981 Cayman Advice
06-24-2018, 11:31 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
981 Cayman Advice
I am currently debating my next vehicle and have always wanted a Porsche at some point. However, I’d like to get some advice here before I made a move on a Cayman vs another vehicle. Call me crazy, but I’m currently torn between a base 981 Cayman or a new 2018 Mustang GT as my daily driver.
My biggest hesitancy between the two is the obvious higher maintenance cost of the Cayman. The vehicle I’m currently looking at is a CPO which provides a lot of comfort; however, I’m concerned about wearing through the brakes at a fast past given the routine stop & go traffic I face in the mornings. It’s not a matter of being able to pay for these expenses, but more so wanting to use my money in other places.
That being said, aside from routine oil changes and tires that wear more quickly - how long do brakes typically last on a PDK equipped vehicle (assuming no track use)?
As a side note, I’m also finding it difficult to find a Cayman that fits my criteria. Most I’ve been interested in are 750+ miles away (based in Dallas) which keeps me coming back to a Mustang. I almost pulled the trigger on a Cayman last week until the PPI revealed that the car had been in a major accident.
Thanks!
My biggest hesitancy between the two is the obvious higher maintenance cost of the Cayman. The vehicle I’m currently looking at is a CPO which provides a lot of comfort; however, I’m concerned about wearing through the brakes at a fast past given the routine stop & go traffic I face in the mornings. It’s not a matter of being able to pay for these expenses, but more so wanting to use my money in other places.
That being said, aside from routine oil changes and tires that wear more quickly - how long do brakes typically last on a PDK equipped vehicle (assuming no track use)?
As a side note, I’m also finding it difficult to find a Cayman that fits my criteria. Most I’ve been interested in are 750+ miles away (based in Dallas) which keeps me coming back to a Mustang. I almost pulled the trigger on a Cayman last week until the PPI revealed that the car had been in a major accident.
Thanks!
06-25-2018, 11:56 AM
#2
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I am currently debating my next vehicle and have always wanted a Porsche at some point. However, I’d like to get some advice here before I made a move on a Cayman vs another vehicle. Call me crazy, but I’m currently torn between a base 981 Cayman or a new 2018 Mustang GT as my daily driver.
My biggest hesitancy between the two is the obvious higher maintenance cost of the Cayman. The vehicle I’m currently looking at is a CPO which provides a lot of comfort; however, I’m concerned about wearing through the brakes at a fast past given the routine stop & go traffic I face in the mornings. It’s not a matter of being able to pay for these expenses, but more so wanting to use my money in other places.
That being said, aside from routine oil changes and tires that wear more quickly - how long do brakes typically last on a PDK equipped vehicle (assuming no track use)?
As a side note, I’m also finding it difficult to find a Cayman that fits my criteria. Most I’ve been interested in are 750+ miles away (based in Dallas) which keeps me coming back to a Mustang. I almost pulled the trigger on a Cayman last week until the PPI revealed that the car had been in a major accident.
Thanks!
My biggest hesitancy between the two is the obvious higher maintenance cost of the Cayman. The vehicle I’m currently looking at is a CPO which provides a lot of comfort; however, I’m concerned about wearing through the brakes at a fast past given the routine stop & go traffic I face in the mornings. It’s not a matter of being able to pay for these expenses, but more so wanting to use my money in other places.
That being said, aside from routine oil changes and tires that wear more quickly - how long do brakes typically last on a PDK equipped vehicle (assuming no track use)?
As a side note, I’m also finding it difficult to find a Cayman that fits my criteria. Most I’ve been interested in are 750+ miles away (based in Dallas) which keeps me coming back to a Mustang. I almost pulled the trigger on a Cayman last week until the PPI revealed that the car had been in a major accident.
Thanks!
As a prospective Cayman buyer I can STRONGLY empathize with your last point: there basically is NO local market for 981 Caymans unless you want PDK and don't care about options/colors/miles. I'm looking for a MT car and I have to make the whole country my search area in order to find 10 cars.
I keep looking, but like you I keep considering a plan B because it's just too much work to find one, and I have no interest in overpaying. In my case, plan B is keep my BRZ...
06-25-2018, 11:36 PM
#3
So, a confession...in between my last 911 (997 TT) and my current base manual 981 Cayman, I owned a manual transmission 2015 Mustang GT for about 5 months. I don't know what I was thinking, and I took a bath on the resale. But, it's not out of the question to cross shop the two. Granted, neither car was a daily driver for me, but I think I have the experience/perspective you are looking for.
The GT was a nice car. Sounded awesome with the Roush exhaust. Loved the torque. Looked menacing. Was fun to drive. But it was no Porsche...and I'm a Porsche guy. First off, the car was too big. I like smaller, agile sports cars, and the Mustang felt huge. Second, there are a million of them on the road. Granted, I didnt see many GTs in a spec like mine, but I saw Mustangs everywhere all the time. It didn't feel special. Third, it wasn't a super fun drive. It performed, yes, but didn't feel like something I wanted to attack the backroads in. I did very few of my weekend drives to nowhere in it, whereas I do that all the time in my Cayman. I bought it for the value proposition. It's a lot of car for the money. I could do the simple maintenance myself. Parts are everywhere. Mods are endless. Mine was loaded with virtually every possible option. But sports cars are about emotion as much as performance, and I had no emotional attachment to it at all. Maybe a GT350 would have felt better. In fact I'm sure it would have. But again...I'm just a Porsche guy.
Now I will say this...as a daily driver, I could see the argument for the Mustang. Kinda. But then again, if I was going the one car daily driver route, I'd probably have gone with a performance coupe like the RCF, which I did test drive before buying the Cayman. I liked the RCF quite a bit actually. Loved the uniqueness of the package, the NA V8 and the Toyota reliability. It came down to what felt right to me though, and I longed for a Porsche again. I wanted the mid-engine experience. I like the go-kart like feel. The car is a BLAST to drive. I have not regretted buying my little 275hp Cayman at all.
The GT was a nice car. Sounded awesome with the Roush exhaust. Loved the torque. Looked menacing. Was fun to drive. But it was no Porsche...and I'm a Porsche guy. First off, the car was too big. I like smaller, agile sports cars, and the Mustang felt huge. Second, there are a million of them on the road. Granted, I didnt see many GTs in a spec like mine, but I saw Mustangs everywhere all the time. It didn't feel special. Third, it wasn't a super fun drive. It performed, yes, but didn't feel like something I wanted to attack the backroads in. I did very few of my weekend drives to nowhere in it, whereas I do that all the time in my Cayman. I bought it for the value proposition. It's a lot of car for the money. I could do the simple maintenance myself. Parts are everywhere. Mods are endless. Mine was loaded with virtually every possible option. But sports cars are about emotion as much as performance, and I had no emotional attachment to it at all. Maybe a GT350 would have felt better. In fact I'm sure it would have. But again...I'm just a Porsche guy.
Now I will say this...as a daily driver, I could see the argument for the Mustang. Kinda. But then again, if I was going the one car daily driver route, I'd probably have gone with a performance coupe like the RCF, which I did test drive before buying the Cayman. I liked the RCF quite a bit actually. Loved the uniqueness of the package, the NA V8 and the Toyota reliability. It came down to what felt right to me though, and I longed for a Porsche again. I wanted the mid-engine experience. I like the go-kart like feel. The car is a BLAST to drive. I have not regretted buying my little 275hp Cayman at all.
06-25-2018, 11:39 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
So, a confession...in between my last 911 (997 TT) and my current base manual 981 Cayman, I owned a manual transmission 2015 Mustang GT for about 5 months. I don't know what I was thinking, and I took a bath on the resale. But, it's not out of the question to cross shop the two. Granted, neither car was a daily driver for me, but I think I have the experience/perspective you are looking for.
The GT was a nice car. Sounded awesome with the Roush exhaust. Loved the torque. Looked menacing. Was fun to drive. But it was no Porsche...and I'm a Porsche guy. First off, the car was too big. I like smaller, agile sports cars, and the Mustang felt huge. Second, there are a million of them on the road. Granted, I didnt see many GTs in a spec like mine, but I saw Mustangs everywhere all the time. It didn't feel special. Third, it wasn't a super fun drive. It performed, yes, but didn't feel like something I wanted to attack the backroads in. I did very few of my weekend drives to nowhere in it, whereas I do that all the time in my Cayman. I bought it for the value proposition. It's a lot of car for the money. I could do the simple maintenance myself. Parts are everywhere. Mods are endless. Mine was loaded with virtually every possible option. But sports cars are about emotion as much as performance, and I had no emotional attachment to it at all. Maybe a GT350 would have felt better. In fact I'm sure it would have. But again...I'm just a Porsche guy.
Now I will say this...as a daily driver, I could see the argument for the Mustang. Kinda. But then again, if I was going the one car daily driver route, I'd probably have gone with a performance coupe like the RCF, which I did test drive before buying the Cayman. I liked the RCF quite a bit actually. Loved the uniqueness of the package, the NA V8 and the Toyota reliability. It came down to what felt right to me though, and I longed for a Porsche again. I wanted the mid-engine experience. I like the go-kart like feel. The car is a BLAST to drive. I have not regretted buying my little 275hp Cayman at all.
The GT was a nice car. Sounded awesome with the Roush exhaust. Loved the torque. Looked menacing. Was fun to drive. But it was no Porsche...and I'm a Porsche guy. First off, the car was too big. I like smaller, agile sports cars, and the Mustang felt huge. Second, there are a million of them on the road. Granted, I didnt see many GTs in a spec like mine, but I saw Mustangs everywhere all the time. It didn't feel special. Third, it wasn't a super fun drive. It performed, yes, but didn't feel like something I wanted to attack the backroads in. I did very few of my weekend drives to nowhere in it, whereas I do that all the time in my Cayman. I bought it for the value proposition. It's a lot of car for the money. I could do the simple maintenance myself. Parts are everywhere. Mods are endless. Mine was loaded with virtually every possible option. But sports cars are about emotion as much as performance, and I had no emotional attachment to it at all. Maybe a GT350 would have felt better. In fact I'm sure it would have. But again...I'm just a Porsche guy.
Now I will say this...as a daily driver, I could see the argument for the Mustang. Kinda. But then again, if I was going the one car daily driver route, I'd probably have gone with a performance coupe like the RCF, which I did test drive before buying the Cayman. I liked the RCF quite a bit actually. Loved the uniqueness of the package, the NA V8 and the Toyota reliability. It came down to what felt right to me though, and I longed for a Porsche again. I wanted the mid-engine experience. I like the go-kart like feel. The car is a BLAST to drive. I have not regretted buying my little 275hp Cayman at all.
06-26-2018, 08:48 AM
#5
If you can find a used 981 in decent condition I think it's a better choice. I own one, so of course I like the car, but financially I think it might be better. Find one, buy one, drive one. If you decide you don't like it you're more likely to get back every penny you spent. If you were to buy a brand new Mustang and then decide you don't like it you're going to lose a lot of money selling it, or you're stuck driving something you don't enjoy.
06-26-2018, 09:56 AM
#6
Rennlist Member
It is easy enough to change your own oil and brakes on these cars with a few basic tools.
Oil from Walmart or amazon
Parts from a discount retailer. Heck, I just found out FCPEuro offers a lifetime warranty on parts, even oem consumables.
Every time my friend needs a set of rotors for his Cayman 981, he sends back the old ones and they refund his purchase price.
Oil from Walmart or amazon
Parts from a discount retailer. Heck, I just found out FCPEuro offers a lifetime warranty on parts, even oem consumables.
Every time my friend needs a set of rotors for his Cayman 981, he sends back the old ones and they refund his purchase price.
06-26-2018, 09:57 AM
#7
Rennlist Member
All the above are good points. I also had a 2007 Whipple charged mustang, of course the newer ones are much better. But I will never go back to the Mustang. The cayman is awesome, even love it more than my previous 911's. Also if you are limiting yourself to 750 miles, you are limiting yourself! HA! I think the average distant my vehicles were away from me when I bought them was 900 plus miles LOL!
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06-26-2018, 10:05 AM
#8
Rennlist Member
Loved my 981 Cayman 2.7. IMO it is the gem of the Porsche engines. Used the hatch back continuously and even tracked it. Great cars. Perfect size. Just never found the button that dropped the top so went back to the Gen 1 Spyder (and a few other reasons as well).
06-26-2018, 10:07 AM
#9
Rennlist Member
It is easy enough to change your own oil and brakes on these cars with a few basic tools.
Oil from Walmart or amazon
Parts from a discount retailer. Heck, I just found out FCPEuro offers a lifetime warranty on parts, even oem consumables.
Every time my friend needs a set of rotors for his Cayman 981, he sends back the old ones and they refund his purchase price.
Oil from Walmart or amazon
Parts from a discount retailer. Heck, I just found out FCPEuro offers a lifetime warranty on parts, even oem consumables.
Every time my friend needs a set of rotors for his Cayman 981, he sends back the old ones and they refund his purchase price.
Their prices are also as low as I've ever seen. Thanks!
06-27-2018, 11:39 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Thanks everyone for your advice! After a long time searching, I have found the perfect 981 Cayman! I feel like I’m paying top dollar, but the vehicle has sub-10k miles, CPO through 9/21, and new tires.
Super excited about it and can’t wait for it to arrive! Next purchase...PCA membership. The Dallas based chapter appears very active.
Super excited about it and can’t wait for it to arrive! Next purchase...PCA membership. The Dallas based chapter appears very active.
06-28-2018, 09:32 PM
#11
Thanks everyone for your advice! After a long time searching, I have found the perfect 981 Cayman! I feel like I’m paying top dollar, but the vehicle has sub-10k miles, CPO through 9/21, and new tires.
Super excited about it and can’t wait for it to arrive! Next purchase...PCA membership. The Dallas based chapter appears very active.
Super excited about it and can’t wait for it to arrive! Next purchase...PCA membership. The Dallas based chapter appears very active.
06-28-2018, 10:25 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
I am currently debating my next vehicle and have always wanted a Porsche at some point. However, I’d like to get some advice here before I made a move on a Cayman vs another vehicle. Call me crazy, but I’m currently torn between a base 981 Cayman or a new 2018 Mustang GT as my daily driver.
My biggest hesitancy between the two is the obvious higher maintenance cost of the Cayman. The vehicle I’m currently looking at is a CPO which provides a lot of comfort; however, I’m concerned about wearing through the brakes at a fast past given the routine stop & go traffic I face in the mornings. It’s not a matter of being able to pay for these expenses, but more so wanting to use my money in other places.
That being said, aside from routine oil changes and tires that wear more quickly - how long do brakes typically last on a PDK equipped vehicle (assuming no track use)?
As a side note, I’m also finding it difficult to find a Cayman that fits my criteria. Most I’ve been interested in are 750+ miles away (based in Dallas) which keeps me coming back to a Mustang. I almost pulled the trigger on a Cayman last week until the PPI revealed that the car had been in a major accident.
Thanks!
My biggest hesitancy between the two is the obvious higher maintenance cost of the Cayman. The vehicle I’m currently looking at is a CPO which provides a lot of comfort; however, I’m concerned about wearing through the brakes at a fast past given the routine stop & go traffic I face in the mornings. It’s not a matter of being able to pay for these expenses, but more so wanting to use my money in other places.
That being said, aside from routine oil changes and tires that wear more quickly - how long do brakes typically last on a PDK equipped vehicle (assuming no track use)?
As a side note, I’m also finding it difficult to find a Cayman that fits my criteria. Most I’ve been interested in are 750+ miles away (based in Dallas) which keeps me coming back to a Mustang. I almost pulled the trigger on a Cayman last week until the PPI revealed that the car had been in a major accident.
Thanks!