NINEv2

Hello everyone, just joined the forum to help guide my (hopefully!) future 987.1 or.2 purchase. I've wanted a dark olive metallic Cayman for coming on 20 years now, ever since I saw one on the lot in Hinsdale, IL. Since that time I graduate college and landed in a pretty good career, which allowed me to move where I wanted and become a homeowner. It wasn't quite lucrative enough to afford a minty fresh Cayman off the lot, but instead I purchased a '12 WRX hatch. Good lord that was a fun car. I recently traded it in on a grocery-getter Hyundai, and the transition I think is similar to an alcoholic going from fine single malt Islay to watered down herbal tea. It's so bad I even started looking at turbo Mazdas. To make matters worse the kid who bought my old scoobie blew up the motor in three days.

We're saving now to build our forever home, and that is a moving target that we may never hit. If we don't, then it's time to pull the trigger on a used Cayman. I'm studying out the known issues, frequent maintenance parts, DIY-able fixes etc. My unicorn is a 2009 Cayman base, dark olive green or racing green with black interior, manual, doesn't need to be spec'd to the gills, <60,000 miles and around $25K. That's probably optimistic but I'm still at minimum a year away from a purchase so I can afford to be patient.

I'll probably mostly lurk until it approaches purchase time. Looking forward to reading about everyone's experiences both good and bad.

NINEv2

Not sure where to put this, so I'll leave it here. Apologies to the mods if it's the wrong place.

I test drove a 2004 996 Carrera yesterday. The dealer isn't one that specializes in imports. I was excited, a little nervous, and all ready to go when I met the salesperson. 40K miles for around $40K. I approached it as a vehicle to be driven with respect, I had no intentions of thrashing it. Ill add the disclsimer that I fully admit to knowing jack squat about how a 911 is supposed to drive.

Started the car and it immediately threw a P0172 'bank 1 rich' code. Seemed ok so off we went. It had enourmous rims with some of the narrowest sidewall tires I think I've ever seen. It was nice feeling the road thru the wheel again, but the steering felt almost unassisted and the ride was crazy rough. I thought that was odd for a car like this.

I took it pretty easy for most of the drive until we got to an on-ramp. I read up beforehand, so I know that this model has a minimum of 340 horses, and that goosing the throttle might induce an involuntary tail swap. Also had a K&N intake so I assumed its a turbo. But a hard acceleration didn't give the slightest wiggle. Not even close. My '12 wrx was WAY faster and willing to slide, with 80 fewer horses.

This is the first 911 I've driven, and given its status and following I'm just assuming they're selling... well lemon isn't right for a 20 yr old car I guess. Maybe a project car? I was completely underwhelmed.

Am I missing something? Is that code common if some cylinders are out? Did 10 years in my awd scoobie (may it rest in peace) distort my perceptions? I'm still chasing a Cayman but man, what an odd introduction to the brand. I'd love to hear from the forum if anyone has an opinion.

Anyways thanks fer readin'.

Dennis C

Welcome!

I owned a 996.2 and it had the 3.6L normally aspirated motor with 320 HP. While it was quick when it was a new car, it isn’t very quick by today’s standards. Add 20 years of wear and tear and it will feel even slower. That said, the Porsche experience is not really about straight line speed. You can certainly find that in a turbocharged car, but it just isn’t the case in the Carrera of that generation. They are still great driving cars if you appreciate them for the driving experience that they offer, but it’s not going to push you back in the seat like a modern turbocharged car. The tail swap that you mentioned isn’t as common in the water cooled cars as it was in the air cooled cars. This tends to happen as a result of driver inputs combined with the suspension geometry of a car with a rear engine. It’s called “trailing throttle oversteer” or “lift off oversteer” and it typically happens when the driver lifts his foot off the throttle while the suspension is loaded in a corner.

Good luck with your search!

NINEv2

Hey thanks for the response! I wasn't expecting a dragstrip monster, I was hoping for that handling balance which I didn't really feel taking some quick corners. Maybe a better way to describe it is: I don't want to set any records I just want to be able to flick my car into and out of a corner when the mood strikes. To give you an idea of what I consider my favorite drives/roads are (and if you're from CO you can relate):

1. US 212, Beartooth Highway S of Red Lodge, MT
2. Going to the Sun road, Glacier NP (yeah, always crowded, doesn't matter to me)
3. US 14, Shell Canyon on the W side of the Bighorns

I can't recommend #3 enough. Twistys that demand your attention but tight enough that you can't really build up enough speed to scare yourself. Unless your last name is Hamilton. And because the canyon walls aren't sheer you can typically see 2-3 turns ahead and you can safely hit every apex (but I would never encourage breaking the law!). And it's almost never crowded. St. Joe's is a good one too. Imagine those in a WRX. Maybe the AWD all those years ruined me?

I guess I could say I'm looking for more of the Grand Tour rather than track days. Probably explains why I want the base Cayman base with the 17" wheels. Comfy for road trips, good cruising manners but ready to play if the mood strikes. I'm hoping that's what I get once I'm able to test drive a base 987.2, but opportunities are hard to come by here in the Black Hills.

Now that F-type? Obnoxiously fun, tail happy, and surprisingly comfy. It's not often I get to drive a 911 and a Jaaaaaaag in the same day.

US14, Shell Canyon Wyoming. 8 miles of "Shhh. I'm driving":

Dennis C

I’ve driven all three of those roads. I can certainly see the appeal!

I totally get the appeal of a grand touring car. I consider the 911 turbo cabriolet to be the ultimate grand tourer, which is why I’ve owned two of them!