To Mod or Not to Mod - That is the Question

I've owned an 08 CS in Arctic Silver for about 4 years. I love the thing to death. But it's also getting a bit long in the teeth and I would like to make some extensive modifications...OR just upgrade. To be honest, I'm not in love with the modern Caymans / 911s . While they're certainly great cars, everything from the gearing to the proportions just rubs me the wrong way. I'm toying with phasing in the following upgrades: Cayman S+ Project OR, buying something like this: Used Porsche Cayman R for Sale (with Photos) - CarGurus I'm wondering what the community thinks about the merits of modding vs. purchasing a Cayman R. I'm not sure there are any modern cars that really appeal to me. Imo, the 987 generation was a real sweet spot in terms of modernity/rawness Interested to know what you all think. Thank you!

Market is fairly hot for an unmodified car... If it was my money I would sell the car and get something else, like the R you posted. Modified cars..... you never get that money back. Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Thanks for the feedback. I've already done some light/tasteful mods, e.g. boxster sypder side-intake grill, black OZ wheels .

most of the mods you have listen you can return to stock pretty easy, so I wouldn't be too worried about value, especially if you plan on sticking with this car long term. You can easily mod your car for a lot less than the price difference between an R and S, and come out with a much better car than the R.

Why would you say it would come out much better than an R? I do think the price favors modification.

My sense of it is : Modifications are fine as long as the owner intends on keeping the vehicle to enjoy the results of the efforts. As others have stated said mods normally do not add value unless the next buyer sees the car the same way which is more justification to only pursue mods for yourself. I use the same metric in any non structural property upgrades, I tripled the patio but I don't expect equity it was for me.

It depends how much you care about the money you will lose when you eventually sell the car. If you go in with your eyes open that with the 33k of mods you are doing you'll probably lose 20k at some point than go for it. This is compared to just buying the R and having something that will lose far less value (maybe even appreciate) and be less hassle to sell at a later date as you don't have to either find the perfect buyer or part the car out. The parts you will really lose money on in that list are the brakes and wing which you'll get pennies on the dollar for when you sell the car (if you don't part the car out you'll lose a fortune on everything). Saying that, lots of those parts you can buy used on Facebook marketplace, eBay, forums etc.. like GT3 seats, steering wheel and shiftknob which will let you get your money back at a later date. Personally I would do Ohlins or some quality coilovers before I purchased basically any of these modifications. That will absolutely transform the car versus something like the brakes which on the street are just a 10k cosmetic upgrade. I say this as someone who just spent 20k+ on doing Ohlins, Tarett GT3 LCA's, wheels, Drexler LSD, GT3 Brake master cylinder, GT3 seat etc.. so I'm definitely not against modding but I know from my past 2 track cars that I have kept them for ~5 years + 100 track days so I go in knowing how much it will cost me when I eventually sell the car and for me it's worth it.

I have the same year CS... I did ecu flash, exhaust/headers, 18’s and 19’s, springs, GT3 wing, intake (lip soon)... these are return to stock mods and it’ll keep up with an R.... just my take on it

Out of interest, how do you return to stock with a wing on? Presumably it's bolted to the chassis (and therefore you've put holes in the panel)?

Not all wing bases need to drill into the hatch

How does yours attach? It's the main thing stopping me from larger body mods.

I would go with the newer car.

That's great advice...makes me want to get an R and put ohlins on it? haha How exactly did the ohlins transform the car for you?

You may not get all your money back from mods. Done correctly, however, you can have a great car and get most of it back...or more. My former ‘07 CS sold for $37,500 (inc buyer’s premium) on BaT a couple of weeks ago. 2007 Porsche Cayman S 6-Speed Bid for the chance to own a 2007 Porsche Cayman S 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #36,402. bringatrailer.com With the mods I did (there’s a list in the auction’s pictures), I would say, performance wise, it was 80% of my GT4 at 1/3 of the price. I have never driven an R so I can’t compare the two but can’t imagine it wouldn’t compare favorably. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

This is almost exactly what I'd like to do to my Cayman S. Can I shoot you a dm about specifics? Or you can redirect me to a post.

I looked at your proposal 2008 CS avg. value 25k + 45k in listed mods assuming 5k to do nose; you have 40k listed without that = 70k 2012 CR 62-69k Ok same money, 981 better car and engine, worth far more in future as far as resale value, 4 year newer car, That's 3 pluses for a R, none for mod. 08 You tell me which is the better choice. There are 2 silver ones on cargurus.com Used Porsche Cayman R for Sale (with Photos) - CarGurus Save $9,759 on a Porsche Cayman R near you. Search pre-owned Porsche Cayman R listings to find the best local deals. We analyze millions of used cars daily. www.cargurus.com

I agree with this. The exception being if making modifications is your primary automotive enjoyment. If that is the case then putting $ into an older car is like $ spent on a cruise. Enjoy it and don't look for any recuperation.

I'm certainly not one to question what someone does to their car. Heck I've put probably well over $25k in mods in my 05 Boxster , which is enough to get a well sorted 987.2 S. I think it comes down to how you are going to use the car once it's finished. The CR is becoming a collector car and miles and how you drive it may be a detriment to future value. If you Outlaw a CS you have free reign to turn it into the exact car you want and drive it how you want.