981S GT

Good afternoon all, I've been searching for a Cayman S when I came across a high mileage ~45k for mid $30k via a small wholesaler. I've been researching around and here is what I know, please correct anything I say below!

2014 Cayman S, PDK, Sport Chrono, heated seats, nav, etc...

Pretty reliable power train
Anything in particular I should look at after 45,000 miles?
Brakes when new should be 10MM? they wear down to 2-3mm?
10K Maintenance - $250
20k Maintenance - $550
40k Maintenance - $1,400
Brakes on all corners - $4,500?

Complete transparency, for this price, I'll do most maintenance myself.

Thanks in advance!
*I loved my Audi S5, and am ready for the next step.

Slim987

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FlamsteadHill

I agree that at first blush that sounds well below market price. There could be good (personal) or bad (mechanical) reasons for it. Caveat emptor!

FlamsteadHill

BTW, that is not high mileage IMO. It's unusual mileage for the year, but for the life of the car, no.

Marine Blue

Get a PPI and check to see if it’s had extensive paintwork. Minor stuff like bumpers and or a single door or fender aren’t a big deal at that price but if it’s had two or more panels painted I would want to know if its had chassis damage. The aluminum chassis isn’t easy to repair and requires special equipment, a dishonest body shop could easily cut corners and hide it with problems showing up the minute you start pushing the car.

il pirata

Nice advice everyone. OP, unless your very comfortable inspecting the car yourself, get a PPI including a paint meter.

Macster

Here's a link to post that I offered to another person considering a Cayman:

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-981-...l#post14637376

You need to be sure the car checks out and if it has any issues they are not deal killers.

Have to wonder why the car would be offered by a "wholesaler" at its wholesale price? How does this happen? That's fishy. And to me raises questions about the car.

daylorb

Definitely sounds a little fishy - absolute must to get a very, very good PPI done on it.

That said - I have bought two cars essentially from wholesalers. IMHO any dealer who is not a full-line Porsche dealer, or other major dealer, or is not named Carmax is essentially a wholesaler - as is just about every used car lot.

Research the dealer well, get a good PPI. Both cars I have purchased from dealers like this turned out to be absolutely stellar - my first Porsche literally never had a single thing ever go wrong with it. It had passenger side door damage and was sprayed, but that is all the PPI found and they PPI was super extensive. Probably the best car deal I ever got and I enjoyed it for years. Second one is in same camp so far - Porsche dealer PPI and extensive history. Carmax reported rear bumper damaged, but the full inspection but that into doubt. Dealer was convinced bumper was original, with minor paint only, no filler, etc. and was baffled, but everything else was near perfect.

I bought a used Cayenne from a full Porsche dealer and that was probably the best experience... considering when I noted the transmission and coolant pipes were not replaced they did it for free pre-purchase. Porsche San Diego - guys are legit!

So the deals are there - just be careful!

Hoosier_Daddy

Does anyone know the "actual" wholesale number for a '14, PDK with 45k miles? It's probably in and around 35k. Perhaps a little higher...

My advise though... IF it checks out -- don't delay in buying it. Love to know the what the full DME report says...

Tom Tweed

What would you look for in a DME report on a PDK model?

Macster

To sanity check the engine run time hours against the odometer.

A PDK (or Tip) equipped car can be overreves, though granted the circumstances are a bit out of the ordinary. One scenario is when driving in hilly/mountainous terrain and with the transmission in "manual" mode if gravity causes the vehicle speed to increase and this then results in the engine overspeeding.

It can also indicate if the car has been "chipped" and the chip raised the redline.

JCtx

PDK would upshift if that was the case, just like it downshifts to avoid stalling the engine is rpm is too low. But your other observation about the 'tune' is an excellent one. But OP needs to know Porsche didn't update the 'overrev' to the higher revving 9A1 engine, so even if engine never exceeded the rev cut-off (7,800 rpm), there would be level 1 and 2 overrevs, which is stupid, but the way it is. In fact, level 1 starts even before redline (7,600 rpm). Having said that, any level 3 overrev on a PDK would indicate a 'tune' with increased rpm limit, and a reason to run from that car. That's a very good way to know a car was tuned without actual proof. Most dealers can't tell, but Porsche for sure can, and before any major claim is authorized, they reportedly always check if DME was tampered with. Once the electronic seal is broken, it's irreversible, even with the stock tune back in place, no matter what tuners say.

josephvman

That actually sounds about right for wholesale given the OP's description of the car. Our Ferrari dealership recently traded for a very lightly-optioned 2015 PDK base Cayman, silver/grey, no stories but actually pretty rough given the low miles. Curbed wheels, needed tires, service light on, and a few minor cuts in the side of the driver's seat. Paint looked, and felt like it had never been waxed, maybe never washed! I'm sure with a little TLC, service and tires it will be a nice enough Cayman, but the best wholesale bid we got on the car was $40k. My girlfriend's Boxster, which she bought new and maintained by the book, started to have all kinds of issues pop up at around 45k miles. Nothing fatal, but a thousand here and two thousand there a few times a year between 45-60k miles.

981S GT

Sorry everyone, I've been checking back and for some reason my post wasn't showing up? I thought it had to get approved by moderators first.

Thanks for the great advice, when I called both nearby Porsche dealership for PPIs they had no idea what I was talking about, which is concerning on a few different levels.

The car is still available, hopefully I'll go take a look this weekend!

Im sure this topic has been covered before too but anyone want to chime in on insurance? I got a few quotes in the $~200 / mo range. I thought this was reasonable.

PorscheAddict

Insurance will vary wildly. I pay less than $100/mo for the 981 CS, but I have a clean record and am in a low population area with less risk to an insurer than a big city. Some pay hundreds/mo, some pay under $100. My $20k Subaru Crosstrek is somehow almost as much to insure as the Porsche. I guess they know I'll drive it more.