Twisted

Let's not even think of the S for a second. What is everyones thoughts on the Cayman?

Personally i've seen some comparisons to a 350 and i can understand BUT i don't know about the rest of the world (except maybe the UK) but here a Porsche Cayman is in the league of a 55 AMG price wise and when it comes down to it i'd rather take the 55 AMG. And the Cayman S is much more.

Some porsche's are great vehicles but those are only the high end ones...

So what do you all think of the cayman? In comparison to say the 350? And how much is it in comparison where you're living.

FishtailnZ

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It's not a convertible, so for me personally, it wouldn't make the list at all. No doubt it's a great car, but not directly comparable to the SLK, again IMO.

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Like many fine sports car, I appreciate them all. Just not me and I wouldn't consider buying one.

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--------SLK 55 ///AMG---------
THE MON55TER ON THE BLOCK

Ikarus

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Why do you want to compare those two? I'd say the Boxster (a bit cheaper in the US) or Boxster S (a bit more pricey here) are the proper alternatives. Those two seem reasonably priced in comparison to the 350. The Cayman isn't. It's essentially a Boxster minus the convertible feature, but costs more.

Regarding the Boxster... a fine alternative - handles better than the SLK, outruns it too (the Boxster outruns the SLK280/300, the Boxster S outruns the 350 and can even hang with the 55 AMG on a race track), but in terms of creature comfort, it's way behind the SLK.

alroumi

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I would personally save up for a Carrera S if I was going to get a Cayman, the porsche always have tempted me with the classic 40 year evolutionary look.

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DansSlk

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Ah the Gayman, a car for those who don't want a Coxster but can't afford a 911.

It's like driving around with a sign saying my life is not going quite as well as i hoped it would.

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Ikarus

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That's just the kind of thinking that earned the 911 the label of being the prototypical midlife crisis car. I can't see what's wrong with preferring that car of the two that doesn't have the engine in the wrongest of all places.

Cold Shot

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Almost bought the Cayman S before the SLK. Had a bad experience with the dealer (as I told the SoCal crew recently at our meet). So I decided to chill out and think of other options.

Went to the MB dealer the next day. A black 55 was being prepped for delivery to another customer. One look and the wife and I both went..."oh yeah!!"

Other turnoffs I had for the Cayman S:

-Too little leg room. The SLK has a few extra inches.
-Even though not a convertible, there was also no sun roof option.
-2/10's of a secong slower 0-60 than the SLK, and that's manu numbers. Since we know we can turn a 4.3, the SLK wins on straight line acceleration.
-Too many customization options. All there to drive a $60K car up to over $80K+.
-6 months to get what I wanted if I ordered custom. (I was not thrilled with the 12 or so on the lot).

Long story short: VERY GLAD WE BOUGHT THE BETTER VEHICLE.

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2007 Black/Black SLK55 AMG (Green Filters, SmartTop V1, Eurolight Clear Side Markers, R170 Modded Antenna)
2007 Pewter/Black ML350
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cyberdrakon

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I almost got a Cayman S, but the torque numbers on the SLK 55 really made the difference for me.

BTW, the Cayman S is every bit better than the 911 except for lacking 4wd, factory racing support, and being a 2+2 (if you count that as a plus).

For me, i didn't really consider the convertible as a plus for the SLK, i would have rather had hard top completely. As a matter of fact, i might have gone with an M-Z4 coupe if it was available when i got my car.

Furthermore, the ridiculous markup on all the porsche options really turned me off. Base vs Base though, the Cayman is much cheaper than an SLK 55 AMG in the US.

DansSlk

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That's exactly what the 911 is, i work in dealer that sells them and the people who buy them fit the stereotype perfectly.

The only respectable one's cost Ferrari money so they don't sell obviously, even with the Ferrari's stereotypes it comes off better than the P car.

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cyberdrakon

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Really Dan, besides the stereotypes, what makes a 911 better than a Cayman S? Both RWD, both have a hardtop, both are overpriced, both have a fancy badge. The interiors are almost identical, the front looks about the same.

Heck, the 911 looks like a toad and has the engine in the wrong place, the only thing it has over the Caymans is HP and Torque, which could be alleviated with a turbo or supercharger given the price difference between the 2 models.

Heck, isn't an SLK also saying "It's like driving around with a sign saying my life is not going quite as well as i hoped it would." since it costs less, and has less power but fills the same function in the same marque?

DansSlk

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I don't remember saying the 911 was a better car than the Cayman (not saying it's worse either) but for exactly the reason's you have listed it's a baby-911, it looks that way for a reason and so does the Boxster with both of them trying to capitalize on the success of the older brother.

What am i comparing the SLK to? I can't see it as padding for another model, what exactly is it filling in for?

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cyberdrakon

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Here you imply the 911 as the aspirational model for the Cayman Drivers, analogous to saying the SL is the aspiration model for the SLK drivers. Though it is frequently true in both cases, many drivers of both 'lower tiered' vehicles chose what they have because they like it better, not because of the cost. I'm sure you know this, i'm just pointing out the logic i'm using.

Ikarus

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Hmmm... I guess toads have worked on their outer appearance, since last time I saw one.

DansSlk

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I guess i just don't see the correlation between the big heavy cruiser SL and the lighter (by comparison) more nimble SLK, can't even say they look that much alike except perhaps for the rear.

With the P car i can't understand what the Cayman does that distinguishes itself from the 911 or Boxster enough to warrant a position other than filler, if that makes sense?

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dltslk

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I agree with this, the SL weighs 1,000 lbs more then the SLK while the Cayman and 911 weigh nearly the same ~3200 lbs IIRC.

cyberdrakon

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that angle looks better, but it's still got the look...the raised round headlights looks like eyes, the raised slotted back looks like one of those ridged toads, the rear fenders looks like the hind legs of a toad curled below it....

cyberdrakon

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Clearly Mercedes considers the SLK and SL to be similar enough that they don't let the models share engines (besides the 350) to keep the respective price tiers separated.

The Cayman is categorically a coupe version of the Boxster, not really a seperate line.

The Cayman is a pure 2 seater, costs roughly $20,000 less, and is much nimbler than the 911.
The SLK is a pure 2 seater, costs roughly $20,000 less, and is much nimbler than the SL.
See the analogy?

DansSlk

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I'm not sure i do sorry mate, the differences between the SLK and SL are huge even if you take money completely out of the equation the car's are still really different (just look at the weight as quoted), i can think of many things one model can do better than the other but i can't see the same thing with the Porsche.

The line's are very fuzzy, my personal views are that if you just want a nice Porsche you buy a Boxster and if you want a full fat Porsche you buy the 911, 2 model lines that give you loads of choice when it comes to the spec so what does the Cayman do that justifies its existence over the Boxster but below the 911?

Fair enough it may be a hardtop Boxster but at least in the UK it's not being marketed as such, if they came out and said here is the Cayman its a Boxster with a hardtop thats one thing but to try and elevate it above the Boxster just puts it into the padding department.

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