Hi all. A cayman is in my mid-term plans (next 5 years) as my wife and I have always wanted a P car. I'm targeting the cayman because they're great for canyon runs, track days, etc.... But how are they for touring? I take trips from tahoe to the bay area (3.5 hours), to Vegas (8 hours) and all over the west coast really.

I'm talking more about comfort. Road noise, ride, engine buzz and the like. How about for two people? Is there enough room for two people's worth of stuff considering women take huge bags of clothing and makeup, or is this like a built in limit on that?

Any trip experience and of course photos are greatly appreciated and could result in beer if you're ever in the tahoe area.

 

For the purpose you're describing, I'd pick a slightly older 911 over a Cayman any day. The Cayman interior is significantly smaller than a 911. I'm 6'3" (so, tall, but not unusually so), and fit just fine in a 996-era 911, quite happily in a 997-era 911, but not at all in a Cayman.

I took some long drives in my 996 C4S, and I just loved it as a highway car.

Also, if you've always wanted a Porsche, anything other than a 911 may leave you feeling a bit unfulfilled (and I say this as someone who has huge respect for the Cayman).

 

From what standpoint? Looks, driving dynamics? Fit and finish?

 

Mostly comfort. Both are superb in the canyons, but the 911 is more practical (or, less impractical, really), more roomy there's a back seat to throw stuff in) , and has a little more power (although depending on which Cayman and which 911, they're pretty close overall).

 

Though I've never owned one, I rented a TechArt Cayman for a 10 day trip in Germany. No it's not quite a 911, but it did just fine with two guys and our minimalist guy stuff. (I didn't care for the TechArt suspension mods as they were far worse than stock, but it looked good.)

A 911 is "perfect execution of a flawed concept" (the arrowhead is at the wrong end) and I love it. The Cayman is better balanced with its mid-engine, but is a little underpowered -- a marketing choice in my opinion, to slot it below a 911. I think it comes down to what you want. For your only p-car, if it were me, I'd go for a pre-loved 911 -- 996 or 997 at the oldest (as they've gotten much better over the years).

 

I'll take a look at both when I'm getting closer to buying. Thanks for the advice.

 

The 997S should make an excellent travel companion.

 

The Cayman actually has a larger storage area than 996 or 997. Maybe being able to just toss things in the tiny 911's back seats is an advantage over full storage volume. Maybe not. The 6'3" guy obviously has never sat in a Cayman, tho I'm sure he will claim differently. I have heard many many 6'4" Cayman owners sing nothing but high praises to the headroom in the Cayman, even with a helmet. Width wise, the Cayman and the 911 are the same. The interiors are completely interchangeable.

The Cayman is a bit underpowered due to Porsche company politics, but it is still a very powerful sports car with better handling than the 911's. The Cayman is the best pure driving platform that Porsche makes. If you own one, you can easily upgrade to a TPC turbo and be faster than a GT3 for about half the price.

If you make sure that your luggage is the correct size for both the front boot and the rear hatch, you can take MORE in the Cayman. The 911 can take a wider variety of bags that will fit in the back seat.

 

I've had a Cayman and a couple of 911s (and drove the 911 cross-country last summer). The Cayman should be fine for long trips if A) you're not super big in either direction and B) you get the right seats. Each person fits in the seats differently so sit in as many of the different ones as you can (i.e. standard comfort, sport, adaptive, sport bucket).

For me the single greatest item is seat comfort. I can vouch for the sport buckets.

As far as storage is concerned, neither car is great, but the Cayman has two trunks. This will be good depending on your luggage. For example, our Tumi roller bags would NOT fit in the rear Cayman trunk, but they both fit on the back shelf (seats folded) in the 911. The front trunk is the same for both cars.

After you get the seat situation sorted, I recommend taking your travel luggage to the dealer to test-fit them.

Of course, you could always get a Panamera and not worry about it.

 

I'm not blind, so the panamera is out.