Please Help Decide My First Porsche

Hi all, greetings from Jakarta-Indonesia Been lurking here for a month and finally decided to post my first question before I take the plunge. I always wanted a 911, but after reading so many awesome reviews about the Cayman R, I actually decided to "settle" with a very low mileage (1500 miles) 2011 white Cayman R with optional AC and Bose fitted. It is being offered for $90.000 (yes it is that expensive here). However, my wife reminded me about the 2 seater Cayman vs. 4 seater 911 with my 3 years old son being so obsessed with all about cars just like me. I wouldn't be able to take my son for a ride on a 2 seater Cayman R, so here I am in the middle of so many dilemma once again. Then I got offered two more alternatives: - a bone stock 2009 Carrera S in black on black with 4000 miles on odo with PASM, PDK, Chrono for $120.000 authorized dealer delivery with service history so I can buy extended warranty and able to service my car with an authorized dealer. I am leaning towards this one mainly due to the fact that this one is a local car only 30 min away from my home. - 2011 Carrera S in white on beige with 3000 miles on odo with PASM, PDK, Chrono and fitted with Akrapovic exhaust and lobster fork turbo wheels for $140.000. Paralel/grey import car that no authorized dealer will touch. However, my buddy owns an indy garage and he specialized in Porsche, so general servicing is not such a big concern unless perhaps if I need to reprogram something to enable activation feature such as multifunction steering wheel and whatnot which I believe only authorized dealer can do. The 2011 is perhaps a better value than the 2009 because of the expensive wheel and exhaust already fitted, but I am hesitant due to the fact that the wheels is lobster fork wheel which I hate and will change to HRE anyway, both are already 987.2 with virtually no difference that I am aware of, having to pay $20.000 more for 2 years younger but identical car and the 2011 is so far away from me on another main island that I have to fly for 4 hours just to inspect the car and have the car trucked and loaded on a freighter ship for a week if I buy it, the wait alone will kill me slowly. Please to all the seniors here to give me some guidance to make a justifiable decision. I am so clouded by my testosterone right now and I don't think I can make a sane decision without help from a fellow Porsche guy. This will be my first Porsche as I have always been a vintage American muscle guy before and finally decided to have something finer in my life as I age. I also honestly still consider the Cayman R with it being so much cheaper and it is a special limited production car, but with the release of Cayman GTS and soon Cayman GT4 I don't know if Cayman R will still be considered special in a year from now. Please help me, this thing really consumed me, I am sure you guys know the feeling. Thanks in advance!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"I always wanted a 911, but after reading so many awesome reviews about the Cayman R, I actually decided to "settle" with a very low mileage (1500 miles) 2011 white Cayman R with optional AC and Bose fitted." I think you have already ruled out the Cayman R. Don't "settle" for a car, especially one you can't take both your wife and son with you. Family first.

Don't pass up on the chance to take your 3 year old along in the back seat of a 911. Once he gets older, and no longer fits, you still have the option to trade to a Cayman, and have had the 911 ownership experience behind you. And if you live in an urban area, why not consider a base 911? Still plenty fast, and shave off some price difference from the Cayman. ( I would also scrap the PDK, but if you are often in heavy traffic, PDK might be for you.)

I'm not one to give anyone recommendations on child safety, so take this with a grain of salt, but driving with my 3 year old next to me is one of my favorite things about my Cayman, and it's arguable whether he would be much safer in the rear of a 911. I actually went from a 911 to a Cayman. The 911 wasn't very comfortable when all 3 of us (me, wife, child) were riding in it, anyways, so we rarely all rode in it together. 98% of the time, it was only one or two of us riding in my 911. Granted, we're a tall-ish family, so that may make a difference. In terms of settling, I coincidentally just wrote something in another thread that may or may not have some bearing on your situation: http://www.planet-9.com/981-chat/115946-down-sickness.html#post1016675

If a 911 was a car that you always wanted, chances are your attitude will not change if you buy something other than a 911. I have owned many 911s over the decades and they are fantastic cars but I always purchased new. Many people have purchased used 911s with great success, but it can get extremely expensive if you have a problem. Before you consider a 997 I'd suggest that you read through this thread. It's long but very instructive: 997 carrera S problem - ******** Discussion Forums In 2013 I bought my first non 911, a 2013 981S. It cost me about $30K less than a comparably equipped 991. I've had this car for nearly three years and have no regrets, but I've owned many 911s. So I knew that it was unlikely that I would have buyers remorse.

Avoid any Pcar with a beige dash ... terrible reflections off the windshield on sunny days, bad enough to obscure vision.

I test drove a Cayman with a Luxor Beige interior on a sunny day specifically because I have seen this same comment many times in this forum. The reflection from the dash was insignificant. This business about terrible reflections is an old wive's tale.

hello neighbour, selamat pagi pak.... the R is a great car but if having your family along is key - your choice is already made. rims and exhaust are relatively easy to change but yes, it can cost a lot especially with the exchange rates now. if you don't plan to mod the car then this is less important but if you have particular preferences, then it may not be worth paying extra for it. go for the R if you normally drive the curves on your own or if you want to go for track events or autocross events. take your time to shop - be patient -you can also look at slightly older 997 models (tiptronic vs. pdk) but either way get your friend to inspect it thoroughly first. btw lobsters rock! :banana: edit: btw don't worry about beige dashboards - there is some reflection but you'll get used to it (you learn to see "past" it). drive it first in sunny weather if not sure.

Get the Cayman, take the boy, leave the wife at home--just kidding! Money is always the problem, can't buy one of each, sigh.

Both are 997.2 w/o the IMS issue, I would save the $2K and get 2009, there are no differences from the 2011 models plus it's closer to you. I take both my boys in my 911 and they love it.

^^^^ Agree. Had the beige dash in my 06 Cayman. I have experienced far worse reflection in a rental car with a black dash. Reflectivity of material is more important than dash color. And polarizing sun glasses remove all reflections if you happen to wear them anyway.

I drove my 2014 Cayman 2.7L for two years with Luxor Beige interior. I ordered my 2016 Cayman 2.7L with the Luxor Beige. I live in southern Florida.......for what it is worth I do not have any significant issue with the beige dash. I had an 08CS and a Cayman R both with black interiors and did not find them appreciably better. Just an opinion from someone who has had the ability to drive with both.

WOW, such a huge feedback from fellow 9ers!!! I feel welcomed already! Thanks folks, really helped me to settle myself. Ok I am crossing out the Cayman R from my list, you guys are totally right, family first. Looking for used 911 is really tough here, I am actually lucky to have two options to pick from right now. Negotiating with the salesman for the black 2009 one, we are haggling over $1000 difference now, let's see who win. If he don't budge I will pass it up and get the white 2011 one for $20.000 extra. Thanks folks!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The deal has been struck!!! Picking the car up on January 4th, down payment paid with the refundable condition upon inspection in person. The best Christmas present ever!!! Wouldn't happen without the blessing from my lovely wife!!! I LOVE YOU WIFE!!!! Please take a look below, what do you guys think? Looking neat eh? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congratulations!

Congratulations! I think you made the right choice. I see so few kids today who care about cars. I really like that you're feeding your son's interest. Over Christmas, my 4 nephews and 1 niece walked by my BS and didn't even look. I thought, "What's wrong with you people? How can you walk by such a work of art and not even notice?!" All they want to do is sit on a couch and watch sports. Not one has asked to drive it or even have me take them for a ride. Hopefully, your son will be a Porsche owner some day. P.S. I've been to Indonesia three times (twice through Jakarta and once through Bali - but all times to dive), and we are booked for trip 4. I don't recall seeing any P cars. They must be pretty rare there.

Thanks a lot for the encouragement! Yes I have been a car buff since I was a little kid. Off course all started with a AA battery powered R/C my dad bought me. Back then, my dad would buy me anything I want for my car on one condition, be a god boy and I do all the installation myself. Needless to say I blew up so many power amp and ruined lots of cars...LOL!! I have three kids (2 girls and 1 boy) and they all love my 1968 Mustang and 1955 Bel Air and prefer to ride them instead of the comfy newer rice burner my wife is driving. Lately my son caught the Lightning Mcqueen bug and talk about it all day, hence the re surface of my long buried passion for the P car, I know it's not the same car but they look similar on cartoon image and my son can't tell the difference yet...LOL!! A fellow diver, awesome!! I am a diver myself and diving is also relating to my business (live ornamental coral export mainly to USA). Give me a PM before your next trip, who knows if I am free at the time and able to show you around. Cheers!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hold on a second. How come the rubber mat in front of the pedals is worn to shreds?? Shouldn't be if it is part of the original floor mat and car has so few miles.

Good catch on the floor mat.....also the driver's seat and the lower part of the steering wheel reflect a fair amount of wear. I have driven several Cayman putting a lot more miles than that on them and the wheel and seats did not show wear like that. And, they were in Alabama and southern Florida with plenty of heat and humidity. It might be good to have a look at the suspension, check out the engine comparment and the like............

wow that was quick pak uwiik.... congrats on the car! it's good that you have a local car with a warranty. peace of mind. is it from the authorised dealer in Jakarta?

Firstly: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! Really good catch on the carpet. I put a refundable upon inspection deposit, I will inspect everything and also cross check the service history timeline from the dealership. If I have a slightest doubt about the mileage I will demand a refund on my deposit, my lawyer/friend is happy to go with me on Monday to see the car and write a legal letter should the worst happen. The carpet yes looks unusual. However steering wheel and seat can quickly show wear real quick when being scrubbed with leather cleaner too often, been there done that. Thanks for the head up. Hello Pak Eyeofthetiger, howdy neighbor!! Yes the car is authorized dealer delivery, so I have a fairly good base to check. Good to know I have a neighbor here that share the same fate as me having to pay through our nose for a 6 years old car...Misery loves company sir!! LOL!! Thanks everyone!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can anybody point out what should I inspect to verify the mileage shown? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just talked with my close friend who sells car. He told me that cheap low quality locally made floor mats can be destroyed and shredded just like that even at 1000 miles and that happened to him a few times with new cars. Since this porsche is an authorized dealer delivery instead of grey importer delivery, big chance is the dealer tried to save money by using low quality locally made floor mats that resulted in destroyed rubber top even with such a low mileage. Make sense to me but off course I will inspect the car even more thoroughly after this information. One thing I know for sure with ALL authorized dealer delivery car in Indonesia, including the premium models, OEM fluffy floor mats does not come with the car as standard equipment. I compared the picture of my floor mats with OEM Porsche floor mats from the internet, I am pretty sure mine is not OEM floor mats since all OEM Porsche floor mats on the internet does not have that rubber patch, you can also tell by the dodgy shape of the floor mats pictured below that it's not OEM mats. I really do hope this is the case otherwise I am back on square one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

All very cool cars. Welcome to the forum. That's a fine looking 911 you're buying. Hopefully there won't be any issues with the mileage.

A really good way to tell age of car is how worn the rubber on the pedals is. Just compare to other cars at the same dealer for frame of reference. Another one is whether the driver's door still opens and closes smoothly, when compared to the passenger door. I like blackie, hopefully no nitpick comes up. Black on black with white dials and the mixed color steering wheel is a great driver's combo. I am also not a friend of paying more for what I perceive as the same thing.

I apologize if I sound undecisive, now, to only add to the confusion, I asked my close friend who have an indy garage for Porsche to go with me to inspect the car. He immediately told me in the rudest possible way that I must buy the Turbo model or risking having a car that worth nothing in a few years from now and will be very hard to sell later. Turbo model will hold its value and much easier to sell later. He really took an effort to convince me. He have no interest whatsoever in my dealing and just telling me as a friend. Last week I got an offer for a 2009 Turbo with 5000 miles on the clock for $40.000 more than my current decision. I turned it down merely due to the fact that it has only Chrono with normal Tiptronic transmission instead of PDK. I am confused now, is it worth spending $40.000 more for a turbo model with inferior Tiptronic or just stick with my current selection. Same year Carrera S with PDK and Chrono? Please advise... Thanks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My 2 cents in 5 lines: - Screw resale value. That should be way lower on the requirement list. - Have fun. Life is short. - Screw tiptronic or PDK but if you have to get one, PDK it is. Avoid tiptronic. - Tails for Turbo, Heads for PDK - do it. Don't bother looking at the outcome. - Oh line 5, screw resale value.

Probably adding to your confusion, but, one of the reasons the turbo is quite a bit higher is the cardon ceramic brakes (at least the rotors and yellow calipers would seem to indicate that................). I am not advocating that you should choose it because of it......just noting.

In absolute terms a Turbo will lose more money. In percentage, maybe not, but I doubt even that. You can maybe keep it up if you get one of the last manual ones but that is gambling class money decision making.

Pak uwiik, did he say why the difficulty in selling a 2009 911 later? Also what matters is the type of driving you will do and what your needs are. If you like more power and have the budget for it but also ask yourself - how much you will get back extra for the car after spending 40k more? The market conditions can be slightly different from country to country. PDK is very different from tiptronic. the cars are all so low mileage - must be all city driving?