TheHook

Hi guys,

So I am moving to Germany with my wife for my first job. I just finished studying and completed 24 years old so I am crazy to buy my first car.

The thing is that I am a crazy Porsche lover, specially the Cayman S, and I am thinking on buying a second hand 2006 CS from a dealer. It has around 70k km and looking at the sheets it never had any major problem. But, I can only afford it if I do a long-term credit (72 months plus a 3,5k Euros payment) which brings me some questions.. The price they are asking is 27k Euros

How reliable are these cars? I am I being crazy? Should I invest in another Porsche for this amount of money?

Also, I am not sure about running costs yet.. How is the fuel economy on a 2006 CS? Any particular problems I should be looking for when I go have a look at the car?

I am very excited about it, we are just starting our lives together and we have no intention of having kids for the next years so I really want to enjoy life after busting my *** for the last 5 years.

Thanks a lot guys!

Frank 993 C4S

Here are some honest answers:

I would say that these cars are similar in reliability to any other 6 year old car and will require maintenance such as tires, brakes, etc. on top of other regular scheduled events. Porsche parts and service are expensive. In addition, a set of winter tires is pretty much mandatory in Germany so consider that cost too.

Yes, because starting your working life by going into major debt for a 6 year old car is usually not a good starting point for economic success. Check out this thread in the OT forum where some of us "Old Farts" have posted our experience: https://rennlist.com/forums/off-topi...d-it-last.html

Check out insurance costs plus gas prices in Germany because that's where you'll be spending the most money.

Congrats! You will find out that establishing yourself in the workforce will feel just about the same. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Something else to think about: Provided you could pay cash for a car here in the US, taking a US model with you to Germany as part of your household goods could prove financially attractive given the current Euro/US$ exchange rate. You will need to have owned the car for at least 6 - 12 months prior to its arrival in Germany (do your research), otherwise import tax is due. Switching instruments from mph to km/h is easy to do.

Macster

First unless you are buying a collectible car with a market for it when you buy a car you are not investing. You are buying a tool a consumable item that will cost money to keep on the road and will sell for less money than you paid for it.

My reading of UK car mags finds the UK Porsche market favors used Porsches from Germany.

Seems Germany has I read strict rules on car mechanicals and even car appearances. Tires, brakes and other things get checked once in a while (TuV inspection?)

No beaters allowed is what I gather so the cars come in to the used market in pretty good shape.

IOWS, while the cars do get driven sometimes at some speed -- autobahn (sigh) -- they are well taken care of. But there are exceptions. In Germany just like everywhere else buyer beware.

You want to be careful. A thorough test ride followed by a test drive to give the engine/car time to manifest any ills is a must.

After the ride/drive then a full used car checkout is paramount. It is just a used car. Assume nothing works until you have tested it. Assume any hose, connector, cap, gasket, or seal leaks until you have seen it and found it dry. Since this is done after the ride/drive the odds are better that if there are any leaks they'll be more visible.

If after the used car checkout if you still like the car and believe you can buy it arrange to get a PPI done. This wants to include among other things dropping the oil filter housing and looking at the oil/filter element for scary metal bits, readingi the DME overrev counters and engine run time looking for any recent (< 1 hour) overrev events.

Let's see gas mileage... If you behave the car ought to deliver 20mpg in town and 26mph or better on the highway. My experience is even at higher cruising speeds my Porsche deliver surprisingly good fuel mileage. I like to think it is because they are designed to be efficient at speed.

One benefit you have over say those of us in CA is you can buy the proper grade of gasoline which the few times I have managed to find it when traveling outside of CA produces a 10% jump in gas mileage. Amazing what 93 octane gas compared to 91 octane gas means to these engines.

If you can get 93/94 (98/99 RON) with no ethanol...well, that's just a bonus.

Next biggest expense will be tires. With a proper 4 wheel alignment and some restraint rear tires ought to last easy 20K miles with the fronts lasting twice that. If you drive the car in the winter winter tires will take some of the wear/tear but of course you have to buy a set of winter wheels/tires.

Brakes can last 50K miles or more. My 03 Turbo has over 97K miles on its original brakes. Clutch too. My 02 Boxster has over 258K miles on its original clutch. Brakes are easy to do though the parts cost roughly $500/axle.

Tlhe car needs other periodic servicing (I like 5K mile oil/filter services) but some can be done by you or are not that expensive to have done.

I should point out these are not cars that servicing/repairs can be ignored. Ignore a leaking cooling system and one hot day the engine overheats and boom. Head gasket or worse.

Lastly I have to suggest that the car may be a bit pricy for you just starting out.

I do not know nor need to know your finances or job prospects but generally and especially at this time you want to avoid any debt.

Since the car is a depreciating asset you are paying money to borrow money to buy a car that loses value as it ages as you use it and requires money to keep running.

You might consider postponing your entry into the Cayman world for a few years and save some money and then when you are ready go out as a cash customer or at least with some money to cut down on the cost of borrowing to buy the car.

Remember too, a rule of thumb is when you buy a used car with no warranty or even just a limited warranty you want to have set aside 10% (at least) of the car's purchase price to cover the unexpected. Even if you are the best used car buyer ever, have God do the PPI, a perfectly fine problem free car can for instance develop a water pump leak shortly after you buy the car. Just because a car checks out 100% when you buy it doesn't mean problems arising from normal wear or tear (or worse) won't crop up and need money to deal with.

Sincerely,

Macster.

air-cooled

If you can wait until next spring when the new Cayman launches, there should be more trade ins/options available to you and possibly the market values move in your favor.