fronesis47

Thanks, all. There seems to be something nearing consensus that #2 is a gorgeous-looking car. I don't disagree. I've got a PM to the seller to get some more info.

Overall, after thinking about it a lot, I really just don't think I have any *must have* options. I wouldn't mind heated seats and xenon headlights, but I'd be happy to keep and drive a car for many years that didn't have them. I agree with storii that #1 has some good performance options. I've also run the VIN on #3 and it has the x73 suspension and sports+ seats. In general I think performance oriented options are the only ones that matter to me: the LSD that comes with PTV is particularly enticing.

And I agree with Tom R., both about the lower miles and the value of having a car closer to me (and about M Z3s, as I owned an M coupe). I'll also probably follow up with #3, since he's the closest.

What are people's thoughts about fair prices for #2 and #3?

EDIT: forgot to say, the ONLY reason I mentioned the lien is that if the seller of that car wants to sell to a private party (not a dealer) then he has to find a private party buyer who can come up with the cash and is willing to go to the trouble and small potential risk of buying the car only to receive a bill of sale and wait for the title. I know it's just logistics, but I feel like if it's already a challenge to sell an almost $50k car privately, but doing so when you don't have the title in hand makes it slightly more complicated. Such a buyer, I would hope, should be willing to come down from an asking price that looks close to dealer retail to me.

fronesis47

2 other cars for reference:

A) https://www.porscheofgreenville.com/...52a49b51c4.htm

Higher miles, but lots of warranty left. I've emailed to ask about shipping.

SOLD already.

B) https://www.dallasprestige.com/vehic...tx-id-21520833

Also higher miles, and with no warranty, but this is an S, and it's a 1-owner car with an MSRP of $76k, all for an asking price right in the middle of the cars I've listed here.
I don't actually feel like I need or want an S, I do feel like 5+ years from now the S will be easier to sell (and for more money) than a base.

vbb is correct: I'm not actually in the market for an S....but the price is very interesting!!

vbb

Haha, you're firmly down the rabbit hole now! Started out potentially looking at base 987.1 and now you're thinking well... a higher mileage 981 S isn't too far out of range. Next thing you know, you'll be telling yourself that a GT4 is really a decent investment because it won't depreciate as fast as the others. I'm not poking fun at you by the way, I'm guilty of falling on the exact same slippery slope myself. Obviously you can take or leave this advice, by I do not regret getting a base 981 at all. This car is the slowest and least horsepower'd sports car I've had in the last 10 years. But I took a really honest look at how I used my cars, and realized that lots of unusable horsepower is just overrated. Of course it is nice to have for bragging rights at the local cars and coffee, and it is also really fun to take off from a dead stop and get pinned to the back of your seat... but all of that gets old. Unless you're a hoon, you're not going to drive around your public streets at 10/10ths using that horsepower, and unless you regularly track your car, you're not going to miss it. When is the last time someone was in a go kart and didn't have any fun? It's a blast driving a slower car closer to the limits, and these cars are made to gobble up backroad twisties. I've had more fun in this base Cayman that I have any any of my other Porsches.

That's just a long way of me trying to talk you out of the rabbit hole. You won't be disappointed if you stick with a 981 Base.

As for the prices, that's a bit harder to nail. Car #3 at $47K isn't ridiculously high. You could probably talk him down a couple, but if you bought the car for $45K you won't have overpaid. It does have the sport seats, X73 and best (in my opinion) wheels. It does have extremely low mileage. For reference, 5 months ago I paid $42K for a 2015 with 11K miles and no X73, no Sport Seats and no upgraded wheels. It was the color combo I wanted though. I spent thousands more adding on the PSE and upgraded 20" wheels. I'd have paid $46K for car #3 and not felt bad about it at all. You can definitely find a base 981 for nearer to $40K, and a few slightly under that, if you're flexible on color and don't care about the options. So really, you have to decide what you are prioritizing the most. Low miles? Options? Color? Price? Car #3 would be the one for ME, but obviously that's subjective.

fronesis47

You are TOTALLY right! My rabbit hole problem is not so much that I want more car, but that I find the lower end of the market (the cheaper 981s) relatively overpriced in terms of value. So I end up creeping up. And it's true: I got into a 981 because I found the 987.2 cars too difficult to locate and also overpriced in relative terms.

For me the base is plenty of car.
That's helpful. I actually tried to start a negotiation with the seller of #3 and he seemed insulted when I suggested I could only go up to the low 40s. He may just be really busy. He also said he got a PPI on the car and could send me the report, but when I asked for it he said he was out of town. All of these things may be true, but they are making me skittish.

I've just located a 2015 CPO car with less than 5k miles for an asking price of less than $45k. I'm not going to link right now for fear that someone else will ****** it up. Someone got the red car in Greenville before I could get to it...

GT6ixer

Just so you aren't the only one out there, I think the color combo on #1 is incredible. My wife is wanting a Cayman and we are doing the same research as you, but she only wants white or grey with a black interior. If it were for me, I'd be looking at a Cayman in the color of #1. Awesome!

Good luck!

SpyderSenseOC

I dig the lime gold but not so much with that interior color. Too light and creamy as a package for me. Lime gold with black interior? Now that'd be sweet.

aryork

I had a 2014 CS manual and it had rev matching/auto blip. I absolutely love that feature. I'm not sure if the base model has it, but likely all the S models for 2014 and after have it. It also had "hill hold" which was hard to get used to.

storii

I think the rev matching feature is a part of the Sport Chrono package. My 2015 BS doesn't have the SC thus no rev matching. That's okay, I like to heel & toe.

aryork

Indeed, that is right! Thanks for the correction. I have tried heel-toe to no avail

fronesis47

I am a completely mediocre at heel-toe'ing.

But when I sold my 964, a delightful gentleman from Canada came down to buy it, and when we went on the test drive he drove the car so beautifully that I felt like I should lower our agreed price!

My Fiesta ST has rev-matching and hill hold. It cost $17,000 brand new!

Tom R.

Agree 100%. Someone looked at my M Roadster a few days ago. Then asked in an email what my bottom line price was CASH. I don't care if it's cash or check. The check clears, take the car. Cash, take the car. It's never had a lien with me.

When I got the M six years ago I wasn't looking for an M. Then I compared the price of Z-3s to M Roadsters, and like you with the base to the S, wrote the Z-3 off my shopping list.