New to the forum. Purchasing a Cayman S

I have owned a couple 911 's; a 2001 twin turbo manual and a 2011 S with PDK . I now own a Jaguar F Type R and miss the Porsche , so I am picking up an 07 S manual. Interested in becoming more familiar with the Cayman model. Looking over common issues, this one has had most of them completed; water pump, sagging head liner, power steering pump. Car has 42,000 miles.

07 means it's a 987.1 .. great choice. Between S and base, there aren't that many issues. Caymans have issues with sagging headliner and some have door-card warping issues, I think? Water pump and spark plugs are the biggest maintenance items... if pump is done, that's fine. General recommendation is to use OEM, not a metal-impeller "upgrade". People say it's because the metal one leaves bits in the car if it fails, but I don't know... won't the plastic one do the same? I went OEM on my 987.2 . Plugs are recommended to be changed before they seize, so most do that by time, not by mileage. Coils should often be done at the same time as you're already there, and the parts aren't expensive. FCPEuro is a great source, due to the lifetime warranty as well. Power steering doesn't seem to be a "common" issue from what I've seen... S also has the concern of bore-scoring. That's the biggest thing to watch for. This requires bore-scoping the cylinders. Generally speaking, PPI is recommended, but you probably knew that if coming from 911 anyway. On a manual, watch for overrevs, but don't pass by a car just because of the range... time since that overrev is also important. Only other thing to watch for is cleaning the drains (more of a Boxster issue, but I expect Cayman may need to be checked anyway?) and the radiators behind the front bumper (lots of crap gets stuck up in there). Overall, not a lot to be "worried" about on these cars... they're damn reliable overall. Not much to go wrong.

Thank you. I forgot to mention the plugs were just done in March. Is the bore scoring issue more of a cold weather related problem? I heard that before but no idea if any validity behind it.

The water pump issue with the metal impeller is that if the bearing fails the metal impeller machines away the block. The plastic impeller wears away and leaves the block alone. I'd personally seek out a .2 car and did so myself for issues that are well hashed out here. Not going to rehash that argument here.

Go to the PCA youtube channel and watch their Tech Tactics on bore scoring.

I found the AOS on my .2 to be far superior in design than the one I changed on my 986 .

Quite confused to say the least on this era car. I have watched a ton of things. This car is low mileage and seems everything done to keep it maintained for the most part. Called 2 Indy shops locally and both said the bore scoring is so rare and only cases they have ever seen was cars beat with high mileage. One shop wouldn't scope the car and said they do a compression test only and say that is a good indicator and yet heard opposite from others that even with a compression test coming back OK doesn't mean there isn't an issue. Seems the consensus is the topic is way over talked about in comparison to real world issues with this car. I owned a 911 S 997.2 and a 996 TT both of which had claimed issues as well but nothing I had experienced. Time will tell.

Welcome to P9, @Whatsnext69 - Looks like you've already dived in. If you go ahead with the purchase, I think you'll love it. Once you get your car, make sure you post to the New Members section with photos - it's a strong tradition here before asking tech questions. I disagree that such issues as bore scoring or IMS issues are over-talked about. In fact, I personally know a Porsche master mechanic who lost their Cayman S (definitely 06-08 but I forget which year exactly) due to bore scoring. It's real and I'd just know what you're getting into -- let alone what you need to do to help prevent it (especially in cooler climates). I don't believe bore scoring is limited to only cold weather starts. FWIW, I originally owned an 05 BS, and couldn't financially afford the risks anymore that my car would self-grenade. Moved to a 987.2 and I now sleep well at night. One other inexpensive thing you can do is to get a Blackstone oil test. $35 or so and you'll see if there's any major metals showing up in your oil -- which can help see if there's wear going on. The low mileage is great, but keep in mind that other issues may arise as the car hasn't been regularly exercised. IMS bearing failure is rare from 2006-2008, but it is indeed an issue -- especially in lower mileage cars (yours comes to mind). Just be careful. Plenty of fun to be had and lots of great threads to read on here. Coming from the 99X platform, I'm curious to hear what you think about the superb handling due to the well balanced mid-body engine. Again, welcome and let us know how you get on.

Get what you like. Don’t look back. Got an 07CS last year and it’s been great. If we listened to all the well-intentioned naysayers nobody would ever do anything. Always a lot to learn from others experiences though. All cars have their own issues. .

The power steering pump usually fails from extended running at or near redline - which is generally indicitive of track time, or a particularly harsh style of driving. Normally cars that are tracked would need a Porsche Motorsports air-oil separator and SHOULD have a deep sump oil pan with upgraded baffles. You may want to check these things, along with the dme report if you worry about track-time on your used car.

I have a 07CS I purchased in 2018 w 23K miles. Just prior to private purchase PO had an AOS failure and change out along with rebase line change of water pump (OEM Non Metal blade), main belt pullies and tensioner. Since I have owned I have replaced DIY plugs and COILS. If you still have orig coils as i did I replaced; 5 of 6 coils had visible multiple cracks due to age and heat. I had a hot start issue which was a EVAP regeneration valve issue, changed valve and solved. I did a starter change 2 years ago to intermittent start attempts, solved the issue. Replace headliner. replaced clutch interlock sw and ended up shorting the 2 sw wires together and eliminated that sw for ever being a start issue. I run Driven DT40 5W40 oil. Very High in Moly and zink which are friction modifiers that reduce friction reducing bore score from happening. Oh It will happen on all Lokasil and Alusil blocks. Change every 5k miles with a UOA sample sent to a lab for wear metal ppm readings. I don't track car due to stock motor/oil system in car. I DIY change out rotors and overhauled calipers with Ceramic pads (NO More Black rims). I got rid of stock tips and installed a FabSpeed MaxFlo X Pipe which makes exhaust output a true 2 into 2 vs 2 into one pipe as OM is. I run Michelin Pilot 4S rubber. Installed Numeric Racing shift cables replacing stock cables that will eventually break at transmission ends. Installed a Sprint Booster accelerator signal amp for more prcise throttle response; nice improvement with adjustable sensitivities. Changed manual trans fluid. Upcoming in a couple months will be replacing coolant system pipes and manifold while changing engine mout with aftermarket insert. This car is where i want it as I have internally a strong engine with below normal wear ppm numbers on UOA tests reports and have experienced a lot of common failure points: a lot of addresses were preventively done before faiure. I absolutely love this car and have no plans to get rid of!!!! I could list more but these are the biggies. Resources are Flat Six Innovations, LN Engineering , ********, Planet Nine and PCA Cayman Register. Tutorials on all systems. You Tube also but with any of these be picky ; a bit of BS out there!! I hope this helps...Its all Factual!

I will need to look into the upgraded shift cables since I do have a manual. Is this a DIY type upgrade? Any particular vendor that most go to?

The shift cable replacement is an excellent upgrade and of medium DIY difficulty. You must remove the center console (don't unplug the wiring harness with the battery connected or you'll get an airbag light). To avoid noise travelling from the engine compartment you'll have to be careful about insulating the cables, and also keep the gasket intact where the cables go through the firewall. And then there's the work under the car to attach and adjust the cable attachments at the transmission. Buy Numeric 's wrench for an easier time here.

Well the relationship is new and only had it less than 2 weeks but its nice to have another Porsche . I love my F Type R but this is just so fun and a much different feel than that car. I had a 2011 Porsche 911 S before I bought the F Type R. I loved the F Type and only thing I can say is they are so different. Simply apples and oranges.

OK - and welcome to Planet-9 the Friendly Porsche Forum for Jag refugees.. So I went and looked at https://www.planet-9.com/forums/new_members/ and failed to find your introductory posting where you post nice pictures of your "new" Cayman and we get to go "Oooohhh" and "Aaaahhhh" and congratulate you on being a fine fellow who appreciates only the best. Before posting those pictures - please take a moment to read the link that's at the top of every page on the forum - about posting photos.. there are some suggestions and tricks you can use. And again - Welcome to Planet-9!