hokiemiata

So..........

I did all the research and read the wikis/FAQs/stickies and I know what I want. I am looking for a 987.2 6 speed non-S. Ive found 2.

#1: Base model 2010 6 Spd. Owner works at a Porsche dealership, and its clear the car has been well taken care of. Owner has upgraded the brakes to Cayman S brakes, and changed the exhaust tips. Those are the only mods. 81k miles, garaged, clean etc. Northeast car. $24k.

#2: 6spd with SC, Bi-Xenon Headlights, rain sensing wipers. This is at a mom-and-pop dealer, but the carfax shows history of ownership in FL for the life of the car. 54k miles. Carfax shows that up to about 40k miles there is history showing services being don't at a Porsche dealer. The last roughly 15k, its been serviced at Mcgee tire shops in Tampa FL. Thats the part that concerns me a little. It shows that that owner didn't care to service the car as recommended through the Porsche dealer; I could be wrong but it smells. $27k.

Questions boils down to, do I go for the more reliable bet which is #1 due to the history; the downside being it doesn't have SC, or Bi-Xenon. I can live without Bi-Xenon, but I kind of want the SC. #2 has the options I want, but Im not sure about the last 15k miles of ownership.

Please help sway me one way or the other.............

Marine Blue

I would want to see undercarriage and engine pics for car #1 to make sure it hasn’t seen extensive winter driving unless this type of wear/tear doesn’t concern you.

I would also suggest a proper PPI on both cars by a trusted mechanic. At that mileage I would want to see that the plugs were changed once on the lower mileage car and twice on the other one. I would also want to have the water pump inspected for any seepage.

terbiumactivated

For my tastes 81K is a high mileage to have as a start point, it's not just the engine everything has that wear, bearings, water pump, starter, suspension, etc. You will spin it over a hundred quickly which is fine as long as you realize it may need more maintenance at that juncture and the payoff time horizon versus mileage and age makes sense to you. As for the second car, I wouldn't necessarily be wary of where it's been serviced, a Porsche sign is no inoculation against shoddy work, I learned that with my 944. While I'm on that subject, I'm in the minority here when I say a PPI is not an insurance policy, nobody fixes what they miss, it's an overview; if it makes you feel better by all means get one but don't buy it expecting that the mechanic can't miss something. Lastly, checking for rust as MB said is a good call, know this, Florida cars near the water rust bad too so check them both. Lastly, if you can afford it, consider shopping for a lower mileage, newer car even if that requires waiting a little longer. Once you own a Porsche you will likely want another and the best car you can afford will offer the best residual value should you decide not to make this purchase your forever car.

storii

As to #1 car, I would try to find out whether the car had been a demo (test drive) car before the current owner bought it. If so, I would walk away since the car was not properly broken in. We all know how test driver cars can get abused and you don't want to end up with one. To me, #2 looks to be a better choice out of the two.

terbiumactivated

Hokie, one last thing, a clean carfax does not necessarily mean the car has no body repair, especially if the car was owned by a dealer employee. When you get close to making a decision, make sure to have them put the car you choose in a well lit room. Inspect every panel seam for any irregularities. Look at the paint from multiple angles, preferably with a secondary light, look for any tiny scratches from imperfectly sanded filler, look at the way the fender liners fit, check them for any damage as sometimes they are not changed after an accident if they are only scratched. Look for any evidence of overspray on the liners, muffler, around the marker lights, wheels and headlights essentially anywhere it should not have a bit of paint color. Open the doors and check all the same, look under the door panels too. When you look across the body panels make sure they look uniform in paint consistency from end to end. Don't expect mom & pop to know diddly squat about a Porsche or be honest about how a car like that came into their possession.

hokiemiata

Agreed, I don't really go for mom and pop dealer for this type of car. Also I usually run my finger up and down the seams of the body panels to feel to irregularities.

hokiemiata

One additional note that just occurred to me. SC can probably be skipped; it seems that there are some very good aftermarket options. I don't care much for the clock in the SC's or the sport button. I just care about the throttle response, as well as the redline behavior. It seems as though I can get performance software for under $1k, that gives you the same features as SC, plus with a re-mapped. So it really comes down to mileage and how much I REALLY want the Bi-Xenon.

Whats the general opinion on the cayman S brakes transplanted into the base 987? Is that a highly desirable Mod?

hokiemiata

One more Q. Whats the deal with some of the 987's that have the Cayman written on the trunk vs the ones that say Porsche?

Benjamin Cherry

There are a lot more cars out there than just those two. I've been mining a "manual 987.2 within 500 miles of NYC" search and found at least two good 2011 base Caymans that both sound better than the above.

One of them is a private seller in NY state -- he's been pleasant to communicate with, though I haven't gone to see the car because I've gotten more serious about the 981s. I can forward you his info if you like.

Edit: here you go. Can't find the second 2011 base that I'd seen before. Second and third listings here I have not looked into much.

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1af37f12 - this looked like a great option, didn't pursue due to above (looking at 981s)
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https://cargur.us/kc49X - clean, not my color

https://cargur.us/kmZZ_ - careful, this one's had some interesting mods, been on eBay a bunch of times and didn't sell. Seems like it's been in the pool of available 987.2s for a long time

Benjamin Cherry

Also, this is an S and has a few mods. If the mods don't bother you, it could be a killer deal:

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1c37ab34

hokiemiata

Thanks for the search. Ive see a couple of these; a couple are new that I hadn't seen. Thanks............

Marine Blue

hokiemiata

Id like to stay below ~$25k. Im picky with cosmetics, but not OCD about it. Yes, driven some, although not comparatively between PDK vs manual.

billwot

Now that I have it, I would consider bi-xenon a must-have!!

JMHO

hokiemiata