Ahh man... I remember when I drove my first 911 (I know its not a Cayman) but the amount of engineering that went into every inch of that car was highly evident. I don't think there is a company on this planet more devoted to the driver then Porsche.

With that said... I'd save for a 911 C2S or a GT3 is my wallet can afford it.

 

I just got back from driving an '07 Cayman S, and I noticed this same thing. Not really rubbing on a "dead pedal" but just the sidewall of the footwell. It seems like the pedals are more to the right in the Cayman than in other cars I've driven, and the wall was very close to the clutch pedal. Not sure why.

Anyway, I loved the car, other than that small annoyance, but I was surprised when I did a pull in 3rd gear. It seemed to be taking its sweet time above 5K RPMs, and honestly didn't feel like it was accellerating any faster than the S2000 would have at similar speeds. That was a bit disappointing.

Still, if I could find one with the right options and the right price, I'd be in one right now. It's a beautiful, fun-to-drive and well-crafted car.

 

I drove an 02 base 996 and was shocked at how good this car is . There is no doubt why the Legend exists . As a matter of fact the 911 is like automotive cocaine . Once you get a taste you want more and more!
I had to agree with an owners statement I read on edmunds. One guy said "He went on several 370z test drives then thought go check out a new Boxster S and when he was done with that test drive the salesman talked him into a used 911 test drive and then the 911 went home with him! He said he sure was glad he did not waste his money on either of the other two. " The Cayman and Boxster are nice but they don't have the "WOW" factor of the 911.

 

Honestly speaking... The car is a very expensive automobile and I'm a 19 year old idiot that won't be able to afford one for another 10 years minimum and a used one at that.

With that said, The car is worth every penny. I remember sitting in the seat and adjusting the mirrors and seeing where the car starts to where it ends. In and out of lanes like no tomorrow, rowing through gears with endless pull and it kept begging for more. The ABS actuation on that thing is ridiculous and made me push it to the limit. The car just holds you and it never ever lets go, at that point I told my girlfriend at the time to F off (jk). It is an epiphany and me being as big of a car enthusiast as I am, I continued for several weeks thereafter, dreaming about what a pleasure that car was to drive. I drove a 997 C2S cabriolet a short time after that one and I had the same sensation yet again. I would not get a 4WD one but much rather prefer that hefty rear end sliding on me. I'm sorry to sway off topic but I am becoming a Mechanical Engineer and would one day love to develop suspension components for Porsche (dream yet again). I can't say it enough but the amount of engineering that goes into that car even with the engine hung as far as it is is incredible. The gearing is perfect and noise is a sensation all on its own. I then drove an M6 (good friend of mine's car in High School) priced around the same as a 911 C2S and as much as I love the S85 and all the V10 Vanos noises it makes with an excellent SMG gearbox to cope... It could never compare to what those Porsches did for me.

Wayyyyy off topic and I apologize!

 

Generally speaking, on FR cars the pedals are likely to be offset a bit to the left, as there's usually a bellhousing to the right of your feet. Whereas on an MR or RR car, the pedals might be offset a bit to the right, as there's a large wheelwell fairly close to and to the left of your feet.

 

Excellent write up. I agree the car is an excellent machine, but this forum touts it as being the second coming of je$us.

BTW, I drive the S barefoot as well. I have always felt more connected to the car/pedals when operating barefoot. Just a personal preference.

 

the sad reality is that almost every car is one of two things:

-much less exciting than you expected given the price. Pretty damn good though.

-much more exciting than you expected, given the price. Not that great though.

The manufacturers aren't idiots; they know how to price their products effectively...just on that edge of what people will pay for, but where there is no surplus of awesomeness to make you feel like a car is just amazingly beyond your expectations.

People on this forum love the CS because it offers handling, balance, and driver involement (ie things s2ki member appreciate) at a higher level than just about anything else in the general price range. It's a value play- to get the same kind of feel out of a car, you're gonna have to drop a lot more coin to go with something else.

That's why I think it would be incredibly cool to be REALLY rich. Like, hundreds of millions of dollars rich. That way, you could walk into a dealer and buy a car without even looking at the price. If you really really didn't care about the price, you could enjoy the cars for what they are and not base it on some value equation.

 

I've driven a 2007 Cayman S, 2009 Cayman and 2009 Cayman S.

The base Cayman was a great car, but definitely didn't feel faster than the S2000 up high. The 2007 Cayman S was definitely faster than the S2000 but not enough to justify the cost. The 2009 Cayman S was a home run IMO and was way faster than the S2000. I also thought the handling was outstanding (in all of them) and loved the interior layout.

I haven't driven a PDK model, nor do I really care to (though I am slightly curious). I prefer to row my own gears and thought the clutch was good, the shifter as well. Not S2000 great, but still quite up there. Fit and finish is naturally fantastic and the bonus of two trunks instead of one with double the cargo capacity of an S2000 is not something to be overlooked.

I also can't get over the sound of the exhaust when that flat six is cranked up to redline. Almost gives me chills.

If I had to change anything I'd wish for the seats to go back further. I'm 6'2" and to be perfectly comfortable I think I'd need another 1-2" of seat travel