What would you pay for this 987.2?

I checked out a 2010 987.2 cayman recently. I believe it is priced competitively, but I would love to hear some numbers for what the community thinks, and see if I am better off waiting, or jumping on this one. Details: minimally optioned 987.2 base, with 6MT needs new tires clean inspection report from Porsche dealer (not a true ppi though) ~90k miles current owner acquired the car in the past year, and has kept service records. No other records available. cosmetically imperfect. Handful of poorly repaired paint chips in the usual areas, and scratches in the interior. I don't really care about aesthetics personally, but I do care about resale, and don't want to overpay. The lack of service records makes me a bit concerned, but maybe those fears could be quelled by a legit PPI from a reputable shop? What pricing would be fair? Manual transmission base 987.2 cars seem to be pretty rare, and the condition makes me think I can get a good deal. I have intentionally left out the asking, as I want to see where people think the car should be.

You didn't state the model (Box/ Cayman ) or year. Also would be nice see what options it has. 17, 18 or 19" wheels. Maybe even color exterior & interior. Carfax would be useful to see if some maintenance was done by dealer or some independents as well l as accident reports.

I'd want to see the over rev reports and know whether it's had a clutch.

My bad, its a 2010 Cayman . Haven't pulled a car fax yet, wanted to get a feeler on price first. Not sure where the .2 cars really fall. Equipped with 19 in turbo style wheels. Grey exterior, black interior. No other options that I am aware of.

Previous owner doesn't know if the clutch has been done. I would get a rev report with a PPI. Lets assume its a clean rev report, and clutch hasn't been done.

I'm following mainly since I have a lightly optioned 2.9L 2010 Cayman with about 95 K miles and although I'm not interested in selling, I'd like an idea of what it's worth. The 19" wheels are a nice option and kinda rare for a lightly optioned Cayman base. Always get an over-rev report on a MT Porsche . And clutch wear is more a function of how it was driven and the skill of the driver. I'm still on the original and it's fine. So its replacement may not be necessary but might tell you something about how it's been driven. Have you seen or driven it?

Have you followed the market at all? Any sense of what you would list yours at if you were to sell? I actually don’t really like the turbo wheels, haha. Will probably sell them if I buy this car. have not seen or driven the car in person. It’s pretty far from me so if I go see it, it will be with the intention of bringing it home. So I want to negotiate price and get a ppi in advance.

All we sold was M/T for at least the first five years. The thing about M/T is that almost everyone thinks they're excellent with a clutch. The truth over those years was it varied from excellent to "hey that's not a sanding disc". That's the only reason I mentioned it, PO drive abilities are an unknown, clearly RSchwerer is great at it. PS At the end of the day only you will decide whether you got the car you wanted at a fair price, it's always a personal choice at buy time. If you're on the fence then my advise is be patient, we are just entering the season of many offerings, good luck! Look for comps and choices in the back of Panorama magazine or Excellence which has online listings too.

My 2009 2.9 base 6mt at 106k black on black cayman with auto climate, Cayman S 19" wheels along with recent Pilot sport all seasons, recent brembo rotors on all 4 corners, EBC red stuff pads, Numeric cables , 3m Tint, a rockford fosgate amp/ speaker combo and a sony apple carplay head unit with clean over rev report and lots of carfax maintenance records but only a few paper records I paid 22k last october. Very happy with that deal.

Wow! That seems like a pretty good deal. This one definitely doesn’t seem as clean. I am leaning towards passing on this one and being patient for a nicer one.

For reference, I bought my 2010 Boxster from Carvana for $24k in 2021, just before COVID pricing took over. 73k miles, manual, had a few hits in range 6 overrevs, but they were 800 hours before I got it, so a non-issue. It had a few other issues (broken driver mirror, broken right side passenger vent, oxidized headlights , minor issue with top, etc). Pioneer head unit on a Bose setup (but I found out afterwards it's not properly setup - they wired the Pio directly to the speakers, from what I can see so far). No major issues outside, but minor scratches and such as expected. Carvana fixed everything (they spent about $6k doing so) but I have been very happy with it. Caymans are usually a little higher, so @Ric_in_RVA certainly got a great deal... and I still love my deal as well. I agree, this vehicle sounds a bit rougher, but 987.2 are harder to find - particularly with a manual. But the price should be at-or-lower than either of our cars, IMO... sounds like it's not?

Not assessing the fair value here but I would be happy or jump on the deal now with 22K or so, assuming no accidents, no leaks, etc.....then budget to put in new tires , brakes, all fluids, etc. Otherwise, just wait it out and I am sure other opportunies will present itself. Don't think the market for 987 is going up...

This is helpful. I think this car is priced right. I just need to decide if I would rather have a clean 987.1 , or a rougher 987.2 ya know?

This makes sense. I think I’m looking for a 987 by the end of the year, but don’t need one today. This deal is good, but im hesitant.

@Ric_in_RVA got an insane deal! @OP: I was on the market for a 987 in late 2023. Based on my research then a 2010 base Cayman with <= 90K miles would be priced at $25K+ (not sure what they actually sold at: check BaT, Classic.com, Hagerty for price trends). At around $20K you’re in 987.1 Cayman territory. At around $30K you’re getting into 981 territory. So you’re looking at somewhere between $20-25K for this car realistically IMHO.

Alright, I’ll bring out some numbers and additional details now. I appreciate all the responses so far. the seller is asking $25k, I offered $21k, and they came back with $22k. The car is several hours from me, so I will not be able to see it in person before purchase, but I did a video call with the seller to look it over, and I found a good independent shop to do a ppi if we agreed on a number. I was conflicted about whether to buy at 22. I ended up standing firm at 21 and the seller and I couldn’t come to a deal. I think if I could see it in person, I would be more comfortable with it. But the combination of a worn interior, the poorly repaired paint chips, lack of service history, and the fact that I dislike the turbo wheels (and would therefore swap them asap), made it too much for me sight unseen. So, the search continues!

Pics? post it up if you are going to pass!

It was a private negotiation. Car isn’t listed publicly as far as I’m aware.

Can you split the delta at $21,500?

Honestly, if you're willing to walk over a $1K difference then you aren't in love with it. Maybe after 6 more months of searching you'll realize you should have went for it or maybe you'll find 'the right one' and you'll know it on the spot. Who knows. For reference I bought a 987.2 S MT with 135K mi for $22. Similarly bruised and used but overall in nice mechanical condition. So with that I would say the prices the two of you are talking about align with what I go. The differences I would attribute to regional markets.

$22k seems reasonable to me, particularly for a Cayman which usually carries a premium over the Boxsters. It's a bit rough per your original description, but not bad. Just be prepared to spend some money on some initial things - as I said, mine needed $6k of "official" work... you can get away with less, but just be aware you may need some for that. What are the tires like? Old? worn? You may want to get a little more of they are. Be sure to test everything before committing. Mirrors, buttons, switches, heat, AC, etc... that should be known for any used car.

Tires are worn. Might also be worn. Definitely need to be replaced.

I think the price is right, but not so good I can’t pass it up. The combination of not being able to see it in person, and an upcoming cross country move is making me hesitate.

My take, FWIW, is to wait until you’re really ready to go … the worst car purchase decisions I have made (and I have made a few) were when I fixated on a car, regardless of my circumstances, and forced it to happen anyway. Waiting until you’re settled and can devote the proper time, energy, money to the decision will make it enjoyable. Also if you force a buy on a car and it turns out to be a maintenance pig, you may grow to hate the car … again, just offering voice of “experience” … which is what you get when you don’t get what you want!

This makes sense. I started this thread hoping to hear “that’s a great deal, buy it now!” -or- “that car should be $19k, time to walk.” My wife and I together made the decision to walk, more because of the timing than the price. If anyone wants the contact info for this car, shoot me a pm and I’ll try to hook you up. It’s located in SW Ohio.

Sounds like you made a choice you're comfortable with. Good for you. Color is another question - I was looking for a long time for a silver or gray Cayman that checked all my needs but all I could find was black, white, & red. If you're flexible on color, it's not a big deal, but if you really want one of the rarer colors, you'll have a tougher time finding one. I ended up buying a 2009 2.9L 6MT Cayman in black with the sand interior. It did great on the PPI but needed new brakes & tires immediately. I paid ~$25K in Feb '22 (close to the height of COVID prices). It had 83K miles at the time, and I've been very happy with the purchase. FWIW, I think $22K was a very good price for the car you were looking at, but it's a very personal choice.

I love this. I wanted anything but silver. Guess what I ended up with.......

Just fyi. I paid 24k for my 2007 50000 miles. But I have put a clutch in it. A water pump. And replaced rear axil boots. So I have another 3 k in it. Also new tires . Think I had a fair price. But not a steel. Car runs a great. Blast to drive.

I think your decision was correct. I've often commented about how I evaluate cars to buy. After looking at them, studying up on them, then finally shopping for one - the real deciding factor is the car's karma. And what that means is - your subconscious will tell you if the car should be purchased or not. I wouldn't buy one I can't see in person - I did that twice, and never again - both were mistakes (and one I had a friend who I thought was a competent car guy go drive it - it still had issues that should have been obvious - like hail damage and a deer strike..) What I will usually do - test drive the vehicle, then size up the seller. I then try to clear my mind and squat down in front of the car and think if I want to buy it. The mind is a funny thing - it notices stuff you would never remember - and it can help you decide if this is THE car or not. If the car isn't yelling at you "buy me.. I'm good.." then - walk away, you won't regret it. Your seller is throwing up red flags all over the place. He has tires sitting in weeds next to a tree on his front lawn.. the car has horribly touched up paint and awful wheels. The interior is DIRTY. These are all messages to you - and in this case they aren't even subconscious.. the guy is a slob, chances are he's taken care of the car the way he takes care of his lawn and surroundings. That's not a good thing. A negative karma bell is ringing - just via the photos - it's saying "Run Away, Run Away.." When the price is too good to be true (and $22k for a 987.2 is) then there is a catch. You haven't had the chance to experience him and the car firsthand, but bet you'd have the same feeling if you did. So far - with about 40 cars under my belt (the list is linked off my sig) - Karma has batted 100% when I gave it a chance. It's only when I get stupid like buying without touching the car, or falling in love with the wrong car, or buying just because it's such a great deal - that I've gotten screwed. Case in point... My Boxster - I bought it when I was looking for a Cayman . I'd convinced myself I'd hate the Boxster due to noise and cowl shake/body flex - based on a rather beaten 986 I'd driven more than a decade prior, so I was looking for a Cayman . But I saw this guy mention he was thinking of selling his - on a Porsche forum - maybe here, and he was sorta local so I contacted him. I basically wanted more seat time in a 987... and I knew I wanted a .2 ... so I went and test-drove the car in Staten Island (part of NYC). Staten Island buys and plants the potholes that NJ grows for the boroughs of NYC. It also apparently is the garbage truck/vegetable produce delivery capital of the great state of New York (hard to tell them apart a lot of times.) The test drive wasn't great, no place to get to speed or try handling, but I came away surprised at how well the Boxster handled the awful pavement of Staten Island. No cowl shake, no creaking noises ( BMW M3 convertibles I owned were awful for this..) so I arranged a second test drive in NJ - on my turf where I knew some roads. My marketplace had just expanded to include ALL 987.2 's. The second test drive clinched it, plus the owner really impressed me - he was meticulous and had multiple covers for the car, including a bikini cover for the top he used whenever he parked it outside. He was a good guy on the web, offering intelligent advice when he could. He was the right guy to buy from, and easy to deal with. He gave a price, I came in $1,000 less, and we simply split it, both of us were happy. And the car has been amazingly great. Good karma - that car - doesn't have it. Wait for the one that does. Run away, run away!

Good karma - that car - doesn't have it. Wait for the one that does. Run away, run away! [/QUOTE] Don read my mind!!! I was looking for an S2000 AP1 or a 2004 WRX STI time-to-time over last few years without pulling the trigger But due to this Porsche karma, I ended up with a 987.1 2.7, one owner, 19 in wheels, a FL car with a hard top...all within a few days (from first seeing on a website, dealing over the phone / email, flying down 1300 miles to FL, then driving back). A long story short, your time / your car will come...I have no doubt