"Many of you knew that I drove a 99’ Boxster for almost 10 years. She found a good home in Kentucky. But I was bit by the new car bug back in December of 2008 so on Friday June 26th I took delivery of a new 2009 Cayman S after more than 6 months of wait. The 2009 Cayman is known as a Gen II Cayman. While the cars may look a lot like a Gen I 987 vehicle but there is a lot new.
Significant changes include a new design 3.4 L boxer engine rated at 320 HP, 273 lb ft torque. This engine has no intermediate shaft which is supposed to eliminate the RMS problem of earlier design. Another new feature is DFI ( Direct Fuel Injection) which not only accounts for much of the HP boost but also provided big improvement in gas mileage with City of 19 and Highway of 26 MPG (not on my first tank-full for sure). Another benefit of the new engine is a big improvement in CO2 reduction.
Other new item this year is a Limited Slip Differential (LSD) which handles rear wheel spin during aggressive drive and when on the track. This year Porsche also redesigned the optional Porsche Sport Exhaust PSE and it sounds great at all throttle settings.
Beside the LSD and PSE options I also added PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management), Short Shifter, BiXenon headlights with dynamic cornering, and the Sport Chrono Package.
To round of the list of useful options includes power seat package, self dim mirrors and rain sensor, wheel crests, automatic climate control, full leather package, (Carrera Red natural leather with deviated black carpet), parking assist system, universal audio interface, painted rear center console, thicker steering wheel leather, and a rear luggage partition. The exterior is Arctic Silver.
There are many other changes on the exterior but if you are interested there are a lot of Caymans at Porsche of Naples and Suncoast Porsche. Both dealers are willing to negotiate if you are so inclined but keep in mind that the 2010 models are going up 2 or 3 percent and even the shipping cost is also going up. Porsche was offering 2.9 % loan interest rate on some deals but that is going up soon.
The Cayman S is not inexpensive when you start adding up the options but if you were comparing a equally equipped 911 Carrera S you are looking at a $30Kcost delta.
Once I have the Cayman S broken in I will do some track events and I will write up a report on how the car handles on the track. I can tell you already that this car is no slouch with a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds and a top end of 172 MPH.
In case your are wondering why not a PDK. I am very impressed with the PDK and if I were doing a lot of track events or have to drive though lots of traffic I would go with the PDK. Stirring the gears make you pay attention whereas the PDK does it all for you and never misses a shift. Both transmissions are great so it boils down to preference and if you are willing to spend $3,400 for the PDK over the six speed."
