HawkRL

Hey all

I just wanted to ask a couple questions on here. I have been looking at getting a Cayman for quite some time. It would be my first P-Car. I have always admired them and seen the Caymans come down to affordable territory for me.

I have always been a BMW diehard fan but the E30/E24s I used to drive are all getting so old you can't use them as a DD etc. I was looking at possibly an E46 M3 or E90 M3 but the owners have reported constant maintenance nightmares out of warranty. This was also my experience on older BMWs it was almost a monthly thing to have something go wrong.

I bought a Camaro SS last time around and had 0 problems over 5 years of ownership just gas and oil. But I just sold it due to it being a terrible car LOL. No road feel it had around 500HP but once you got bored with that the car was not pleasing to drive at all. Bad ride numb steering etc.

Just sold it so looking at maybe a Cayman or S?

I have read that the 2009+ Caymans don't have the IMS issue? I know its overblown but if I can do away with in entirely by getting a newer car I will just go that route.

Should I even consider the Base model? I see its like 8K cheaper but are they that peppy in the 250HP range?

Should I just stick with the S?

I know I should just go test drive them but there aren't any in my area right now and wondered if the base or S is more dependable.

I ride alot of motorcycles and own an BMW S1K etc so I don't need my car to rip my face off stoplight to stoplight haha. My bikes get the go fast out. I just am wanting a good sports car with good feel and great handling that is fun to drive. Which is pretty hard with these new cars. I drove a Subaru BRZ and I liked the handling but it was way underpowered.

I have read on alot of Porsche forums that alot of people came from BMW to Porsche and that the Porsche has been much more reliable. Is that the case with the Caymans? Are they pretty bullet proof if maintained?

I drive sporty but I baby my cars and take care of them. I would probably drive it a few times a week in town or an occasional road trip. I am not looking to race or track it.

My budget right now is around 35K but I can save longer as I look for a car aswell.

I also wonder what options I should look for? I am not terribly familiar with Porsches option packages. Sport Chrono is just the Dash Clock? Sport Seats? I really don't care about GPS/Nav as I just use my phone for that sort of stuff. Is there a list of what these cars had as options so I can see what I might want in a used one when I start looking? Just don't want to get one then go RATS I WISH IT HAD THAT! Did any of them come with an LSD?

Thanks for any help.

extanker

a base [non s] 09/10 may fit your wants and budget .if you have it serviced at the dealer get ready for bill shock [300.00 +] oil changes. going to a po from a chevy v8 you will have torque shock so dont worry about an lsd. their PDK trans imho is great .good luck

Shannon123

Nice Oil change DIY....not sure if 2009 is much different or not.

HawkRL

I do most my own work on my cars oil changes are no biggie. Just wondered about the above questions.

lcrain

I am not an owner, but have been familiarizing myself with the market of late. There are people who think the base 2.7 has plenty of power. I think coming from a 500 hp camaro, you might be a bit underwhelmed with both the 2.7 and the 3.4 found in the S. I would drive a 987 base and an S and see which you prefer. I would feel as though I had left something on the table with a base cayman vs. the S.

It will be much easier to find a base in your price range or a 987.1 S. 35k for a 987.2 S is not unheard of but they will be few and far between, so be prepared to act quickly if you find something you like in your price range. There are just a lot fewer 987.2 cars out there in general.

IMS failure in 987.1 cars is not common, but it is a possibility. Do some searching on here and on planet-9.com, there is plenty of info out there. If you are buying the car for a DD and won't be hitting the track every weekend, then the 987.1 is a very appropriate choice. Even if you are planning to track it, the money saved on going 987.1 vs. 987.2 S will help justify a lot of preventative modifications (oil starvation is a bigger concern than IMS on the early cars). The newer DFI engine is better, no doubt, and the other updates on the 987.2 also need to be considered.

Some cars were optioned with an LSD, most weren't. Honestly at this point in the life of these cars, most of the "gizmos" are out dated so I wouldn't place much emphasis on that. Sport chrono has a lap timing function which is neat I guess. Really it depends on your preference, and what is available.

Good luck with your hunt!

DaveCarrera4

If you don't track it, don't worry about getting an S. Do get the PSE, sport exhaust, you will not be sorry.

Sven76

Tend to disagree. Lower torque in the non-S is not suiting my driving style, I like the 3.4l engine a lot more. You will drive the non-S in a higher rev range.

DaveCarrera4

you have an autobahn. We do not.

Whippa

Believe me you can "feel" the difference with the "S" in day to day driving. Wait for one.

Macster

My base 2002 Boxster (with a 2.7l engine) is pretty peppy.

Shortly after I bought my base Boxster I got a S loaner. I was afraid at first I'd regret the buying the base -- I never even test drove an S model as I was put off by the big jump in price over the base model -- but while the S had more torque/power it was not that much better of a car.

The shifter was slower -- both cars were manuals -- and this muted the quicker acceleration of the S. Sure, the numbers don't lie and the S is quicker, but it didn't feel that much quicker.

I turned the S loaner back in and was quite happy with my choice of a base.

(Later I have come to the conclusion the base Porsche models, at least for the Boxster, Cayman and 911 lines, are the best cars. Lowest cost. Lowest running expenses. Most "balanced".)

However, in 2009 I did buy a new 2008 Cayman S. While I wanted to retain the mid-engine layout I didn't want another Boxster and after having driven the 2.7l Boxster for 7+ years I was afraid a base Cayman would be too much like the Boxster.

My best advice is to drive a base and S and decide for yourself.

My "must have" options list is pretty short. Cruise control. OBC. (These might be "standard" now.) Bi-xenon headlights. Rain sensing wipers. Rear wiper. Auto climate A/C and heater. Auto dim mirrors. It is mild where I live/drive so I don't require heated seats but if I lived in a colder area I might opt for these. I think I would like PCCB brakes but would accept a car with cast iron brakes that came with all my other "must have" options.

I prefer the smaller diameter wheel/tire combo. My 2002 Boxster came with 17" wheels/tires. (Factory default was 16" but no dealer ever ordered cars with 16" wheels/tires and I had no desire to special order my car as I felt I could make a better deal on one of the cars the dealer had in stock.) My Cayman S came with 18" wheels/tires, as did my 996 Turbo.

My Cayman S came with Sports Chrono. I never got a chance to really use this feature/option, though I tried it a few times but it made the throttle too "twitchy" for town driving, because I lost the car to an accident a few weeks after I bought it.

Built in NAV is an expensive option and the ones installed in cars are usually out of date compared to what's averrable aftermarket. But of course, aftermarket NAV clutters up the cabin.

I'd not reject a car with NAV but I would not seek out a car specifically with this feature either.

I think I would still prefer a manual equipped car but I would certainly consider a PDK equipped car though I'd give the car a serious road test to make sure I would be happy with the PDK.

I'm not a fan of sports exhaust. I prefer my cars to be rather quiet as I spend a lot of time in my cars and a noisy exhaust gets wearing over time. I prefer standard seats. My Turbo seats are standard but have full power and memory. This is kind of nice.

In the past I have owned cars (Mustang GT, Camaro Z28, GTO) with LSD rear ends and I prefer my cars with LSD but I don't think the Porsches at least the newer ones can be had with real LSD. The rear brakes are used to simulate LSD. This might be ok.