I think this is one reason early water-cooled 911's and early Boxsters and Caymans are so popular. They are currently among the most affordable ways to tap into the P-car experience and they are far less complex and much easier to maintain compared to current versions of those models.

 

Honestly, I'm a Cayman guy at this point. I think they look better, I like the lower weight, and the power to weight ratio seems much more usable and balanced to me.

 

 

Cayman's a great car and will only get better.

P car purists realize that the rear engine architecture has been maximized as far as performance is concerned and that mid engine with its lower polar moment and natural weight distribution is the future.

Porsche also realizes that the 911 following is loyal ( and wealthy) and has purposely slotted Cayman performance below the 911 although the mid engine platform can handle the power to be the top dog.

Don't know how long that will continue

 

I'd guess until 911 sales start to fall off.
otherwise rinse, wash and repeat.

 

The latest R&T had an article about a new racing 911 RSR that has moved the engine to the "mid" position. And you know what Porsche does with its racing technology... It's pretty easy to convince the faithful to accept the changes in street cars when the race cars are winning with it.

First Drive: Porsche 911 RSR

 

No doubt the Cayman is a better layout than any 911. You have to move well up the 911 price ladder to get a car that performs better than the latest generation Boxster/Cayman.. But if you are talking vintage 50s to 70s stiff. Caymans and Boxsters are not options. So I get the love for the old air cooled 911s.

 

A (997.2, 991.1) 911 is nice if you have little one that can fit in the back seats (under 10??) or just want that classic 911 look with modern technology and reliability. A Cayman S is a ton of fun and it's the best bang for the buck right now (very deep into the depreciation curve). Nice copy can be found for under $35K with higher mileage**. From my test driving of the Cayman S, I feel it handle better than the 911 only with a little less power. The Cayman S can handle corners faster than most, but not a huge amount of out-of-corner torque compare to the 911. To me, the 911 is on a different platform that challenged your driving skills. As your driving skills improve, the 911 will stepped up. I know I will never be good enough to reach the 911's capabilities.

Normal maintenance on the 911 isn't hard, there are many DIY's online to assist you with. If you are going to be hand on with a Porsche, I recommend that you invest in getting the durmaetric tool or an ICarsoft for Porsche. One of these will help with diagnosis, re-setting oil service etc. You also can sign up for PIWIS TSI, it on a subscription base, can be expensive.

**after market drop, there might be more P-car on the market.

 

 

There was a 2016 Porsche 911R on Jay Leno's last Garage episode. Only 1000 made - 500 hp, 6-speed manual, top speed 200 mph - $184,900.

They showed filming of a race car scene between two Porsches and the camera car was a Porsche, too. Pretty cool.