roll_the_dice

First post, but long time Porsche lover and lurker here on the board. I am not new to Porsche and high end cars, but am new to Cayman's. I have owned a 1999 Ferrari Modena 360, 1999 Boxster, 2007 911, and currently have a 1988 Celebration Edition 944 with 48k miles (that is for sale) to name a few. I am in the market for a 2007-2010 Cayman or Cayman S. I have seen these ranging in price mainly depending on mileage. Obviously the higher mileage cars are cheaper. This will be a weekend car maybe get 3-5k miles per year. I know I need to look at the IMS, but what else do I need to look for? Should I avoid higher mileage cars at all costs or as long as due diligence is done, they are "safe" as a weekend car? What other problems have you guys seen? Thanks for any help you can provide.

r553

If you can swing an '09 or '10 you will lose the IMS, get many more scavenging oil pumps and water cooled power steering fluid. The maintenance history of the car is critical to your decision but may be hard to come by. When I bought my 987.1 CPO I was lucky enough to get redacted copies of my car's minimal service history at the hands of the previous owner. The dealer I bought the car had sold the car originally.

Marine Blue

Agreed, the 09 and later Caymans have proven to be very reliable and relatively low maintenance. Water pumps and Air/Oil separators can be an issue on higher mileage cars. By now the car should have had multiple oil changes, brakes flushed a few times and all other fluids and plugs changed at least once.

Macster

My standard reply is (in this case) the Cayman is just a used car. You should do a thorough used car check out of the car.

Visit the car cold. Turn off the A/C, you test this later. Confirm the CEL (and other warning lights) come on when you turn on the key and go off when the engine starts.

Let the engine idle while you get out and walk around the car looking paint and body condition. Mind the panel gaps. They should be all even. Tires should be in reasonable shape with no signs of uneven wear. I like to N-rated tires. Check date codes on tires to make sure they are not too old. (Too old is 6 years.) Brake rotors can have a lip/ridge but should otherwise look ok. A 1mm ridge is a sign the rotor is worn enough to warrant replacement.

Radiator ducts can have plant trash in them. This is common. Budget for a bumper cover removal to remove the trash. Be sure the body water drains are trash free, too. These require some "wrenching" to get at so this is probably something the PPI (see below) will/should check.

As you check out the rest of the car during your walkaround keep your ears tuned to the engine. As the engine starts then idles and warms up what you don't want to hear at any time is any scary noises, ticks, knocks, squeaks, chirps. The engine should get smoother as it idles and once the secondary air injection pump shuts off settle into a pretty smooth idle.

After maybe 10 minutes or so of the engine idling and you looking at body panels, checking brake/tire condition, checking headlight condition and position/fit, etc., have the seller take you on a test ride. The route distance should be around 15 miles and be selected so the driver can demo the car as you intend to use it.

After your test ride then switch seats and take the car out for a test drive. Drive the same route and drive the car the same way.

You must experience the car in its natural state: Engine running and on the road.

The idling after cold start and the road testing keeps the engine running about an hour and the DME should have enough time to go through all readiness monitor checks. If the CEL stays dark this is a good sign things are in pretty good shape.

After your test ride/drive then if you like the car give it a thorough used car check out. Assume nothing works until you confirm it does.

After all of the above if you still like the car and believe you can buy it for a reasonable sum of money then arrange for a PPI. Among other things this gets the car in the air -- after the test ride/drive -- and checks for any leak sign.

Any leak sign: Water pump to radiators. Axle CV boots to steering rack seals. And so on.

The tech can/should also read out the engine over rev counters, and time stamps, and total engine run time and go over that info with you.

A higher mileage car if in good condition can be a good buy. Depreciation is the biggest expense of owning a car and an older/higher mileage car had depreciated more than a newer/lower miles car.

That a higher mileage car passes a thorough used car check out is a sign it has been taken care of. What has been done and when and where you would like to know.

If the miles get big enough you can see a number of things needing attention. I have a 308K mile Boxster. Over the years -- starting around the 80K mile mark -- it has needed wheel bearing; O2 sensors; AOS (3), water pump; fuel pump; coolant tank; rear window; CV boots; MAF; oil filler tube cap (2); fuel tank cap; some switches: clutch, brake pedal switches; door lock/latch hardware; door membranes.

Spokayman

Is there any particular reason you exclude the '06 Cayman? '06-'08 Caymans are identical in all mechanical respects, but more '06s were produced than '07s and '08s and are therefore often easier to find and should be cheaper as well. Also, there is really no looking at the IMS in these cars as the bearing is inaccessible except for splitting the engine case apart. Incidence of bearing failure in the M97 engine (same as your '07 Carrera) is a fraction of the failures that occurred in the M96 engine in the 986, 996, and early 997 cars.
Remember unlike 987 Boxsters and 997 Carreras which started out with the old M96 engine in 2005-06 with the old problematic bearings, the 987 Cayman was never made with those engines from the beginning.

Agree with the advice above that the '09+ engines, without IMS and with upgraded oil pumps, are bound to be more trouble free statistically.
If you want an automatic, only the '09+ cars have PDK which is superior to the older car's Tiptronic.
I would personally find the best cared-for low mile car regardless of year unless I wanted the PDK which would mean '09+.

roll_the_dice

Thanks, i didn't know that about the IMS in 09+ cars. Much appreciated.

My 99 Boxster was reliable, but it was also a weekend car and when I sold it had less than 9k miles on it after 7 years..so hard not to be reliable. My 07 911 was a good car and never caused me trouble. Good to know about the water pumps on higher mileage cars...Thanks for the info!

roll_the_dice

Great information. I really appreciate it. So just like I check all other cars when I buy them. That is reassuring actually! My wife has an unbelievable ear for engine sounds. I always take her with me to listen to engine noises and I agree on the test drive, I never turn stereo on or a/c until after I feel like the engine makes the car worthy of further investigation.

You have 308k miles on your Boxster? That is awesome! I am sure you have enjoyed every mile! Thanks again for the info, greatly appreciated!

roll_the_dice

No reason I left out the '06 other than I forgot what year they were first offered. I didn't realize nothing could be done about the IMS bearing on earlier cars. I thought I read somewhere there could be, but good information to know. I definitely want a Manual Transmission. I currently own 4 cars and 3 of them are MT. Only my BMW 3 series, DD, is an auto and I wish it were a MT sometimes as well. I love going through the gears and feel I can hear the engine noises and understand how the engine is performing better in a MT.

Thanks for the advise...good information from everyone!

roll_the_dice

So last night my wife and I went out to run some errands and we saw a newer Cayman at Lowes and I pointed it out to her. She said she already noticed it...I love my wife has a passion for cars as well, makes it so much easier! Anyway, the other car I am thinking about is a BMW E89 Z4. I like the look, but only was considering it because of it being a convertible vs the Cayman hardtop. I owned a convertible from 1999-2013. Just recently I stopped my streak of owning at least one convertible. After seeing the Cayman last night, I think it is clear I am leaning to the Cayman...and if I want a convertible, I will look for a Boxster. It's a good problem to have...which Porsche to get. haha

VGM911

Thanks to the information posted on this thread by the respondents, I'd say that you have all the critical information you need to make a good decision about the Boxster vs. Cayman. It is a good problem, indeed, to have!

roll_the_dice

Agreed! Thanks everyone...hopefully soon i will post some pics of my "new" Cayman/Boxster.

Unfortunately, I wasn't into taking pictures of my cars years ago, but here is one of the only few I had of my 99 Boxster. This was in 2005 I believe.

66mustang

the 2009 + also have and upgraded stering wheel and electronic components.

Not sure if you are looking at Manual or PDK. If you are looking at PDK, Sport Chrono is a must. It really changes the behavior of the car, from a boring commuter car to a race car. The great thing is, you can add it in if the car you find doesn't have it.


You never mentioned options, but if it were me.
1. Sport Seats (manual or power) they are way more comfortable than the regular ones.
2. I would also look for the package that includes bi xenon headlights, and dimming mirors (I can't think of what it is called)

roll_the_dice

Good questions...I am not sure about options as I just started looking. I am pretty set on a manual, but for the right car may consider PDK if it has paddle shifters vs redundant +/- buttons...but I think I read that can be switched with a different SW?

Sounds like sport seats are a good thing...power seats would be nice also. I am used to both of those. I know I need heated seats...my wife has a bad back and she uses them 365 days a year, so if I want her to ride with me, then they are a must. auto dimming mirrors would be nice also. I guess I need to look at some options and see what I like. I know with used cars I can't be as picky, but I still will want what I want.

Thanks for reminding me to think about options as well.

VintageRacer477

[QUOTE If you are looking at PDK, Sport Chrono is a must. It really changes the behavior of the car, from a boring commuter car to a race car. The great thing is, you can add it in if the car you find doesn't have it.
QUOTE] Any tech article or RL post about doing that?

The next post above mentions changing from standard PDK wheel to Sport Wheel with paddles. I seem to remember reading about that a while ago on RL. But, don't remember the details.

I ask because I'm looking for a Cayman (preferably '09 -'15) And, I'm finding very few with "all" the right stuff. And, when they come close, they are priced high enough I could order a new 718 with exactly what I want for not much more. But, I'd like to spend less so I can keep the 993 Targa without feeling too guilty.

BTW, leads on good Caymans will be appreciated.

I'm looking for a Cayman because I've had convertibles/roadsters/spiders almost all my life. Have had skin cancer too. No need for top-down now in south Florida. Wife's car has "Panorama Sunroof" as have my previous 2 SUV's. If we opened the top once a year it was a lot.

So, someone please direct me to info on those two changes.

Thanks.

Tremelune

Most of the issues with the 987.1 have to do with oil starvation at high-Gs, such as on a heavily tracked car. There are fixes for all of them, but they likely haven't been performed unless that person intended to track the car. Street cars seems fine. The water pump and AOS are issues, but they aren't sudden and catastrophic (though I guess they are if you're not paying attention). The IMS issues on the 987 are far less common than on previous cars.

987.2s are rare, and the price reflects it. I was leaning towards the 9A1 cars, but I had my heart set on a 3-pedal Atlas Gray example with PASM and Bi-Xenon headlights, and it took me over a year to find the 987.1 that I did.

If you're not familiar with PASM, it is a rare option that is worth researching. For many it is the killer feature of these cars.