of any "newer sports car" is going to be more expensive than a "15-17 year old sports car". ;)


If you are looking for costs justifications, you probably aren't going to find any. Unless you are talking about a 15 year old Ferrari, it's almost always cheaper to own a 15 year old car than buying a 0-1 year old car (up front costs). However, add up how much you have spent on your FD over the years and then take a look at what owners of the cars you are looking at (Porsche owners in this case) spend over the similar amounts of time with similar cars. I looked at the money I've spent on my FD and I would have been better off financially in the long run with the E36 M3 I was looking at all those years ago. The FD was more affordable at the time, but in hindsight the E36 M3 was probably the better deal.

Great car, yes..."light, nimble, agile" is a bit of a stretch...everything is relative I suppose. I'd pick a 2010 Cayman S over the Bimmer for track work.

You'd actually be surprised how good that car is at the track. It's one of the easiest cars I've driven on a road course. With a little suspension and brake upgrading, it's more than capable to tear up most "sports cars" at the track.