981 Cayman (base model) - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hi Folks, I'm looking to purchase a 981 Cayman to add to my garage. Would be used as a daily for travel to office and the school run now and then for my daughter. I'm not in the need for too much power, so thinking a 2.7 Base Cayman should be good enough. I have a 992 GTS to get my speed and power kicks. Just looking for some advice really, anything specific I should be looking out for on these cars as I plan to start my search soon? Many thanks in advance.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

My wife has had her 2.7 Cayman for 9 years and I can't see her ever selling it. Over that time and just over 30k miles she's had a few minor issues (including the HVAC fan failure) but the car has never let her down or caused any concern, it's even running on its original battery. We know a few others with the same model and from conversations over the last few years their experience is very similar to ours so they seem pretty bombproof. She used it for her 10 mile commute up until 2020 and it was ideal as it had enough performance to enjoy the car and she regularly boasts of getting 40+mpg when driving normally (driving miss daisy mode). Oh, and the biggest plus is the PSE system, it sounds spectacular compared to most things built after the 2018 regs came in. She was sceptical when I put on her original spec but now claims she couldn't live without it (yes, I married a petrolhead ) In summary, If you carry out the usual checks and due diligence, I don't think you can go wrong. The only thing I think is better is a 718 but of course they cost more generally and don't have that noise in any variety. Good luck with your search and happy to any questions should the need arise.

PSE valves can stick PADM can fail Long warm-up time so worth bearing in mind if your commute is less than 20 min Otherwise fairly safe buy I believe

Check the PCGB & PH buyers guides, they have a tonne of info. Base model may not have PSE fitted so sticking valves less an issue, but if they do stick it tends to be in the 'open' position so depends how you like the exhaust

If you don’t need much power, the 2.7 will be just the ticket…

Thanks guys for the useful information. I'll keep this in mind. Watched a few YouTube videos of it and it seems like a really well planted car. Some guy set a very respectable Nurburgring time in just the 2.7, so shows how well sorted these cars are. I think the 981 has aged really well and still looks pretty up to date, both on the outside and interior. Appreciate the tips and feedback!

A couple of minor things… Check out the tops of the door trims. The glue can detach. Hoodlining - glue fails, drops down… Sun visor mirror covers - hinges break but better ones available from AliExpress. AliExpress can provide you with a modern audio system with wireless CarPlay and a reverse camera. The base 981 sounds glorious with the PSE.

Had my base 981 coming up for 2 years now. Used as a daily and fun weekend car. So far it has been very reliable and has been a trusty steed for road trips and track days. Base spec is very meagre lacking things like heated seats, cruise, front parking sensors etc. They don’t like to sit and are a bit grumpy when cold, once warmed up they are a fantastic car and work great on a British b road. They need to be revved to get the best out of them but being the lesser 2.7 means you can explore more of the rev range more often. I hunted out a manual with sports chrono, pse and all the creature comforts I wanted. Just ticked over 75,000 and the only thing I’ve done is a major service and new tyres. I’ve flirted with selling it a few times, but for the money I can’t find anything else I’d rather have.

One of the best cars I've owned, really all you ever need for the road if you go for the manual .

Thanks for the further comments guys. I'm looking for a manual also, that is a must for me. My 911 is a PDK so want this one to be a manual. I'm actually going to see one tomorrow that is a manual, has heated seats, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, along with the upgraded size wheels. Doesn't have PSE unfortunately but hopefully I can manage without if the rest of the car is good. Will let you know how I get on

TheOctaneAddict said: Had my base 981 coming up for 2 years now. Used as a daily and fun weekend car. So far it has been very reliable and has been a trusty steed for road trips and track days. Base spec is very meagre lacking things like heated seats, cruise, front parking sensors etc. They don’t like to sit and are a bit grumpy when cold, once warmed up they are a fantastic car and work great on a British b road. They need to be revved to get the best out of them but being the lesser 2.7 means you can explore more of the rev range more often. I hunted out a manual with sports chrono, pse and all the creature comforts I wanted. Just ticked over 75,000 and the only thing I’ve done is a major service and new tyres. I’ve flirted with selling it a few times, but for the money I can’t find anything else I’d rather have. Looks great that! Thanks for the tips.

My old 981 base manual was bulletproof over the six years I had it. Was truly base spec, only options were paint and alloys. If you’re got a 911 GTS, you probably already know how meager the base specs can be. So unless someone specced dual zone climate, you will have traditional air con rather than proper climate. Base sound system sucks (though I never sat in a Bose cayman to compare). I’d happily have another.

Jawls said: Base sound system sucks (though I never sat in a Bose cayman to compare). . Was it the true base system which really was underpowered crap or the "sound package plus" option which was slightly better but not great ?

Mine was true base.

I specced my old 718 with the base system, although that might be the 981 plus version at that point. I’m not sure. However, I’m not a huge audiophile so was fine for me. Re PSE, I’d imagine any post OPF car even with PSE doesn’t sound as good as an earlier one without, so a moot point.

Only problem I had with my 718 was one the 981 gets too. The fan got the aircon and heating system gets stuck. Easy enough to get it spinning again by opening the box and giving it a turn with your finger. I think I had mine replaced once but happened subsequently. Not a major issue in the scheme of things though.

981 with a PSE is glorious. Mine seems to be very healthy

TheOctaneAddict said: 981 with a PSE is glorious. Mine seems to be very healthy Sounds epic. My one today was not as loud as that, but still sounded very decent and I'm happy with it Thanks for sharing the video.

Jawls said: My old 981 base manual was bulletproof over the six years I had it. Was truly base spec, only options were paint and alloys. If you’re got a 911 GTS, you probably already know how meager the base specs can be. So unless someone specced dual zone climate, you will have traditional air con rather than proper climate. Base sound system sucks (though I never sat in a Bose cayman to compare). I’d happily have another. Hi, Thanks for your post. Yes, I have a 992 GTS with quite a decent spec, I ordered that from new and did tick quite a few 'sporty' boxes in addition to what you get standard on a GTS. However, for this reason, I'm quite happy with a base spec Cayman as it will be more 'pure' I guess! Having said that, this base car I went to see today has quite a good spec for a base 981: 20'' 911 Turbo Design wheels (Basically the same wheels you see on most 981 GTS's) Metallic Paint Two-Tone Leather interior with part leather dash Front and Rear Parking sensors Preparation for mobile phone Sound Package Plus Sports tailpipe (twin pipes rather than the single oval) Seat heating Wheel centres with full-colour Porsche crest Universal Audio Interface Top tinted windscreen Has AC but it is not dual zone, but should still be better than the 986.2 Boxster this car is replacing* It has a 'Sport' button and when I pressed that I did hear a valve open and it definitely made the exhaust note meatier, loud enough for me and on the drive the howl was just awesome, think it was revving to circa 7800 rpm and I really had some fun on the twisties. It felt planted and quick enough for what it is and the gear shifts felt very nice, solid and pronounced. Felt like I just wanted to keep changing gears for the fun of it, got a couple of heal and toe downshift blips in too to which the seller started laughing and said "nice"! hehe Well, needless to say I was happy and impressed and the deal is done. Full service history, 4 stamps with OPC and last one with an independent. I'm really excited and all being well and fingers crossed, hoping this is going to be a great fun daily. Collection early next week just in time to put it under the tree . Was so engrossed into looking around the car and having a drive that I forgot to take pics of it. Will share pics next week after collection Thanks all for the advice. Edited by Schuey_911 on Tuesday 17th December 19:59 Edited by Schuey_911 on Tuesday 17th December 20:04

Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing some pictures.

TheOctaneAddict said: Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing some pictures. Thank you

Schuey_911 said: Jawls said: My old 981 base manual was bulletproof over the six years I had it. Was truly base spec, only options were paint and alloys. If you’re got a 911 GTS, you probably already know how meager the base specs can be. So unless someone specced dual zone climate, you will have traditional air con rather than proper climate. Base sound system sucks (though I never sat in a Bose cayman to compare). I’d happily have another. Hi, Thanks for your post. Yes, I have a 992 GTS with quite a decent spec, I ordered that from new and did tick quite a few 'sporty' boxes in addition to what you get standard on a GTS. However, for this reason, I'm quite happy with a base spec Cayman as it will be more 'pure' I guess! Having said that, this base car I went to see today has quite a good spec for a base 981: 20'' 911 Turbo Design wheels (Basically the same wheels you see on most 981 GTS's) Metallic Paint Two-Tone Leather interior with part leather dash Front and Rear Parking sensors Preparation for mobile phone Sound Package Plus Sports tailpipe (twin pipes rather than the single oval) Seat heating Wheel centres with full-colour Porsche crest Universal Audio Interface Top tinted windscreen Has AC but it is not dual zone, but should still be better than the 986.2 Boxster this car is replacing* It has a 'Sport' button and when I pressed that I did hear a valve open and it definitely made the exhaust note meatier, loud enough for me and on the drive the howl was just awesome, think it was revving to circa 7800 rpm and I really had some fun on the twisties. It felt planted and quick enough for what it is and the gear shifts felt very nice, solid and pronounced. Felt like I just wanted to keep changing gears for the fun of it, got a couple of heal and toe downshift blips in too to which the seller started laughing and said "nice"! hehe Well, needless to say I was happy and impressed and the deal is done. Full service history, 4 stamps with OPC and last one with an independent. I'm really excited and all being well and fingers crossed, hoping this is going to be a great fun daily. Collection early next week just in time to put it under the tree . Was so engrossed into looking around the car and having a drive that I forgot to take pics of it. Will share pics next week after collection Thanks all for the advice. Edited by Schuey_911 on Tuesday 17th December 19:59 Edited by Schuey_911 on Tuesday 17th December 20:04 Thanks for sharing. What was your ownership like of the Boxster? I sometimes think about getting a 986 or 987.1 Boxster in addition to my CGTS

Probably a stupid question but why would you drive the 981 over the 992? Surely something completely different to the 992 would be the answer, however good the 981 is.

Billy_Whizzzz said: Probably a stupid question but why would you drive the 981 over the 992? Surely something completely different to the 992 would be the answer, however good the 981 is. Hi, It's not a case of driving the 981 over the 992, it's simply a case of me needing a daily that I'm not worried about taking anywhere. Sadly, I can't do that with the 992, it's a loud colour with the big fixed wing! So I wanted to get something that can just go under the radar a bit, and the 981 ticks just the right boxes for that. In addition, I seem to have caught the Porsche bug now, so it had to be another sporty number. The 992 is my (to me) extra special car which gets used for nice road trips and weekend blasts (Guess I can do the same in the 981 now too and perhaps even some track days!). Wife has an Audi A4 which we use as the family vehicle. Edited by Schuey_911 on Wednesday 18th December 07:43

SV_WDC said: Thanks for sharing. What was your ownership like of the Boxster? I sometimes think about getting a 986 or 987.1 Boxster in addition to my CGTS Hi, Great car is the 986, so much car for the money and still drives and handles like a proper Porsche should. Just buy wisely, a car that has been looked after with full service history. There are some really cheap ones out there and those are the ones that might give you the bigger bills. Mine has been great and just standard maintenance stuff required like tyres and brakes replacement in the 12 months I've owned it. Edited by Schuey_911 on Wednesday 18th December 07:49

Well done. Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

Love a quick turnaround on a purchase decision. What colour have you gone for. Enjoy the car!

Voodoo Blue said: Well done. Looking forward to seeing the pictures. Thanks

Jawls said: Love a quick turnaround on a purchase decision. What colour have you gone for. Enjoy the car! It's Carrara White Metallic mate

Does it have PSE? You mentioned you heard a flap open when pressing Sport. PSE has its own button on the centre console. When you collect remember to get freebies! Fizz, key fob, travel mug, etc... Had my 981 2.7 PDK 9 years now but tried a 3.4 before deciding on the smaller engine. Anything bigger is less fun on the engine noise front. SPP is fine as the engine and road noise are always present. It was seeing a white Cayman which made me want one, Rhodium in the end. Never fancied a 911 though.