Looking at a private party 1 owner 2007 Cayman that has 52k mi. Has had regular service at Porsche dealers. At this mileage are there things that will probably need to be replaced soon like suspension, water pump etc? I believe the clutch is original. Other then the IMS (potentially less of an issue with M97) I've read that these cars are pretty solid. I'm very experienced with BMW's and aircooled 911's, this is the only modern water pumper I'm really interested in.

Asking price is 26,500 but there is room.

Thanks

Mark

 

Can't say for sure regarding the newer cars -- my experience is with my 02 Boxster and my 03 Turbo -- but suspension, water pump and quite a lot of things may not have to be replaced, at least for some time to come.

I know or at least have a strong impression that there's some belief by some used Porsche shoppers/buyers owners that upon buying a used modern Porsche the car should be rebuilt replacing the clutch, water pump, chains/tensioners, IMS bearing upgrade applied and God only knows what else.

What I can tell you is with my 02 I drove it to around 80K miles without it needing anything but fluids/tires and brakes.

You need to thoroughly inspect the car, check it out and determine if it needs anything now.

You can't just fixate on one or two items like the clutch, or the RMS or the suspension.

From front to back, side to side and top to bottom the car is loaded/packed with important bits that you need to make sure as best you can are in good working order.

Then if you buy the car just keep on top of things. Nothing may appear for thousands of miles but otoh the fuel pump may act up shortly after you buy the car. In my experience for instance one minute the fuel pump was ok, the next it was not. Had I sold the car the day before no one could have known the fuel pump was going to quit the next day.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

Not to say it couldn't happen, but the IMS really hasn't been an issue in the M97s, the suspension should be good to go, and the water pumps have been hit or miss: some have had them fail as early as 20K miles, and some not at all. My '06 is at 54K miles and has had no problem with the water pump :knockingonwood:

The last major service should have been at 40K miles, though at 4 years, you might be looking at spark plug +/- coil pack replacement if it hasn't been done -- a DIY possible if you are comfortable turning wrenches. I don't know how long to expect an original clutch to last, since it is so driver dependent.

I'd recommend getting a PPI from an experience Porsche tech or shop and have them pull the over-rev data from the DME to make sure there hasn't been significant "abuse" of the engine.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to read about the coilpacks, didn't know those were part of normal servicing. I'm definitely comfortable wrenching and I have a 2 post lift in the garage now to make it more fun.

Mark

 

Replacing the coil packs isn't required, but people have developed cracks in them occasionally (I'm thinking probably due to weather extremes). For $300 for 6 of them, it seemed like cheap insurance to change them out when I did my plugs. I broke the connector on one of my coil packs getting it out, so it probably is a good idea to have at least a couple of extras on hand, just in case.

 

So another Cayman came on the market but this one has super low mileage <3k and has sat due to the passing of the owner, from what I can tell it has mostly sat since 2007. The oil & brake fluid needs to be changed, probably original... The battery is dead and the tires need to be checked. Other then that, what concerns should I have?

Mark

 

So the car has been sitting around 4 years?

That's not good.

I came across a 993 Turbo S that had sat less time than that -- around 3 years IIRC -- and the fuel system was shot from the fuel pump to the injectors. The tech told me the fuel had turned to some kind of junk/gunk and replacing the items was the cheapest/best course of action to get the car back up to par and on the road.

In the Cayman's case seals/gaskets/o-rings will have likely dried out some and even once the car is running again these will will not completely regain their original size and sealing will be compromised, thus the engine/tranny/diff may leak fluids. The A/C system may have leaks as well.

Also even though the engine is not running the coolant still becomes corrosive over time and this can result in a water pump failure or even a leak in one of the cooling system components with thin walls, like a radiator, heater core, or even the oil cooler.

Then there is the possibly the car has been infested with mice/rats during its lay up. Often this doesn't become evident until the engine is started and the car driven some. Then the engine is found to run rough and the CEL comes on.

The mechanic investigating the possible causes of the engine behavior and CEL will come across signs of gnawing of the wiring harness, plastic venting hoses/tubes, or the rubber or plastic vent/air ducting around/ahead of the radiators.

A complication is the bumper cover has to come off and the underbody panels removed to give the tech a better chance of spotting the signs of rodents being at the car.

A typical PPI probably doesn't include this level of inspection and unless the cabin shows signs of rodent damage (and this is not always the case) or the tech happens to spot a big pile of rodent trash on top of one of the underbody panels or the CEL is on and the tech thoroughly diagnoses the cause serious rodent damage can be missed.

To pile it on, with < 3K miles the car is essentially a new car. But the warranty has expired so any 'new' car problems the car develops the car's then current owner will have to pay for out of his pocket. Also, the seller will likely want a premium for the car due to its low miles and if one pays this then as miles are added to the car the car suffers a big depreciation hit.

My advice is to avoid the car.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

Very good points, I'm passing.

Mark

 

Where is this car located and what are they asking. Sometimes these things are worth the gamble. If your not I may be.

 

We have 45 Caymans for sale (private sellers and dealers) take a look - Porsche Cayman For Sale

 

Here's the ad, since he first posted it a battery has been installed. It also may not have sat as long as I originally thought.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/2783032645.html