Topshelf

So now that the '08 CSS I was looking at is out of the picture, I'm continuing my search and struggling with which options are important, nice to have and no big deal. I'm well aware that the best way to find out is to go and test drive multiple cars, but there just isn't many 987 Caymans within reasonable driving distance to check out, so all of my research is online. Figured owners could chime in with what they feel is a must have even though we will all have different priorities. Biggest problem I'm having now is that the CSS had every option I could have wanted, so now I need to decide what's most important. I'm looking at Base cars now as I'm just not sure I can deal with the bore score scare, even if it's only a tiny percentage of cars in reality, and the 987.2 S is just out of my price range sadly. Speaking of price, I've always been annoyed at the "poor man's Porsche" mentality towards Caymans, but after a month or so of shopping, I actually have to agree to a certain degree as most of these cars are so poorly optioned and stripped down...coming from a cheap-o looking for a 15 year old car on a budget. Anyway, any thoughts would be super helpful. Also, this will be strictly an adult driven street car, but I still want that sports car feel and a nice place to spend some time.

987.1
Bi-Xenons - Yes, definitely
Sport Seats - Would really love to have them, but needed?
Sports Chrono - Not sure if actually useful having the "Sport" mode or just wasted money
PASM - Would highly prefer, but almost impossible to find on a base car. Is the base suspension softer than S suspension?
6 speed over 5 speed? I've seen exactly one 6 speed base so far, so not positive how much better it is than the 5 speed.
Tiptronic even worth considering?
Heated seats - would prefer, but not a must have
Auto Climate Control - Yes, how is this not standard?
Bose? I'm thinking no so it's cheaper/easier to upgrade head unit, but this is the one common option
Power and/or Memory seats - don't really care, would much prefer manual sport seats
PSE - would love to have valved exhaust, but could always add aftermarket at a premium
Auto Dimming Mirrors and Rain Sensing Wipers - Not sure which option package adds these but would prefer

987.2
PDK over manual at this point for me unless there's concerns with early PDK
Sport Chrono - Are the Sport/Sport Plus modes on the PDK useful features? Or something you test twice and never think about again?

Everything else from .1 carries over to .2. Again, auto climate control was not standard??
Full leather would be great, but I'm not worried about it.

Basically I think I want a Base with Bi-Xenon, Heated Sport Seats, 6 Speed or PDK, PASM, PSE and Auto Climate Control. I'm sure PASM and PSE will have to come off the list, but even just those 5 options leaves me with only a handful of cars nationwide. I'm not in a rush, so will continue to watch the market and see what pops up, but always good to have opinions before a purchase.

arne

Here's my take, based on my research as I plan to get serious about finding a car as soon as I sell my '72 911T. Like you, I will be looking for Base models, or perhaps 987.2 S. A very small chance that I may stretch into 981 Base, but probably not.

• Bi-Xenons — Not critical for me since I rarely drive at night these days. If you do, probably worthwhile, and not hard to find.
• Sport Seats — Definitely a "nice-to-have" option, but not common. Standard seats are not a deal-breaker for me.
• PASM — On my wish list, but as you note, hard to find even on an S, let alone a Base. The standard suspension is the same on Base and S and will be fine for me.
• 6 speed over 5 speed — Totally inconsequential IMO. I'll happily drive any manual.
• Tiptronic even worth considering — This is a definite no for me. You may feel differently.
• Heated seats — Want, but again not a deal breaker like it would be on a daily driver. Probably the most common option to see on all cars. Actually surprises me when I see one without.
• Auto Climate Control — Not important to me. I tend to prefer to have manual control over things like this, but I can adapt to either.
• Bose — Don't care either way, as I rarely ever listen to music in my Porsches. I prefer listening to the engine and exhaust.
• Power and/or Memory seats — Don't care.
• PSE — Might be nice, but not important enough (or common enough) for me to even worry about looking for.
• Auto Dimming Mirrors and Rain Sensing Wipers — Don't care.
• PDK over manual — I prefer to shift for myself, and the increased maintenance costs and potential expense of PDK failure ($$$$) mean that I only look at manuals. Period.
• Sport Chrono — Only for track use with PDK. Otherwise pointless.
• Full leather — Great if you find a car with it, but I'm not going to search one out.

You missed one other important one on Base cars:
• Wheels — Standard wheels on 987 Base models are narrow 17", I want either 18" or 19" for future tire selection. Again, not a total deal-breaker, but I will need to budget for a wheel upgrade if I buy one that has 17".

So for me, it's fairly simple. I will look for manual transmission first, then colors (I have some paint and interiors that I will not buy). Past that, there are 4 items on my "nice-to-have" list, but none are show-stoppers — 18/19" wheels, heated seats, sport seats, PASM. Anything else is pretty much inconsequential. Since even those 4 are not deal-breakers, it means that any manual transmission Base model in my colors will do. The options are just that, optional.

Topshelf

Thanks for your input Arne. I didn't realize the narrow 17s were standard on base models. Up here in the North East, 18s are the largest I would go as the roads just eat rims around here. My wife's old 135i bent 3 18s in two years... Used the hell out of that tire and rim warranty. lol
So Sport Chrono Sport modes really has no use for normal street use? That's actually very good info as I wasn't sure, and that option is far and few between.

I can't imagine going Tip, but thought I heard the 6 speed is more desirable than the 5 speed, not sure why. I'll have to search the forum.

But yeah, sounds like Heated Seats, Sport Seats, PASM, and colors really are the main things to look for. For me at least.

The Duke

Arnie - that's a comprehensive and thoughtful summary. My one small reservation is over your Sport Chrono assessment.

On my manual 987.2 CS, I have Sport Chrono without PCM. If I had the latter, I might use it more often.

One feature it does add is the "Sport" button. Enabling it, adds a sprint booster effect, by making the throttle more responsive, etc.

Definitely worth having IMHO

Topshelf

Would you consider it a Must Have for a street car? Not sure how aggressively it changes the feel of the car, or if it's really a track item.

acsX

For PDK, sport mode software is way more impactful.

The Duke

IMHO, anything that makes my ride feel more visceral is a must have :-)

The Duke

From what I've read, that's absolutely true. However, I wouldn't trade away my MT to get that extra dose of "impactfulness" :-)

Topshelf

Well this is superb information though. So manual, no SC. PDK, want SC. I'm not gonna lie, PDK is on my list, so thanks for sharing.

acsX

From my experiences from buying a 987.2 with some options (PDK, bi-xenons, heated seats, auto climate control, auto-dim and auto-wiper) and with me retrofitting some of them (sport seats, sports chrono).

Bi-Xenons: Great for night driving
Sport Seats: I had regular seats then sport seats. Sport seats are so much better and for corners, it's nice to be held in place. Course they're not necessary, but are really nice. But can be difficult to find on cars and can be a little pricey to retrofit.
Sports Chrono: Like I said, it's a must for PDK. It's way more responsive and no longer sluggish. Anything else, eh.
Heated Seats: For a colder climate if parked outside, wonderful to have. Or cold weather outside with the windows down, really nice.
Auto Climate Control: I have this and I don't use the auto feature all that often because I different preferences.
Bose: It'll about $500 more costly to replace the head unit because of an optical cable.
Power/Memory seats: If you don't care about them, then you probably won't find yourself envying after them.
PSE: Hearing that flat 6 is wonderful
Auto dimming mirrors and rain sensing wipers: The auto-dim mirrors are great since headlights are bright today and the Cayman is a rather low car right in the path of those headlights. The wipers coming on when it's raining are nice because it times to work with the rain, not the speed settings preset (if that makes sense).

The general census it that for full leather interiors, they're way, way better. But rare.

Another thing for PDK, the sport design steering wheel with actual paddles is so much better than the rocker paddles.


Oh yeah, of course not!

Topshelf

You can retrofit Sports Chrono?? Is it difficult and expensive?

I have thought about just looking for sport seats second hand. Did that with my old Z4 Coupe. Swapped in some M Sports and stored the base seats. When I sold the car I swapped back and sold the M for barely a loss.

Also, thanks for the other info too. I'm kinda struggling because on one hand I feel like just get a stripped down base and enjoy knowing I'll upgrade things. On the other is get everything you want and keep for long term.

arne

Well, part of the rim bending bit depends on the tire size as well as the rims. But yeah, you may want to stay with 18". Especially if you want to run all season tires year-round. There are no good A/S tires available in the stock 17" sizes. Some people go with wider than stock 17", but I'm not a fan of that given the narrow width, especially of the front wheels.
There are mixed feelings on SC for the street, as you have read here. Some people really like the quickened throttle mapping, but others don't find it compelling in day-to-day use. I'm pretty certain I can get along fine without it, but if I buy a car that has it, fine. I won't wait on buying a car because I can't find one with SC, however.
It's a perception thing. The 6 speed is closer ratios and can "feel" quicker as you row through the gears. It's not, really, as shifting takes time and you have one extra shift to get up to speed.

On the other hand, I've also seen where an owner of a 6 speed commented that the 5 speed shift quality was much more precise feeling. So for me, either is fine.

acsX

About $1250 for parts and $250 for labor since you'll have to take it to the dealership to get it activated/linked up with PIWIS. But it's really easy and hassle free. For manual, there's the sprint booster product which is $300.

Sports seats typical asking price is around $3k. For black at least, beige seems to go for less.

Topshelf

You guys are full of great info! I'll need to look through my priorities again, but have definitely helped me narrow down a few things.

One last big option we haven't discussed. PASM. Anyone have an opinion either way on this? The CSS I tested had it and it seemed to ride very nicely. Not sure how it compares to standard suspension though.

acsX

This spreadsheet (made by MXA121 over in this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/987-foru...other-etc.html) has the spring rates. Note if you were to switch to coilovers, it would be more expensive due to PASM cancellation.