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Hey Guys. I am doing some research for a potential 981 S purchase. It is actually for my girlfriend. She does really well for herself and feels like it is either buy one now and enjoy it or she may not have the chance with the potential for kids down the road. Obviously, I fully support this purchase! I am partial to the flat 6 of the 981, and it appears to fit really well within her price range. From my initial searches, it looks like a 2015 or 16 981 cayman S with 30k miles or less can be had anywhere from $50-60k. She has always leased cars, and currently drives a bmw x1 (snoozefest). Her priorities are PDK, seat adjustment (14 way at the least), heated seats, bose or better, and she likes the sport design wheel with the real paddles (I think the buttons on the regular wheel are so dumb). Fairly open to color, interior and exterior. This will be her daily driver. She would err towards the more "luxury" options (more leather, ventilated seats, top of the line seats, higher end stereo). I would love the sportier stuff (sports exhaust, x73, ptv) but it is her car not mine. If we find one with PASM, I think that would be great, but it is not a must have for her.
She is test driving two this weekend at a local "exotic/luxury" dealer. A '15 S and a '16 S. I will be at COTA, so not able to join her, unfortunately. Both seem like good options, right around $60k. Links below. Having never driven a true sports car, this will be a big indicator if she actually wants to do this or is just entertaining the idea. I have been tasked with helping her search and narrow down choices. We are currently looking nationwide, more or less, to try to find the right one.
I also want to give her a full picture of maintenance costs and pros/cons of CPO or other warranties. I understand the 981 is quite reliable, so I really don't know if she needs CPO. If it were my car, I would not place a lot of value on CPO because it would not be my daily and I am comfortable with most DIYs. What advantages are afforded by CPO vs. an alternative aftermarket warranty? I had a fidelity warranty on a cayenne gts I owned and it allowed me to take it wherever I wanted but I did not get a loaner. Does CPO give loaners? Tires look to be about $1100-1300 for nice sports tires. I will be tasked with the fluid changes. Are those easily DIYable?
Found a nice summary of maintenance schedule on P9. Anyone have recent pricing quotes for each service? Honestly, most of this stuff seems pretty DIYable. How is the spark plug change? Drive belt "inspection" at 60k. I assume just go ahead and replace it every 60k to be safe.
I like the '15 better for the color, tires, and cooled seats. I'm not going to look again, but I think that is the one with paddles, so it is definitely the one. Not a great price, but OK; purchase contingent on indy PPI.
The '15 looks like it's been tracked, those rotors are beat for a car with only 9k miles on it. The sports steering wheel is a must IMO, I would ask them to install on the '16.
If she matters to you at all, push the decision off until next weekend, when you're not at COTA and you can help her with an up close and personal review of each car.
If she doesn't matter, ask internet strangers to help her make the call.
I like the '15 better for the color, tires, and cooled seats. I'm not going to look again, but I think that is the one with paddles, so it is definitely the one. Not a great price, but OK; purchase contingent on indy PPI.
Thanks. Initial glance on the internet the white one looks better to me also. She prefers white vs. silver.
Originally Posted by Laszlo_Laz
The '15 looks like it's been tracked, those rotors are beat for a car with only 9k miles on it. The sports steering wheel is a must IMO, I would ask them to install on the '16.
Interesting, I hadn't noticed that.
Originally Posted by DFW01TT
If she matters to you at all, push the decision off until next weekend, when you're not at COTA and you can help her with an up close and personal review of each car.
If she doesn't matter, ask internet strangers to help her make the call.
Kinda dramatic. She isn't making a decision to buy one of these cars this weekend, not quite at that stage of the process. She has never driven a cayman or anything remotely like a cayman. I recommended that she drive one before we spend a lot of time looking at various cars. We are both busy, she has some time this weekend so I figured she could take an hour or two to go drive these cars. These are the only two 981 cayman s's I can find in the DFW area for sale at a dealer. They so happen to be at the same dealer and while very similar, each have a few unique options. I thought it would be nice for her to drive both and form an opinion about how important certain things are to her (ventilated seats on one, sports exhaust on the other, the obvious steering wheel differences). If she really falls in love with one of them, then I will certainly help as best I can to point out flaws/pros/cons in person. A week ago she was thinking anything from a practical mazda cx5 to a new base macan. So I think it is important for her to do some test drives to determine what she personally wants. This is her car, so despite what I may prefer it has to be something she likes to drive every day.
The '15 looks like it's been tracked, those rotors are beat for a car with only 9k miles on it. The sports steering wheel is a must IMO, I would ask them to install on the '16.
I don't know if the rotors are really that beat up vs. not getting used very often and having some lines due to rust and drag and general "rot". But the thought that it's been tracked does hold some weight. I think the OE tire on the 20" Carrera S wheels was the Pirelli PZero and this car is wearing Michelins. They've been changed and you aren't going to wear out the Pirelli in 9000 miles of daily driving. This still doesn't make it a bad car or a bad option. Accelerated wear on the brake pads, rotors, tires, and a bit more load through the suspension and bushings, but it doesn't mean the car is going to fall apart tomorrow. Around metro Detroit I think a track-driven car is probably in better shape than one driven daily on the public roads.
Aharing some of the logic I recently applied to a friend's probable purchase. Back into whether it was tracked. four years old, ten track days a year that's 1,000 miles on the track each year, that's 4,000 miles of track. That would have turned the rotors a darker shade. Cut that in half and you have 20 track days. Would the rotors change color after 20 days? If the rotors haven't changed color, and the car was tracked, is there an issue? Since the car is a "slushbox" there is no overrevs to worry about. Can the car handle hitting redline without disintegrating?
I think my friend just pulled the trigger on a simialr manual. His biggest concern was an over rev. A few of us who own Boxters and Caymans over anlayzed pictures of control arms, the inside of rotors, inside of wheels, etc. The OP can have the dealer put it on a lift and look for remnants of track. The car my friend is interested in is far from a dealer so an overrev report would have cost between $1,500 if he bought the car and $2,500 if he decided not and wanted to send it back. The issue from the pictures came down to the headlight delamination I posted. That 99% confirmed the car wasnt hit in that corner, but still is a possible issue.
Look at the control arms and the red on the calipers. If the decals are still on the control arms and the calipers are bright red and bright white, chances are the brakes didnt get hot enough like they would on the track.
Just curious as to why she needs an S version? Is she planning on tracking the car?
If not, she could save a ton of money by buying a low mileage base model that looks just like an S
instead of looking at $59,000 she could be looking at $45-50,000 for a clean CPO base with a warranty through 2022
You say it's her first sports car, I think a base model will be more than enough to put a smile on her face on the street or even a track
Thanks for the insight guys. Not sure a little track work worries me. If it has been thrashed, that's not ideal. If it isn't beat up on the front end and a ppi says everything it in reasonable shape for the mileage I am not going to worry about some track days.
As to S vs. base, I think that is very reasonable logic. No doubt she would enjoy a base just as much as an S, IMO. I just think she has cued in on the S and figures if I am buying a sports car I might as well buy the more sporty one. And I would be lying if I said that I am trying to talk her out of that. I get to drive this car too, from time to time, and I would likely have to sell one of my fun cars so her vehicle can get a promotion to a garage spot. Just this morning I was thinking through the gymnastics of teaching her to drive stick, putting some of my money into the equation and justifying a 981 spyder. That's not going to happen, but I really want a 981 spyder! That said, I will find her a base model to drive and see if that does it for her.
Teach her to drive stick and get a Miata RF. She will have 99% of the fun at 50% of the price. A freind with a 987 CS and a RF cant say enough good things about the RF. Plus, if she decides a SUV suits her better the bashing on trade in will be significantly less.
Teach her to drive stick and get a Miata RF. She will have 99% of the fun at 50% of the price. A freind with a 987 CS and a RF cant say enough good things about the RF. Plus, if she decides a SUV suits her better the bashing on trade in will be significantly less.
Boy oh boy this doesn't correlate with my experiences at all. I tried SO hard to like the ND Miata, both in RF and droptop form. Wanted to purchase one before I got my Porsche. Drove them extensively and multiple times. Even took one home for a day to evaluate extensively. I've spent hours on the Miata forums, know them technically inside and out, and ... just no. And after all that it simply didn't click at all. My 987.1 is so much vastly more enjoyable (and practical) that it beggars belief.
Never driven an ND. I will see what she thinks about that. I have a spec NA and I love it!
The closest Porsche dealer has two 2016 base model boxsters. The plan is for her to drive one of those, then head to the dealer with the two cayman s's. So she will drive the base motor, the s motor and both a cayman and a boxster.
I think she would be happy with a cayman or a boxster. And with a boxster you get the option to drop the top on a nice day. Seems like from my initial research a similar cayman is 5-10% more expensive than a boxster (asking prices).
Since the car is a "slushbox" there is no over revs to worry about. Can the car handle hitting redline without disintegrating?
Well -----??? I was looking at a '15 GTS and a '14 CS, both PDK, side by side. The GTS had a TON of Category 1 over revs, a lot of Cat. 2, and some Cat. 3s. The CS I bought had none in any category & was in generally better condition. Please don't ask me how a "slushbox" can over rev as I have no idea. BTW, there ain't no slush in a dual clutch transmission box. It just shifts gears a lot faster than I can.
Since the car is a "slushbox" there is no over revs to worry about. Can the car handle hitting redline without disintegrating?
Well -----??? I was looking at a '15 GTS and a '14 CS, both PDK, side by side. The GTS had a TON of Category 1 over revs, a lot of Cat. 2, and some Cat. 3s. The CS I bought had none in any category & was in generally better condition. Please don't ask me how a "slushbox" can over rev as I have no idea. BTW, there ain't no slush in a dual clutch transmission box. It just shifts gears a lot faster than I can.
How can a slushbox over rev?
I don't doubt what you saw. From what I read the computer would not let it downshift if it would cause an over rev. I wonder if it is possible to hold it in gear and the fuel doesnt cut off?
Originally Posted by professsorz
Boy oh boy this doesn't correlate with my experiences at all. I tried SO hard to like the ND Miata, both in RF and droptop form. Wanted to purchase one before I got my Porsche. Drove them extensively and multiple times. Even took one home for a day to evaluate extensively. I've spent hours on the Miata forums, know them technically inside and out, and ... just no. And after all that it simply didn't click at all. My 987.1 is so much vastly more enjoyable (and practical) that it beggars belief.
My neighbor traded his NA for a ND. He rarely drove the NA and regularly drives the ND year round. He also has a 66 Vette convertible. I haven't spent time in the ND, and am hard pressed to name a better looking car currently on the showroom floor. I could see your conclusion. It is hard to choose the 30k car in a back to back comparison with a 70K Porsche. For a first time sports car buyer the decision may be easier.
I don't doubt what you saw. From what I read the computer would not let it downshift if it would cause an over rev. I wonder if it is possible to hold it in gear and the fuel doesnt cut off?
My neighbor traded his NA for a ND. He rarely drove the NA and regularly drives the ND year round. He also has a 66 Vette convertible. I haven't spent time in the ND, and am hard pressed to name a better looking car currently on the showroom floor. I could see your conclusion. It is hard to choose the 30k car in a back to back comparison with a 70K Porsche. For a first time sports car buyer the decision may be easier.
looks are highly subjective.... I think it's kinda fugly with funky proportions and no where near as good looking as a 981 Cayman.
yes the price is nice, but I would never own one ...looks alone are in a different universe imo
06-17-2019, 05:54 PM
Potential 981 Buyer
