987 S Porsche Design Edition 1 - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Has anyone had any experience with the Porsche Design Edition 1 987 Cayman S? Or better yet, does anyone have one for sale? I am looking at buying my first Porsche and have settled on this particular model. I saw a few within my budget toward the start of this year but unfortunayely my last car took a little while to sell so I missed out on them. The only one currently for sale that I can find is a little over budget at £17,995. I shouldn't really be surprised though, with 777 built worldwide and I believe only 250 in RHD I may have set myself a bit of a task to find one...

On average I would say I see one listed a year.

julian987R said: On average I would say I see one listed a year. I must have seen 5 this year already! Just most were at the start of the year when my car hadn't yet sold.

Hasn't it got the slightly unreliable 3.4 engine in that one??

whats the PDE edition get over normal one? cant say I've ever seen one.

jimmy p said: Hasn't it got the slightly unreliable 3.4 engine in that one??

AJB88 said: whats the PDE edition get over normal one? cant say I've ever seen one. They all come in black with matte black stripes running the length of the car and down the sides, all red taillights, 19" turbo wheels, sports exhaust, lowered 10mm, alcantara sports steering wheel, gearstick and headlining, black interior detailing (transmission tunnel, dash inserts etc), black dials using the Porsche Design fonts, porsche logo in the headrests as standard, PASM as standard, and the all-important numbered plaque on the dash. They did all originally came with a Porsche Design breifcase filled with goodies including a watch and a Porsche driving experience course, but obviously none of these items are ever included in the sale these days.

Why do you want the PDE specifically? Apart from it being rarer. It doesn't sound like it will be part of a collection. A well spec'd CS will give you just as much joy... and save you £4k.

Leftfootwonder said: Why do you want the PDE specifically? Apart from it being rarer. It doesn't sound like it will be part of a collection. A well spec'd CS will give you just as much joy... and save you £4k. I love the look of them, the all red rear lights, the all black interior, even the stripes which usually divide opinions. Plus like you say, its rarer. I know I would be very unlikely to see another pull up next to me at the lights. I know if I went for a regular 987 S I'd have the regret of knowing I settled for something that wasn't quite what I wanted.

Because the Cayman 987 Design Edition was black (often non-metallic scratchy black) with the stripes all over it, when it ended up having the usual stone chips across the front and into the rear-quarter panels you couldn't repaint it without replacing a lot of the stripes. The stripes from Porsche cost £££ so it was a pain in the botty if we ever took one in part-exchange. The wheels corrode and being diamond cut they cost a fair bit to fix and at the age they are these days are typically corroded from salt getting under the lacquer. As well as all that the engines occasionally implode making the whole car a decorative item in the garage whilst you save up for a new one. Money is better spent on a 987 Generation II which was a much better ownership experience.

Admittedly not a Design Edition, but of that era, this looks like a great Cayman https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2009-porsche-9... Number 427 of just 700 built, this is understood to be one of just 69 UK-market examples of the Cayman S Sport

Sold some years ago now, this was my mates Design Ed with my R on a Scottish road trip in 2015. The Design Ed was a nice car. We had actually detailed it before the trip (not that you can tell here as it was filthy by then - you can hardly see the door stripes here).

PaulD86 said: Sold some years ago now, this was my mates Design Ed with my R on a Scottish road trip in 2015. The Design Ed was a nice car. We had actually detailed it before the trip (not that you can tell here as it was filthy by then - you can hardly see the door stripes here). That looks lovely! Did your mate enjoy his time with it? I'll be shooting off to Scotland with my brother in his 996 as soon as I have one, he's been dying to take me on some of the roads up there.

julian987R said: Admittedly not a Design Edition, but of that era, this looks like a great Cayman https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2009-porsche-9... Number 427 of just 700 built, this is understood to be one of just 69 UK-market examples of the Cayman S Sport That looks like a lovely example of a Cayman S Sport! I did see another of these for sale earlier in the year too but I think these hold even more of a premium over the PDE1, despite being very similer cars. I'll keep an eye on that though, thanks for the link!

Jack-o3j25 said: That looks lovely! Did your mate enjoy his time with it? I'll be shooting off to Scotland with my brother in his 996 as soon as I have one, he's been dying to take me on some of the roads up there. He certainly did. He replaced it with a V6S F-Type after a few years. I actually bought that Cayman for him as he was offshore on nightshift at the time - I was worried it could be a test of friendship but it worked out well. Ultimately I think the biggest driver for him changing that car was he never loved the image of the Porsche and wanted a change/something newer. I suspect if pushed he may admit that the Cayman was a better car dynamically, but the F-Type is a lovely thing and great to drive too.

Jack-o3j25 said: I love the look of them, the all red rear lights, the all black interior, even the stripes which usually divide opinions. Plus like you say, its rarer. I know I would be very unlikely to see another pull up next to me at the lights. I know if I went for a regular 987 S I'd have the regret of knowing I settled for something that wasn't quite what I wanted. Well if that's what you've got your heart set on, then go for it! You might need to be patient to find the right one though. The all red lights can be had from Design911 or PorscheShop for around £300. I was going to get those as agree they look great, but ended up buying red transparent wrap on an auction site beginning with e and ending in bay and doing it myself as an experiment before I shelled out 300 smackers. 6 months in they are still looking alright so I might have saved myself some money

Leftfootwonder said: Well if that's what you've got your heart set on, then go for it! You might need to be patient to find the right one though. The all red lights can be had from Design911 or PorscheShop for around £300. I was going to get those as agree they look great, but ended up buying red transparent wrap on an auction site beginning with e and ending in bay and doing it myself as an experiment before I shelled out 300 smackers. 6 months in they are still looking alright so I might have saved myself some money Have you wrapped lights thrown up any issues at MOT time (ie. reversing lights not being white enough, indivators not being orange enough etc etc)?

LennyM1984 said: Have you wrapped lights thrown up any issues at MOT time (ie. reversing lights not being white enough, indivators not being orange enough etc etc)? To be fair, I have not been through an MOT yet and I did wonder about that. The all red OEM Porsche ones would be the same I imagine and the light is certainly visible though it so hopefully won't cause any issues.

Jack-o3j25 said: julian987R said: Admittedly not a Design Edition, but of that era, this looks like a great Cayman https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2009-porsche-9... Number 427 of just 700 built, this is understood to be one of just 69 UK-market examples of the Cayman S Sport That looks like a lovely example of a Cayman S Sport! I did see another of these for sale earlier in the year too but I think these hold even more of a premium over the PDE1, despite being very similer cars. I'll keep an eye on that though, thanks for the link! Bidding now started on it. Is the opening bid yours?

anonymous said: [redacted] Nice find. Looks spot on for the original poster. Just needs new Alcantera on the steering wheel

anonymous said: [redacted] Hi. But we have been through this so many times. A few extra K over, what you deem to be the price, is that really that big of a deal. You can't expect the car of your dreams to come available at the price of your dreams. Its just never going to happen.

anonymous said: [redacted] Yep, that’s the one I referenced in my original post that was over budget. It’s been on auto trader for a while now and the price hasn’t dropped once. It’s a fairly underwhelming car for that price too, there really aren’t many optional extras on the car. No heated seats, no PCM, no Bose sound system, no PASM. The mikes are fairly low but it’s not worth the asking price, hence why it’s still for sale. I saw a few go earlier in the year for around the £15k mark, i just didn’t have the funds at the time as my previous car hadn’t yet sold. Those posting about getting a well equipped ‘regular’ S for less money, that’s true, you probably can. But I much prefer the looks of the PDE1. Plus, any limited run Porsche with a numbered plaque (regardless of how ‘special’ it really is!) is going to hold value better compared to a bog standard one.

Jack-o3j25 said: Those posting about getting a well equipped ‘regular’ S for less money, that’s true, you probably can. But I much prefer the looks of the PDE1. Plus, any limited run Porsche with a numbered plaque (regardless of how ‘special’ it really is!) is going to hold value better compared to a bog standard one. I still think this is a better proposition than the Design Edition https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2009-porsche-9... ...but good luck with your search. I'll keep an eye out for you.

What was the special editions that came in GT3RS orange and green from a similar period? Same chocolate engine but a nice colour

anonymous said: [redacted] Here is an ideal S for you, as I know you are after an S, manual with full leather dash, doors etc https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008232... including Ceramics. Bar that Unicorn we discussed, this is the best specced S you will find. Edited by julian987R on Sunday 23 August 22:11

anonymous said: [redacted] I feel you will regret not going for it. Regardless of it being leggy, that is as good as it gets. An S with all those options, at 30K miles, will be an awful lot more money....and then you are back to the dilemma of the price not far off an R. Its got your name on it.

10 years old and 61k miles is "leggy"!? Ridiculous. I'd agree that the suspension etc is probably due a refresh but, news flash, cars cost money to run!. All horses for courses but I personally don't value the extended leather option. Not many Cayman's left the factory with high-spec as they were purchased by people more interested in driving than posing.

Turbo wheels and standard seats is enough to put anyone off. Bar nav (which is rubbish), ceramics (which are overkill and an expensive liability) and xenon lights, what's good about it? If it had an LSD, sports exhaust and PASM then yeah, great. God those wheels are awful.

olv said: Turbo wheels and standard seats is enough to put anyone off. If it had an LSD, sports exhaust and PASM then yeah, great. God those wheels are awful. Yep, agreed. Not their finest hour those wheels.

This thread has veered rather far off topic...but to just summarise an overall reply to the debate about 'which car is right' that seems to be raging here. We all have different tastes and different priorities when looking for a new car. Whilst we all do appreciate people opinions (why else would we be here), I think sometimes people need to remember that their favoured options list may not be relevant to someone else. If someone thinks 60k miles is too much for them, or that extended leather is pointless, or that Turbo wheels look nice then I am sure they have their reasons. This is the reason I have avoided forums for the past 6-7 years, as it always descends into the same 'debates'. Lets just appreciate the wide variety of choices and options out there and be thankful that we are all different! Now, does anyone have a PDE1 for sale or not?!

LennyM1984 said: Leftfootwonder said: Well if that's what you've got your heart set on, then go for it! You might need to be patient to find the right one though. The all red lights can be had from Design911 or PorscheShop for around £300. I was going to get those as agree they look great, but ended up buying red transparent wrap on an auction site beginning with e and ending in bay and doing it myself as an experiment before I shelled out 300 smackers. 6 months in they are still looking alright so I might have saved myself some money Have you wrapped lights thrown up any issues at MOT time (ie. reversing lights not being white enough, indivators not being orange enough etc etc)? I've a boxster sports edition and one of the problems with these oem lights is the red bits flake off. Something to look for when buying a Cayman or Boxster as they are are about 180 inc vat each.

anonymous said: [redacted] How did todays purchase go? What have you ended up with?

anonymous said: [redacted] Oh very nice. Congratulations. would love to see some day time shots, is it black? dark green or dark blue? or the macademia brown (which is lovely i should add) - hard to tell in the night time shot. So after all the debate, what spec did you go with in the end?!

OP.....Did you get one in the end? Looks likes this is soon to be on Collecting Cars... https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2008-porsche-9...

Leftfootwonder said: OP.....Did you get one in the end? Looks likes this is soon to be on Collecting Cars... https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2008-porsche-9... Thats got the rear light issue I mentioned above.

That looks so nice!

Leftfootwonder said: OP.....Did you get one in the end? Looks likes this is soon to be on Collecting Cars... https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2008-porsche-9... Looks lovely, and in the spec I was after too. Unfortunately the search took so long my mrs convinved me to buy cheaper car and put the rest towards a house deposit instead. So thats the current plan, I'm after a cheaper car for the time being and once the house is sorted I'll be back on the lookout for one of these. I appreciate the comment though, it would have been perfect 2 months ago!

I have a Design Edition One, right had drive manual just 59k miles genuine, fully serviced and original. Number 607 or 777. Drives beautifully no problems so far.