Porsche Cayman?Originally Posted by RevolverRob
Porsche Cayman?
Not really. I think the S2K is an amazing car, but compared to the availability, affordability, and driveability? The Miata is really the best car going.
Actually...if you want to drive something fun and get good at driving, stick with the Miata.
If you need headroom for a bun and only enough trunk space for your purse, stick with the Miata.
Most people can't drive a Miata at 10/10ths, let alone a ZL1 Camaro. If you can drive a ZL1 Camaro at 10/10ths, awesome, enjoy it. I raced V8 Mustangs for several years, won a few races, podium'ed more, and on shorter, tighter tracks, would regularly get lapped by properly setup Miatas and Porsches.
When I finally gave up the Mustang (I should say, when the Mustang's owner decided to sell it and I didn't have a race car anymore). I switched to drag racing Mopars, but when I finally got back to road racing, it was in smaller, lighter, cars with less power (Miatas, Mazda2s, B-Spec Honda Fits). And frankly? It was way more fun, very competitive, and generally a better drive. It's much easier to take those cars to the limit than a ZL1 Camaro.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE horsepower and speed. There is something carnal and intoxicating about slamming the skinny pedal down and turning the world into your personal version of a warpdrive. But if you're racing, to win, or if you're an okay driver who just wants to have fun...less power + less weight = More fun.
Try and see, but the new ones have "sling"-style hammock seats, that lower the drive another 2" or so and make it so even larger drivers sit below the windshield. If you don't find it comfortable, you certainly wouldn't find something like the Slingshot comfortable. You'd be better off with plan B for a sportscar - used Porsche 911.
Last edited by RevolverRob; 07-24-2017 at 07:24 PM.
To get a Cayman that is nearly as fast as a bone-stock 911...you have to spend bone-stock 911 money.
Race wise, they benefit from sharing the Boxster platform, but they drive better/different than Boxsters. As a result they need different tuning setups. Porsche Club of America introduced a Spec-Cayman class last year, that should help move it along. Maybe in ~5 years Porsche Cayman would be a good answer. Right now, if you want an entry-level Porsche, probably go Boxster.
Oh and the Caymans don't have backseats.
It's the Raptor option.
Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right.
Rob said it all. They're the cargo jorts of vehicles.
Think for yourself. Question authority.
I'm ok with that.
Actually who am I kidding. My talent runs out at 5/10s. Hell, if I'd wind my old E92 Dinan-tuned M3 past 6,000, it'd scare the hell out of me.
Driving the Ram 2500 with the Cummins I6 is a bit different experience.
Last edited by RJ; 07-24-2017 at 09:30 PM.
Taking the "Nope" train to FuckThatVille.
You can get much more of what you want with a kind word and a gun, than with a kind word alone.
If I was doing road courses then maybe. I fit in a Subaru better, though. For something I'm actually going to drive, I'll stick with my Camaro. I've tried other cars, but always circled back. My current one is a 2012 SS/RS with the 6.2L/6M. Pedders adjustable suspension, and otherwise stock. It's big enough to be comfortable and to carry luggage, has a usable back seat, and is incredibly composed. Need to pass a semi on a 2 lane with a short passing zone? Drop to 2nd, teleport in front of it. It's a fantastic handling car as well. Not as comfortable as my Ram...but honestly other than a TownCar I've yet to find anything that is.
I might eventually go back to another Corvette, I came fairly close this time, but for now I'm going to keep the back seat option.
I always tried to gauge my 10ths against the car I'm driving. But I know myself, 500 horsepower is basically the number where I run out of talent. A part of my thing is, unlike most pro sportscar/GT drivers, I never had much seat time in a shifter cart. I basically borrowed a ride in a Honda Civic Si for SCCA Solo, got hooked and started driving cones and then courses. By contrast a Civic Si on cones and even a road course is miles slower than the way things happen in a kart or even dirt-track racing. I drove friend's 500-horse American Iron X-prepped Camaro into a gravel trap at about 110 mph after missing a braking point by about a meter. I just flat lack the reflexes and experience to drive stuff that fast.I'm ok with that.
Actually who am I kidding. My talent runs out at 5/10s. Hell, if I'd wind my old E92 Dinan-tuned M3 past 6,000, it'd scare the hell out of me.
Driving the Ram 2500 with the Cummins I6 is a bit different experience.
My next ride is definitely a Porsche 911. I have my "Miata" in the form of the '63 Sunbeam Alpine. Which is rather quickly (to my surprise) coming along now and should be ready for SCCA Solo B-Prep Limited next season. But a buddy called last week to tell me he is ready to part with his cherry '74 911 2.7/5-speed car and offered me a killer friend price...
Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer
Dave Coleman, who's significantly responsible for Miataness at Mazda R&D in Irvine, is about 6'2", and says the new Miata fits him just fine. It doesn't quite fit me. He has personally owned several older Miatas, too.
I'm 6'4" and sold a '99 Miata last winter after having it for eight years, daily driving it much of that time. Suspension was dialed. Did quite a few track days with it. In SoCal, it was better than a therapist and much cheaper. In TX, it really didn't make enough sense to keep around. Sold it to someone who drove it back to Cali where it belongs. It was always just slightly too small, even after I did the "foamectomy."
The Miata is a remarkable case of the whole being better than the sum of its parts. The steering isn't great, the engine isn't great, the suspension has some oddities and doesn't respond to tuning in quite the same way most other cars do, the chassis is far more flexible than a coupe. The brakes aren't great, and ABS is waaay too rare an option. But through all that, it has no specific faults that hold it back, or keep the overall system from reaching its potential. It's a thoroughly well-balanced package. All the parts work in harmony, and it delivers what people want from it. It's ridiculously inexpensive to operate, even running it very hard. It's very reasonable to call it the Glock 19 of sports cars. I can recommend it.
I also had an '85 MR2 and spent a lot of time driving an MR2 Spider when they were new. The latter was set up to deliver the exact same handling numbers as an Elise, and still rode great. In both of them, I'd move the seat all the way back, then forward one notch to have it perfect. The Spider was quieter than the Miata, and had better steering and light years better brakes. You could drive it buttoned up and tidy, or hang the tail out and drift it for days in perfect control. Anyone who says mid-engine cars are inherently twitchy hasn't driven one that works well. The engine wasn't the bombproof cast iron lump that's in the Miata, but you can always get another one out of a Corolla if you need to. They want some oiling help if you track them a lot.
If I could find one in clean enough condition, I'd buy a 1998 M3 with a solid roof. A nearly perfect car, although it requires a lot of maintenance. Time is a real bitch, sometimes.
The Cayman is a good street car, but people who get serious about setting them up for the track end up spending more than the cost of a Miata just to make them reliable in that environment.
Don't do it. That's the worst 911. Hundreds of pounds heavier and significantly less powerful than a '73. But still costs just as much to operate as the good years. A stock '99 Miata will humiliate it. At least get a 3.0L if you're going to go post-'73, pre-964.
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 07-25-2017 at 12:12 AM.
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