Question of the Day: Boxster or Cayman?
With new models of each car being announced this morning by Porsche, our early conversations revolved around the specific merits and downsides of the Boxster and the Cayman. With power, pricing, and performance all within fighting distance of each other, which Porsche would you rather park in your garage? Cayman or Boxster, you make the call, in comments.Â
Comments
cjevans_48
Cayman for sure!
JohnD
Cayman here also.
Mindstorm9
Definitely Cayman.
jasas1
Boxster - top down - If you don't have time for track days where can you really explore the limits of a Cayman? At least in the cabrio I can enjoy driving slowly as is dictated by traffic on today's highways.
Anonymous
wait...What?
Anonymous
if you're in a porsche, you definitely dont drive under the speed limit.
Mark in Maine
Boxster - gotta go with top down - can't beat that 'World's Biggest Sunroof . . .
TheStig
Cayman for sure
Eliot R.
Boxster and it's not even close. Cayman looks like a demented toad in comparison. If the Cayman drove so much better, then sure I'd try to overlook that roof but it doesn't.
Anonymous
BOXTER BOXTER BOXTER!!! Why would you not want to have top-down fun!?
(Please do not get technical with rigidity and drag)
Top Down = FUN!
Chris Paukert
Boxster. I've browbeat our readers enough about my love of all things convertible, but beyond that, I believe that short of a track (or a handful of truly great winding roads which are sadly hundreds away from WR's Ann Arbor offices), the Cayman's extra rigidity would largely go unnoticed.
Lastly, I think the Box' looks better, and I have real trouble with Porsche's pricing strategy (the less complex, less costly Cayman has historically commanded a higher sticker price).Â
Chris Paukert
Editor-In-Chief
Winding Road Magazine // NextAutosÂ
VII
Since when should a hardtop cost more than a drop?...I mean, that's just plain stupid. (and I can say that because I'm not an editor for this magazine, and thus am not messing up connects on test drives! lol)
Oh and I can't even remember one Porsche driving more than ten over the limit in all my life spent in Porsche saturated Miami. I really think if you're thinking about spending the extra money on a Cayman, you might as well save up and get a proper Carrera (and most down here do exactly that). The only reason people have 911 turbos down here is because they cost a bunch and everyone knows they cost a bunch...so thus...there's an ass load of them.
-_-
~TheDarkWind
bruce armstrong
neither if you're over 6'2"
Andrew
TRUE!!! It absolutely sucks being 6'5"... well at least when it comes to fitting in cars
ScottEOD
The Cayman, no question about it.  I won't get technical. First, most all ragtops look like crap when the top is up. The boxster is no exception. The Cayman looks great all the time. Second, most people live in the real world and would have the top up most of the time.  Why? Avoiding snow, rain, sleet, hail, cold, heat, noise, the smell of vehicle exhaust, sewer gas and road tar, dust and skin cancer are just my short list of real-world miseries.  Third, the Cayman is for the realistic buyer that do not have an back up car. The boxters are for the wanna be models that need to be seen above all reason, those suffering a mid-life crisis, for those too young to know better and who are buying the car with someone else's (Daddy?) money.  OK that was weak. Moving on. Fourth, Ever wonder why this hardtop cost more than the convertible. Sounds backwards but it is addressing realism in the marketplace. Hardtops are more desirable especially when you are in the entry level premium sports car business.  The sales numbers have already voted for us. Of the 5,519 vehicles recently sold (see Marketwatch.com) that were either Caymans or Boxsters, 3,048 of them were Caymans. 55.2% in the Cayman's favor. Last year sales numbers were even more in favor of the Cayman. 62.6% Even in a slump the more expensive hardtop outsells. And to think... the Cayman base price is $3.600 more than the Boxster. There must be something to this. Lastly, Ever see the wanna-be Cayman owner with the really, really, really ugly hardtop bolted on to their Boxster. Sad... just plain sad. Disclaimer: I would love either one of these vehicles but the question required me to choose just one.Â
Harvey
I've owned two Boxsters ('99 & '00 S) but I think I would prefer the Cayman this time around. I like the styling better and would not miss the top down feeling.
dmdz9
I have driven behind countless numbers of high performance sports cars in my well prepared '90 RX7 and dusted them off because they are driven by those who could afford them, not those who could drive them. To those drivers, they are just two-seaters. If you have driven the major hi ways you rarely see any sports cars because most of them are owned not by enthusiasts but by Sunday drivers going for a stroll.
I'll take either the coup or soft top, but if you think that sports carring is only flat out performance all the time, you won;t be doing it for long. There is nothing like a good, twisty, tree lined back road in the spring or fall with the top down going at a good rate of speed that is controllable in case a dog runs into the street or car enters from a hidden driveway. Judging from most of the responses, actual sports carring is only a theory among many of the readers.
Rod Panhard
I've had the pleasure of driving a Cayman S. It was also frustrating. Why? Because the darned thing has so much capability that you can't really appreciate what it can do while driving on the street. And since that's where at least 99.999999 percent of the miles would be on it, then what's the point? You might as well be driving a larger coupe or sedan that's a tad more comfortable for longer trips.
Or you could go in the opposite direction and get a sporting coupe that's got less capability, i.e., loses a bit of traction when you want to, and enjoy that.
So if it was up to me, I'd probably get a used Boxster and use the extra money for a floggable project car.
VII
Very well stated.
~TheDarkWind
Anonymous
So petition government to relax speeding rules, not stiffen them by adding speed cameras! Vote people vote!
son-in-law
BOXSTER. The Cayman is ugly. The Cayman feels smaller than the Boxster inside. I'm not a proffesional race car driver so the differance in handling is not a factor. The pleasure of top down driving out weighs any advantage the Cayman has in handling. I've had 911's and a Boxster. The Cayman is over priced. Porsche will drop the Cayman from it's offerings long before the Boxster goes away.
who cares
At anything over 50mph, a convertible loses any charm. Same fo r30 minute trip, under 50 degrees or over 85.
Ducati Minor
Boxster. The Cayman is more graceful with the roofline and a more efficient form, but I need an open-top.
Uragan
A Boxter is a fashion statement, nothing less, so if you are a chick or a wannabe, the Boxter is for you.
You don't buy a sports car because you are planning to drive it like crazy or because you want to explore the upper limits of its capabilities, you buy it because you appreciate superb engineering and the possibilities it offers. It is like a dream on wheels.
Whining about not being able to drive it irresponsibly all the times completely misses the point. Do you buy expensive sneakers because you want to run a marathon? Do you get a fine watch because you are exploring the deep seas? No, you get those because you want the best, you are a dreamer and you don't believe that everything must be practical and there is no room for crazy dreams. I'd rather go Cayman, or better yet, 911.
But if you insist on having the wind blowing and the sun shining on you, if you want your loved ones shaking their heads on disbelief, if you want your children to tell to their friends "Wow, the old man is really showing his age" and if you don't mind a couple thieves here and there having access to your stuff, feel free to find a nice early 80's Suzuki Samurai or better yet, a skateboard.
son in law
I imagine people who haven't had the pleasure of owning a Boxster don't have a F... clue what they are talking about. I have, along with 2 911's. Both unique to own and drive and I can't really pick between those 2 models but IMO the Cayman is useless.
I live in NW AR where the roads and countryside look like Bavaria. I drive the S... out of my sports cars and I'm 53 years old. I bought my first 911 23 years ago and I didn't have grey hair then. I actually had hair come to think of it. Idiots who judge a book by its cover are doomed to a very limited life experience.
I can also tell you that a Boxster at 100 mph with the top down, widows up, heater and seat heat on is a very comfortable place to be even in the dead of winter. If you don't know what you're talking about you might think twice before you sound like a prejudiced, short sighted, judgmental, dimwit.
ogedei
"but IMO the Cayman is useless."
Sounds like you need to take your own advice and "think twice before you sound like a prejudiced, short sighted, judgmental, dimwit." Actually, maybe you should think thrice (that means 3 times), as it appears you are out of practice.
Enjoy what you drive, and drive what you enjoy!
Anonymous
The question was asked in your article about which Porche would you rather have in your garage? the Boxer or the Cayman? My answer is the CAYMAN S because it has a new design for the new generations of young buyers, it's faster and sexy and most of all it's different. it looks like a baby 911 ready for road training. it temps other comptetion to get their act together or get left behind. i do not own one at this time, but I plan to own the best cayman s produce in 2009. I am 47 years old, a father of 4 girls & 1 son, I'm a Lt. Federal Agent for the US Immigration Enforcemet & Customs Enforcement, and also I am a Pastor. When I first saw the Cayman S, the world around me stop, and I said to my self, they did it again. the Cayman is a show stoper, Eye candy for all the young and older males who like a car with special designed with care. thanks again Porche
Anonymous
How about rather than all of this talk about which is better, buy the one you like and let the other guy drive what he likes. Who cares about your opinion?
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