I have seriously been considering selling my 2012 JCW and going with a 2009 to 2010 Cayman S. I have driven a MINI since 2005 and lately on the streets I am less entertained than I have been in the past for some reason.

I think some of it has to do with the sound of a 4 cylinder vs a 6 cylinder. I really enjoy the sound of my BMW 330i (6sp with a magnaflow exhaust) as well as the 87 Porsche 911.

A LOT of it may also have to do with RWD being so much fun compared to FWD. I found how limiting FWD cars are when accelerating hard.

One reason I am delaying a purchase is because the MINI is extremely fun on the autocross course and a Cayman would be more expensive on tires.

Any body else have a Cayman S want to share their experiences?

 

u also lost the uniqueness on the street

 

I got to drive a Cayman S thay we had here at the dealership I work at. At first its great. Head turner and good exhaust note. But at the end of the week I was very happy to be back in my MINI. Maybe its because it wasn't my Cayman. I found it to get a little boring after day 3. There was a limited amount of road around here that you could really let it rev up. Thats another thing. I love torque. I like to have it early. And the Cayman S did not deliver the torque feel early enough for me to get that feeling at lower speeds. I had to really pound the thing to get the same torque rush I could achieve at relatively lower speeds in my MINI.

If I had access to a high speed track, perhaps the story would be different. Maybe if I autox the thing it would be different. I know from a daily driver stand point it wasn't all that fun in comparison. Like I said, It wasn't mine & I only drove it for a week. But thats my experience with the gorgeous car.

It was very nice to go back to the MINI and get the quick little rushes with out destroying speeds law

 

I had my wife's approval to buy a Cayman (former 911 owner) and ended up buying a base Mini. There's a saying floating around the car forums that seems appropriate: "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than to drive a fast car slow".

 

Put a mechanical LSD in and solve your FWD traction issue :-)

 

I'm an ex-911 guy too, most of my 911 buds have moved to the Cayman S. ,they all claim it's a lot more fun as a daily drive and I agree after driving a few. Personally I would buy one over a M3, but it is a totally different feel with the mid vs the front engine to me. Comparing the Cayman S to a JCW is difficult, its just a totally different animals and both are probably the best at what they do. I think the mini is more fun under 50 and will do hat tricks, but the Porsche really comes alive keeping the revs up and is amazing at 50+ speeds in the twisties.

I would try getting a little more seat time to figure out what flips our switch the most based on where and how you drive.

 

Have to laugh, I went from a Cayman S (2006) To my JCW Clubman... also picked up a sweet barely used S2000. It's a nice combination.

The Cayman was a great car, rock solid, precise and very quick.

 

What about a BMW 1M?

 

My plans are to rag my 2010 JCW and in 3-4 years, buy a 2014 Cayman S. To me, that is the perfect vehicle and there are few (if any) cars that compare. I would agree that the 1M would be a very comparable vehicle to the Mini Cooper (with RWD)