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981 base in manual. Early 991 still looks expensive and might be too showoff in college and draws the wrong kind of attention for a girl (depends which school but still). 987.2 is fine draws way less attention but 981 has updated infotainment which young peeps will appreciate (bluetooth audio streaming etc.). Most 981 are out of warranty and have depreciated into the high 30s (depending in miles and conditions). The car is very balanced, gets decent gas mileage and have both frunks and trunks for additional storage.
Second this. As a sporty DD, you can't do much better than a Golf R. I just sold one after two years of ownership (needed a bigger sedan) and it was in almost every respect the perfect street car. And more fun to drive on the street than any of my Cayman/Spyder/Carrera S. Just an amazing all around car.
But if you're thinking Porsche, I'd find a nice used 981 Cayman/Cayman S with a six speed for her.
If she is smart enough to not borrow $250k to get a degree that will net her a $50k a year job buy her any damn P car she wants. She'll have already beaten out half the idiots colleges are ****ting out these days.
Sensible me says a Toyota Corolla she won't care about later but will be reliable through college is a better plan.
Wow, thanks for all the quick responses. Seems like 987.2 might be a good place to look. Time to start the research over in that forum...
..more details.
I have driven all the generations of Boxster/Cayman on competitive venues, as well as track days, mountain driving, daily duties, errands, etc.
After the 9A1 engine was released (2009 with the 987.2 and 997.2), the fear of engine sudden failures due to IMS bearing disappeared. Porsche also fixed the power steering pump issues with the 987.2.
The 9A1 has proven to be the most solid Porsche engine, even better in my opinion than the Mezger (Mezger was expensive, heavy, and they had their fair share of failures in my older 911 GT cars). You can trace the lineage of the 9A1 from the 2.9 (non-DFI) to the current 991 Speedster 4.0, GT2RS ClubSport, and the GT3Cup/GT3R/GT4CS race cars.
Pre 2009, the only worthy engine is the Mezger and it is only found in the Turbo/TurboS, GT2/GT3 and RS, these cars are too expensive or too much for College campus.
The 987.2 (2009-2012) comes with the best steering feel from any modern Porsche. It is far better than any Porsche GT2/GT3 ever made, it has to do with the lightweight car (a base Cayman 2.9 can be in the 2,800 lbs range) and better weight distribution. The 987.1 has this steering feeling too, but you want a dependable car for a college student.
265Hp is more than enough fun for a street car with 2,800 lbs. On U.S. roads, the low speed limits don't require big HP cars to have a joyful experience.
The brakes are oversized for a street car. You can only overheat the base Cayman brakes on a racetrack and driving at a good pace. If track use is intended, just Castrol SRF, proper track pads, and the GT3 cooling ducts for the front axle, should be fine.
This car makes more engine noise/intake noise than muffler/exhaust noise. The engine rotates a few inches away from your ear drums, the mechanical sounds are so rewarding, they have a nice high pitch mechanical sound from all the rotating parts.
Looks, it is a car that looks more expensive than what it is. The view on the side mirrors to the rear hips is pretty. The car has very nice lines.
Value: In my opinion, this car is one of the best values on anything sport car. It truly is a sport car, but it is not an exotic. You can drive it every day. It is practical, lots of storage, the frunk is massive, and so is the trunk. These cars are priced in the used market in the mid $20k, most college kids show up to campus on cars in that price range, but they are driving a 50% depreciation in 2 or less years Nissan/Corolla/Civic/Golf/Prius (they all look the same to me, and they are all CVT or automatic). You need to add 60k miles to depreciate a Cayman 2.9 another $10k, but you don't need to drive any of the mentioned little appliances on wheels to lose the same.
As always, buy the owner not the car. There are gems out there. The Cayman 987.2 came out when we were deep into the last recession, so PCNA didn't sell a lot of them.
Going to the next gen car (981), the car got bigger, steering feeling went missing as it is not there yet (not even in my GT3RS with a full rose joints suspension), get way more expensive, and the experience won't get any better. Then the late 718, well if Porsche sales on 718s are an indication of how much love there is for that 4cyl horrid sound engine, there is the clear answer. Most 718s on the streets are super discounted Lease deals, some Porsche dealers won't even take them on trade.
Of course, there is the DFI 987.2 S, and the Cayman R, but the price difference doesn't make them better U.S. street cars, just better racetrack or track day cars.
A mid $20k dependable, fun and pretty collegue car is a sensible choice.
08-14-2019, 09:03 AM
