Exige vs Cayman S

Exige vs Cayman S

  • Total voters
    90
Exige. I couldn't stand owning a car that simply fills a slot in a model range. There is no way either, that I could stand the constant "you can't afford a 911" nonsense from everyone else.

And the Cayman S is heavy and lumbering, compared to an Exige. To hell with it being more practical. All I want from a sportscar is it to be as light and focused as possible.
 
The Exige is something I'd buy as a second car, something fun for the weekend.

I'd take the Cayman no contest.. The Cayman is a very pretty car, even if it is just made to fit in between the Boxster and the 911 :p

Neither are bad driving cars, and whilst I might be annoyed that I could've had a faster car when I feel like doing some spirited driving, I'd more often be annoyed by the lack of a rearview mirror.. :b

The Exige if it was a second car (And I'd still take the Cayman over an Exige+a 1000$ DD), but the Cayman for anything else.
 
The Exige is something I'd buy as a second car, something fun for the weekend.

I'd take the Cayman no contest.. The Cayman is a very pretty car, even if it is just made to fit in between the Boxster and the 911 :p

Neither are bad driving cars, and whilst I might be annoyed that I could've had a faster car when I feel like doing some spirited driving, I'd more often be annoyed by the lack of a rearview mirror.. :b

The Exige if it was a second car (And I'd still take the Cayman over an Exige+a 1000$ DD), but the Cayman for anything else.
 
I'd rather take a Boxster, but given the choices, I would pick the Cayman. The Cayman feels like a car that's just not necessary to have around due to the 911, and the looks - particularly the rear wheel arches - have taken me a lot of time to get used to. But with more luggage space and a more comfortable ride (I'm sure) and a look that's not so pompous as the Exige, picking up my sister from the airport or driving my friend down the bumpy, non-flat, pothole-littered streets of Los Angeles, it'll have to be the Cayman.
 
If it has to be a DD, then I choose the Cayman. Hands down. As awesome as the Exige is, it's much too hard to be daily driven. If it were between the Elise and the Cayman, I might pick the Elise though.
 
everyone keeps saying that the cayman is a slot car - a marketing ploy. And I agree to an extent, it was dulled down to not challenge the 911.

But it handles better and is more communicative than the 911! the car just felt tighter to drive! though I have only driven the 996 Carrera.. the only issue is the power in comparison to the 911. But its not that far off of it.. And to me its plenty. Anyways the 911 does feel like a more complete package, but the cayman for the money, is for me, much better.

All the people telling me its a slotted car would do me in though.. blah blah blah.. it would suck to explain it to them every time..
 
justvisiting said:
But it handles better and is more communicative than the 911! the car just felt tighter to drive! though I have only driven the 996 Carrera.. the only issue is the power in comparison to the 911. But its not that far off of it.. And to me its plenty. Anyways the 911 does feel like a more complete package, but the cayman for the money, is for me, much better.
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The 996 had an overboosted steering rack. The 996 GT3 used the better rack from the 993s, and this is a big part of why the 996 GT3 has such better driving feel than the other 996s. A more fair comparison would be the 997 vs. the Cayman, as the cars are of similar age.

Don't get me wrong - the Cayman is a great car. It's heavier and larger than I'd like for my personal use - the MX-5 is about as heavy and big as I like.
 
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Every time I get in a Cayman I feel like it should have a better interior than it actually does. For a car that costs nearly twice what my A3 does, that just isn't acceptable to me. That's why I voted for the Exige.... at least it doesn't have any pretentions of being a luxury daily driver.
 
I voted Exige... I know the Cayman is better in almost every aspect, but I just can't stand the looks of the Cayman and Porsche drivers are cocks. I know its a stereotype but i've met a few Porsche drivers here, and they were indeed cocks. At least the newer model Porsches... older classics aren't as bad.
 
Nugget said:
You think the Cayman does?
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Porsche does, and I'm inclined to agree with them. Any Porsche salesman will recommend a Cayman to you as a daily driver, and certainly there are lots of people who are using it as such. And as with all Porsches, you can deeply customize the interior with alcantara, aluminium, stainless steel, leathers, carbon fibre, etc.etc.etc., to almost OCD levels of specifity, but only if you're willing to pay quite a lot extra.
 
Cayman S PDK (64k USD)

Top speed: 170 MPH/275 KPH
0-100 KPH: 4.6 sec
0-160 KPH: 10.7 sec
Quarter mile in 12.9 sec

315 HP/273 Lb-Ft 3.5 liter Flat 6
3025 lbs
229 HP/tonne


Exige S 240 (65k USD)

Top speed: 158 MPH/255 KPH
0-100 KPH: 3.8 sec
0-160 KPH: 9.6 sec
Quarter mile in 12.7 sec

237 HP/170 Lb-Ft 1.8 liter I4
2077 lbs
250 hp/tonne


It's much faster on paper but the Cayman WITHOUT the PDK is 15 seconds faster on the Nurbrugring... yes I know it's a terrible yardstick, but it's the only track I could find with both cars' times on it. In looking at both cars' times across a lot of tracks it's fairly plain to see that on an "average" circuit the Porsche will keep up with the Lotus no problem (thinking like Brands Hatch or Laguna Seca). The Lotus will kill on small tracks like the Streets of Willow and the Porsche will destroy it on big Grand Prix sized tracks like Silverstone.
 
For a dd, the Exige is too hardcore. I voted for the Cayman.
 
Cayman. Exige is more of a track toy than anything else.
The Porsche can do everything you want it to
 
So, in conclusion, people pick the Exige because Porsche's are driven by cocks, and the Cayman is a car made to slot in between the Boxster and the 911..

Those aren't the most solid arguments, no? :b

I know we're petrolheads, and the word "Practicality" is something close to a deathsin, but as a DD you need a complete package. At least I do. The Exige just isn't. The Cayman might not be either, but it comes a damn sight closer.
 
warren said:
Porsche does, and I'm inclined to agree with them. Any Porsche salesman will recommend a Cayman to you as a daily driver
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I was objecting to the adjective "luxury," not the notion that a Cayman can be used as a daily driver. The expectation that a Porsche interior ought to be caked in leather and luxury fitment is, imho, expecting the wrong thing from the marque. I wouldn't call Porsche cars "luxury" in that context at all.

You're correct that you can add tens of thousands of dollars of interior geegaws if that's what you aspire to, but it's not really what the cars are built for. It's silly to dock the Cayman points because the interior doesn't feel like a cushy sedan inside.
 
warren said:
Any Porsche salesman will recommend a Cayman to you as a daily driver,
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No shit.

In other news any MetLife salesman will recommend life insurance to you.
 
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