I can’t decide how much to spend on a gen 2 - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

I have £30k of disposable cash and an extra £7500 from Zopa (spare of the moment loan, it’s cheap, affordable and has no early repayment charges). The trouble is I don’t know whether I should buy a £23k Cayman or a £35k Cayman, as I’m finding there is a disproportionate price difference between examples depending on their specification – unfortunately for me I’m not bothered about half of them. I have driven a 2.9 manual and I absolutely loved it, so I think the 3.4 is probably going to be superfluous although it won’t put me off I just don’t think it’s worth paying extra. Amongst the obvious such as condition, colour etc. the only thing I desire is sound package plus, climate control, sports steering wheel, 18” alloys and no rear wiper. The problem is to get a car with these few options means I have to buy a very expensive model with a ton of stuff I have no interest in. I don’t want 19” wheels, I don’t want PDK, PASM, SAT NAV, bucket seats and I couldn't give a damn about Bluetooth either. I know the extra I spend now will be returned to me when I sell the car, but other than that am I missing the obvious?

Non PASM cars have comic ride heights and look a bit daft, bar that you are spot on about extra's , although I need most of them in my daily inc. Bluetooth :-) But a nice 2.9 manual with short shift makes for a nice car to go and drive. Xenons are nice to have if you are older in age, as are sports seats over the very basic normal seats.

2.9 manual with climate, pasm, Pse on 18inch wheels is perfect. I find the nav actually quite goodp but did not spec it. I had about £20k worth of options on my 2.9 and that's the way I would go.

When you say gen2, do you mean 981? If not, I would say that a current shape for top of your budget would be best value. http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

I have a base line 2.9l Cayman gen II. 17" wheels, no PASM, no PCM, in fact no anything. Only thing it misses on our busy road is about another 200bhp to overtake like a loony! On a clear road, it is fantastic but I daren't overtake a convoy of 4 or more cars unless I have 1/2mile visibility.

Glad you like Zopa. Perhaps you are borrowing my cash for which I get 5.2% at present.

Not great rates when you can get 3.9 on a loan ATM Must be the cheapest time in history to borrow money. Edited by mrdemon on Saturday 12th July 07:50

I’m not an expert on Zopa but I doubt I’ll have your cash Hilux, given they gave me a rate of 4.1% I’m not going to look at 981’s because I’d want one like mad and end up getting suckered in to some huge finance deal, I’d prefer a nice gen 2 anyway. At the end of the day I think value for money is the key here, if the car is good value at £23k I’ll be happy, if it’s good value at £35k I’ll be happy, if its bad value at £24,995 I’ll forever have a bad taste in my mouth The more 'correct' options the car has the more likely I am to keep it though.

Beknown said: I’m not an expert on Zopa but I doubt I’ll have your cash Hilux, given they gave me a rate of 4.1% I’m not going to look at 981’s because I’d want one like mad and end up getting suckered in to some huge finance deal, I’d prefer a nice gen 2 anyway. At the end of the day I think value for money is the key here, if the car is good value at £23k I’ll be happy, if it’s good value at £35k I’ll be happy, if its bad value at £24,995 I’ll forever have a bad taste in my mouth The more 'correct' options the car has the more likely I am to keep it though. Surely there are shed loads of Gen II's within your bracket? You could def get a relatively low mileage, 3.4 S that goes like s t off the proverbial if you're dropping all the mod con's! I bought a 5 year old Cayman S with all the add ons because it helps with my job and can use as a company car. But when I fancy a run out I can go have some fun too! Whatever you get if you go 3.4 and Gen II you will be happy, I promise you that!

I think I'd go for a 3.4, dont forget whilst you might not want some extras some make your target market wider like nav, bose, pasm etc. Understand not wanting a rear wiper - does look gopping. Not gen2 but lovely: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014... Gen 2 3.4S http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Beknown said: I’m not an expert on Zopa but I doubt I’ll have your cash Hilux, given they gave me a rate of 4.1% I’m not going to look at 981’s because I’d want one like mad and end up getting suckered in to some huge finance deal, I’d prefer a nice gen 2 anyway. At the end of the day I think value for money is the key here, if the car is good value at £23k I’ll be happy, if it’s good value at £35k I’ll be happy, if its bad value at £24,995 I’ll forever have a bad taste in my mouth The more 'correct' options the car has the more likely I am to keep it though. Maybe he is connected to Zopa

You should be able to get yourself a very nice Gen 2 Cayman with your budget I would advise tracking down a 3.4 over the 2.9 it's just better everywhere, what colour and wheels do you prefer...any reason you are against wanting 19" wheels. I agree with not needing all the toys mine has a few of them...the sat-nav isn't very good, the Bose system is a boomy bass box and rubbish and I have no need of the phone thingy either. Good practical options to look out for though are parking sensors and Xenon headlights, cruise control is nice to have too. Enjoy your search...

Klippie said: You should be able to get yourself a very nice Gen 2 Cayman with your budget I would advise tracking down a 3.4 over the 2.9 it's just better everywhere, what colour and wheels do you prefer...any reason you are against wanting 19" wheels. I agree with not needing all the toys mine has a few of them...the sat-nav isn't very good, the Bose system is a boomy bass box and rubbish and I have no need of the phone thingy either. Good practical options to look out for though are parking sensors and Xenon headlights, cruise control is nice to have too. Enjoy your search... I guess its all opinion. But just to balance a bit. I love the BOSE system sounds great. And I do enjoy a hip hop tune.... and the bass doesnt bother me. I have the updated sat nav and altho not as good as my old mercedes its pretty decent. The blue tooth thing is just convenience and I dont see why you wouldnt want it. But hey ho thats my 2 penneth.

I've since driven the 3.4 and can’t say I was blown away, don’t get me wrong its fast and it’s faster than the 2.9 and yes the figures piled on lovely but I still don’t think the 2.9 is lacking - this is coming from someone who drives at 9/10 most of the time too. Speaking of which does anyone think the 2.9 sounds better? It definitely sounds better and louder in the models I’ve driven anyway. The 3.4 sounds a bit muted. The 19’s do not offer any benefit to cornering speed or traction in general, also I found the car tramlining - 18’s are a good compromise imo (I've tried 17's and they give a lovely ride but look LOL). Also no black, silver, green or white cars…ideally although that means I’ll be waiting years, I keep thinking the right model will come up next week or so...

Beknown said: I've since driven the 3.4 and can’t say I was blown away, don’t get me wrong its fast and it’s faster than the 2.9 and yes the figures piled on lovely but I still don’t think the 2.9 is lacking - this is coming from someone who drives at 9/10 most of the time too. Speaking of which does anyone think the 2.9 sounds better? It definitely sounds better and louder in the models I’ve driven anyway. The 3.4 sounds a bit muted. The 19’s do not offer any benefit to cornering speed or traction in general, also I found the car tramlining - 18’s are a good compromise imo (I've tried 17's and they give a lovely ride but look LOL). Also no black, silver, green or white cars…ideally although that means I’ll be waiting years, I keep thinking the right model will come up next week or so... Are you female?

Beknown said: I've since driven the 3.4 and can’t say I was blown away, don’t get me wrong its fast and it’s faster than the 2.9 and yes the figures piled on lovely but I still don’t think the 2.9 is lacking - this is coming from someone who drives at 9/10 most of the time too. Speaking of which does anyone think the 2.9 sounds better? It definitely sounds better and louder in the models I’ve driven anyway. The 3.4 sounds a bit muted. The 19’s do not offer any benefit to cornering speed or traction in general, also I found the car tramlining - 18’s are a good compromise imo (I've tried 17's and they give a lovely ride but look LOL). Also no black, silver, green or white cars…ideally although that means I’ll be waiting years, I keep thinking the right model will come up next week or so... You drive at 9/10s most of the time? I am assuming you lost your licence a long time ago!

mollytherocker said: Beknown said: I've since driven the 3.4 and can’t say I was blown away, don’t get me wrong its fast and it’s faster than the 2.9 and yes the figures piled on lovely but I still don’t think the 2.9 is lacking - this is coming from someone who drives at 9/10 most of the time too. Speaking of which does anyone think the 2.9 sounds better? It definitely sounds better and louder in the models I’ve driven anyway. The 3.4 sounds a bit muted. The 19’s do not offer any benefit to cornering speed or traction in general, also I found the car tramlining - 18’s are a good compromise imo (I've tried 17's and they give a lovely ride but look LOL). Also no black, silver, green or white cars…ideally although that means I’ll be waiting years, I keep thinking the right model will come up next week or so... You drive at 9/10s most of the time? I am assuming you lost your licence a long time ago! My friends do ask how I have a driving licence...sixth sense I suppose

Just to straighten out the facts. I own a 996 C2 2003 55k miles for which I paid £19k in 2012. I am not connected to Zopa, but I do invest in Zopa and get 5.2% on my money linked to its Safeguard lending offer. H

Ok I've been to see a few more and I think I'm getting there... Unless I come across a super-awesome deal on a 2.9 or PDk car then my requirements are 3.4 manual. The 2.9 is probably the more characterful and reliable engine but I know there will be many times when I think to myself "if only I had the S". I tried a 3.4 PDK with Sport Plus and I couldnt help but feel I was 'operating the vehicle' rather than driving, compared to a manual car it was quite dull. PASM is fantastic and does soften the ride on the 19's, when in sport mode however the ride is so firm its almost unusable but on the track I reckon it would be a god send. The 19's defo let a lot of roar into the cabin, id try to live with them failing that downsize to 18's. PSE seems like a waste of time to me, you can only really hear it at low speeds with the window down when cocking about. Seems like an expensive option for the enjoyment of pedestrians rather than the driver. SAT NAV is rubbish, TomTom all the way. The rear wiper is so god damn ugly and made me feel a little self conscious when sat at traffic lights, a bit like having a big nose really - so yeah that's a deal breaker.

The nav with upgrades works quite well imo.

It looks pretty and the trip function, USB is good etc but as for navigating its a bit limited, I certainly wouldn't pay extra for it. Curious, is it even worth owning a PDK without Sports Plus? Must be awfully frustrating trying to drive quickly when the car always wants to jump into 7th the moment you lift off the accelerator.

Car doesnt jump to 7 in sport. Or in manual mode. I think pcm 3 nav is pretty good. Not quite as good as latest bmw (love google send to car) but still good enough.