[Jim Trater]

Hello fellow Porsche fans.

I have been in love with the Cayman / Boxster line since I first visited the experience center in Atlanta a little over 2 years ago. These cars feel so right. I'm a big fan of the GT4 and Boxster Spyder, but even though prices seem to have softened a little, I think those are still too expensive for my budget.

With all of that in mind, I have been giving serious thought to selling my Mustang GT350 and ordering a Cayman. The engine and exhaust note of the Shelby are amazing, but I'm having a hard time getting over the weight (around 700 lbs) and size penalty relative to a Cayman. It's also difficult to fully enjoy the car when second gear is good for nearly 80 MPH, and the highest speed limit in my area is 70.

Am I crazy for wanting to sell the Shelby and order a base Cayman to my liking? I have driven the S model, but never the base Cayman and there aren't many around here to try. Is it worth the extra ~ $12K to upgrade? What is a reasonable discount for either of these models? This is a car that I would like to drive nearly every nice day from March - November.

I'm having a hard time not going overboard on the configurator. My ideal spec (at least as I write this) is about $72K before any discounts. I can get a base Cayman S for that kind of money, but it won't have a lot of the features that I am wanting.

- Base Cayman
- 6 speed manual
- 19" Boxster S wheels
- Black / Bordeaux red full leather interior
- Sports seats plus
- PASM
- Sport Chrono
- Sports Exhaust
- GT Sport Steering Wheel
- Light Design Package
- Extended Range Fuel Tank
- Sport pedals
- BOSE Audio system


I'd appreciate any thoughts - I really don't want to do anything I would regret later.

Jim

P.S. I don't think the 718 sounds bad and I am generally not a fan of fake (synthesized) exhaust sounds, but perhaps Porsche should offer a Sports Exhaust Plus for the 718 that plays a recorded exhaust note from the GT4. That seems like it would address the #1 complaint people seem to have with these cars.

 

[dpcompt]

Hello fellow Porsche fans.

I have been in love with the Cayman / Boxster line since I first visited the experience center in Atlanta a little over 2 years ago. These cars feel so right. I'm a big fan of the GT4 and Boxster Spyder, but even though prices seem to have softened a little, I think those are still too expensive for my budget.

With all of that in mind, I have been giving serious thought to selling my Mustang GT350 and ordering a Cayman. The engine and exhaust note of the Shelby are amazing, but I'm having a hard time getting over the weight (around 700 lbs) and size penalty relative to a Cayman. It's also difficult to fully enjoy the car when second gear is good for nearly 80 MPH, and the highest speed limit in my area is 70.

Am I crazy for wanting to sell the Shelby and order a base Cayman to my liking? I have driven the S model, but never the base Cayman and there aren't many around here to try. Is it worth the extra ~ $12K to upgrade? What is a reasonable discount for either of these models? This is a car that I would like to drive nearly every nice day from March - November.

I'm having a hard time not going overboard on the configurator. My ideal spec (at least as I write this) is about $72K before any discounts. I can get a base Cayman S for that kind of money, but it won't have a lot of the features that I am wanting.

- Base Cayman
- 6 speed manual
- 19" Boxster S wheels
- Black / Bordeaux red full leather interior
- Sports seats plus
- PASM
- Sport Chrono
- Sports Exhaust
- GT Sport Steering Wheel
- Light Design Package
- Extended Range Fuel Tank
- Sport pedals
- BOSE Audio system


I'd appreciate any thoughts - I really don't want to do anything I would regret later.

Jim

P.S. I don't think the 718 sounds bad and I am generally not a fan of fake (synthesized) exhaust sounds, but perhaps Porsche should offer a Sports Exhaust Plus for the 718 that plays a recorded exhaust note from the GT4. That seems like it would address the #1 complaint people seem to have with these cars.

Jim,
I bought my '17 CS out of inventory in June '17 and the dealer knocked $11,000 off the sticker. I would check out lots of dealers and see what they have in inventory. Across the country, sports car sales are very slow and the Cayman/Boxster is no exception. It could not be a better time to buy a new Porsche Cayman. Good Luck

 

[GregW]

The Shelby and the 718 offer two almost completely different driving and ownership experiences (IMO). I'm afraid it will have to be up to you which one appeals the most. Both have performance that will put you in licence-losing territory within seconds.

For my money the basic 718 offered all the power I could "reasonably" use. Is that the same as all the power I could want? Nope--but the other options I wanted were more important to me than the extra power of the S.

With warm weather and low rainfall here for about 10 months of the year the Boxster was an easy choice.

 

[Semitone]

I'm having a hard time not going overboard on the configurator.

Welcome to the world of Porsche....haha

 

[TEST DRyVer]

I love the GT350! Sometimes it's not about getting the better car, it's just about getting a different car to have some variety... The 718 is obviously very different than your GT350, but that's the point. I would easily recommend someone here looking for a change from a 718 that they've already owned and enjoyed to go out and buy a GT350, just like I'd recommend you to go out, try something different, and buy a 718. The S models are nice, but to me, I'd rather spec a base 718 the way I like, spend $2k on a tune, and you're near the power levels of an S model, yet have the 718 spec'd the way you like and can afford... The 718 will not disappoint you! The build quality and feel of the steering is FAR superior to the GT350. In the end, you would of owned 2 really cool and desirable cars...

 

[OldJedi]

Jim, I will try to make this short. I have had Corvettes since the mid seventies both old and new. In January 2017 I bought my wife a base 718 Boxster as her daily driver. I never thought that I would give up my Corvettes to buy my own Porsche. Over the course of the past year and half I kept looking for excuses to drive her car. I enjoyed driving her car so much that I ultimately made the decision to sell my 1967 Corvette Coupe and ordered a 2018 Cayman GTS. I owned the 67 for eighteen years and did a complete body off restoration on her. It did help that I sold it to my close friend that I knew would take great care of her. We picked up our GTS in Atlanta PEC on June 7th and crossed 1000 miles yesterday. I know what it is to give up car that you really like. The 718 Boxster or Cayman is a great car too. Best of luck.

 

[aeronca65tl]

I've been a wheel-to-wheel road racer for about 40 years and I know this is antithetical to say, but so far, (4200 miles) I have never felt my base Cayman 2.0 "needed more power" on the street.

The brakes, handling and overall balance of this car are also superior.

Of course, racers will always want more power on the track......that's very different.

I'm speaking about power appropriate for a car what will only be used for driving in real-world street use.

I paid about $55,600 for my '18 with one option (PDK) ordered late August.

 

[ZuffenHouseRules]

perhaps Porsche should offer a Sports Exhaust Plus for the 718 that plays a recorded exhaust note from the GT4.

Why not the baddest P-car of all, King of the 'Ring? Perhaps Porsche should offer an engine for the 718 that naturally sounds like the 919's 2.0 twin-bank quad-cam flatplane-crank turbo-four. Oh wait, they already do...

It's not the sound that needs to change -- but our perception of what apex motor-racing speed sounds like in 2018.

 

[dekilla]

It's not the sound that needs to change -- but our perception of what apex motor-racing speed sounds like in 2018.

Yes thats it!
I love the sound of my 2.0 Boxter. This is why i allways push the pedal to the metal. Maybe Porsche rides the change and the next gen 718 comes with the 2.0t hybrid option... Yieeha!

 

[GregW]

It's not the sound that needs to change -- but our perception of what apex motor-racing speed sounds like in 2018.

I notice that the regs for the next F1 season are at least partially designed to "improve" the sound.

 

[wriggly]

I was intent on selling my GT350 when I acquired my 18 Cayman GTS. The dealer that sold me the Shelby offered to buy it for 50k and I was happy with that and agreed to sell it to them. The morning of the day I was to deliver it to them I got cold feet after driving a few miles from home. I'm glad I kept it.
The Cayman GTS is slightly faster than the Shelby in a straight run.
The steering and handling is far better in the Cayman than the Shelby.
Where the Shelby's steering is a bit nervous and busy, the Cayman is superbly planted and smooth. They can take corners equally but the Shelby is more work. Plus the Shelby tends to tram line pretty badly at times on uneven or rough road surfaces. The Caymans steering is so precise it's actually uncanny, no tram lining in the Cayman at all. Overall, the handling in the Cayman is so much more refined.
Comfort levels (I'm 6'5" and 215 lbs) are just about equal, though the seats in the Cayman (18 way) take the edge. I find the Recaros just a tad constraining for my taste, but still comfortable.
The GTS is the hands down winner in the torque dept. No comparison. The Shelby is anemic till you get above 3500 rpm.
I tell folks that I wish my Shelby had a PDK and that the GTS sounded like the Shelby.
If I could only keep one, the Shelby would go. I consider myself fortunate to be able to own both and I'm having a blast taking turns driving them. The Porsche would make a far better daily or road trip car than the Shelby.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[porkey]

I was intent on selling my GT350 when I acquired my 18 Cayman GTS. The dealer that sold me the Shelby offered to buy it for 50k and I was happy with that and agreed to sell it to them. The morning of the day I was to deliver it to them I got cold feet after driving a few miles from home. I'm glad I kept it.
The Cayman GTS is slightly faster than the Shelby in a straight run.
The steering and handling is far better in the Cayman than the Shelby.
Where the Shelby's steering is a bit nervous and busy, the Cayman is superbly planted and smooth. They can take corners equally but the Shelby is more work. Plus the Shelby tends to tram line pretty badly at times on uneven or rough road surfaces. The Caymans steering is so precise it's actually uncanny, no tram lining in the Cayman at all. Overall, the handling in the Cayman is so much more refined.
Comfort levels (I'm 6'5" and 215 lbs) are just about equal, though the seats in the Cayman (18 way) take the edge. I find the Recaros just a tad constraining for my taste, but still comfortable.
The GTS is the hands down winner in the torque dept. No comparison. The Shelby is anemic till you get above 3500 rpm.
I tell folks that I wish my Shelby had a PDK and that the GTS sounded like the Shelby.
If I could only keep one, the Shelby would go. I consider myself fortunate to be able to own both and I'm having a blast taking turns driving them. The Porsche would make a far better daily or road trip car than the Shelby.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

...thoroughly enjoyed your objective comparison of the two and of course, agree with your conclusion!

 

[DocWalt]

I'm having the same internal discussion, debating selling my GT350 for a 718 base. 718 is just such a good car even if it doesn't sound anything near as good as the GT350.

 

[85Gold]

Sold a 981 CGTS to get a 16 GT350 at MSRP, thank you Ashboro Ford. After 2 years of American Muscle I just got a 718 CGTS and am selling the Shelby. The Shelby makes great sounds and goes like stink but it is big and heavy. The CGTS is light and nimble and makes OK sounds.

I have strayed from Porsche before but always return.

Peter

 

[Schredder]

I had a 2017 Shelby gt 350 that got wrecked 33k in damages. I sold it to a dealer and I could have gotten another one , but I decided to get the dream car I wanted originally. I started with an 80k budget , Ended up ordering a 2019 GTS with a bunch of options Total 106k ouch. The only thing I regret is doing it sooner. Should take delivery in Jan. Yes I thought the sound of the Shelby was intoxicating , but you said it. Where can you use all that speed 53mph in 1st. I heard a boxter gts at the dealership and placed my order. There will always be a better faster newer car. Make a choice and smile

 

[mbern]

I have owned both. The Shelby made me grin like a teenager. Tramlines badly so keep both hands on the wheel. Sounds ridiculous (good). Gets LOTS of attention. I now have a CPO 18 Cayman Base PDK. But consider I am 50-something and prefer an easier daily driver that is comfortable, quiet-ish, and fast enough...

If you buy either one, you will be happy. They are both spectacular for different reasons.

 

[wriggly]

Just an update on my Shelby.....I sold it a few weeks ago. After getting the GTS, I found myself gravitating to the Cayman more and the Shelby was collecting dust. Glad I got to experience owning one, but with the GTS, I don't miss it.