Ducati-guy

Tried to post in the general discussion forum but am unable to do so. So trying here. Will be brief. Coming back to Porsche after decades away. First Porsche was about in 1975. A 1969 911T. Paid $2500. Sold it a few years later for $2900. Made a killing! Second one was a 1970 911S. Bought in 1977. Paid $2800. Sold it one year later for $3200. Another killing! Third was a 1970 911T. Bought in 1984 for $2500. Sold two years later for $2800. Yet another killing. Thinking I should have kept them.

Currently. Looking to buy a 2006-2008 Cayman S 6 speed, 60-85k miles. Would like a 2009 or later but funds do not allow. Been reading up on them and aside from what seems to be a rare occurrence of IMS bearing failure they seem to be a reliable car.

Good chance will be buying remotely. Will have any serious prospect checked out hopefully by a Porsche dealer and get the car shipped here to the NY area.

So, looking for any and all the advice I can get. Would like to know how reliable these cars are. Plan on putting only about 2-4k per year on it. Will it require a lot of maintenance? Will it be dependable? Can I count on it to just start up and go when ever i use it. Suggestions regarding buying remotely. Anything you all can think of that I should and need to know would be very helpful.

Going to be nice to be back in the Porsche wold after a very long absence.

Graham

9eight7

Welcome to Rennlist and back to the wonderful world of P cars!

Here's the maintenance schedule for all 987 cars. I'm not sure what you feel a lot of maintenance is but you can figure it out by reading this.
https://www.porschefremont.com/servi...ce-guide-menu/

As far as these cars go, they're very robust and can handle quite a beating so long as they're maintained. That's why you see so many of them used for autocross, DE events, and raced. I keep mine on a battery tender when not in use and have had 0 issues with mine the last 5 years.

I highly recommend getting a PPI (pre purchase inspection) done at a dealership or reputable shop before you negotiate/buy. Like buying any car, it's good to get any and all information you can regarding maintenance, care, and how the owner used it.

tomhartzell

+1 on getting a PPI done. Water pumps have been known to fail around 60k; use that for negotiations if everything else about the car appears good. Same thought would go for the battery and tires. I had my water pump replaced in my '12 CS under the CPO warranty while getting it inspected for a DE. (i.e. Something they found and fixed while I was there.) Has been flawless to drive since. 987.1 cars experience the same issue.

I would be more concerned about the IMS bearing if it were a low mileage car that had not been driven much -- or driven like they were designed to be driven. Someone else on one of the forums said ".... you're not buying the car, you're buying the previous owners..." (Or something like that.) If you find one where the previous owner(s) were religious/retentive about maintenance and had the records to prove it, that would also tell you something about how the car was treated.

Ducati-guy

Excellent. Thank you

Ducati-guy

Good advice. Good to hear that they seem to be issue free. Would not be happy having to pay a lot of money for upkeep on a regular basis.

tomhartzell

One other thought about buying remotely... Would recommend joining the PCA if you are not already a member. It would be worth asking a member in the location of the car you're buying to inspect it if possible. (In addition to getting the PPI) If the person who volunteers possesses experience driving, maintaining and even inspecting similar Porsches, that would be great feedback as well.

robbodle

I have a 2008 Cayman S. 6 speed. Sport Chrono. 53k miles. White with black.

Ducati-guy

Thank you for the offer. Sounds great. Except I am dead set on the tan, sand beige or what ever other name people use for that interior. I have seen a few white ones in my area. Stunning car in that color. Best of luck with the sale.

robbodle

oh, no. I am content. I was informing. Not offering.

Ducati-guy

Oooops. Kind of funny. Mind telling me how your ownership has been? Reliable, low maintenance? Quirks, likes, dislikes. Fill me in if you have a few minutes.

robbodle

Ive had the car since late November. Ive needed to do one oil change. Thats all. I drive it daily when its dry. I am a recently retired professional sports car racer. My frame of reference is Mustangs. This is more like the Honda S2000 that I owned. Tight and solid with plenty of power. But not more power that can be responsibly used on the street. I dont like the key slot for start being on the left but really thats the only thing I dont like. I could have bought a 911 but i was buying for driving quality and not prestige. Nobody cares what i drive and none of my circle are impressed by anything below a McLaren. I think given whats available on the market, both new and used, I would be staying with a Cayman if i am driving a sports car. Its possible my life may make an offroad Bronco more useful but right now, I live in the south and in a rural setting. I work from home. I dont commute and most of my driving is 55mph plus. Questions?

Edit: I find the 2008 rare to run across. Lots of 06s. I am not sure why that is

Ducati-guy

Great info. Tell me a bit more about your former profession. Would be fun to hear about that.

I know exactly what you mean about the power in the S being plenty. And coming from a pro it has even more weight. I currently have a C5 Corvette. 350 Hp 375 Lb/ft. A slightly better power to weight ratio than the Cayman. The 350hp is way more than enough for street driving. Plenty of power to get you in trouble. Any more would simply not be usable and a waste. A friend has a C7 with about 100hp more. Sure he has better acceleration. But what good is that when driving on public roads. And far easier to get in serious trouble driving it.

Interesting observation about the 2006's being the prevalent year for sale. I notice that as well. Very few 2008's. Decent number of 2007's. Curious why you did not go for a 2009 or newer. Have been told that the second generation is much better than the first. Or as a pro driver you felt that the difference was not worth the extra money? Especially for street use.

Last question.....since my $$$$ will not be happy if the car is a money burner for maintenance, how reliable and maintenance free do you think these are. I am not talking about oil, brakes and tires. But am talking about things other than the wearables going bad and needing costly repair/replacement.

TIA,

Graham

robbodle

I bought the 987.1 rather than the 987.2 because price. I used the difference to buy a very rare(less than 100) 2011 Audi A4 Avant(wagon) in white with all the sports options. In neither case do I want a car that is expensive to fix and breaks often. I try to buy good cars at a good price and I don't keep them that long. I will keep these cars no more than 2 years. I do that mainly to avoid the big maintenance expenses and its generally worked. I expect the next Porsche will be a 987.2 PDK car, but like I said, I might go to an offroad vehicle.

I am a snob and judgemental on safety and the racing only made me more so. I use quick on the street but have no use for fast. I was passed on the interstate by a car going 100+ and never saw them coming because the closing rate was faster than my mirror rotation. I am good going 150 around people that are all expecting cars at that speed. This Cayman in sport mode going up thru the gears or in quick acceleration presses me back in the seat. The downshifting is smooth. The car bites when it corners. What more do you need? 800hp certainly doesn't make sense. My opinion is probably a minority.

From my racing experience and my other profession as an auto racing photographer the C5 Z06 is about as fine a performance cat as can be bought. Even now its a bargain for what it delivers. Its a better race car than a C6 or 7.

Racing is more about selling and promoting and managing partners than it is about the racing. I am a entertainment broadcaster by trade and I was able to acquire sponsors and keep them happy. But THAT is the full time job at that level. Not the racing. Most sports car racers are rich and just pay for it out of their pocket. I am not and needed to work for it. There is more pressure on the businesses side of the sport than you would think and for me I had to take the potential costs of a pass gone bad before I try it. I managed my rpm's so I didn't lose and engine. Its a real job. Its a great job but people say they would do it for free and they are wrong.