Porsche 987 (new shape boxster) or Cayman

roughan

Looking at either of the above
i have the old shape Boxster but it is a bit of a pain when it comes to security etc with the softop
looking at the Cayman ( boxster coupe)
whats the opinions on them

RobAMerc

supposed to be bloody great - they look good to, but I am a ragtop fan to be honest, particularly roadsters - so i would buy a boxster and a hardtop unless I was doing serious track day stuff.

Homer

Yeah I'm with you on the security issue.. Had the rear window (plastic) slashed last week on my boxster :mad:
It's luckily not leaking as they simply seemed to slash two seperate areas with a blade that is not all that noticeable sraight away and did not leave any holes but still infuriating..
Checking to see if I have free windscreen cover on my policy so I can get it sorted that way hopefully!

MarkN

We talking Cayman or Cayman S here?

If it's the former, I'd just stick with a Boxster.

If it's the S then it's worth it if you can find a mint one with the multi spoke S wheels, sat nav etc then you're talking a serious car fitted out properly.

They're pretty rare on our roads which makes them pretty special and they have a fair bit extra power too compared to the Boxster.

cashmni1

Cayman S no contest. Fab car and as just pointed out, rare as rocking horse sh1t here.:cool:

pburns

Didn't Top Gear blast the Cayman for being cynically engineered? That they left off a limited slip diff purely because otherwise it would be faster than a 911? That type of 'deliberately engineered inferiority' would p*** me off...

I'd go for the Boxster with hardtop. All the fun of the Cayman+wind in the hair enjoyment over the summer months.

MarkN

Jeremy Clarkson starts off by saying he hates most cars... E92 M3 is a perfect example. His last words were it was amazing.

I wouldn't take too much notice of him as much as I 'love' him and TG.

Biro

You could always buy the S and fit an LSD from a 911!

Rob987

Difficult choice. I have a 987S for about 7 months, with absolutely no regrets. Was seriously tempted by the Cayman S which is a real looker but in my view no better looking than the current Boxster. In power terms the difference is negligible between the two (2005 version has 280bhp vs 295bhp in Cayman S - they in fact now share the exact same 3.4l unit). Of course, security will always be an issue with them but a little common sense will go a long way. Again, I can only give you my view - your choice my friend!

unkel

Welcome to boards, Rob987

As for Boxster vs Cayman. Both are great cars, it depends mostly on the desire for an open top I suppose and the lesser security that goes with the ragtop.

The glacial depreciation on the original Boxster (now what, 11 years old?) says a lot to be honest. I'd expect a Cayman to keep its value equally well

ronnie3585

Have never driven a boxter but I drove a Cayman S in the UK recently. Had read that it was underpowered powered however the reality of driving one on public roads is that the 290 odd hp on tap is more than sufficient. Was really impressed overall with the Cayman. Initially wasnt sure about its rear end, but it grew on me after a while. The best part by far was the handling, crisp and responsive - great to open it up on some winding country roads.

The one I drove had been imported from the US. Even with the cost of transporting it across the pond, import duty and VAT a significant saving was made. A quick look at the sums and a similar or even greater saving could be made in this country given the price of the $.

If I had that kind of cash to had it would be the Cayman, no question. I my own opinion the boxter is a bit of a hairdressers car, although the 987 is a big improvement on it's predecessor. Boxters are pretty common these days. I can count on one hand the amount of Caymans I've seen on the road in this country. Still, if you offered me a 987 in the morning I wouldn't say no:D

Traumadoc

ronnie3585 wrote: »

The one I drove had been imported from the US. Even with the cost of transporting it across the pond, import duty and VAT a significant saving was made. A quick look at the sums and a similar or even greater saving could be made in this country given the price of the $.

Are you including VRT 33 %and VAT 21% and duty 10%, should come to about 50K?

ronnie3585

Traumadoc wrote: »

Are you including VRT 33 %and VAT 21% and duty 10%, should come to about 50K?

Yes. Some quick sums...

The US list price of a new Cayman S is $59,000.00. This works out at around €39,000.00. The Irish list price is €97,000.00.

The online VRT calculator calculates that VRT for the Cayman is €27,345.00.

VAT @ 21% on the cost of the car is €8,190.00, import duty @ 3.5% is €1,365.00.

Add these to the price of the car, €39,000.00, and the grand total is €75,900.00. Equating to a saving of €21,100.00.

Homer

Stupid question maybe.. But would a US cayman not be left hand drive??

astraboy

industria wrote: »

Stupid question maybe.. But would a US cayman not be left hand drive??

Ya it would be. Not sure if the US dealers could order a RHD one. I would'nt care, your saving the price of a another car basically, I'd put up with LHD.

--amadeus--

(deleted because I answered my own question - Dublin Porsche website list UK Porsche prices, how dumb is that?!)

Anyway you don't need to go to the US. UK list price is £43,500, convert that to euro and your looking at c. €58,000. Add the 27K VRT and you'll still save €11,500. And you can drive it home rather than paying for shipping.

Traumadoc

Could you not get a RHD Porsche from Germany for less? There are always ads in the back of the irish times for this , Plus the duty is 10% and vat is on the car the shipping costs and ( tax on a tax) on the duty from the US.

But importing a newcar from the UK/ Germany add 21%VAT.

Biro

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Yes. Some quick sums...

The US list price of a new Cayman S is $59,000.00. This works out at around €39,000.00. The Irish list price is €97,000.00.

The online VRT calculator calculates that VRT for the Cayman is €27,345.00.

VAT @ 21% on the cost of the car is €8,190.00, import duty @ 3.5% is €1,365.00.

Add these to the price of the car, €39,000.00, and the grand total is €75,900.00. Equating to a saving of €21,100.00.

Don't forget that VAT is calculated on the cost of the car as it sits outside your door, which is to say the cost of the car plus any shipping/handling costs associated with getting it here.

rebel.ranter

OP are you looking a new or 2nd hand Cayman? If 2nd hand the only route to go really at the moment in my opinion is through the UK import route. Better choice, better condition, better cared for. If 2nd hand over 1yr old or 6k kms then no VAT

Rob987

rebel.ranter wrote: »

OP are you looking a new or 2nd hand Cayman? If 2nd hand the only route to go really at the moment in my opinion is through the UK import route. Better choice, better condition, better cared for. If 2nd hand over 1yr old or 6k kms then no VAT

I agree. I bought mine in the UK last June. Only 8,900 miles on the clock and reputable dealer, who I had checked out independently. Car was hardly used, but I ended up saving over EUR25k on new list price taking into account spec I got. In fact, I saw one for sale in Belgard a few months ago (brand new 3.2S, not 3.4S) with almost identical spec for EUR98k. Check out www.pistonheads.co.uk in the classified section or www.topmarques.co.uk who have a decent selection.

Rob987

ps, only other point I'd make is that the Cayman will arguably hold its resale value a little better, due to fundamental lack of supply in Irish market. My take on the Cayman (and, for those owners here, no offence intended) is that it is priced too closely to the 911 to make it a genuine ownership proposition for many. At a glance, you could have a decent second hand 996 or even a low mileage 997 for not that much more.

unkel

Rob987 wrote: »

My take on the Cayman (and, for those owners here, no offence intended) is that it is priced too closely to the 911 to make it a genuine ownership proposition for many

I'd argue the complete opposite. With the Cayman S at €97k and the base 911 at €128 I'd wonder why I'd be paying the extra 30% to get a 911

ronnie3585

unkel wrote: »

I'd argue the complete opposite. With the Cayman S at €97k and the base 911 at €128 I'd wonder why I'd be paying the extra 30% to get a 911

Good point. Would think that a substantial amount of that 30% comes from the fact that a 911 is 'a 911'.

Rob987

Fair enough. That's an argument Clarkson & Co have made, i.e. that it smacks of a marketing ploy by Porsche. I'd agree you're not getting 30% more car in the 997. My only point is that I've seen Cayman S's on the market for €110k - you're getting uncomfortably close to 2nd hand 997 territory there IMHO.

unkel

Rob987 wrote: »

that it smacks of a marketing ploy by Porsche

I hate marketing ploys, but I'll be the first to admit that Porsche make excellent cars. Porsche can set selling prices at levels which genererate great margins (profits) for the company. All companies strive to maximise profits. This is the way our world works and without it, almost all of us would be worse off. Some car manufacturers (like Porsche and BMW) are better than others at this game of making profits...

E92

Don't forget that there was some sort of Limited Slip Diff(can't remember what exactly it was now) or something else that Porsche don't fit to the Cayman because if they did bit would be a faster car than the 911.

unkel

E92 wrote: »

Don't forget that there was some sort of Limited Slip Diff(can't remember what exactly it was now) or something else that Porsche don't fit to the Cayman

You're right. No LSD on the Cayman. Can be fitted aftermarket though