UCTeeth

Hey guys,

I am new to the forums. Just spent a good hour and half reading past threads on Porsche Caymans. I am in the market for a used Porsche Cayman now, just a few concerns and questions that I would like other Porsche owners input on. This will be my daily driver and I do not plan to track it.

1. Cayman S vs Cayman Base? What do you guys think. I will be selling my 2015 428i BMW for a Cayman between 2008-2011. Which version of the Cayman do you guys feel is better to drive. Do the base caymans feel underpowered?

2. Is the PDK on the 09s? Worth the extra money? Which packages are a must for daily drivers on the Caymans?

3. I have a 1 year old that I do pick up twice a week from her day care. Do rear facing car seats fit in the passenger seat?

4. I am looking to spend a max of 35k so which year do you suggest I look for I guess?

Spokayman

An hour and a half is a start, but you may need to spend several days searching several forums to really start to understand answers to your questions.
Even then, only you can decide what works for you.

However since you asked, here are some thoughts.....
-I don't know that I would sell a nearly new BMW for an older Cayman. For one thing they are different cars with different purposes, and I always cringe to think of the monetary hit you would take selling a newer vehicle.

-If you are looking at $35K, you might be hard pressed to find an '09-'12 Cayman S (987.2) that isn't high miles or in need of things. You should find a nice '08 (987.1) in that price range.

-IMO the base engine makes the inherent goodness of the car show a bit more clearly, and the PDK really make the most of the lesser horsepower engine. Is the base Cayman underpowered? To some, yes. To others, not at all. You really need to drive them both yourself and decide.
Note that the '09-'12 base motors are a bit larger and have more HP than the '08 base motor.

-I don't know the answer to the car seat question. Perhaps others can shed some light here?

-As far as option packages go, only you can determine whether there are any you want/need, and it depends a bit on what your use of the car will be.
There are not too many "comfort" options but there are a number of performance options such as Sport Chrono, larger wheels (which I don't recommend), PSE (sports exhaust), etc. Understanding what is available is where your time reading additional threads will be needed.

UCTeeth

Thanks SpokayMan for taking the time to reply. I have been doing multiple websites search on people's review of the Cayman. I just spent a good hour and a half solely searching on these forums. You are right though I have only scratched the surface.

After looking at what I bought the BMW for and what I could sell it for, I am looking at (if I get really low-balled) maybe a $1-2k loss. I got it on a really good deal, so if I sold it for what its work I would just be breaking even. I am looking to switch to a Cayman, because of all of the gadgets and stuff that came with my BMW I never use. Even the back seats I only use for transporting my baby for 20 mins 2 times a week, since we have an SUV as a family car.

As far as websites or places to look for finding say a nice used cayman, do you have any suggestions other than the usual Cars.com, autotrader, and cargurus?

I will look into the additional threads for all the different add-ons. Thank you for the suggestion. Side note which do you like better between your cars Cayman S or Boxster?

niche

09 and newer cayman S. 09 new better engine.

AA717driver

I'm sniffing around forthe same vintage Cayman. Maybe an '09 can be had in the low 40's but the '14-15's are still well into the $60k range.

But, I'd be careful on the low end. Manuals (which I want) are cheaper and I haven't even seen a Sport Chrono that I remember.

Thanks for the input!

TC

DaveCarrera4

not so sure manuals are cheaper. I believe fewer were built with the advent of PDK.

denniscasey

UCTeeth, Spokayman and others on forum are/were very helpful when I was in your situation last year. Not sure if you live where you can find both Cayman and Cayman S to drive to compare (including PDK vs manual) but hopefully so--one of those individual things and they are unique cars so hard to say what is right for you. I had experience with various turbo cars where torque comes in at low rpm so was used to that feel. The naturally aspirated Caymans build torque at higher rpm so feel may differ from what you are used to.

Option packages change a bit year to year, but is helpful to go one Porsche USA website and select "build your own." Just lets you build a new car (and maybe now only can build the "new" turbo 4 banger for Cayman), but at least gives you a feel for the various option packages (click on the little exclamation mark by option to get brief description). Again, packages vary from year to year so may not match model year you find.

Don't forget to get a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI)--repairs if needed can be expensive (although probably not worse than BMW). You may want to use an independent Porsche repair shop and local Porsche Club member often will suggest one or two (Google Porsche Club America and their website will give chapters all over the USA and I found e-mailing chapter officers gave very helpful references to local shops for PPI).

UCTeeth

Thanks everyone for your replies. You guys are are all giving very good input.

What would you guys choose between a 2008 Cayman S or a 2009 Base Cayman?

As you guys know I am used to driving a BMW 4 cyl with Turbos, I am looking to test drive Caymans, but I am finding that test driving older models is kind of hard to do. Most people selling don't just want someone test driving their cars you know. I am just worried about feeling underwhelmed by the lack of initial torque. Anyone experienced this?

denniscasey

You may be a bit underwhelmed by initial torque of Cayman or Cayman S if comparing to new BMW turbo. You could Google torque curves on your car vs Caymans to "see" difference, but to feel difference you should drive Caymans. Actually I am thinking any Boxster/Cayman from 2008 to 2016 would give you the "feel" so hopefully there is a Porsche dealer near by where you could find something in that range to drive.

BMW and Porsche Cayman are different cars in many ways--I would say your BMW would lean towards "Grand Touring" type whereas Cayman is more of a sports car--nimble handling. Both excellent cars, but for different reasons perhaps. Again a reason to test drive either a Boxster or Cayman. I grappled with your questions and despite all the accolades for Porsche you will have to decide if car fits what you want. I did recently buy a Cayman S to once again have a sports car.

Spokayman

If the two cars were mostly equal in mileage, condition, options, etc. I would likely go for the '08 S vs the '09 base.
Compared to a turbo engine you will notice less low RPM torque no matter which of the two Porsches you choose.
But, you should find plenty of power when you let the revs climb, and you will experience the "linearity of power delivery" that is one of the hallmarks of the naturally aspirated Porsche flat sixes.
I came to Porsches from muscle cars, and instead of being underwhelmed by the lack of torque (and horsepower too) I learned to love the experience of the whole car. I learned that lots of power without control (my muscle cars) was not nearly as satisfying as adequate power with awesome intuitive control (my Porsches).

BoulderGeek

As one who just bought a very nice example '06 Cayman S, all things being equal, I would probably go for the '09 Base.

No IMS bearing, only 30BHP different than the S. The 9A1 motor would be the decisive choice for me. It also depends on how long you plan to keep it. Keeper: '09. Flipper: toss a coin.

I got a nice offer on an '09 Base after I had already bought my S. Otherwise, I probably would have taken it.

UCTeeth

Yeah everyone makes good points. I am going to try and schedule some test drives if possible soon.

Also this is more from a purchasing perspective, but what do you guys think of used porsches that were at a dealership but then sold at an auction? Does that bring up any red flags for anyone? I located a 2010 base cayman for $29k with 55,000 miles. Seems like a really good deal

eddielasvegas

Well, I saw that one and thought it was a good choice too depending on what a buyer is looking for.

I would find it tough to buy a 987.1 CS without knowing its history. While still important, a bit less so, with the 987.2. Get a really good PPI (leak down, etc.) on it and if all looks good, you should be rewarded with miles of smiles.

I have a 987.2 PDK Base. Man, do I sleep well at night. The 1/2 second I lose compared to a 987.1 CS means little since I do not make my living based on my lap times.

Good luck,


Eddie

UCTeeth

Yeah, good valid points.

So when you are looking at a car thats in a used car lot or dealership. How do you guys go about getting the PPI? does the dealership usually let you take the car and do a PPI or how does it work?

denniscasey

I expect it can vary. I only have experience with cars at Porsche dealers in cities far from me and they have taken car to your designated independent shop assuming in reasonable distance. You pay inspection costs, get written report which you "own"--means you control who sees the report. You may want to ask your designated shop if they have connections with dealer or private party selling Cayman-- you want unbiased report.