SomeGuyJeff

Howdy all - ive been in the market for a cayman and found a few ive liked and right now narrowing down to the 'right car' for me. I am still considering a boxster spyder but this is going to be my daily car and would feel more comfortable with that car if it were a second or weekend only car. so because of that, I think I want to stick with a coupe.


dealer called me about a recent trade in - 2008 base cayman - 5spd - 39k miles. no price has been set - but looking at others for sale it looks to be 25-32k range for similar cars. the car is white - and a color I like, though part of me still thinks my first Porsche should be guards red but that's another tangent... dealer is saying the car is very well taken care of and with the miles is not showing much wear. I have NOT been able to take a look since it has just come in on trade and I don't want to drive 45 minutes to look at a car I cant drive yet (its in service to get ready to sell)


first question - I think I understand the whole IMS issue as related to these cars, and being a 2008 still has the potential to have this issue but do not think its as big a deal to worry about... is this true and would you agree that this is not something to be overly concerned about?


second question - PPI seems to be suggested for most all purchases - is there a difference between what dealers do when they go to certify the car as CPO and what the PPI is?


im new to Porsche and realize things are not cheap like a Honda civic - but don't want to get into something that will drain all of my disposable income.. unless I get into track events...


thanks in advance for any help and advice

SomeGuyJeff

were the CS wheels an option when ordered or something that was added in the aftermarket?


im still waiting on the vin and a search to find what it comes with.

eddielasvegas

1) The IMS issue has largely seemed to avoid the 987.1 Cayman Base. The 987.1 CS, not so much. The 987.1 (MY 2006-08) has other issues like oil starvation under track usage, suspect AOS, fragile water pumps and shifter linkage cables. WP probs are common to all 987's (MY 2006-12) and the shifter linkage to all 987's with MT.

2) Do not think a CPO car somehow connotes superior condition. I also thought the same thing until I asked PNCA to send me the attached doc. I would have a PPI done even if it was a CPO. Take a look at the attached PCNA CPO doc to get an idea of what I mean.

I would be all over the below 987.2 Cayman Base if I were you. The 987.2 engine does not have an IMSB to fail and the oil starvation issues have been resolved as have the AOS issues. This one has PDK so no linkage issues. WP's do fail on these cars but give plenty of warning.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/5755563046.html

I was going through similar decisions a couple years ago and decided on a 987.2 Base (Guards Red) and it has been perfect. I sleep well at night and my Base PDK is plenty fast enough. YMMV.

Good luck and keep us posted.


Eddie


P.S. Here's a 987.2 CS that I suspect can be bought for about $35 grand. This is a very nice car for that price if no surprises, plus it's a Cayman S (CS).

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/5762984792.html

DaveCarrera4

A couple of nice .2's! Not sure they will come down much, as they are both at the low end now, unless the seller is in a real need to sell. I'd suggest the S as the better deal, but personally would hold out for a MT.

SomeGuyJeff

ok - back from the dealer.

2008 base cayman - 5spd MT - color combo i like (white with dark gray interior) options wise - pretty basic - i think heated seats, auto dim mirrors 18" cayman s wheels. 27k is the asking price. drives great. paint only has a couple very minor items (rock chips) but ill be driving it every day and much more often than the previous owners. it currently has 32k miles on it.

price seems to be fair from what ive seen - though i may be off - so please correct me if possible... and its coming from a dealer with a minor service just completed...

BrooksBier

Price is too high for a pre 2009 in my opinion.

BrooksBier

I see s modes with similar mileage in my area for 26-28k. I know it can seem hard to find these cars but you will find a winner if you are patient. I think this car needs to be 25k or below but if you like it, great.

SomeGuyJeff

I guess ideally I would consider cars all over - but I think I prefer local. when I would travel for work - it was a little different as I would on occasion get a car to have in an area where I was working - but for now just sticking to florida

SomeGuyJeff

I haven't seen many 987 S models - granted ive only been looking at dealerships, and some local clubs.

SomeGuyJeff

thanks - whats a good source for comparing prices? when I look at some of the for sale ads, and sites like kbb, base 987.1 caymans seems to be 25-28k.. or less for ones with nearly 100k miles

BoulderGeek

Figure that dealers always have $3000 or so padding built into their prices for their profit.

I ended up paying about $1500 more than I thought my car should have been going for. But, I still paid $2000 less than dealers in my area were asking, as well.

Spokayman

I have noted that prices vary from area to area in the US, so I can't really tell if $27K is too high or not.
I also always manage to get dealers to knock 5-15% off of their asking prices.

If the car is a color combo you like, is in good mechanical and physical shape, and is local (convenient), and sold by a reputable dealer, then there is value in all of that which can trump a lower price on a vehicle located out of town and out of your ability to view it's actual condition.

If you have a PPI done, use a third party and not the selling dealer.

BLKG8TR

See the Post "Update on "Cheap Cayman S w/ bad IMS bearing for sale"