Need help deciding buying a G37s or Porsche Cayman S

[rayner]

Hi Guys,

I'm having some real indecision trying to choose a car. The choice is between a new G37s or a slightly used Porsche Cayman S. Price will be around the same. I live near Buffalo where it snows and was planning to use the vehicle for as my primary all year vehicle. At first the heart felt strongly towards a Cayman S, but now the thoughts of having a practical car is sinking into mind. As well I'm concerned about having a primary vehicle only having 2 seats. Can use some advice from you guys. What would you do if you were me?

[370Z/28]

I just had to make the 2 seater/4 seater decision myself. I think you can see by my avatar the the devil on the right shoulder won.

The only person that can make that decision is you. A lot of it depends on what you use your car for. Luckily we do everything in my husband's vehicle so 99% of the time it is just me in my car anyway. In the 2 1/2 years I owned my G there were only 2 people in the backseat. It was just a waste of leather and weight.

Good luck on your decision. If you decide to go with a 4 seater...a G is HARD to beat. Great luxury and performance and quite a head turner.

P.S. what about your Porsche and a beater for the winter months?

[joe603]

Agree with former G girl...you have to decide if you want a 2 or 4 seater. I'd also look at the 370Zs. Now, living in snow might make the Porsche a tough sell...At least with the other 2, you can slap on some winter rims if needed.

[SVTCOBRA]

I vote for the G37X . Would be fun in dry/wet/snow!!!
But, yeah, I agree with ^^^ you have to decide 2 or 4 seats.

Do check out the 370Z like Joe suggested. New interior is nice!!
And cost of ownership has to be < than the Porch!!

[Kendahl]

The two are very different cars. You will have to consider all aspects of owning and driving each and pick the one that suits you better. It may come down to the one with fewer limitations.

Without considering the difference in seating capacity, I think the Cayman is more a sports car while the G37 is more a GT. After test driving both, I realized that the Cayman is more fun for a short time but will tire you out. The G37 is the car you want for a long day at the wheel. There is a big difference in interior noise levels. There is much more road and engine noise in the Cayman than in the G37.

If you don't plan to keep the car past the end of the warranty, reliability isn't very important and repair costs will be covered. After the warranty, I expect a Cayman to be at least twice as expensive as a G37 to maintain.

The G37 comes with a spare tire, even though it is a mini. The Cayman comes with a can of sealant and an air compressor which isn't enough if you rip a sidewall. This isn't important as long as you stay in areas with cell phone service and 24x7 towing. The Porsche salesman told me that most people just have the car towed to the dealership. I pissed him off by asking what he recommended for rural Montana or Wyoming (where we like to vacation) where there is no cell service, it is a long walk to the nearest ranch house and the nearest Porsche dealer is 500 miles away in Denver or Salt Lake.

There is more to practicality than interior size. A friend of mine, who was well over 6 feet and 200 pounds, did fine with a Mazda Miata as his sole transportation. My wife and I could fit enough into a first generation RX-7 for a week long vacation. If you rarely need to carry more than yourself and one passenger, you don't need four seats. With the front trunk and the area underneath the rear hatch, the Cayman has a surprising amount of storage space.

Most places measure annual snowfall in inches. From what I remember, Buffalo measures it in feet. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend either of these cars for a year round daily driver. For the winter, I would want a 4x4 with the highest possible ground clearance.

Both cars come with high performance summer tires that are worthless on ice and snow. You will need a set of winter tires. You can have a tire shop swap them every fall and spring, but that means risking damage to your rims twice a year. A better solution is a second set of wheels. However, that is expensive -- about $2k from TireRack.

Consider a winter beater for bad weather. If gas prices keep going up, 4x4 SUVs and pickups will be cheap. This happened three years ago, the last time gas got expensive.

If I were to buy another G37, and were willing to tolerate an automatic transmission, I would go with a G37X instead of just replacing my G37S. I think the extra traction provided by the all wheel drive makes the X model better to drive hard under all conditions. All wheel drive will work better in the winter, too.

[Amays U G37S]

A g37 is not practical either

Buy the porsche and don't look back

[EdSac]

I agree with Kendahl. I had a '98 Boxster for seven years. I had to spend several thousands of dollars per year fixing it. Very unreliable. It was the best sports car I've ever had (when it ran and wasn't in the shop).

Your Cayman will be better since it doesn't have the engine that blows up! The newer engine seems to be better so far.

I view my '09 G37S convertible as a 1000 pound heavier Boxster. The reliability has to be much better.

So, my decision was to go from a Boxster/Cayman to an Infiniti, essentially because of reliability. Since it is bigger, there are the advantages and disadvantages to that factor.

I voted with my money.

[370Z/28]

Ed...your G is BEAUTIFUL!!

[SVTCOBRA]

Ed, Nice G!!!
Wife wants one just like that! WHITE
If they make one with an X on the rear we might do the deal.

[EdSac]

Some more

[zozoka1212]

You have to stop posting pictures now. It makes me wanna buy a convertible now. Lol and I am not a coupe guy. Look at Beckie. She already had a second thought of her decision. Now she wants to trade her 370 for a convertible G as soon as she saw yours.

On the serious note to the OP. As others mentioned you should get the X. Awd in Buffalo will help a lot thru winter. Purely for that I would pick a G. But both cars are awesome and can't go wrong with either one of them. I am too practical when it comes to making decisions. That is the reason I have the sedan.

[370Z/28]

I want'em all!!!!!







(maybe that should have gone under the "wife from Hell" thread.

[zozoka1212]

Bahaha

True true

[kmckis1029]

+1

i vote G37x... (i might be bias lol)

all weather car, with a useable back seat and trunk space. fun to drive. reliable. Looks great too.