Base Cayman high mileage thoughts
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Base Cayman high mileage thoughts
Hey everyone- bouncing over here from 996 forum. Been looking at 996s and had several ppl suggest I consider a cayman. I’ve found a private seller w a base ‘08 tippy for around $16k. I’ve test driven it and seems very solid. From a cold start, no smoke, ticking or knocking both cold and fully warm. I have a PPI and oil change/inspection next week. It has just over 150k on it and had coil packs, plugs, water pump, belt, pulleys, brakes plus other work done by a well respected indy at 137k. It was a one owner, well maintained car. The current owner has had it for a couple of years and just had the tiptronic fluid replaced. I’ve read the 2.7 is pretty solid but with this mileage I’ve asked the folks doing the PPI to look for any signs of major internal issues, like chain tensioner pad debris and IMSB. I’m a pretty capable DIY wrench but don’t want to get into those issues within the first year LOL Looking for input, suggestions, advice from those more experienced with higher mileage cars (spend more upfront, avoid tiptronic, etc., etc.) Or is this a relatively “safe” buy for a few years of enjoyment before addressing engine internals (or transmission…) thanks!
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I live about 20 mins from the Blue Ridge Parkway, an hour from numerous wineries and breweries and I drive about 60 miles rounds trip 3x/wk to my boat to ski with my buddies…this will be the primary duty for my car.
Is the PDK more reliable in a high mileage car?
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Is the PDK more reliable in a high mileage car?
First, as I am sure you must recognize, a PDK is more mechanically and electrically complex than a manual transmission. The major exception I guess is that the manual has a clutch and flywheel that anecdotally seem to last about 75K miles. I don't know if Porsche does some sort of reliability analysis when they design stuff like this but they certainly don't design for, say, 1 million miles if that would add cost to the build. Maybe they might use a number like 250K miles? I don't know. To be certain, if a PDK decides to fail, fixing it can get to be expensive. From a purely economics standpoint, the car should be discounted substantially to reflect the mileage. You take your savings, put it in a bank account, and hope you never have to use it.
You are a lucky man. So many nice twisty roads leading off the BRP down to the lower elevations.
First, as I am sure you must recognize, a PDK is more mechanically and electrically complex than a manual transmission. The major exception I guess is that the manual has a clutch and flywheel that anecdotally seem to last about 75K miles. I don't know if Porsche does some sort of reliability analysis when they design stuff like this but they certainly don't design for, say, 1 million miles if that would add cost to the build. Maybe they might use a number like 250K miles? I don't know. To be certain, if a PDK decides to fail, fixing it can get to be expensive. From a purely economics standpoint, the car should be discounted substantially to reflect the mileage. You take your savings, put it in a bank account, and hope you never have to use it.
You are a lucky man. So many nice twisty roads leading off the BRP down to the lower elevations.
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Because a base .2 is much better than a base .1 no matter the transmission in the .2 car. The .2 base car has a much more reliable engine. For .2 cars the base and S used the same larger brakes. A PDK is much more fun than a Tip. Look at sale prices... there's reasons for the disparity. I own neither so not biased here. A base .1 Tip is the least desirable of all Caymans while the base .2 is a sweet spot and a steal.
Last edited by Zach L; Jun 27, 2023 at 09:10 AM.
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Because a base .2 is much better than a base .1 no matter the transmission in the .2 car. The .2 base car has a much more reliable engine. For .2 cars the base and S used the same larger brakes. A PDK is much more fun than a Tip. Look at sale prices... there's reasons for the disparity. I own neither so not biased here. A base .1 Tip is the least desirable of all Caymans while the base .2 is a sweet spot and a steal.
Thanks everyone for the input.
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I decided to pass on the '08 base Cayman. Mostly to the points made here regarding a .2 being an overall better car and given the hight mileage it was too much of a gamble with no real upside. The search continues.........
