alex harber

https://www.porschemelbourne.com/use...AB29867U783038

2007 Cayman S 83,703 on the odometer, just serviced at 78000, everything looks pretty darn good. Slight scratching/marring in the interior but nothing terrible, curb rash on wheels but that will be fixed before they deliver, plastic trim is fading a bit on the exterior, and center badges on wheels are faded a bit. Other than that the front struts to the "frunk" are a bit weak. Everything else seemed nice and tight! It was listed for 26,7XX and reduced to 19,500 because of COVID19.

Its always been a dream to own a Porsche for me and I figured a Cayman would be the best entry into the brand! I also did not want anything too new, my goal is to do most of the work on the vehicle myself - so hopefully that goes well. The only thing I would have changed is getting a manual transmission but I just had left foot ankle surgery so.... maybe not the best idea!

Side note, is there any cheap way to get a spare key cut or is the only way to do that is to go to a Porsche dealer? My Cayman only came with one key!


So overall how did I do?

deilenberger

Since you're buying it from a Porsche dealer - insist that it come with 2 keys. Let them eat the $300 or so it will cost them to order one and program it rather than you paying them $600 to buy it yourself. And there is no cheap way to get a working key - the key has a vehicle-specific chip in it that only works with the vehicle it's paired with.

Congrats on the new car and welcome to the Rennlist forums!

alex harber

I couldn’t work a key into the deal sadly, only thing I could work in was repairing the scratches and curb rash on the wheels. It was listed for 26780 and I purchased at 19500 with the COVID19 fire sale that was going on... Cheapest key cutting I have seen is Atlanta Porsche for about 380. I still need to check local locksmiths though!

deilenberger

It isn't the cutting of the key. It's the embedded chip in the key that works with the immobilizer to make the car driveable when the key is used. Your local locksmith will not have a way to duplicate the chip from the key you have (unless you're in Russia - and I'm not sure what they're up to now..) The key, chip embedded is ordered from Porsche - and they code a key (chip) to your specific vehicle (based on VIN) - and then ship It to your dealer. If your local locksmith could create a working key - the immobilizer wouldn't be of a lot of value.

You might pressure the selling dealer to provide you with a new key at their cost. Used cars are really a problem for dealers right now (paying "floor-plan" on them about forever), so they should be inclined to be reasonable about it.

Code

Good deal!! Congrats on the new ride. Enjoy

KBell

No holes drilled in front bumper! Score!

Aftermarket exhaust? The tips look different.

daylorb

$19K for a Cayman S in good condition? I think you did pretty darn well. The bang for the buck on these cars is unmatched. Enjoy!

tomhartzell

Agree with what Don has offered, but there might be more to it. Don't know if it is dependent upon the dealership or not, but suspect it is uniform across Porsche...

The dealership I purchased my '12 Cayman S from programs a new code into the new key; your existing key(s); AND your car at the dealership. The vehicle and all keys (old and new) must be present. This prevents any old / lost keys from being used to start the car if found. The new code programmed into the keys and the car is then kept on file in Porsche's systems.

deilenberger

That's accurate.. but there is a bit more to it..

I guess what most people don't realize is there are two codes generated by the key, and both must match the car for the car to be unlocked and to start.

The first is a passive chip (think RFID) - that is read by an antenna/detector around the ignition switch. This chip in the key is the one that has to come from Porsche AG.. (although Porsche Cars NA may have the ability to generate this also.) This is a non-changing code - it also doesn't travel far since it's passive and activated by a signal from the antenna in the ignition switch. Basically what happens is the module controlling this sends a signal to the antenna on the ignition switch saying "Hey - you there?" - a tiny RF signal that activates the passive chip. The passive chip uses power from when this signal is received by it to reply "Yeah, I'm here, I'm 1234556etc.." - Where the number/etc code is unique to the key and to the car. It's linked to the VIN of the car. Once the controlling electronics see "Yeah, I'm here.." and confirm the code - the enable signal is sent to the immobilizer.

The 2nd one is an active "rolling code" chip. This is generated by the battery electronics in the key - the part with the buttons. It's used for lock/unlock and the alarm functions. The car is sitting there waiting to detect this code at all times, up until I believe a week of non-use, when the system then goes to sleep - the car is no longer looking for signals from the key.

This rolling code changes each time the key and the unlocking system communicate. There is a sequence of codes - something like 12345-1, 12345-2, 12345-3 - written to tables in the key and in the car's key receiver, and each time one is seen by the locking/alarm system the next one is queued up to be the next one used. The car and the key have a table of these codes that they can read and confirm from.. If you have a second key - it has undoubtedly fallen out of sync with the first key - but as long as it sends a code used in the lookup table - the car will be enabled to unlock and start.

Since this system has both an active transmitter in the key and an active receiver in the car - it can operate over some distance from the car.

The reason for having all the keys at the time of coding - is the coding procedure writes a new lookup table to the unlocking system - and it also writes it to any keys that are within range. If one isn't there - say you left it home - it will no longer unlock the car since the codes in the old lookup table on it will not match any in the new lookup table in the car.

Simple? Probably not.. but it does seem to work. Early versions of the rolling-code systems had a limited number of keys that could be synced with the system. Apparently they didn't know how to erase the old tables in the car. I think the 'early 90's BMW had a limit of 8. If you exceeded the limit it got REALLY expensive because you had to replace the receiver electronics in the car to get new blank spots for keys. I'm sure the Russians have come up with a way to erase those tables and reuse the receiver.

tomhartzell

Great explanation Don -- thanks!

indemo

Did they have the markdown listed somewhere or did you have to talk them down?

manifold danger

That's a huge discount and what looks like a very clean car. Congrats! I can't see any other car coming close to smile per dollar value.

alex harber

It was listed down and I got it at that price. It is now on its way to me! Before the Porsche left the dealer they installed a new water pump for me. So thats pretty nice!

It for the most part is super clean! Ill post pictures tomorrow once it arrives!

mytime1

Very nice. I picked up my 06 S manual with custom interior, fully adjustable seats and bose system 2 yrs ago with 67K miles for $23k so I would say that is a good price. Funny enough, mine only had 1 key initially. I told them if I needed a second key and after arguing back and forth, the second key magically appeared the next day. (This was a Porsche dealer.) Agree with the others, that it will pay for itself in smiles. I put 25K miles on it in 2 yrs and love it.
This is also a very easy car to work on for the DIY enthusiast. This time next year, I am sure we will be reading about your upgrades. Have fun.

alex harber

What all have you dont to it yourself? Did yours come with any records?