Base 370z vs Sports package Cayman out
 

I have narrowed my choice of a vehicle to a 370z. I have a couple of options. A base vehicle tax tags for a little bit under 29000.00 or a 370 with the sports package leather, for about 35000.00 out the door. Is the highly optioned vechicle worth the extra money. Is the slip/differential worth having. Both are 2010s. It appears dealers will slash 5000.00 off sticker. I even found 2 2009's 6000 to 7000 below sticker.

I looked at a 07 Cayman s. $43000.00 porsche certified 2year warranty. Too much money for a 3 year old car.

I personally decided to forego the sport package because I know that I will eventually be modifying most of the stuff the sports package comes with. However, if you plan on getting a better car out of the box, I would go with the Sport Package but the Touring package is a big improvement over the base interior. I got the touring because of the leather seats and Bose which makes the interior much nicer in my opinion.

I would spend the extra money on the interior especially, but you get a lot of parts for the money with the Sports Package as well.

^^ agreed, it comes down to what your plans are for the car. If you plan on changing wheels/brakes/diff (VLSD isn't great for track anyway) then the sport doesnt really make sense. Otherwise they are all nice upgrades over the base for the money. Also you mentioned it has leather so it's a sport + touring with heated leather seats and bose audio (which is actually decent, not upgrading mine), if those matter at all to you its something else to consider.

Get the most car you can afford... otherwise you will regret not having those options in the first place. The Touring with sport package is well worth the price tag and you do get a lot for the money. The upgraded wheels, brakes and LSD alone covers more than the $3k premium for the S/P. The touring interior adds a lot of comfort options that makes the everyday commute that much more enjoyable. It really depends a lot on what you want to modify later, like wheels, lsd, seats etc....

The Cayman is too much when you consider maintenance cost in my opinion and your stuck with an older car like you said.

Didn't the "older" Caymans have engine troubles, too?

Funny, when I bought my 370z, the car that I was benchmarking it against was the Cayman S. For the money, I think the Nissan is right there with the Porsche, with performance numbers that are a step above the base Cayman and just a smidge off of the S, plus you know it is going to be cheaper to maintain and service. Of course when you start talking about a used Cayman, the price advantage on the purchase gets narrower, but you still have the maintenance advantage. With all that said, I do keep my eyes open for used Caymans, and at some point when the price drops sufficiently, I think I may be swayed to go the mid engined route. The engine thing that someone referred to has to do with reworking the rear main seal/intermediated shaft issues with a redesign on the '09 and later cars (you also get direct injection on the S models). About the sport package, I think it is a no brainer...the cost of aftermarket forged 19" rims, tires and the enhanced brake package is way under what you'd be able to do aftermarket. I chose to live without the touring package though.

I agree with what everyone has said so far. I would never own a car without premium interior.

If you are going to create a uniquely modified Z then do not buy the sports package. I have no intention of changing out my differential or brakes, and the wheels are salable if I choose to unload them down the road. The sports package is a no brainer for my situation. Also the SRM, especially at high rpm's, is wonderful.

I have base plus sport. I love SRM, it is better than my heel toe ability for sure. I actually really like the base interior too. I bought my base + Sport for pretty cheap with 2700 miles on it. It would have cost me at least $7k more to get into a sport + touring which was not worth it to me. That said, if moneys not tight go with the touring interior.

I love the touring interior (including the HomeLink mirror), and am glad to have heated seat (I have them in my Mazda3 and had them in my RX-8). I wish I had heater mirrors, though.

I do wish I had a LSD also, but was not interested in the other sport package upgrades. Still, I'd say you are looking at some good deals out there!

The good thing about the Z is even if you don't get the Touring interior you still get very nice seats and you get the same steering wheel that you do with the Touring. The leather wrapped center stack also helps with making the interior feel a lot more upscale than it is.

The main advantages of the Touring package for me was the stereo, bluetooth, homelink, and heated seats... just those touches that made it a much nicer daily driver.

I went with the base because I plan on modding it at some point and the only thing I wanted from the touring is the leather seats so it just wasn't worth it to me. My Z is the first car i have ever owned with cloth seats but they are nice enough that I do not regret my decision

Yeah, it's not like they're el-cheapo mouse-fur cloth seats. They are nice sports seats. :tup:

Exactly

I went with base also. I always upgrade my stereo, wheels and for brakes, I was the guinea pig for the Wilwood BBK.

I am in Cal so I am not sure how big of an ROI other Cal get out of the heated seats. I would have preferred leather, but as other said, the cloth looks very very good.

I am also looking at the used Cayman market. I was just at the Porsche dealer last night even though not seriously buying. I guess I want to own a mid-engined car b4 I die :)

If you have not owned a Porsche, I believe you will Not regret purchasing a Z---best bang for your $$$. good luck with your search and decision. Buying a car is always exhilirating.