its the economy. get ready for the second big wave next summer people....

Lol, buy a silver G20 :roflpuke2:. My own Dad parked 1 cary away and never even noticed it was my car. I lose it in parking-lots at times. It is the most non-distinct car I have ever owne.

+1, with an unemployment rate still deep in the 9's, a lot of people are forgoing cars like these.


High MSRP's are scaring people off. The cars are going for 10-12% under MSRP.
Also, same as I stated above.
Another thing is the C7. I think a few people are waiting at this point.

I thought they were darn near the same based on every comparo I have seen. Do you have other data/experiences with them?

They are essentially identical in performance. The advantage the Cayman has is a slightly more compliant suspension which would tend to make it easier to drive, although not necessarily faster.

I have a friend who is planning to make the leap from a C6 Corvette to the Cayman R. That car will be interesting, a good 400 pounds lighter than the Z with the same power. A very nice track toy indeed. Not for me though, I like cars I can work on myself, the Porsche's are a PITA in that regard.

I think a car is more than the sum of its monetary value. For example, you could get 2 Corvettes (C5) for the price of one 370Z.

However, you couldn't drive both of them, could you? Obviously you like the Z more than the C5, so that's what you got.

Value is a personal thing.

Only if money is an issue. Most who buy highend cars, its not. In the vette forum I was surprised how many paid cash for their 60K car. The Dollar for dollar game is played by those who have to buy according to their income and want to justify thier choice of car. Im sure if you had a million dollars you wouldnt be in a Z. Right now the new stang beats the Z in dollar for dollar too for the price range and performance most of us here have to go by.

The 'vette is marketed toward a demographic that makes well over 6-figures a year. Hell, the average WS6/SS F-body customer made around 70K a year from what I recall. Those were 90's dollars, too, lol.

A lot of those guys are older, and have bought/sold many 'vettes previously. The younger ones are usually military and ratholed their money instead of burning it on bitches and booze. Or really dedicated guys like me who live small and put 1/3 of their gross income into a savings account until we scrape up 20% down or so and get the bank to take us on.

This is true. The vette forum is kinda boring and alot of them old guys dont beleive in modding the car or going over the speed limit. Why buy a 430 hp/427tq car and not use it? Some get the Z06 and never use the power. Alot have paid cash for thier cars too. Most are retired military officers who can be stuck up. My dad was an officer and of course with 21 yrs in the army Ive seen some stuck up officers, and some good ones too. But I think most got the vette as a status quo thing. Not me I wanted the power.

when (billionaire) tom cruise appeared in top gear, jeremy clarkson asked him what car he drove. cruise said he drove mostly motorcycles and flew airplanes. i guess a car is too slow for him :)

To go back to your questions you have the following options that I can't think about it:

1- CarMax (already mentioned)
2- Search KKB, Edmunds and NADA
3- Get the car apprasial from other dealers
4- Sell the car private

Other than that if you can wait, then wait for a good deal. You will ALWAYS lose more money on trade-in.

Eh, what section are you hanging out in? TONS! of modded 'vettes in the Z06 section. I see cam/E85 conversions claiming 600+whp all the time, etc. Lots of FI, on and on. Way more modding happening there than the "Should I get a Nismo cat-back and does it need a tune?" going on here.

From what I've heard the Cayman is underpowered and pretty dull to drive around the track. If you want a porsche, then get a porsche, but know that it will not be as fun or as fast and servicing will cost a whole lot more. I've looked at them, but in the end then only reason I could see for getting one is the fact that it is a porsche.

Now, with PDK...thats a different story. Its a great transmission and it would be a lot of fun. Still...I don't know if its worth it in my opinion.

And um...since when is Tom Cruise a Billionaire? I highly doubt that...

For reference, I took my 2009 370z base/sport package with 10k miles to Carmax last month and they offered me $23k.

Do you have the Rays?

yes, the car is all stock.

Yea the general section seems to be where the non modders hang and the tech for the modders.

Interesting - the slow sales seem even more widespread that I thought. Is the government padding the durable goods reports every month? :rolleyes:

With this in mind, I say go for it!
I had the opportunity to purchase a gently used Cayman from a friend, but thought twice about it when my wife reminded me how much the upkeep on her Mercedes is.
Sure, the Z and the Cayman might perform equally, but so do a Timex and a Rolex when it comes to telling the time. Why would people buy one over the other? The Cayman looks tits and it says Porsche on it. If buying a Cayman makes you feel good and it's not a financially wreckless decision, then do it! I'll be here watching while being just a little jealous.

Nah!

1. I do not think the Cayman looks tits.
2. Some people buy Porsche for reasons and not because it says "Porsche"; unless you have owned AND driven one, it is somewhat hard to relate.

Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I would love looking at a Cayman in my driveway because I do think it's a gorgeous car.

As for point 2., I was trying to be brief with my response. Sure, there are plenty of esoteric, intangible reasons to purchase one comparable item over another aside from name cache... I was going with an obvious analogy.
While I've never owned a Porsche, I've had plenty of opportunities to log seat time at SCCA and PCA events, so I think I get it.

Cool and very well said; thank you.

I would love a 993S in my driveway or an 89 Speedster ---- they just command high $$ for their year.

A little bit off topic what kind of sways do you have?

mine are black.

man you guys are still having this discussion???

Stillen.

From the porsche owners I have talked to, it's also about the experience. Go service your nissan, then go service your porsche. Two ENTIRELY different dealership experiences based on what I have seen/been told by people who did both. Owning a Porsche is like showing up with a Black Centurian. Everyone makes sure you get the BEST they have to offer. Owning a Z, is, well, it's a nissan. The coffee is to the left, and I think there are some old magazines for you in the corner. Be a few hours.

^This is true, BUT...

You'll pay $800 to service your Porsche while you'll pay $200 to service your Nissan. Money buys luxury, both in the car and out.

And I've been there with my Audis before. It's still just a shitty cup of coffee while you wait (labeled with Starbucks instead of Folgers). I just liked looking at S5s and R8s while I waited rather than Muranos and Maximas.

yah but when you take your G20 to infiniti they tell you to wait outside...

:tup:

I laughed at this comparison but you're right. I don't know if it's the small aftermarket that's available to us, junk economy or a combination of things but the "mod culture" is a little different for the 370. It would be cool to see more nasty 370s on the forums and I hope with time more will be built. I see great potential with the VVL :tup:

For the OP thinking about the Cayman... wouldn't get it. I think it's one of those cars you would be happy with for 6 months and then regret the purchase. I would get into a used C6 ZO6, Viper or even a GTR for the price range of that car.

I took my wife's Mercedes to the dealer for a service and it was indeed a posh experience that is on par with flying First Class and having a pass to the Admiral's Club.
The difference here is that I have to pay for the Mercedes service and my job pays for the travel that garners me the miles for upgrades and perks. :tiphat:

haha. this reminds me of the time i visited the corvette forum. a corvette owner complained about the price the dealer had charged him for an oil change. another guy chimed in. "i am a porsche owner," he said, "and every time i say hello to my mechanic, he would charge me $200" :)

I have been in the same spot, got a Maxima, its an 09, but Ive been shopping other cars since about 6 months into owning it...not that the Maxima isn't a great car, it really is...but if you don't buy what you want you will always go back on it and it always costs money!

If you get a Cayman S go for a Gen 2 with the new DFI engine. The PDK transmission is an amazing piece of engineering. If you go for the PDK be sure the car has Sport Chrono. I had one in my '09' S and the car was a ball on the track.

I can't remember if it was Car and Driver or Road and Track that did the comparison of the cars at VIR. If you haven't read it it is a worthwhile read. The Cayman S and the Carrera S, both with PDK, turned the same lap times. But the really interesting thing was how close the 370Z was to the Porsches. It's something to think about.

Also, if you can find a lightly used 2010 car optioned the way you want it's possible to end up with a longer warranty. A Porsche CPO will give you 6 years/100,000 miles. You may also want to shop out of state. I just traded my Cayman S for a Carrera S. I couldn't touch the deal I got in Chicago with either of my local dealers.

Good luck with your decision.

Correct. Porsche is marketed to people who make 150K a year.

That is why the Cayman R was only a passing fancy for me. It would be nice. It would be pretty. However, every time I saw a Z06 drop the hammer, I would think "Damn. I drive a high 12-second car. This is boring. Been here, done this."

..and don't pay a mortgage, have kids, save for college and invest for retirement, take vacations or have other vehicles as daily drivers. Let's not forget taxes.
If $150K was all that, I would have bought something more expensive than my Z, like a Porsche... or a new Z08 :rofl2:

Actually, when I took it to Chevy, they paid for a cab to drive me the 13 miles home so I could get some sleep that day--and pick me back up. Two new tires: $176. Cab-ride for 26 miles? Free for me. Impressed!

It all depends on what you are doing in life and how you manage your money, not what you make. I simply quoted the last number I remember Forbes spouting regarding the topic. If I made $150K a year, I would probably end up in a GT2 or something. Like you say, though, I have no other bills to speak of.

not bad!

at my inf dealer they give me a loaner making sure it's something nicer so that it's more like a test drive than a loaner... they want me to take interest. pretty smart idea, but hasn't worked on me. :icon17:

it's been a very long while since the last time i took my car in for service... i think my G35C was the last one in to get it's first free oil change 6+ yrs ago. :D

if you made $150k you would buy a $250k car. :icon18:

Nah, I wouldn't buy a car that was very much more at all than I gross in a year. I think that's a bit over-spending, but some people might disagree.

As to the GT2, I would have NO problem with a lightly used 997. That would come in at around 150, give/take.