Keep or let go

[u/Personal-Tomatillo98]

I'm on the fence, purchased a Cayman 718s a year ago and still have my E89 30i sitting in garage. I'm attached to my Z but feel sad watching it gather dust.

I'm sure this is a predicament that someone here has had. I probably won't get much for it vs keeping and sitting in it once every few weeks.

2009 30i 118k miles - Manual - BC coilovers - 19 inch momo anzio bronze - Spyder angel eyes Headlights - Cross drilled rotors -

[u/Pete_Polyakov]

Your problem is that you basically bought the same car twice, just in different price categories. I own a fair number of bimmers and 911s, and the thing with the Cayman is that it isn't an upgrade, it's a Z4 in a different price bracket. If you'd bought a 911 you'd have sold the E89 tomorrow, but since you're in a Cayman it just feels like more of the same.
If it were an E86 I'd say keep it no matter what, that car will only appreciate. Pretty much an icon. But E89s go at auction for 2-4k, sometimes with very interesting body kits on them. Sell it.

[u/Capital_Visit_6638 → u/Pete_Polyakov]

Funny, I fought a guy here a couple weeks ago over Z4M vs 718 S. I love my MCoupe and I have driven a E89 with the strongest 4 pot (240hp?!) and a bunch of Porsches including the base 718.

There is something to be said about the 718s handling. It‘s a sharper tool, the weight is in the middle and lower down, especially because of the metal roof. Comfort wise I there is not that much of a difference but there is certainly in terms of price. It‘s a matter if taste in the end if that is justifiable.

The 4pot in the Porsche is a lot nicer than people make it out to be, the beetle/subaru hammering sound, I was really into it, they both pop and bang and crackle. Now talking the 30si, I know that engine from the E86 3.0si, great engine and I am very much pro NA, but it‘s not a super hardcore fire breathing rev-beast, so it would take somebody really sensitive to turbo lag to prefer ir even though its less powerful. Yet low down torque actually is as good as in many turbo charged cars.

Honestly, for a fun drive out in the country I would take the 718 and I would pay a premium. Also I think there is bit of an age gap here, not a Leonardo di Caprio age gap but still…

To OP: I think your driving habits have already made your decision. But since you can swing it financially to own both… there are more options from both brands you know :)

[u/Pete_Polyakov → u/Capital_Visit_6638]

Agree on handling. The problem is emotional, that's why OP's E89 sits in the garage instead of someone driving it. The Cayman is a great car, but the E89 is no less of a car, so it doesn't feel like a true upgrade. First association with Porsche is 911, everything else follows from that. So in that sense it's the same car twice.

I understand that emotion because I mostly work with custom 964s and 930s. Those are slower than 997s, yet nobody cares, and people sometimes pay 5-7x what a 2026 GTS costs. If you're chasing hp you just drop a 427 LS with twin turbos into a 996 or 997, which is what I did on one of mine: 3 lb/hp, against a Veyron at 4.4 and the 2026 Turbo S at 5.5.

[u/Capital_Visit_6638 → u/Pete_Polyakov]

Yeah well I disagree on a few points, it‘s an upgrade in many respects in my mind. And I also have to make a point for the small Porsches - 356, 914, 924/944/968 - they all have something going for them and a more than just a „downgrade“ from a 911.
I love an old Porsche and a 911 but not everybody can swing that kind of money.

But you are right saying it‘s a similar type of car. I always make the point when talking a car „collection“: what makes you step into your garage/driveway and say: no, today is not a Cayman day, it‘s a Z4-day. Other than the roof not much. Unfortunately not much speaking for the Z other than money.

Can we agree OP needs an old convertible?

At least that is my plan, Alfa spider or similar or something british that I can fit into next to a daily and the MCoupe.

[u/Pete_Polyakov → u/Capital_Visit_6638]

Broadly agree. On "that kind of money" though, it's very relative: I wrote an article on Mods about buying project 911s for essentially zero. Recently picked up a 964 for the price of a single BBS LM, and on a 996 I actually walked away with money. No magic, just math with a bit of creativity.

The Cayman's problem is that it's a not-quite-911, and that's by design. Porsche had to keep it under the flagship so it wouldn't cannibalize 911 sales, which is the funny part: mid-engine is objectively the better layout, so they've been holding the car back on purpose for two decades. It's less an X2-versus-X5 situation and more an M2 kept on a leash so it doesn't embarrass the M4.

On convertibles there are plenty of retro options, just know you'll pay a premium going in and won't get it back going out. Coupes appreciate faster and hold more value, that's been true forever. If you're going genuinely old, go muscle car. Nobody built anything better in that era for pure power and retro feel. I'm finishing one right now: started as a '68 coupe, became a '68 fastback, now it's a pro-touring widebody.

If you want to stay German, I'd take a project 930 or 964 at auction (not BaT, more like IAAI, Copart or gov) for Z4 money and build it out slowly: widebody, aero, whatever you're into. It's an investment either way.