Porsche Cayman - What are they like?

[Darren Slone]

I must admit that's what I'm worried about, plus the stories of IMS bearing and liners etc, it would be a cool car to own but will that nag of 'what if' goes and those bills pile up....

After Engine number 61504715 they had a stronger single bearing installed so should be ok, if you're worried then have an upgrade when you have a clutch installed, my Indy, ex Porsche Tech charges £1200 for both, my car has an engine number after the one quoted and is an early 2007 car, 51K miles, it had a clutch at 30K miles so won’t need another for quite a while at my 3k miles per year

[arl10]

I just sold my 2008 2.7 Boxster after having the car for 2 years , had a service just before sale with a clean bill of health 12 months Mot , I bought it from a reputable dealer that was local to me and the car has been exceptional . It replaced a E89 3.0 sdrive that again was bought from a main dealer but had a number of problems eg knackered diff , propshaft and drive shafts , it had also been serviced at Halfords that they tried to say it had been serviced by a main dealer themselves that wasn`t on the system . The car had 43k on when collected , looked and sounded amazing but the driving ability just couldn`t quite match the looks .
The Porsche was totally different very planted , rev happy and went around corners like on rails , but as others have said I always felt it was one more drive away from a very big bill , even though the car was late 2008 so no IMS bearing to worry about it felt a bit fragile compared with the E89 , as it was a 987.1 it was a big update on a 986 but still felt relatively old inside . Spec wise it had a satnav ( nokia phone is more upto date ) phone prep , Bose , 6 discs changer , 18" Boxster s wheels , cobalt blue paint , but lacked heated seats which is a must on the next one !
Even though it was a better car in every way I preferred the E89 for the engine sound , its looks , even now they look fairly modern and I may even buy another although the latest version is growing on me .
Test drive both but make sure you dont go for the auto in either , the tip tronic is slow and constantly searching for gears in the Porsche and even the PDK takes getting used too , mine was a 5 speed which I chose over the 6 speed as it was easier to find the right gear . The auto in the Z4 is good but the manual is better in my opinion .

[philip27]

Porsche 911, Sustens Pass, Switzerland by Tom Scott, on Flickr

IMG_0600 by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Porsche 911 Carrera S & BMW Z4M Coupe by Tom Scott, on Flickr

IMG_0109 by Tom Scott, on Flickr

All lovely cars but that red 997 !!!

[tomscott]

Ye mine and my dads biggest regret it was literally a perfect spec but had it 5 years and had lots of adventures.

I would love to find another in guards red but would prefer a 4S for the hips tried to find it but it seems it has fallen off the face of the earth probably been written off

Apparently it’s the most unpopular colour...

Pretty much every Porsche in the 2000s sold in black grey or silver finding colourful cars is a bit of a challenge.

Similar with the 996 cobalt blue is a rare colour one of the reasons we got it

[arl10]

My gen 1 987.1 2.7

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Winter wheels are available if you buy one Porsche N rated !

[buzyg]

Couple of observations on comparing the cars in question. I almost bought a 987 Cayman S before my Z4MR but it depends what type of guy you are. I like my cars a little bit more on the edge and the boxster and caymans are just fabulous, meaning they are really good, make you feel like a god driving them. Point it to an apex that's where it goes, but it’s so hard to step them out and have a bit of fun. I found them a bit sterile... but purposeful you can make ground very quickly in them but just a bit lacking. They also make power far further up the rev range compared to the S54 in the M, they make 80% of torque at 2500 rpm and get going quick but the 987s are more like 4.5k so you need to ring them a bit more to get the feel, driving around town they can feel quite slow and they drink fuel like no tomorrow, the Z4M I find is pretty good for its output and the 3.0SI is even better you could hit 40mpg on the motorway with it...

The Z4M in comparison feels like an axe murderer and wants to put you through a hedge backward on a damp road. Stepping it out is litteraly a flick of the throttle. It’s also harder to drive quickly on A and B roads you have to grab it by the scruff of the neck. I think because the Z4M was my first sportcar and they have quite a bit more power they 987 felt a bit underwhelming for me. The Z4 also feels a bit more modern the 996/7 were the first modern cars Porsches and the interiors and tech haven’t aged all that well IMO although you can put double din entertainment systems in with airplay etc.

The 997 is a bit more on edge and you know the engine is out the back and feels like a Z4M in the axe murdering department but the 911s just feel superior in every sense from a driving perspective.

The 987s have the kudos and are really purposeful from a handling and responsive nature, the gearbox is like a bolt action rifle hugely better than in the Z4 and they are fast just don’t really feel that quick which is a sign it’s a great car. Worth testing both and seeing what you think but really if it’s a Cayman S the Z4M coupe is a better comparison and IMO the Z4M would nick it slightly at this level. I would take a 981 over both and a 997 Carrera S over a 981

Hope this helps although a bit rambly, all are great cars really and you can't go wrong as with any used car purchase buying the best your budget allows will reduce money needed to spend and going in eyes open and get the PPI and worce case walk away.

Couple of pics

996 and 991

Porsche 911's, Yorkshire Porsche Festival, Lotherton Hall, Leeds by Tom Scott, on Flickr

Cracking post and pictures Tom. Enjoyed reading that. A little too much to quote the whole post back so just my favourite bits.

[Trav]

I had a gen Ii 3.4 S before my Z4m. The car was better than me. Very competent and quite practical. With that in mind though I was always out trying to explore what it could do instead of just enjoying driving it. This resulted in some memorable country road trips but for the wrong reasons. I felt it didnt come alive unless you were trying to push it.
I bought the Z4m roadster so I would enjoy a slightly more relaxed pace. But when you want to go, it goes.
Pointing it into a corner, the Cayman S was the daddy. But you just keep doing it. After 12 months I just thought I had got away with one. Serviced it, polished it. Had a big smile and moved on.

[Trav]

By the way mine was a manual also. None of your auto mince.

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[Pastry]

I agree with the manual box, it’s the only thing to have in a 987. The PDK in a 981 is a stonking bit of kit though, great fun in manual mode and effortless when I want to be lazy,