sting7777

I am looking to spend ~35-40K on an 09+ Cayman and that puts me at a lower (20ish) mileage base or a higher (70ish) mileage S.

Any reason not to go with the S if its been well maintained to date?

I am likely to put less than 10K a year on the car.

thanks in advance for any insight!

cds4402

If this is just going to be a daily driver, I think I would prefer the base. Like any car, additional parts may be tired and need replacement around the higher mileage range.

sting7777

Thanks. It's going to be a weekend / DE car. Anyone have insight into the types of things that they have had to do on the 3.4 after 60K?

Machog

I had exactly the same choice, when I bought mine a couple of months ago.

I ended up with a base, 2011 19k miles 30 month warranty, PDK and a load of extra's for $39k. All its needs is new tires, probably next week.

Having long warranty and low miles, trumped the increase in speed for me. At my level of driving, its a real challenge to use the full capability of the base Cayman on regular roads. I will probably track it, but for those 3-4 days a year, it was a no brainer. If you live in a place where you can hot rod it and you have the skills to take an S to its limits on local roads, that's the way to go.

Whatever you end up with, you'll be stunned by the performance, handling and total pleasure this little car will give you! Its brilliant engineering, brilliantly executed.

Machog

Spokayman

Hi,
Is there a particular reason you are looking for '09+?
If you are concerned about the IMS bearing problem of earlier Boxsters, 996s and 997s, you might consider that from the beginning of their production Caymans received a newer improved IMS bearing, and engine failures for that cause are pretty much non-existent.
If an '06 to '08 is an option, you should be able to find a low mileage S at low to mid $30s and higher mileage one's below $30K.
'Just a thought...

Schmidts Cat

With the base car on track, look at the bright side. You will not have to brake so much, and save on consumables!

the_vetman

lol! Good one.

zirrah

This.

sting7777

Yes newer 9a1 engine design is appealing in a number of ways (oiling, no more intermediate shaft, etc)

RaceCarDriver

I had the same budget when i bought my Cayman S.

If you are NOT going to track the car then I would go with a 2008. I found a 2008 with 21k miles for that price range.

An 09+ is only important if you plan on tracking the car. Test drive an 09 and 08 back to back, not much difference in performance.

sting7777

Absolutely will be tracked which is why the 9A1 is attractive. Even if someone doesn't buy into the IMS failure scenarios, the improved oiling alone is worth it IMO

So anyone running a high mileage 9A1 3.4? Would love to hear about your experience.

extanker

you will be fine with a base....17 inch rims give a better ride .09 up

RaceCarDriver

If you are going to track the car you will have to get an 09 S. The base 09 Cayman does not have the DFI engine only the S.

I think you will be fine with a high mileage S they are very reliable

perfectlap

Except that all IMS bearings need to be replaced at some interval. There's no such thing as a lifetime bearing no matter how much it was improved in the first Cayman and 05-08 Boxsters and Carreras. The only way to swap out the factory 06-08 Cayman IMS bearing is to split open the engine: $$$$$
If your're going to go m96/97 Porsche and skip the 09S+ DFI cars, then I would rather have a car with a serviceable bearing over a "you only get one" proposition.
05-08 IMS bearings have stood up well so far but most of those cars are not daily drivers and as a group their mileage has been well within the shelf life of the first IMS bearing. What happens when the average mileage for these cars is well into the 100K range? My guess is that 996's and Boxsters that have had their IMS bearings replaced at least once will fare better.

sting7777

Curious why you feel the base isn't trackable. DFI is nice but the base still has the other improvements over m96/m97 engines...