718 Cayman - Page 4 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

My wife is looking at a change of car and has been mentioning she fancies a Porsche for a while, was previously a Mustang GT she wanted but has changed her mind it seems. So, she was looking at spending 20k but my thinking is a flat six might not suit her being used to turbocharged cars and the low down torque. I think the need for revs and long gearing she may find frustrating and the engine note, not sure she is bothered, the 2.0T ones sound sporty enough, we arent purists. It wont be doing huge miles. So been looking at the 2.0T Caymans, she wants a roof so not a Boxster, she is open to manual or PDK but I would be thinking PDK. Obviously the budget would need to be stretched a bit. I think a lot of the asking prices are ambitious and not sure how well they sell, seems to be a lot of crossover with 981's, with later ones being more money which I guess is the 6 cyl vs 4 cyl thing, I get it but I just think she would be happier with the 2.0T with a PDK. Anyone got any insights, experience, what to watch out for ? Any cars for sale anyone knows the history on ?

I ran a 2.0 718 Boxster for around 18 months before getting my current 4.0. In my opinion the 2.0 is the best sports car Porsche makes for the money whether it's a coupe or roadster. It's quick enough when needed, fun to drive when the opportunities present themselves and with PDK, effortless to drive in heavy traffic. If you get one that has reasonably good spec it's a fantastic all round package. Must haves for me would be duel zone climate, auto dim rear view mirror, leather (extended is best), memory seats (if you both intend driving it regularly) and LED headlights as the standard Xenons aren't great. They seem to be fairly reliable mechanically but I am aware that some cars from late 2018 to late 2019 seem to suffer from premature GPF failure (see PCGB Forum here - https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/threads/cayman... so earlier or later versions might be a better option. Good luck with your search

Cheers for that, I really think its the best option if she wants a Cayman, will be plenty fast enough as she is coming from a Fiesta with under half that power. Have said she should nip down to the local Porsche place and have a nosey round a couple and see if it grabs her. Think all their stock will be above what we want to spend really, seems to be 5 grand more than comparable ones but that I guess for buying direct with the warranty etc.

I have a 2018 718 Boxster I use as my everyday car. It’s an easy car to live with especially in PDK, potters around nicely with 30-32mpg, it’s pretty quick with the Sport button pressed. Seats are comfy, all the controls are fairly intuitive, good storage space and it’s got a nice quality feel to it. My wife doesn’t drive mine as she doesn’t like the low seating position compared to her SUV. With hindsight I would try and find one with PASM, the ride is quite jiggly on 20” alloys and the very poor state of roads.

LemonTart said: I have a 2018 718 Boxster I use as my everyday car. It’s an easy car to live with especially in PDK, potters around nicely with 30-32mpg, it’s pretty quick with the Sport button pressed. Seats are comfy, all the controls are fairly intuitive, good storage space and it’s got a nice quality feel to it. My wife doesn’t drive mine as she doesn’t like the low seating position compared to her SUV. With hindsight I would try and find one with PASM, the ride is quite jiggly on 20” alloys and the very poor state of roads. Sounds perfect, will see what she thinks, said she may drop in to have a look round a couple and have sit in it, she isnt one for SUVs but might decide its not for her, the Fiesta Ecoboost is a tough act to follow !

I had a new 718 Cayman 2.0 in 2017, but moved it on for a GT4 about 18 months later. I liked it so much I got another new Cayman 2.0 in almost identical spec in 2021. I've had 5 Caymans in total, and as an everyday road car that's a bit special, I think the 718 2.0 is the absolute best of any of them. Mine were both manual, which would still be my preference. The clutch and gearbox are an absolute delight, really light and precise, and just make the car a bit more engaging to drive. However I've driven a lot of PDK Caymans (in fact my GT4 RS only came that way, so it's what it has), and if I was buying used, much like you, I'd take either. Both versions are brilliant. The 2017 car was in a different emissions spec, and drove nicer for it, especially from cold. If I were looking for a used one, I'd be going for the earlier version. For me the only "must have" spec. options for an all-year road car would be dual zone climate control and heated seats (which had become standard by the time I ordered my second one). I massively prefer 18" wheels on them, but not many seem to come that way. Just a bit more forgiving on our heavily pot-holed roads. They are actually pretty good on the 19" and 20" options. I liked the standard seats, and could definitely live with a plastic dashboard to avoid the ridiculous surcharge for the leather interior. I think going without leather was the only way of getting alcantara seat centres, which I prefer. Mine both had PASM, lower ride height, and had PTV so I got a limited slip diff. I'm guessing these are rare options, and it was only for my ridiculous quest to have the "best driving" version of the base model. Never got as far as 20,000 miles in either car, so no real idea on reliability in latter years. First one was pretty much perfect in every way. Second one had a slight hesitation at low engine speed that was eventually cured under warranty by a replacement turbo, but had the OPC and then Porsche technical scratching their heads for a bit. Neither used much oil, and both were pretty amazing for fuel consumption, over 40 mpg on long motorway journeys. I'm currently invested in a manual Cayman 4.0 GTS as a daily drive, and a GT4 RS for better weather and occasional track days. The 4.0 GTS is amazing and opulent, but with hindsight, the old 2.0 cars did everything I needed. They probably did most of it slightly better if I'm honest with myself. If I end up needing to "downgrade" the daily at any point in the future, I can definitely live with it. Liam Edited by LiamH66 on Sunday 2nd February 23:17

Thanks Liam, thats really interesting and useful stuff, I think to hear that from someone who is obviously fairly expert on the Cayman is really reassuring. I think there is perception that the 2.0 is the wooden spoon of Cayman ownership but hearing it compared to a GT4 in glowing terms does make me think its a good option. Will see if she manages to go to the OPC and have a nosey, wonder what they will make of her turning up in a ten year old Fiesta ! She seems pretty keen, I really want her to get one, not just as its obviously a car I would like to drive as well but be nice for to have something more special and enjoyable. I think with base models, if the underlying car is good, you get a lot of that regardless, its easy to think that its not worth bothering unless its a GT4 or RS something or other but you still get a good proportion of what makes it good even on the cheapest, often the best value and its not like they are slow I think that a GT4 or similar would actually be the wrong car for her (too expensive anyway) and would likely find it a bit hardcore for what it will be used for. Every model of a car is different, a GT4 is better in so many ways, but its also worse in some I expect, depends on your priorities and really, jumping in for us with a model like that would seem a bit like overkill. Think its easy to live vicariously through forums but nothing is better than actual experience.

Just saw the thread so thought I’d add my 5 cents and a quick write up. I bought one of the first 718 base Caymans back in 2016 new when they first came out. I still have it, over 8 years and 80k miles later I can report no issues, and the last time I checked the WBAC/HPI valuation was still well over 50% of the price I paid new, of course values have also changed a bit post covid. A couple of things to be aware of: Negatives: Road noise – it’s loud! Very loud in car generally but especially on concrete motorway sections, the wide tyres and minimal soundproofing similar to the 911, but unlike a Macan (or Taycan say ) which is so much quieter. The Cayman seems to amplify the boomy road noise in the space above the parcel shelf unlike the Boxster which is slightly quieter and doesn’t have that space so absorbs the road noise better. I switched to Goodyear tyres quite early on as found the original P-Zeros perform poorly in the wet. Goodyears are slightly cheaper but also have better grip and are quieter in my experience, Michelin PS4S also seem to get good feedback. Aquaplaning – mid engined cars are definitely more susceptible, there is a thread on here about a 981 coming off the motorway in the wet. Keeping the speed down helps but if you see standing water you will need to know how to control the car in case it develops a slide. Which I guess is one reason why Porsche offer a free day at their experience centre if you buy a new one. For me experience on the kick plate and ice hill was quite important, you need to be so quick to catch these if they start to slide. 30 mph on the kick plate is one thing but having it slide on a motorway is a bit more of a wake up call. Hopefully not a frequent event and if you are driving on the motorway in heavy rain look out for standing water and keep your speed down. In the eight years I’ve had the car go a couple of times despite taking care but the PEC training has always enabled me to recover it- if you’re not used to it you could end up in the barriers so do be careful or book a day at the PEC (Porsche Experience Centre) for you & your wife to learn to control the car in a safe environment. Battery access – if the battery goes flat as happened to me during Covid you can’t open the frunk to get to it so you have to manually open the driver’s door then connect another spare car battery to the fusebox to provide enough power to open the frunk. Just a ridiculous design in my view but hopefully a rare event only, so if you’re not using the car a lot keep it on a CTEK charger. Positives: Cheap to run, I keep mine under extended warranty but haven’t needed to claim. You can decide if it’s worthwhile but having a 15 year / 125k miles extended warranty option @ ~£720 per year shows confidence in the product, but two year servicing in the OPC network is a condition of the warranty and can be a little expensive. Economy – I have a PDK and in normal mode you can get 40-45 mpg on a longer motorway trip although I usually drive it in sport mode all the time for the sharper power response. The 2.0T is pretty quick. Rear tyres can wear quickly, if I get 14k miles out of a set I’m pretty happy. I replaced front brake pads & discs at 40k and the rears are still original on 5mm after 80k miles which is impressive. I avoided the torque vectoring option which can wear the rear pads more quickly but PASM can provide a softer ride on terrible UK roads. Over 8 years I’ve driven most of the Porsche car range at various times e.g. the PEC, test drives and as loaners, the 2.0T base car is a real bargain in my view giving the performance of the old 981S at the base price, the 4.0 F6 costs a lot more and the 981 is now ancient. People on here seem to get fixated on the engine sound but I don’t actually think some of them have ever driven the cars in reality. I’ve taken a 4.0 for a spin and it’s definitely a different sound with a bit more horsepower but it’s all subjective and for me the 2.0 is more than fast enough for UK roads. Far from being the ‘wooden spoon’ in the range the F4T residuals seem to hold strong which is a shame as I’d quite like to pick up another nice cheap one at some point when I eventually need to replace it…

Great info there.

jimbo761 said: Just saw the thread so thought I’d add my 5 cents and a quick write up. I bought one of the first 718 base Caymans back in 2016 new when they first came out. I still have it, over 8 years and 80k miles later I can report no issues, and the last time I checked the WBAC/HPI valuation was still well over 50% of the price I paid new, of course values have also changed a bit post covid. A couple of things to be aware of: Negatives: Road noise – it’s loud! Very loud in car generally but especially on concrete motorway sections, the wide tyres and minimal soundproofing similar to the 911, but unlike a Macan (or Taycan say ) which is so much quieter. The Cayman seems to amplify the boomy road noise in the space above the parcel shelf unlike the Boxster which is slightly quieter and doesn’t have that space so absorbs the road noise better. I switched to Goodyear tyres quite early on as found the original P-Zeros perform poorly in the wet. Goodyears are slightly cheaper but also have better grip and are quieter in my experience, Michelin PS4S also seem to get good feedback. Aquaplaning – mid engined cars are definitely more susceptible, there is a thread on here about a 981 coming off the motorway in the wet. Keeping the speed down helps but if you see standing water you will need to know how to control the car in case it develops a slide. Which I guess is one reason why Porsche offer a free day at their experience centre if you buy a new one. For me experience on the kick plate and ice hill was quite important, you need to be so quick to catch these if they start to slide. 30 mph on the kick plate is one thing but having it slide on a motorway is a bit more of a wake up call. Hopefully not a frequent event and if you are driving on the motorway in heavy rain look out for standing water and keep your speed down. In the eight years I’ve had the car go a couple of times despite taking care but the PEC training has always enabled me to recover it- if you’re not used to it you could end up in the barriers so do be careful or book a day at the PEC (Porsche Experience Centre) for you & your wife to learn to control the car in a safe environment. Battery access – if the battery goes flat as happened to me during Covid you can’t open the frunk to get to it so you have to manually open the driver’s door then connect another spare car battery to the fusebox to provide enough power to open the frunk. Just a ridiculous design in my view but hopefully a rare event only, so if you’re not using the car a lot keep it on a CTEK charger. Positives: Cheap to run, I keep mine under extended warranty but haven’t needed to claim. You can decide if it’s worthwhile but having a 15 year / 125k miles extended warranty option @ ~£720 per year shows confidence in the product, but two year servicing in the OPC network is a condition of the warranty and can be a little expensive. Economy – I have a PDK and in normal mode you can get 40-45 mpg on a longer motorway trip although I usually drive it in sport mode all the time for the sharper power response. The 2.0T is pretty quick. Rear tyres can wear quickly, if I get 14k miles out of a set I’m pretty happy. I replaced front brake pads & discs at 40k and the rears are still original on 5mm after 80k miles which is impressive. I avoided the torque vectoring option which can wear the rear pads more quickly but PASM can provide a softer ride on terrible UK roads. Over 8 years I’ve driven most of the Porsche car range at various times e.g. the PEC, test drives and as loaners, the 2.0T base car is a real bargain in my view giving the performance of the old 981S at the base price, the 4.0 F6 costs a lot more and the 981 is now ancient. People on here seem to get fixated on the engine sound but I don’t actually think some of them have ever driven the cars in reality. I’ve taken a 4.0 for a spin and it’s definitely a different sound with a bit more horsepower but it’s all subjective and for me the 2.0 is more than fast enough for UK roads. Far from being the ‘wooden spoon’ in the range the F4T residuals seem to hold strong which is a shame as I’d quite like to pick up another nice cheap one at some point when I eventually need to replace it… The "wooden spoon" thing was my impression of how people view the 2.0T, not my impression as Porsche generally dont bring poor cars to market, but the 4 cyl wasnt a 6 and a lot found that unforgivable, so the reputation got tarnished. But, great info, the aquaplaning thing I hadnt thought about so will explain it to her if she gets one, stand to reason, light car, wide tyres and the heavy bits are behind you, not in front pressing the tyres into the water/road. She didnt go yesterday, we had a bit of news that rattled us a bit but it isnt a major issue thinking about it. Its easy with lot of things in life to think you need the top version, the fastest, the most expensive, the biggest burger the strongest beer or whatever to enjoy something, especially for men, when we are younger in particular, as you get older you realise that sometimes you dont and other options offer things that the top one doesn't and may be more suitable.

Hi OP. I had a relatively early PDK 2.0T Cayman (67 plate in September) for six years prior to chopping it in for a 992 C2S. I probably would have gone for a 992 inspired updated Cayman if they were doing an ICE one as I initially expected. Also had a Boxster S as a long term loan prior to delivery due to a factory mishap. Much preferred the Cayman over the Boxster, thought it looked better (although Boxster is nice with the roof down) and a lot more practical. Maybe practicality isn't a concern for you, but I felt it was better than the 992 in that regard. Sure you can load the back seats in a 911, but the hatchback design in the Cayman is a lot better, they both have two boots but you can easily load both ends and stack stuff up on top of the engine and restrain it if required in the Cayman. I also wasn't a fan of he lack of rearward visibility in the Boxster with the roof up. Did drive a lot of 718s in both forms, engines and gearboxes as loaners when I had it. Never drove the 4.0 ot earlier NA variants though so can't make comparisons to them. Never really though the S was that different in straight line performance tbh. Brakes were certainly better, although the base brakes are fine. My gripe with the base brakes, which is the only issue I had with the car, is that the crappy anodised finish is really poor. Easily discolour and turn to silver, you'll probably notice that when you look at them. Turbo is also better in the S, it's variable vane so picks up a lot quicker, so the base feels laggy in comparison in normal mode. as poster above said, best to drive in sport which mitigates that. I spent 95% in that, even for town driving. just used normal for cruising. Other big difference is the exhaust note between base and S. A lot was made in the press about the poor exhaust note of the 718, I think they were reviewing the S models largely, which kind of damned both. Oddly, while all these folk were expressing some disappointment about the sound with their ears they failed to notice the difference with the base. I think only Evo picked up the difference in any review I 'd read and acknowledged the difference in a manner I agree with. Side by side, the 2.0 sounds a lot more sonorous and smooth (as far as a 4 cyl can go compared to a 6) whereas the 2.5 S is a lot more lumpy and deeper. I had a side by side comparison when I test drove them both and it was apparent to my untrained ear. It was one of the reason I went for the base alongside getting the spec I wanted in my budget. Once they added the OPF on 69 plate onwards they do get a lot quieter in exhaust note and strangely the volume of the engine behind you, not sure why the latter happened. Overall I thought it was a fantastic car, I think even underrated for the price and performance it offers. I was quite gutted when I had to hand it over for the 911. My general spec was graphite blue, with a graphite blue and crayon interior with sports design wheels in standard grey finish. Kind of a retro look. I had a bunch of other options on top. In no specific order, my thoughts on them: PASM - 20" wheels were a must for me. I think anything less looks underwheeled personally. I didn't have an issue with non-PASM cars on 20s I'd driven. Maybe as I'd come from a BMW with paper thin runflats on M-Sport suspension which was a real boneshaker and felt like it didn't have springs. I'm also more partial to a stiffer ride. PASM does improve things and gives you a 10mm drop which looks cosmetically better. I did find the stiff setting useable on roads and offers a nicer weighting handling. The S has a 20mm drop, which may be a little too harsh, although I found that setup in comfort mode was the sweet spot for me. 18 way Sports Seat Plus - I absolutely hated the standard 4 way seats. Definitely the most uncomfortable car seats I've ever experienced. Ultimately, it's a lot down to your build, but I found them so narrow that I felt like I was sitting on them, not in them if that makes sense. Sport seats plus are wider around the shoulders and did offer an improvement, but both the manual versions don't have the flexibility of the electric versions. I'd be cautious when looing at the seats as a 15-20 minute test drive is a lot different to sitting in them for a couple of hours. I'm by no means a "powerfully built director", but for a point of reference, I'm 6'1" and slightly bigger than average. Other advantage of the memory option is you can save all your preferences for two drivers on different settings or keys. Additionally, you only get a dropping mirror for reversing with the memory package. Scandalous in my opinion as it should just come with folding mirrors, but that's Porsche PSE - Maybe a personal choice. Certainly on mine it felt like the burbles and pops were verging on anti-social. I kind of liked that. Did become a standard feature on 69 plate onwards with the advent of the OPF to get a bot more sound. I've not heard a non-PSE pre OPF car next to a PSE OPF car. I'd imagine they are pretty similar at a guess so maybe a moot point getting it. One thing I didn't like about the base was the single trapezoid exhaust exit. Much prefer the dual flute design. You could add that as an option to non-PSE early base cars and it's an option on PSE post OPF cars. Either way, it's a bolt on part so you could add it to non-equipped car if desired. Sports Crono - I like the clock personally, also means you get the more facile mode selector on the wheel. Also dynamic engine mounts. I did read about people thinking the 718 engine felt juddery. I never did so wonder if the mounts played a part in this. I did find the sports response button useful, never really bothered with launch control beyond the initial novelty. Infotainment - Some of the optional features here become standard on the MY18 model with the first price increase (think that's anything built May 2017 onwards). Just something to consider, so Sat Nav and two levels of CarPlay and connectivity were paid for options before then. Worth having it all either way. Dual Climate - Big win here is that it will operate to keep an even temperature. The standard setup will just blow air based on an unspecified temperature. Not really sure how useful splitting the temp is in a tiny cabin, unless you favour going out for a drive in a par of speedos while your wife wears a winter coat. Either way, I've never been in the position of having to set different temps for a passenger and myself in all my years of driving with the option. Auto Dimming Mirrors and rain Sensors - You have the option to flip the mirror at nighttime, although it doesn't help with the wing mirrors. Can certainly be annoying in a low slung car with the latter. Porsche rain sensors are pretty crap in my opinion. Extended Leather - Big must for me, completely elevates the quality of the cabin. Especially as you can get a two tone interior. I had the Sport-tex option, which had the centre seat elements in a kind of grippy fabric. Wasn't sure initially about adding cloth, but it was the only way I could get the colours I wanted. In many ways it has some of the benefits of Alcantara without the downside. A bit more grippy, not as cold in winter and not as hot in summer compared to leather. Other point of interest is that a black Sport-tex interior has deviated stitching while a black full leather interior doesn't. Bose - I didn't spec it. The Boxster had it and I couldn't really tell the difference in the Cayman. Maybe due to more interior space or speaker placement but I'm not much of an audiophile anyway. PDSL - The standard lights aren't full fat Xenons. If you look at them you'll see they don't have a washer. I went for PDLS which is the first upgrade which are. They also get the four point running lights which the standard ones don't have, plus turning with the cars wound corners. Useful if you live in a rural area. I didn't for the PDLS+ as they were twice the price and I wasn't keen on the looks at the time. They will auto dip, but I'd be looking for a car now with either of them and avoid the standard ones. Heated Seats - absolute must, not least because you'll get a huge blank button on the console. Heated Multi Function Wheel - Much nicer having a lot of functionality at your fingertips rather than using a stalk. i went with the standard wheel as I preferred the thickness and aesthetics. Over time, I did start to feel it was a bit chunky compared to the GT wheel. Smoking Package - just finishes the centre console off nicely with a flap rather than a hole. Warranty - I always extended it, think it was roughly £650 a year give or take over the time. I would want an OPC warranty on one. I may be wrong, but it may be possible to get a warranty on a non OPC car of you go through the 111 point check and pass. Worth double checking that. I may have forgotten a few options there, but good luck.

You also need to wait 90days before you can add OPC warranty as well as the car needing a 111point check and all service need to be up to date . I could be wrong but this was always my understanding

I have a base 2021 vintage 718. It's manual, with very few options. It does have PASM and torque vectoring. It also has dual zone climate control. It has the base seats with manual adjustment, base infotainment and 18 inch wheels. I'm really happy with it. The standard (mostly plastic) interior looks just fine to me. The seats are really comfortable even on longish journeys (I'm 5'10" and 90Kg, so a bit fatter than the average adult). I prefer alcantara to leather as a general rule - warmer in winter and less sweaty in summer, and easy to keep clean. It has a basic steering wheel with no buttons on it, but the basic radio buttons not only fall easily to hand but are directly in line of sight, and the stalk that works the various options on the multi function third dial in the instrument binnacle is easy to use and quite intuitive. So I don't miss having buttons on the wheel, even though it's the only car I have that doesn't have any. The base radio is OK too. It won't jiggle your eyeballs, but it's fine for listening to the news or Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits. Performance wise, it's reasonably quick. Not quite as quick cross country as my other car - a Mini Clubman JCW, which makes the same horsepower, but is an auto. The Cayman is quite long geared in first and second, so on a fast A road you spend a lot of time in 2nd and 3rd. I suspect that if my Cayman was a PDK it might be a different story. Gripes? Servicing is seriously expensive at an OPC, and you have to go OPC if you have the extended warranty. AIUI anyway.

Cheers for all the info guys, she is still keen so think we will be nipping into the local OPC to have a look round one so she can decide whether it suits. Spec wise, well we cant be too choosy as we will be nearer the bottom of the market but will bear in mind the options, I get the impression there are a few cars around that have been sat for a while at a price so may be open to some offers. I dont think a six will suit how she drives/wgat she is used to, I suspect she may find it frustrating, but thats only an assumption, but I think in low down torque vs high rev theatrics battle, the former would be more to her taste. Size wise I am 6ft, 230 pounds, she is just over 5ft and 100 pounds lighter than me so she will fit fine in anything I expect. I think to get the right car I may make a contribution if it helps the process so not looking at the absolute cheapest examples in doom blue running on castors with mega miles and zero options. Servicing, will likely use a specialist, looks like the old one I used when I had my 944 S2 has retired, will also do interim, additional oil changes myself and can do stuff like brakes as well. Will keep you posted, might nip to the OPC Friday after work to have a nosey round one, their stuff all tends to be well above budget though but guess they may be able to access other stock nationally ?

J4CKO said: Will keep you posted, might nip to the OPC Friday after work to have a nosey round one, their stuff all tends to be well above budget though but guess they may be able to access other stock nationally ? AFAIK there isn't an integrated national dealer network as such, in the sense that there are multiple franchises. Some dealerships have multiple locations and they might be willing to move stock from one place to another, but across different franchises? I wouldn't have thought so. But you could ask. FWIW I live near Exeter and I had to go to Manchester (well Stockport actually) to look at mine (and pick it up afterwards). That OPC is part of the Stratstone group. But that said, I wanted an Approved Used manual and they were like hens teeth when I bought mine, so it was travel or wait until a more local OPC had something suitable turn up. Just to give some perspective, Exeter have one used Cayman at the mo, it's a GTS with PDK and well out of my price bracket.

Yeah, we aren’t averse to buying outside the Porsche network but when I spoke to the salesman he said they have access to their group stock, they have a very nice agate grey model down south somewhere from what I can see. It didn’t have heated seats, all that money and they don’t come as standard and so many don’t spec them ! An OPC will be the best place to buy, but it’s quite a premium but likely would be worth it. Some dowdy looking cars out there, there is a dark blue one with beige leather in the base wheels, just not very appealing. Pity she isn’t keen on the Boxster as it opens up a lot more scope, but do like the added bit of practicality (all relative of course) in the Cayman.

Base 18" wheels are a lot more resilient to kerb damage and the tyres are a bit cheaper I believe. If you don't have PASM a bigger tyre could also be a benefit. 20"s look great but are definitely easier to damage as I recall from an earlier thread about a pothole:

Must have been some pothole to do that! I’ve hit a few and wheels are perfect, correct tyres have a good lip protection so unless really s t at parking it provides decent protection near kerbs. Just depends on how you want your car to look visually and what risk you’re willing to take financially to achieve that, ie more expensive alloy and tyre replacement should the worst happen. Edited by Youforreal. on Friday 7th February 10:57

She is pretty good to be fair at avoiding damage, my only criticism would be she tends to park without worrying about whats next to her, where I annoy her by going out of the way to avoid door dings. I would hope having a nice shiny Porsche rather than a ten year old Fiesta might focus the mind on not getting it damaged by parking next to massive SUVs full of kids slamming the doors into your motor. Some of the roads are parlous round here, Styal road near Manchester Airport if anyone knows it, its narrow and the surface is deteriorating pretty quickly, some monster potholes appearing.

I’d definitely start out the OPC approved route, that’s my preference. A good specialist would be by second choice and then work down from there. Not sure I’d go private, but was told the extended warranty is transferable for private sales last time I extended it. Wouldn’t take that as gospel without checking though. If you’re keen on a boxster I wouldn’t discount it. Unless your wife has a complete aversion to open top motoring it would be worth a test drive. Like you said, it opens up the options. Had a quick look at the approved site and the cheaper boxes looked better value comparing list price to use than caymans. I’d also consider opening things up to an S or maybe a T. May well be some crossover there price wise as I found with the 992. Edited by Pinball on Sunday 9th February 09:56 Edited by Pinball on Sunday 9th February 09:56

OPC prices are really high at the moment, but also looks like a real lack of stock too. A lot of the cars there seem to be the same ones that were overpriced month ago, with a couple of new ones added that are basing their values on the overpriced ones. I mentioned a few weeks back about this, I was thinking about swapping my 997 for one and liked the idea of paying a bit more from an OPC to get two years warranty. These are the ones that appealed most, the base car was seriously well specced with Bose, extended leather, PASM, PSE and a few other nice options. The other two were S's. Just pointing this out in case you have only just started looking, the cars out there at the moment seem quite expensive, many base cars back at £40k, I reckon when March arrives, new plates, people swapping cars over, we will see a few more come onto the market and prices get keener again. 8 year old car that was £55k new should be around £30k now, not closer to £40k.

J4CKO said: Pity she isn’t keen on the Boxster as it opens up a lot more scope, but do like the added bit of practicality (all relative of course) in the Cayman. | After a fairly unpleasant health scare, we made the decision to upgrade my wife’s Abarth to this Boxster T two years ago. You’re only here once… PDK and very generous spec, we bought from our friendly local OPC with full peace of mind. Having previously run an 981 Cayman S for a couple of years, I can’t say that the Boxster is any less practical but it certainly puts a big smile on your face roof down. The T, with the T interior pack is a very nice place to be and it goes very well indeed. My wife now parks in the extremes of supermarket car parks, and I never even had to ask her to. Hope you find something you both really like, ours has been great fun.

Lovely car Rob and I agree about the OPC who in my opinion still have the best of them and of course the added peace of mind

She popped into the OPC and had a look, they were very helpful, seems quite keen so will see what happens, need to go through some cars and find a couple of go and see. OPC is top of budget for their entry level, possible but think need to see a couple at decent independents, any recommendations of dealers who deal in Caymans ?

have a look on the 9Werks Marketplace https://9werks.co.uk/porschemarketplace/ You won't find any that are Cayman specialists but you will find plenty of Porsche specialists such as RPM, Paragon, Harbour Cars etc if you google Porsche independent sales. Also have a look at the PistonHeads used car search. Looking now there are a few at the £20-30K mark Edited by scrounger73 on Monday 10th February 16:40

reddiesel said: Lovely car Rob and I agree about the OPC who in my opinion still have the best of them and of course the added peace of mind Thanks The two year warranty is a strong product I think. There's some great independents I'd be very happy to buy from though, plenty of positive feedback on here for years for many of them.

rob.kellock said: reddiesel said: Lovely car Rob and I agree about the OPC who in my opinion still have the best of them and of course the added peace of mind Thanks The two year warranty is a strong product I think. There's some great independents I'd be very happy to buy from though, plenty of positive feedback on here for years for many of them. As is the 111 point check. That threw up a couple of issues with mine that were sorted before the car got to the showroom floor. And it confirmed that the engine hadn't been buzzed.

Might go and see this, any opinions, https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501137...

J4CKO said: Might go and see this, any opinions, https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501137... Its nice but if you can go a few £K,10% more then you'd get more than 10% more car (and close to 50% less miles), eg https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411266...

Jones the cat said: J4CKO said: Might go and see this, any opinions, https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501137... Its nice but if you can go a few £K,10% more then you'd get more than 10% more car (and close to 50% less miles), eg https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411266... Cheers, will show her that one as well, got an appointment on Saturday to view this one, were on about holding deposits and whatever but its been there since November so not overly concerned. Just watched the Jayemm review, he was quite scathing about the engine on the 718 2.0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdPMYiTlB8 Not overly bothered, its still 300 bhp and more than twice the power of the 2014 Fiesta (100 bhp with remap) but seems at odds with all the other reviews and all the feedback from you chaps, saying it feels flat, didnt think a small car with that much power could ever feel flat really, some did say he hadnt put it in sport mode though.

J4CKO said: Cheers, will show her that one as well, got an appointment on Saturday to view this one, were on about holding deposits and whatever but its been there since November so not overly concerned. Just watched the Jayemm review, he was quite scathing about the engine on the 718 2.0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdPMYiTlB8 Not overly bothered, its still 300 bhp and more than twice the power of the 2014 Fiesta (100 bhp with remap) but seems at odds with all the other reviews and all the feedback from you chaps, saying it feels flat, didnt think a small car with that much power could ever feel flat really, some did say he hadnt put it in sport mode though. He's also a bit of a lump which maybe doesnt help

Esquire said: J4CKO said: Cheers, will show her that one as well, got an appointment on Saturday to view this one, were on about holding deposits and whatever but its been there since November so not overly concerned. Just watched the Jayemm review, he was quite scathing about the engine on the 718 2.0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdPMYiTlB8 Not overly bothered, its still 300 bhp and more than twice the power of the 2014 Fiesta (100 bhp with remap) but seems at odds with all the other reviews and all the feedback from you chaps, saying it feels flat, didnt think a small car with that much power could ever feel flat really, some did say he hadnt put it in sport mode though. He's also a bit of a lump which maybe doesnt help Haha yes, he just needed to switch it into sport mode for the correct gear change map, normal is mapped for economy. You don't need PASM in sport mode though unless on track.

J4CKO said: Might go and see this, any opinions, https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202501137... Because it has Sport Chrono, I'd be looking for a decent warranty because of the issues with PADM. See other threads on here for details. As for the JayEmm video - two things. One is that sport mode makes a big difference to how the car goes. Second... no I won't say it because it's fattist.

Esquire said: J4CKO said: Cheers, will show her that one as well, got an appointment on Saturday to view this one, were on about holding deposits and whatever but its been there since November so not overly concerned. Just watched the Jayemm review, he was quite scathing about the engine on the 718 2.0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdPMYiTlB8 Not overly bothered, its still 300 bhp and more than twice the power of the 2014 Fiesta (100 bhp with remap) but seems at odds with all the other reviews and all the feedback from you chaps, saying it feels flat, didnt think a small car with that much power could ever feel flat really, some did say he hadnt put it in sport mode though. He's also a bit of a lump which maybe doesnt help He has actually lost some weight recently ! Must be hard getting all those weight comments when trying to review cars. I dont think a bit of extra podge would make all the difference on a 300 bhp car, I hope not...... My wife is only like 125 pounds, not sure what James weighed then but I would expect its double that, ChatGPT reckons thats a 3.9% percent difference in power to weight and 1 to 2 tenths 0-60, dont think that would account for the disappointment.

Morning J just seen this thread. Had loads of Caysters over the years and driven quite a few 4 pots mainly loaners/courtesies which whilst being broadly poopooed by many Porsche bearded owners largely because of their non na 6 cylinder sound are nevertheless a decent package overall and reasonable performers both manual and pdk and whilst being primarily a manual fan imo tend to think the lower output turbo engine is more suited to pdk in this case. Just a few points which have been partly covered by others. The standard headlamps are perfectly good in fact I've specced them on all new GT4s Spyders and GTS Caysters over the years largely because the headlamp upgrade is overpriced and you do not recoup anywhere near the option cost on resale. Extended leather is far preferable cars without it are slow sellers. Climate is preferable to basic aircon but I've owned Caysters (and Spyders) with the latter which performs perfectly well but again most buyers of used later Caysters demand climate. Porsche batteries are generally as durable as any but all Porsche use battery power even when unlocked so it is essential to keep the car on trickle charger if you are not using it regularly. Ctek are as good as any particularly their smart chargers. Some cars have the smoking option providing an additional charging option on the central console but this only allows around half an hours charging on later cars then aito shutdown failing that you have to connect to the battery or extensions under the bonnet which is a relatively easy task. Better getting a full OPC history car than one with spurious or indie stamps because whilst the latter scenario would not automatically rule out a claim under the warranty it gives Porsche extra wiggle room but they generally pay out. A continuing Porsche warranty car always a good sign and these are great value at c £700 p.a. considering the expense involved should things go wrong. Warranties are transferable should you buy privately and possible via an indie but the multipoint OPC inspection is quite expensive although the retailer should pay for this if you ask nicely. Don't assume an OPC car automatically has full Porsche Service history...some don't and also check the car is C16 i.e. proper UK spec as there are quite a few imports around. Many Caysters have lots of owners imo anything over 2 or 3 is against the car although as ever buy on condition and provenance. Road noise is not an issue these are sports cars afterall if you want a quieter car buy a boring EV! Ditto standing water is not an issue worse than any other car unless you run Cup tyres which won't be the case. Always get a rev read out by an OPC even on PDK cars before buying.... folks claim they cannot be overevved but they can and depending on the exact rev range this could well invalidate the warranty. As you are NW based you clearly have a fair choice of OPCs Wilmslow Stockport Bolton and Preston some within the same franchise group. Also perhaps consider a trip to Leeds OPC who always have a good stock as one of the biggest UK OPCs under JCT. Best advice as ever is to drive a few different cars perhaps both manual and PDK and with different seat options too. Bear in mind values will tend to rise typically apporoaching Spring on both Caymans and particularly Boxsters which can rise up to 10% at the first sign of a heatwave. Good luck in finding the right car.

Just remembered one other point don't bother paying extra for a car with Bose as for a Cayster it really doesn't offer any tangible benefits over the standard basic Porsche sound system tbh.

Great posts. I agree. We have Bose in our Boxster and it’s not impressive. Do like the fancy headlights though.

J4CKO said: Cheers, will show her that one as well, got an appointment on Saturday to view this one, were on about holding deposits and whatever but its been there since November so not overly concerned. Just watched the Jayemm review, he was quite scathing about the engine on the 718 2.0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdPMYiTlB8 Not overly bothered, its still 300 bhp and more than twice the power of the 2014 Fiesta (100 bhp with remap) but seems at odds with all the other reviews and all the feedback from you chaps, saying it feels flat, didnt think a small car with that much power could ever feel flat really, some did say he hadnt put it in sport mode though. That was my old car he reviewed. In fairness to him I did find out a couple of days later that the turbo actuator valve was sticking. Once freed it was a rocket ship. Just something for you to watch out for if you TD one. You'll notice if the actuator is sticking as the boost will rise on the MFD then drop off pretty rapidly. Porsches fix is to replace the entire turbo unit however, if you can free the actuator yourself (jack the car up and wiggle it!) and add some high temp grease you should be fine. You can see the actuator through the belly pan vents and you should be able to move it with your fingers. If you can get the car up on the ramp that would be the main thing I would check first. If you do find one you like, try and get the VIN and send it over on a PM. I'll have a look if the Porsche service history throws anything unusual up.

I wouldn’t attach a premium on the Bose system, but definitely would fro the Burmester setup. Rare, but excellent. You can’t go wrong - they’re all excellent cars. For my type of usage, I wouldn’t take a 718 over a 981, but I appreciate why others would. Ultimately, every mid-engined Porsche since 96 has been a superb car and exceptional bang for buck in the enjoyment stakes. I would echo one of the above posts though, and suggest that an extra 10% on the price tag may bring you a nicer experience and a lot less miles. Extended leather/PASM/PSE/dual zone/SC/18-ways etc.; the extra 3k nowadays can often be the difference between a large option pack and a basic spec. Granted it was 4.5 years ago, but I paid about 2k over basic spec par for a 13k mile CS, with literally every conceivable option bar ceramics, including 22 months of OPC warranty. You’ll love whatever you buy, but you may love it even more if you can snag a higher spec car for a sensible smidge more.

scrounger73 said: J4CKO said: Cheers, will show her that one as well, got an appointment on Saturday to view this one, were on about holding deposits and whatever but its been there since November so not overly concerned. Just watched the Jayemm review, he was quite scathing about the engine on the 718 2.0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVdPMYiTlB8 Not overly bothered, its still 300 bhp and more than twice the power of the 2014 Fiesta (100 bhp with remap) but seems at odds with all the other reviews and all the feedback from you chaps, saying it feels flat, didnt think a small car with that much power could ever feel flat really, some did say he hadnt put it in sport mode though. That was my old car he reviewed. In fairness to him I did find out a couple of days later that the turbo actuator valve was sticking. Once freed it was a rocket ship. Just something for you to watch out for if you TD one. You'll notice if the actuator is sticking as the boost will rise on the MFD then drop off pretty rapidly. Porsches fix is to replace the entire turbo unit however, if you can free the actuator yourself (jack the car up and wiggle it!) and add some high temp grease you should be fine. You can see the actuator through the belly pan vents and you should be able to move it with your fingers. If you can get the car up on the ramp that would be the main thing I would check first. If you do find one you like, try and get the VIN and send it over on a PM. I'll have a look if the Porsche service history throws anything unusual up. Ahh, that makes sense, James video was at odds with everything else that says its a really quick car for a base model, saw a CarWow video where it battered a Mustang Mach 1 and gave a pretty good account of itself against a GT4, Thus, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&... Saw one laying waste to a Golf R which is wasnt expected, would have thought on a par. Weird after the negative press when they came out to find that they are as quick or quicker than most of the six cylinder models that went before. Cheers for the offer of the check, will bear that in mind, very kind of you.

Royal Jelly said: I wouldn’t attach a premium on the Bose system, but definitely would fro the Burmester setup. Rare, but excellent. You can’t go wrong - they’re all excellent cars. For my type of usage, I wouldn’t take a 718 over a 981, but I appreciate why others would. Ultimately, every mid-engined Porsche since 96 has been a superb car and exceptional bang for buck in the enjoyment stakes. I would echo one of the above posts though, and suggest that an extra 10% on the price tag may bring you a nicer experience and a lot less miles. Extended leather/PASM/PSE/dual zone/SC/18-ways etc.; the extra 3k nowadays can often be the difference between a large option pack and a basic spec. Granted it was 4.5 years ago, but I paid about 2k over basic spec par for a 13k mile CS, with literally every conceivable option bar ceramics, including 22 months of OPC warranty. You’ll love whatever you buy, but you may love it even more if you can snag a higher spec car for a sensible smidge more. Yeah makes sense, its trying to convey this as she feels like its already more than she was wanting to spend. I want her to get one, ok I get a Cayman to play with but also I want her to have a nice car she really enjoys, always had people carriers and sensible stuff, think she needs to try one and realise how good cars like these can be. Think Caymans tend to be specced more mealy than other models as most would likely buy a 911 or a GT4 not a base Cayman, so maybe a case of beggars cant be choosers to an extent and though it was possible to add 30 grand or more to a base Cayman, most buyers were pretty selective and choosy with what they added and tended to gravitate to paint and wheels, some even eschewing heated seats at £250, seems like an omission to me on any car. 718 suits her requirements more, she doesnt mind it being 9 years old but not 15/20 as a daily(ish) driver and the 2.0T with the PDK sounds like what she will appreciate as a drive, less so the sixes with long gearing and less low down torque, even if they are more the enthusiast choice. Not seen any Caymans with the Burmester stereo at our end of the market, which I dont mind admitting is entry level for one of these. There are a coupel for sale in Derby as well, so may drive back that way, a blue one and a silver one.

av185 said: Morning J just seen this thread. Had loads of Caysters over the years and driven quite a few 4 pots mainly loaners/courtesies which whilst being broadly poopooed by many Porsche bearded owners largely because of their non na 6 cylinder sound are nevertheless a decent package overall and reasonable performers both manual and pdk and whilst being primarily a manual fan imo tend to think the lower output turbo engine is more suited to pdk in this case. Just a few points which have been partly covered by others. The standard headlamps are perfectly good in fact I've specced them on all new GT4s Spyders and GTS Caysters over the years largely because the headlamp upgrade is overpriced and you do not recoup anywhere near the option cost on resale. Extended leather is far preferable cars without it are slow sellers. Climate is preferable to basic aircon but I've owned Caysters (and Spyders) with the latter which performs perfectly well but again most buyers of used later Caysters demand climate. Porsche batteries are generally as durable as any but all Porsche use battery power even when unlocked so it is essential to keep the car on trickle charger if you are not using it regularly. Ctek are as good as any particularly their smart chargers. Some cars have the smoking option providing an additional charging option on the central console but this only allows around half an hours charging on later cars then aito shutdown failing that you have to connect to the battery or extensions under the bonnet which is a relatively easy task. Better getting a full OPC history car than one with spurious or indie stamps because whilst the latter scenario would not automatically rule out a claim under the warranty it gives Porsche extra wiggle room but they generally pay out. A continuing Porsche warranty car always a good sign and these are great value at c £700 p.a. considering the expense involved should things go wrong. Warranties are transferable should you buy privately and possible via an indie but the multipoint OPC inspection is quite expensive although the retailer should pay for this if you ask nicely. Don't assume an OPC car automatically has full Porsche Service history...some don't and also check the car is C16 i.e. proper UK spec as there are quite a few imports around. Many Caysters have lots of owners imo anything over 2 or 3 is against the car although as ever buy on condition and provenance. Road noise is not an issue these are sports cars afterall if you want a quieter car buy a boring EV! Ditto standing water is not an issue worse than any other car unless you run Cup tyres which won't be the case. Always get a rev read out by an OPC even on PDK cars before buying.... folks claim they cannot be overevved but they can and depending on the exact rev range this could well invalidate the warranty. As you are NW based you clearly have a fair choice of OPCs Wilmslow Stockport Bolton and Preston some within the same franchise group. Also perhaps consider a trip to Leeds OPC who always have a good stock as one of the biggest UK OPCs under JCT. Best advice as ever is to drive a few different cars perhaps both manual and PDK and with different seat options too. Bear in mind values will tend to rise typically apporoaching Spring on both Caymans and particularly Boxsters which can rise up to 10% at the first sign of a heatwave. Good luck in finding the right car. Cheers AV, appreciate the input, I know you have much experience of buying Porsches so its all great input. No rush with this, we will go on Sat, away for our anniversary for a few days, then have a couple of days off and may go and look at another few. A lot of it is the travel, traipsing up and down motorways, did it last weekend, my sons girlfriend found a Golf GTI in Stafford, so went to see that, luckily it was utterly perfect, my dad came and he didnt find anything wrong, which must be a first ! If she tries the Cayman and doesnt like it, would be suprised, fallback is a Leon Cupra, nice car, plenty fast but just not in the same league.

J4CKO said: Yeah makes sense, its trying to convey this as she feels like its already more than she was wanting to spend. I want her to get one, ok I get a Cayman to play with but also I want her to have a nice car she really enjoys, always had people carriers and sensible stuff, think she needs to try one and realise how good cars like these can be. Think Caymans tend to be specced more mealy than other models as most would likely buy a 911 or a GT4 not a base Cayman, so maybe a case of beggars cant be choosers to an extent and though it was possible to add 30 grand or more to a base Cayman, most buyers were pretty selective and choosy with what they added and tended to gravitate to paint and wheels, some even eschewing heated seats at £250, seems like an omission to me on any car. 718 suits her requirements more, she doesnt mind it being 9 years old but not 15/20 as a daily(ish) driver and the 2.0T with the PDK sounds like what she will appreciate as a drive, less so the sixes with long gearing and less low down torque, even if they are more the enthusiast choice. Not seen any Caymans with the Burmester stereo at our end of the market, which I dont mind admitting is entry level for one of these. There are a coupel for sale in Derby as well, so may drive back that way, a blue one and a silver one. I think I made the options sound more important than they are - they do enhance things for a small increase in price, but if you’re at the limit of what you’re wanting to spend, then a basic spec one is still a brilliant thing that you’ll both love. Don’t overthink it. Buy on condition. Get them inspected by a reputable Indy (if it’s not from an OPC) and have her drive it like she stole it.

Standard sound system is fine on the Cayman. It's quite a loud cabin so I wouldn't go anything more than Bose but I wouldn't turn one down if it didn't come with it but ticked every other box.

Royal Jelly said: J4CKO said: Yeah makes sense, its trying to convey this as she feels like its already more than she was wanting to spend. I want her to get one, ok I get a Cayman to play with but also I want her to have a nice car she really enjoys, always had people carriers and sensible stuff, think she needs to try one and realise how good cars like these can be. Think Caymans tend to be specced more mealy than other models as most would likely buy a 911 or a GT4 not a base Cayman, so maybe a case of beggars cant be choosers to an extent and though it was possible to add 30 grand or more to a base Cayman, most buyers were pretty selective and choosy with what they added and tended to gravitate to paint and wheels, some even eschewing heated seats at £250, seems like an omission to me on any car. 718 suits her requirements more, she doesnt mind it being 9 years old but not 15/20 as a daily(ish) driver and the 2.0T with the PDK sounds like what she will appreciate as a drive, less so the sixes with long gearing and less low down torque, even if they are more the enthusiast choice. Not seen any Caymans with the Burmester stereo at our end of the market, which I dont mind admitting is entry level for one of these. There are a coupel for sale in Derby as well, so may drive back that way, a blue one and a silver one. I think I made the options sound more important than they are - they do enhance things for a small increase in price, but if you’re at the limit of what you’re wanting to spend, then a basic spec one is still a brilliant thing that you’ll both love. Don’t overthink it. Buy on condition. Get them inspected by a reputable Indy (if it’s not from an OPC) and have her drive it like she stole it. She isnt a spec fiend, she likes what she likes, not bothered about a lot of it and modern stuff generally has what she needs. But if its on there, all well and good, PDK and colour she likes seems to be the wishlist. Not bothered about heated seats, though I think a warm bottom on a cold morning is essential. Wheels, doesn't care, more one for me, think it needs to look right, 18s are great but it doesnt look a bit under wheeled. Sports Chrono, thats more of a bloke thing, frippery. Extended leather and fancy seats, she isnt fussed Really is just the base car in a paint colour she likes, has ruled out red, yellow and white so far, so gets to be a tall order finding one

https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/threads/cayman... Strong argument for a pre gpf car…

Johnson897210 said: https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/threads/cayman... Strong argument for a pre gpf car… What year did they acquire a GPF ? We had a discussion last night, came down to either just get a TT (Yes I know TT <> Cayman) or maybe stretch the budget a bit to encompass a few more Caymans. Personally, its her car so she needs to get whats right, she is a bit concerned about how she will manage it being fairly small and it being low down with limited rear visibility, but a quick go in one will confirm that either way. She is thinking does she really want to spend that much, when ten grand less gets a very nice TT, but then again I suspect the Porsche should lose value more slowly as a percentage so might end up being very similar. I think the perception is that the TT is cheaper as an ownership proposition but really, both are 4 cyl turbos, same VED, insurance was £340 on the Cayman, Audi Servicing and parts arent known for its good value. I said an extra five grand in the scheme of things isnt going to make all the difference, I expect she will keep it a good while so getting the right car and paying that much doesnt really matter over 5 years, she has had her current car 10 years now so if she is happy with something, why change.

Johnson897210 said: https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/threads/cayman... Strong argument for a pre gpf car… That’s a proper eye opener!

J4CKO said: What year did they acquire a GPF ? I believe all cars registered after September 2018 in the UK were required to be fitted with GPFs. I acquired a new Macan GTS for a very good price from my local OPC on the 28th September 2018 as it was a cancelled order and they faced the prospect of not being able to sell it once October arrived. The issue with GPFs on 718s appears to only affect the 2.0 models and bizarrely it seems, only Caymans. It also seems to only affect cars built up to late 2019. If buying from an OPC it's worth asking details about this on any cars you are looking at if you are concerned. Edited by Voodoo Blue on Wednesday 12th February 11:00

Voodoo Blue said: J4CKO said: What year did they acquire a GPF ? I believe all cars registered after September 2018 in the UK were required to be fitted with GPFs. I acquired a new Macan GTS for a very good price from my local OPC on the 28th September 2018 as it was a cancelled order and they faced the prospect of not being able to sell it once October arrived. The issue with GPFs on 718s appears to only affect the 2.0 models and bizarrely it seems, only Caymans. It also seems to only affect cars built up to late 2019. If buying from an OPC it's worth asking details about this on any cars you are looking at if you are concerned. Edited by Voodoo Blue on Wednesday 12th February 11:00 Think we are looking at 2016, 2017 and 2018 at a push so will look out for the build dates on any and avoid those. Had a video of the one in Nottingham, cant say I am keen on the colour/wheel combo but if she likes it thats her choice. They cant seem to cope when you say it wont be financed and no part ex, I think it reduces their opportunities to rinse every penny from you.

Buy on condition and history not only specification would be my advice. Has the the car been merely serviced or properly maintained by previous owners - even cars with an OPC history won’t necessarily have had e.g.plugs and drive belts when they should have. When were the tyres/pads/discs last changed, so when will they need replacement based on your use case? Has the car been garaged or kept on the street? A quick look at the exhaust and in the wheel arches will tell you a lot - the fixings used on these cars are not high quality. The running costs of a Cayman have the potential to be in a different league to the other cars mentioned in your posts so caveat emptor.

J4CKO said: Think we are looking at 2016, 2017 and 2018 at a push so will look out for the build dates on any and avoid those. The other benefit of pre-GPF cars is the exhaust note is louder especially if you get one with PSE. I had a late 2019 2.0 Boxster for 18 months and with PSE switched on it sounded fantastic.

Have cancelled viewing the one at Sytner, they sent a video, I wasnt all that keen before and didnt want to say I didnt like the paint/wheel colours as its not for me, but she isnt keen either. Going Friday afternoon to Porsche Stockport, and Audi Stockport to have a look at a TT, think it has to be an OPC car at a higher budget or spend less and get a later TT. She needs to drive both, could go either way.

The TT gearbox is a POS compared to the PDK. Most should spot that.

Johnson897210 said: The TT gearbox is a POS compared to the PDK. Most should spot that. Is it ? hopefully she will have a go in both, I know the PDK is considered the best of its type but always thought the DSG was quite good, was driving an old Golf my son has as a daily and I think its alright. I think she will see the difference in the cars, to be fair the Audis are very nice, but not quite Porsche nice. I just want her to go for it, get the best we can afford and enjoy it, whether its the Porsche or the Audi, just has to be the car she prefers.

J4CKO said: Some of the roads are parlous round here, Styal road near Manchester Airport if anyone knows it, its narrow and the surface is deteriorating pretty quickly, some monster potholes appearing. They've filled in that deep square one in the centre of the road as you go doen to the small walled bridge. I narrowly avoided it last week before it was filled. That had the potential to break suspension and was a serious accident waiting to happen! I can't add much more than already said other than a 2.0 base Boxster/Cayman at sub £30k is incredible value and can be looked after by a good Indy without issue. I like manuals but having had this PDK the gearbox is fantastic. My 2016 2.0. Boxster has Sport Chrono which is superb with the ability to spool up the turbo before giving it the beans. It leaves me next week but at some point I'll be back in a 718, probably a GT4.

Armitage.Shanks said: J4CKO said: Some of the roads are parlous round here, Styal road near Manchester Airport if anyone knows it, its narrow and the surface is deteriorating pretty quickly, some monster potholes appearing. They've filled in that deep square one in the centre of the road as you go doen to the small walled bridge. I narrowly avoided it last week before it was filled. That had the potential to break suspension and was a serious accident waiting to happen! I can't add much more than already said other than a 2.0 base Boxster/Cayman at sub £30k is incredible value and can be looked after by a good Indy without issue. I like manuals but having had this PDK the gearbox is fantastic. My 2016 2.0. Boxster has Sport Chrono which is superb with the ability to spool up the turbo before giving it the beans. It leaves me next week but at some point I'll be back in a 718, probably a GT4. Can sort of see why people buy SUVs the way the roads are, sounds like a token attempt at some repairs has been made, but like so many others it needs some quality resurfacing work done. Appreciate all the feedback, nobody really has a bad word to say about them, I think if she gets one it will be a long ownership, she says about if we are blessed with grandkids, well, why would you sell that, just make sure you have a suitable car as well ?

Which one at Stockport are you looking at?

scrounger73 said: Which one at Stockport are you looking at? They have a black one, it’s more about seeing the TT and Cayman back to back really than the specific car, hopefully then make a final decision on what to get. The black one at Stockport has aluminium window surrounds which was an option but they look a bit strange to me somehow. She saw one at Wilmslow and said it felt like a brand new car so is impressed with the Porsche approved, guess they take the best examples, prep them to a standard and the rest end up with non franchised dealers, hence why the one at Sytner didn’t look as well prepped

The PPN doesn't show up anything that's concerning. It had a new water pump at 15500 miles and had 2 rear tyres replaced at 14400 miles. Last service was a major done on the 25/4/24 at 23080 miles. Last MOT was done on 1/2/25. Aluminium door surrounds is an old school classic Porsche look.

scrounger73 said: The PPN doesn't show up anything that's concerning. It had a new water pump at 15500 miles and had 2 rear tyres replaced at 14400 miles. Last service was a major done on the 25/4/24 at 23080 miles. Last MOT was done on 1/2/25. Aluminium door surrounds is an old school classic Porsche look. Cheers for that, useful, likely wont be that one, today is to rule in/out TT/Cayman (or both) I think she will like both but plump for the Porsche, the fallback position being a Leon Cupra or similar but I want her to get a sportscar, she has always talked about it. The "when able" car was a Mustang for years but she has gone off them a bit of late, think they are just a bit big for what she wants.

We contemplated a Bullit before the 718 but the ridiculous mpg and the loudness of the exhaust on a cold start (not good at 0330 going to work) we decided against it. Let's just say, all mouth and no trousers imo!

scrounger73 said: It had a new water pump at 15500 miles That's not unexpected on these it would appear and one hopes they've now mastered the art of ensuring no water gets into the vacuum pipes to prevent the 'coolant warning light bingo'.

Did she like the Cayman or the TT?

interstellar said: Did she like the Cayman or the TT? She liked both but we just put a deposit down on a TT, a 2022 Quattro Black edition. We looked at the Porsches at Porsche Stockport but the budget was escalating and though she’d liked them she just preferred the TT for what she needs a car for. Cheers for all the info chaps but not this time, never know but she is smitten with the TT, just got in and was happy with the visibility, the drive and the gadgets, plus it’s only two years old. A Porsche would have been fine but nearer 8 years. It’s got loads of kit, obviously the digital dash, B and O sound, 20 inch wheels, lovely seats, led lights etc it’s 245 bhp so plenty quick enough and the 4wd gives some added reassurance. It’s in a fetching shade of metallic primer (chronos grey) it works well with the black bits, has a rather funky spoiler. I had a ropey old mk1, I do like TTs, I know a Cayman is more of a drivers car but these aren’t bad to be fair, not the same level but better than most. She is happy, I’m happy and not got to spend every weekend charging around looking at cars, even I get a bit tired of that, was a painless process, managed to get an extra years warranty. So, cheers again

Youforreal. said: Johnson897210 said: https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/threads/cayman... Strong argument for a pre gpf car That s a proper eye opener! Lots of talk on that thread but nothing really progressing. Seems a very serious problem and I m surprised it s not made the news. Assuming owners are worried about values plummeting and so are keeping it quiet in the hope Porsche will do the right thing. Given the obvious VW link, it shouldn’t really be a surprise that this is happening. I think the only way to get this resolved is to get it on the news and get some group legal action in motion. I ve had a lot of Porsches over the years - two of the last few cars I ve had (991.1 and one of my Taycans) were terrible with multiple faults. They put me of Porsche. I ve only found this thread as I ve been considering a 718 GT4 . I think I ll give it a miss. Are there any decent marques left for the small high performance sports car market? Lotus are shocking, Alpine have plenty of issues, Porsche seem to have lost their way from a customer care perspective. Possibly Aston or Morgan??? Who d have thought British companies could be leading the way for reliability and customer care??? Edited by W12GT on Thursday 29th May 21:57

W12GT said: Lots of talk on that thread but nothing really progressing. Seems a very serious problem and I m surprised it s not made the news. Assuming owners are worried about values plummeting and so are keeping it quiet in the hope Porsche will do the right thing. <snip> I'm not sure how many cars are affected. I've only really scanned the thread on the PCGB forum quickly, and it seems to be a few, and from September 2018 to some time in 2019 production dates. I agree it looks a serious problem, and that Porsche really need to do the right thing on this. However I'm on my 3rd and 4th 718 Caymans at the moment (2023 and 2024 builds), and like my 2017 and 2021 718s before (and my 2016 981 GT4, only sold last year), I haven't really had any issues that weren't quickly sorted, and with excellent customer service. You'll note from the many replies to this thread that most on this forum have had a pretty good ownership experience. Honestly, don't think for a minute we are all pretending in the hope of keeping values high. I think it more likely that it just hasn't been an issue for many cars. Liam

Lovely one listed today - if you like Mexico Blue Rare for a base model to be PTS. A unicorn. https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20843534

Jones the cat said: Rare for a base model to be PTS. A unicorn. And apparently exempt from depreciation. You'd have to be nuts to pay the thick end of £40k for a base car that's nearly ten years old.

Panamax said: Jones the cat said: Rare for a base model to be PTS. A unicorn. And apparently exempt from depreciation. You'd have to be nuts to pay the thick end of £40k for a base car that's nearly ten years old. Not really. They’re not making them anymore, clue is in the supply… Utterly fantastic cars, this one is pre gpf as well, very valuable given gpf issues.

Panamax said: Jones the cat said: Rare for a base model to be PTS. A unicorn. And apparently exempt from depreciation. You'd have to be nuts to pay the thick end of £40k for a base car that's nearly ten years old. £10K in options. Clearly well maintained. low miles. A unicorn in that colour. Seems like a great price all things considered. Find another, you never will.