What's Your Preference - Cayman S or Corvette Grand Sport?

[The Comish]

Let's say for a minute that you are in the market for a nice retirement gift to yourself. You might work a little, but you wouldn't need the car to be a daily or winter driver. Optioned out appropriately (for me), they both cost a ridiculous $90K (CAD):

Porsche Cayman S

2.5L 4 cyl, 350 hp, 309 lb-ft torque, 0-60 mph in 4.4 sec

Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

6.2L V8, 460 hp, 465 lb-ft torque, 0-60 mph in 3.6 sec

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Obviously, the Corvette has that beast of an engine, but the Porsche is more refined and the mid-engine layout means better handling in the twisty sections.

[Wotan]

VW camper T1 for me. Takes you from A to B, runs slower but waaay longer than all the other cars mentioned AND with accomodation included you don't have to buy a house, either, stupid!

[Bass56]

Cayman S for me. Way more versatile for Canadian weather and roads (4-wheel drive in winter, packs a punch in the summer)

Ps: from what I read in another thread, you seem to be a car guy. A typical person will put the extra money towards something that has little or no depreciation. But you like what you like and you only live once so do what makes you happy if you can afford it!

Happy retirement Comish

[butch]

Cayman S for me. Way more versatile for Canadian weather and roads (4-wheel drive in winter, packs a punch in the summer)

Happy retirement Comish

if what you say is true about the caymans versatility in the winter months then its a no brainer

otoh , if you have 9ok laying around to buy a sports car of your dreams you might have 5o k to buy a loaded SUV for the winter months while storing the corvette until spring

[FinnishFlash]

Buy whichever one you think you have have the most fun driving.

I'm all about logical decisions (Tax Accountant lol) but this is your present to yourself for a lifetime of hard work. Get the one that will be the most fun and enjoy it!

and congrats on the retirement!

[2014olympicgold]

Vette. You don't spend 90k for a car that hasn't changed in looks in like 15yrs. Ya the numbers and such, but you don't spend 90k on something that doesn't look good. If you get the Porsche don't get new, look at a '03 vs a '18. The numbers aside (because the difference on the road legally driving between an '03 and a '18 won't be much) they look identical outside. If you start saying "oh but the inside has changed a whole lot" then why are you spending 90k on a Porsche? There's nicer interior cars out there for a lot less

You're spending 90k on the image to others because you'll have just as much fun in either.

Test drive them both and see which one is more comfortable with you, the larger front end of the Vette may not be what you like. Remember you're low as crap and a V8 in front of you, the front of the car looks like it's miles away, and parking, turning, and just general driving it may be too much.

Personally the new Vette's actually look like a high end sports car, the Porsche's just don't and the VW Beetle may be the cause of this with their new redesign. They look kinda Porsche like to me. Nothing but a Viper looks like a Vette and that's really just the long front end. Just whatever you do don't buy a 90k car and plan to drive it in the winter, that's just not nice to do that to your new baby.

[Pengwin7]

the Corvette has that beast of an engine, but the Porsche is more refined and the mid-engine layout means better handling in the twisty sections.

As a numbers/interpretation guy, I believe you have already decided - and simply want to enjoy the discussion to reinforce your choice.
Once you buy, post a picture though... and congrats to you on spending some money on yourself... something I, someday, hope to do as well.

[Call of Doughty]

Vette because it sounds like this. One of the best sounding engines anywhere. Listen to that beast purr......We have a car thread for this kind of material wink!

[The Guvnah]

Vette. Nothing else needs to be said.

[The Comish]

Cayman S for me. Way more versatile for Canadian weather and roads (4-wheel drive in winter, packs a punch in the summer)

Ps: from what I read in another thread, you seem to be a car guy. A typical person will put the extra money towards something that has little or no depreciation. But you like what you like and you only live once so do what makes you happy if you can afford it!

Happy retirement Comish

I know they make a big deal about driving Porsche's in the winter (not good old minus-40 Canada though, more like minus-10 Europe) and that would definitely be a consideration, but not THE reason.

Definitely been a car guy all my life...so much money down the tubes! lol I've enjoyed them all for the most part, depreciation and all.

I'm still likely a few years away from retiring though, just been thinking about this for a long time, trying to figure out if I can make this work. Thanks for your comments!

if what you say is true about the caymans versatility in the winter months then its a no brainer

otoh , if you have 9ok laying around to buy a sports car of your dreams you might have 5o k to buy a loaded SUV for the winter months while storing the corvette until spring

If I was able to do this, it would be barely, so another vehicle is unlikely. A girlfriend who was on par salary-wise with me would help with cost of living expenses and make this more likely to happen, but I'm somehow still single (LOL!).

[The Comish]

Buy whichever one you think you have have the most fun driving.

I'm all about logical decisions (Tax Accountant lol) but this is your present to yourself for a lifetime of hard work. Get the one that will be the most fun and enjoy it!

and congrats on the retirement!

Thanks Flash, best advice I've heard and I intend on following it!

As a numbers/interpretation guy, I believe you have already decided - and simply want to enjoy the discussion to reinforce your choice.
Once you buy, post a picture though... and congrats to you on spending some money on yourself... something I, someday, hope to do as well.

I am 100% hopelessly deadlocked (literally 50/50) in which car I would buy if I can figure out how to make it happen financially.

If I'm able to snag another deployment, ideally to Latvia, then I could definitely do this. Or even better, if I could scam another posting outside of Canada, then it might be possible. I keep imagining Germany...autobahn...oh man, I'm drooling at the thought. Sadly, I don't think a foreign posting is in my future, but maybe Latvia. Short term sacrifice for long term gain.

[The Comish]

Vette. You don't spend 90k for a car that hasn't changed in looks in like 15yrs. Ya the numbers and such, but you don't spend 90k on something that doesn't look good. If you get the Porsche don't get new, look at a '03 vs a '18. The numbers aside (because the difference on the road legally driving between an '03 and a '18 won't be much) they look identical outside. If you start saying "oh but the inside has changed a whole lot" then why are you spending 90k on a Porsche? There's nicer interior cars out there for a lot less

You're spending 90k on the image to others because you'll have just as much fun in either.

Test drive them both and see which one is more comfortable with you, the larger front end of the Vette may not be what you like. Remember you're low as crap and a V8 in front of you, the front of the car looks like it's miles away, and parking, turning, and just general driving it may be too much.

Personally the new Vette's actually look like a high end sports car, the Porsche's just don't and the VW Beetle may be the cause of this with their new redesign. They look kinda Porsche like to me. Nothing but a Viper looks like a Vette and that's really just the long front end. Just whatever you do don't buy a 90k car and plan to drive it in the winter, that's just not nice to do that to your new baby.

I wasn't really sold on the Vette's styling...until this newest body style. I like the cost of the Stingray, but the Grand Sport has styling that I want if I choose the Vette.

I agree about maybe getting an older Porsche, but I wouldn't go quite so old, a few years at most, partly because of the styling, but mostly because I would want the 6 cyl engine instead of the 4 cyl. I know the 4 banger has better numbers, both performance and mileage, but the sound of the 6 cyl is more important than a couple of tenths of a second or few extra mpg.

A test drive is definitely the way to go. A few winters ago, when I was considering buying a used Cayman, I was surprised at how "rough" (I say that as a good term, race car rough!) the engine sounded. I've owned a mid-engine car before (Toyota MR2 Turbo) and it was one of my favourite cars to drive because of the balanced handling.

Really appreciate the time you took to reply!

[The Comish]

Vette because it sounds like this. One of the best sounding engines anywhere. Listen to that beast purr......We have a car thread for this kind of material wink!

The music this engine produces is very high on my reasons for wanting this car. It's insane. I miss the V8 I had when I owned my Mustang. I do like how my BMW's Inline 6 sounds, especially when I take it up to 4000 rpm in second gear and then pin it. Shivers.

I am so nervous about the direction the auto industry is going with all the plans to phase out fossil fuel cars. I read an interesting article today on the rare metals that go into building those batteries about the kids who work in the mines and the toxic pollution in the areas of the mines. I also worry about where they are going to put all the dead batteries with their toxic chemicals when electric cars have replaced fossil fuel vehicles. It's not all sunshine and roses.

I like to say that electric cars have no heart.

I forgot about the car thread! Apparently, I have a short attention span! Thanks for posting that clip, I'll be hitting replay on that a few times and turning up the volume!

[The Bottlenecker]

I'm partial to the Vette as my uncle restored a Stingray (early 70's model I think) back in the late 70's and I remember him taking me for a drive in it (too young to drive it myself in the 70's, otherwise...). It was awesome, and the beast of an engine roared when we floored it on the highway. Such a cool memory...

I did get to drive his restored 1977 Pontiac Trans Am (like the one from "Smokey and the Bandit") in the early 90's when I was 19, and asked him to sell it to me, but my mother wouldn't hear tell of it. She explained that she could just imagine how that would end up (her exact words were "wrapped around a telephone pole"). Also, I was still a student at university and owed both my parents and the student loan agency for light from the moon, so as much as he would have liked to sell it to me, i really didn't have the cash that he was asking for. Maybe when I retire, I will find a 77 Trans Am of my own. Maybe not as snazzy as your two options, but it would mean so much...hmmmmm!

East bound and down, loaded up and truckin'
We gonna do what they say can't be done
We gotta long way to go, and a short time to get there
I'm eastbound, just watch ole Bandit run

image.jpeg

[The Comish]

I'm partial to the Vette as my uncle restored a Stingray (early 70's model I think) back in the late 70's and I remember him taking me for a drive in it (too young to drive it myself in the 70's, otherwise...). It was awesome, and the beast of an engine roared when we floored it on the highway. Such a cool memory...

I did get to drive his restored 1977 Pontiac Trans Am (like the one from "Smokey and the Bandit") in the early 90's when I was 19, and asked him to sell it to me, but my mother wouldn't hear tell of it. She explained that she could just imagine how that would end up (her exact words were "wrapped around a telephone pole"). Also, I was still a student at university and owed both my parents and the student loan agency for light from the moon, so as much as he would have liked to sell it to me, i really didn't have the cash that he was asking for. Maybe when I retire, I will find a 77 Trans Am of my own. Maybe not as snazzy as your two options, but it would mean so much...hmmmmm!

YES, love it!!!! Thanks for sharing Bottlenecker!