zoner3, Cocodrilo is right the curves of the Cayman S is mesmerizing and sexy. As I did say I loved it more than the 911 but the 911 is pretty much a mystique to me. Frankly speaking, it is not the prettiest but is is certainly the icon. Think about it, just like Rolex, everyone thinks about the DAYTONA in stainless steel and it is simply ICON. When you wear it, people are like wow that's a DAYTONA. However, I do feel that you should pick a car based on your needs and likings. I owned a few mobiles back then and they were all convertibles. My first car was an M3 convertible and the M3 to me was a sports car but it felt too much like a normal 3 series. My next car was a 2005 SLK 350. I fell in love with it at the debut as I loved the mini SLR look but I grew tired of it after 9 months or so because the back looked disproportonately short. Plus the 3.5 L engine at 272 HP was supposedly to propel the car in the 7G tronic from 0-100 km/hr in 5.7 s but after driving it around town, I feel that the number was grossly understated. Afterall, it was still a MERCEDES and it rode and drove like a sedan. It was comfy and quiet and more like a tamed GT. Then this year, I have decided to own my first Porsche and it has been an exhilirating experience. I am a convert and I know I can never go back to anything else. You can never go wrong with Porsche. The engine, the handling and everything are just done right and the cars are very well put together. If you want some open top fun, I would definitely opt for the boxster s if you don't mind the STIGMA (I am afraid sometimes I do feel the Jeremy Clarkson effect...). The 987s handles very well in its MR setup. Now the only reason I have started to regret my choice is due to the fact that I have come to the realization that there is just very little chance for me to use the soft top. HK's air is getting more and more polluted and this is just a ridicule and I wonder if I will open the top for more than 30 times during my next 5 years worth of ownership. That is the sole reason why I wish I had opted for the CAYMAN S because there really is very little reason to buy a convertible in the city. If owning the M3 doesn't give you the feeling of "fast" (it certainly feels quite normal to me the last time I owned it), I have a feeling that you are more the "need for speed" style. I agree with you that some time pulling up at the lights and doing a bit of a drag race alone or with another car under a controlled risk environment could be fun.

However, one thing I am glad is that I may just be like Charlie Pug. You know the 987s is not the prettiest. It is definitely not the fastest and I don't even know if I can call it "fast" because it is more a roadster and a fun car... it is not in my dictionary anywhere near fast. Yet it may just leave the best mark. Why? Because it is my first Porsche and in case I am lucky and make more money in another 5 years, the next carrera will not mean the same to me anymore because this 987s as a proportion of my savings is quite large. The reason I did not buy the base 997 was because I have decided to save a few bugs for emergency usage. I could have gotten it but then I would have no buffer. Nonetheless it is a dear part of me. However, I do agree with Cocodrilo that I only wish Porsche would put in a few more horses in the box and the cayman. I keep wondering why since both cars handle so well given its MR setup (they could both be considered mini versions of the carrera GT), Porsche would give it a 3.6 or 3.8 330 or 355 hp because they could both handle those engines and definitely maybe even outperform the 911 using the same engines due to balance. Sometimes, I hate the idea that for a moment I start thinking that those naysayers said Porsche had it all wrong up the butt since day 1 maybe right. The perfect car to me now is indeed a Cayman S with a Carrera S engine put in.

Now Porsche is rolling out the Cayman 2.7 and I think that it is really more an ingenious marketing plan to roll out another generation of Boxster sort of fever as the Cayman charms many people into become Porsche converts. Sometimes, if you are the "need for speed" style, you may ask yourself why (for my case, I paid 120K USD all in tax included) pay 120K for a car with the Porsche Badge (fine it handles well...) that could be outrun by the next BMW 330i which is worth half your car. That is sometimes the main question and my cousin felt the same. That was why he couldn't stand getting the base CAYMAN because to him it was not worth it.

Yes, if you don't mind pre-owned vehicle and can find a well-conditioned one, find a 2004 carrera S. Alternatively, bite the bullet, eat a few more mcdonald's or on this side of the earth RICE BOX and get the new carrera S next year.