Considering Cayman (2008ish) few questions... - Page 3 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hey guys Im looking into my next car for purchase April time. Im looking for a sub £20k 2 seater sports car max 300bhp. List so far is Cayman, Elise/Exige, TT 2.0 TFSI, 370z So im interested in the cayman but concerned with ownership, I could only afford a 2007/8 model like the one in the link below as an example http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... Im not sure I need the S variety coming from a 1.0l 60bhp corsa! so at the moment im looking at a non S manual model with the lowest miles and newest age. In relation to cost of ownership can it be afforded easily? originally being a £40k odd car i assume if anything goes bang its going to cost a lot? I dont really want to purchase it and then end up with a big bill! Appreciate any opinions and guidance to help me out!

There's loads of Cayman S's for sale around £16k, and you'll have plenty left over for a warranty/repair fund.

Shaoxter said: There's loads of Cayman S's for sale around £16k, and you'll have plenty left over for a warranty/repair fund. though the S are more expensive to get one for £16k your going to have to go old or high mileage = much more chance of issues ? Ive only owned brand new cars so its a new experience for me i dont want to be a bad one!

I wouldn't call 43k high mileage! As is the case with used cars, buy on condition and service history and get an inspection and proper test drive. Sure there's potential for borkage but that's what a warranty is for. A Cayman S for £16 is a bargain and will be way better than a newer 2.0 TT or 370Z.

Shaoxter said: I wouldn't call 43k high mileage! As is the case with used cars, buy on condition and service history and get an inspection and proper test drive. Sure there's potential for borkage but that's what a warranty is for. A Cayman S for £16 is a bargain and will be way better than a newer 2.0 TT or 370Z. its more about the thought that i put around 10-15k a year on it and then its not a 40k car its 70-80k after 3 years ownership! I dont doubt its a bargin and better than the others but its also a fair bit older! As i say ive only known new cars and not driven one beyond 20k miles so 40k+ is high to me! Edited by infernouk on Tuesday 18th February 23:10 Edited by infernouk on Tuesday 18th February 23:11

infernouk said: its more about the thought that i put around 10-15k a year on it and then its not a 40k car its 70-80k after 3 years ownership! Yeah but a 40k car going to 80k will lose less in depreciation than a 10k going to 50k. In terms of age, what are you concerned about? The original Cayman S hasn't changed much in terms of exterior appearance until the new one last year and the interior hasn't aged badly at all. Go in with your eyes open, a used example might have a few scratches on the bumper or scuff marks on the leather but you're getting a vastly superior car than if you'd spent the same amount on a newer car.

Shaoxter said: Yeah but a 40k car going to 80k will lose less in depreciation than a 10k going to 50k. In terms of age, what are you concerned about? The original Cayman S hasn't changed much in terms of exterior appearance until the new one last year and the interior hasn't aged badly at all. Go in with your eyes open, a used example might have a few scratches on the bumper or scuff marks on the leather but you're getting a vastly superior car than if you'd spent the same amount on a newer car. thats a fair point. Im primarily just concerned about something going from that would cost upward of £500 since im not so setup to take hits like that right after buying! I dont know what goes wrong with them but since its porsche i was concerned parts and repairs etc all cost a lot more than my alternatives!

Forget the 3.4 S version if costs are the worry. The late 2.7 cayman is as reliable as these gen 1 engines get. You should get a nice low mileage one i.e less than 20000 miles for about 19k. It should then be cheap to run as far as Porsches go and no real engine worries. The 3.4 gen 1 do tend to have the odd expensive engine issue.

I'm looking at buying the same, but after seeing a few 3,4 cars i've started looking at the 2.7. For under 20k you can get a very good car with really low milage. You just have to live with out the extra power, brakes and 6th gear or increase you budget.

If you're worried about spending £500 if something goes wrong then I think you really do need to be buying a car from an OPC - your budget might (and I mean might) just stretch to a very early model - or a decent indie with a good warranty. Inevitably though your budget means you'll be buying an older car, which obviously has a greater potential for bigger bills - be it for tyres, brake discs, or the other costs that go with running a seven / eight year old car that originally cost c£50k new. Some of this will be covered by a decent warranty, but not all. I think this is something you need to decide if you're comfortable with. Running costs other than fuel / tax could end up being very low if you buy a good one, but they could also be very high... If you decide a Cayman is for you then I'd say steer clear of the 'S', purely because the likelihood of bore scoring / IMS failure / big bills is so much greater. The non-S version will also be cheaper to run leaving more cash should any bills come up. For info the six speed box was also an option on the non-S version and was part of one of the packs (could be Sports Package Plus). Good luck with the search though. They're great cars and I think if you go in to ownership with your eyes open then nothing can touch them for the money.

thanks guys ill probably drive the 2.7 first then decide if the S is worth more money. Is the S just the engine and brakes? do you gain any nicer interior etc? Also out of interest are there any mods for the rear lights? I love the front and side of the car but the back looks terrible with those lights so i wondered if there were perhaps some LED aftermarket options or something?

The Cayman S will also give you 18" wheels as standard, six speed gearbox, a different exhaust design, slightly different front bumper, coloured brake callipers and white dial faces instead of black. You might also get some extra bits of leather inside (centre armrest) and an alarm. The last two definitely apply to the Gen 2 cars but not so sure about earlier models. There may well be other differences I've missed. Gen 2 cars come with LED rear lights as standard and I'm sure there will be after-market equivalents you can add to earlier cars. If you do though, say goodbye to any warranty from an OPC.

how do the OPC warranties work? i have to purchase from an OPC to have one? whats the likelyhood of issues with a S with an OPC warranty? when i say i dont want issues i just mean within say 6 months of purchase whilst im rebuilding my funds

Road tax is considerably cheaper for a 2.7 compared with a 3.4 Cayman.

keiththo said: Road tax is considerably cheaper for a 2.7 compared with a 3.4 Cayman. yea in reguards to performance i think the 2.7 is enough and the mpg as a daily driver will be more useful in the long run. Its just the things like wheels and various aesthetic differences I would have liked!

infernouk said: how do the OPC warranties work? i have to purchase from an OPC to have one? whats the likelyhood of issues with a S with an OPC warranty? when i say i dont want issues i just mean within say 6 months of purchase whilst im rebuilding my funds Two years warranty if you buy from an OPC. If you buy elsewhere you can add the warranty but the car will need to pass the multi point inspection. Expect to pay c£2k for two years warranty including the inspection - plus any work needed to get the car through the inspection. As for how likely is a problem with an S - how long is a piece of string. At the end of the day though the S is more likely to lead to major bills than than the smaller engine car. However, the failure rate is stil low, despite the horror stories on the Internet. If you've got the OPC warranty though, no need to worry.

Dolf Stoppard said: Two years warranty if you buy from an OPC. If you buy elsewhere you can add the warranty but the car will need to pass the multi point inspection. Expect to pay c£2k for two years warranty including the inspection - plus any work needed to get the car through the inspection. As for how likely is a problem with an S - how long is a piece of string. At the end of the day though the S is more likely to lead to major bills than than the smaller engine car. However, the failure rate is stil low, despite the horror stories on the Internet. If you've got the OPC warranty though, no need to worry. so basically a non S from an OPC is my safest bet?

infernouk said: so basically a non S from an OPC is my safest bet? Without a doubt, but I've had two gen.1 987 S's (a 2006 Boxster S and currently have a 2008 Cayman S), owned for a total of about 4 years, and had no significant problems with either. However, the very safest bet would be a Gen.2 987 non-S - there are very very few incidents, AFAIK, of those breaking. Buying from an OPC includes a warranty, so is safe, but RSJ and 911V have good reputations, and you could always add an OPC warranty afterwards, and I'd be surprised if their cars failed the 111 point check. Indeed, you could probably arrange for the check before purchase from a good indy. Just watch out for cars failing for silly things like non-N-rated tyres or an aftermarket stereo. Wouldn't have thought there's too many like that about, and, again, even fewer at good Indys. Good luck! (I still love my Cayman S, and keep meaning to change it, but can't find anything I'd rather have except maybe an R or a Spyder).

Actus Reus said: Without a doubt, but I've had two gen.1 987 S's (a 2006 Boxster S and currently have a 2008 Cayman S), owned for a total of about 4 years, and had no significant problems with either. However, the very safest bet would be a Gen.2 987 non-S - there are very very few incidents, AFAIK, of those breaking. Buying from an OPC includes a warranty, so is safe, but RSJ and 911V have good reputations, and you could always add an OPC warranty afterwards, and I'd be surprised if their cars failed the 111 point check. Indeed, you could probably arrange for the check before purchase from a good indy. Just watch out for cars failing for silly things like non-N-rated tyres or an aftermarket stereo. Wouldn't have thought there's too many like that about, and, again, even fewer at good Indys. Good luck! (I still love my Cayman S, and keep meaning to change it, but can't find anything I'd rather have except maybe an R or a Spyder). Cheers i cant really afford a gen 2 as they are the other side of £23k+ is there an easy way to see OPC stock? i cant find anywhere online where i can find what OPC cars are for sale! This would be my number 1 choice its gen 2 but not too much, but not OPC! http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p... Edited by infernouk on Thursday 20th February 11:17

Mines going on the market this weekend - PM me if you'd like more info. 2006 Gen1 987 S - 42k miles with 1 yrs Warranty.

smiffy555 said: Mines going on the market this weekend - PM me if you'd like more info. 2006 Gen1 987 S - 42k miles with 1 yrs Warranty. still too soon for me, looking for april/may

http://www.porsche.com/uk/ then top of the page 'Approved cars' or similar, and you can search the entire OPC network. That Gen.2 car you posted is very nice - wrong wheels, but otherwise very nice indeed at a glanace (oh, and it's carrara white, not carrera, that really annoys me on adverts ) ETA: and Smiffy's car, with a warranty, would be well worth considering too - best of both worlds buying private and still getting a Porsche warranty

remember on a 06 car you will be paying £480 in car tax on a gen 1 S;-)

Actus Reus said: http://www.porsche.com/uk/ then top of the page 'Approved cars' or similar, and you can search the entire OPC network. That Gen.2 car you posted is very nice - wrong wheels, but otherwise very nice indeed at a glanace (oh, and it's carrara white, not carrera, that really annoys me on adverts ) ETA: and Smiffy's car, with a warranty, would be well worth considering too - best of both worlds buying private and still getting a Porsche warranty Only cayman 2009 is a bit over budget! (not sure if this link will work) http://ucl.porsche.de/ucl/plsql/uk/clients.show_ca... The more i think about it i dont need an S as it will be a daily drive so id rather save fuel and tax etc as well as reduce my risk

smiffy555 said: That depends which month in '06 it was registered. shoot: Besides, I've just put 12mths on it so you'll be getting a free yr Just seen your post on the Golf R thread - did you order? I must say I'm bloody tempted by those prices, so my 2008 Cayman S may be up for sale soon too (though I'm lazy, so I'd offer it to 911V and RSJ I daresay).

mrdemon said: remember on a 06 car you will be paying £480 in car tax on a gen 1 S;-) That depends which month in '06 it was registered. Besides, I've just put 12mths on it so you'll be getting a free yr Edited by smiffy555 on Thursday 20th February 13:53

Actus Reus said: Just seen your post on the Golf R thread - did you order? I must say I'm bloody tempted by those prices, so my 2008 Cayman S may be up for sale soon too (though I'm lazy, so I'd offer it to 911V and RSJ I daresay). I did indeed - should be with me by May!

Lucky bar steward! Just spent an hour looking at these online, and I'm sorely tempted. Might drop 911V a line and see what my Cayman is worth...

There's a thread running on boxa.net at the moment: http://www.boxa.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=5989... about Cayman Gen 1 values, started by a member there who is looking to sell an 06 car with a recent Hartech engine rebuild and decent spec. Worth a look if you're concerned about potential engine problems.

DRH986 said: There's a thread running on boxa.net at the moment: http://www.boxa.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=5989... about Cayman Gen 1 values, started by a member there who is looking to sell an 06 car with a recent Hartech engine rebuild and decent spec. Worth a look if you're concerned about potential engine problems. im getting an error when i click the link? ah fixed needed to make an account! Edited by infernouk on Thursday 20th February 22:10

mrdemon said: remember on a 06 car you will be paying £480 in car tax on a gen 1 S;-) Not necessarily. For cars (like mine) registered before 23 March 2006, tax is only £280 per year.

Imo you should either buy one with money left over, or one with an OPC warranty already. Buying one at the full extent of your finances would mean you'd be driving around petrified of any noise, rattle or pothole. Not exactly an enjoyable ownership experience.

Agreed - and make sure the warranty is fit for purpose. Unfortunately I think that means an OPC warranty only. Or you could just buy my 2008 S - have decided over this past weekend that it's going up for sale reasonably soon. ;-)

mrdemon said: remember on a 06 car you will be paying £480 in car tax on a gen 1 S;-) I fail to see how £200 can be an influencing factor when spending upwards of £15k on a P&J, especially when the other running costs are factored in.

When i bought my Boxster Spyder at over 40K i may not have bought it if i also had to pay 480 road tax. Having said that i have spent 20 years plus with vintage Rolls-Royce with no road tax at all

So you would deprive yourself of owning your dream car for the sake of £200 a year.

Trev450 said: I fail to see how £200 can be an influencing factor when spending upwards of £15k on a P&J, especially when the other running costs are factored in. The running costs aren't necessarily that much as a second/occasional car. £200 is £200. But I think the bigger point is that, if two cars were the same, all else being equal, which would you buy? The one with £280 VED or the one with £480 VED?

infernouk said: keiththo said: Road tax is considerably cheaper for a 2.7 compared with a 3.4 Cayman. yea in reguards to performance i think the 2.7 is enough and the mpg as a daily driver will be more useful in the long run. Its just the things like wheels and various aesthetic differences I would have liked! If you get the 6-speed gearbox on the 2.7, there is a tiny increase in emissions which puts it into the top car tax category

Putting miles on these cars isn't a major issue, but you do start to see the bills increasing after 60-80k in my experience. My current 2008 2.7 is approaching 60k, and is starting to need a bit more attention. My old 2002 996 reached 100k in my hands, and although no major problems arose, I did start getting through batteries and window regulators at an alarming rate! I think the 9x6/9x7 suspensions also benefit from some proper work around 70k. I'm just starting to hear the front bush squeak which also afflicted the 996, but I think this is just an excuse to get a suspension upgrade at some point in the next 18 months... Realistically, I think you should prepare for maintenance costs of at least GBP1k per year, and brace yourself for the occasional year where it goes well over 2k.

NNH said: Putting miles on these cars isn't a major issue, but you do start to see the bills increasing after 60-80k in my experience. This is true, mine has hit 75k and this is the work for the last 12 months: 6 coilpacks A/C leak Both cats and sensors Both lower coffin arms 1 Caliper Radiator pipes Starter motor Both track rod ends Battery Thank goodness for the warranty!

2008 Cayman S, 41k miles, and no work at all save the tyres and one radiator last year, under warranty. I maintain the warranty though, just in case, though it looks very likely that I'll be selling it to a dealer next weekend...

ilduce said: This is true, mine has hit 75k and this is the work for the last 12 months: 6 coilpacks A/C leak Both cats and sensors Both lower coffin arms 1 Caliper Radiator pipes Starter motor Both track rod ends Battery Thank goodness for the warranty! How much of that was covered by warranty? Mine has also done 75k and in the last year I've had new cats, an electric window switch and a coolant pipe replaced on the warranty, but battery, tuning fork arms and broken rear coil springs weren't covered due to being considered wear and tear.

From an alternative POV, I've had mine 5 years now so have been 4 years warranty free. Saving not only the costs of the warranty, but half the cost of the two services as I've been able to go to an indie rather than an OPC. Now should the worst happen (which is exceptionally rare on a 2.7) I'll have to cover it out of my own pocket obviously. But all the other stuff you mention is just maintenance which would be easily swallowed up by the savings. You pay your money and you take your choice of course. But it's just a car, and if you're sensible I don't think you need to be paranoid about them. After all I run a 21 year old Mercedes and don't have a warranty on that either... Why should I need one on a much more modern Porsche?

ChipsAndCheese said: ilduce said: This is true, mine has hit 75k and this is the work for the last 12 months: 6 coilpacks A/C leak Both cats and sensors Both lower coffin arms 1 Caliper Radiator pipes Starter motor Both track rod ends Battery Thank goodness for the warranty! How much of that was covered by warranty? Mine has also done 75k and in the last year I've had new cats, an electric window switch and a coolant pipe replaced on the warranty, but battery, tuning fork arms and broken rear coil springs weren't covered due to being considered wear and tear. All except Both track rod ends- both done for £250 including geo set up, and the battery- £140 fitted Oh and they fitted new front pads for free. I suppose they still feel guilty about having to charge me for my blown-up engine.

juansolo said: From an alternative POV, I've had mine 5 years now so have been 4 years warranty free. Saving not only the costs of the warranty, but half the cost of the two services as I've been able to go to an indie rather than an OPC. Now should the worst happen (which is exceptionally rare on a 2.7) I'll have to cover it out of my own pocket obviously. But all the other stuff you mention is just maintenance which would be easily swallowed up by the savings. You pay your money and you take your choice of course. But it's just a car, and if you're sensible I don't think you need to be paranoid about them. After all I run a 21 year old Mercedes and don't have a warranty on that either... Why should I need one on a much more modern Porsche? I just had the bill that the warranty paid: £1800 Last year it was £2300.