I bought the highest mileage Porsche 987.2 I could find

That sounds like absolute purgatory to me, especially with a manual, but then I’ve been WFH for ten years.

My 987.2S has 78k on the clock and seems in rude health. Good to see one with proper big miles on it.

I actually test drove a 987.1 Cayman S before buying the Z4M. It may have been a bad one because I wasn’t impressed with the brakes at all, or the car in general but I did like the sound in the cabin.

Then I test drove a Z4M and found the brakes were much better. The extra power and (imo) better looks sold me then.

I prefer the “cocoon” feeling you get when sitting in a Z4M.
I think the driving position/ergonomics is perfect, I miss a bit of that “wrapped around” feeling in the 987.

The Z4M really needs top notch rubber to be enjoyed (I found Pilot Supersports to be the perfect tyre for them) any lesser tyre (or for that matter, low-ish tyre thread) and you are missing out massively on ability to handle and put the power down, can be “dangerous” in the wrong hands then.

Im terms of handling & feel, the 987.x feels much more planted, safer.
The speed sensation in the 987.x is higher tho! I don't actually think my 987.2 is much/any faster than my z4m was, but it FEELS much faster for some reason. Might have to do with the engine noise in the cabin, coming from behind. Or by the feeling that you sit “on it” rather than “in it”.

The Z4M weak point was, in my opinion, the lack of refinement in the drivetrain & suspension. The diff is and sounds clunky (the known “M clunk”). The suspension is not great, really needs some eibach lowering springs at least, but even then not very good. The traction control is super intrusive, must be the most intrusive ever fitted to a car!

But then, for a spirited drive you turn the traction control OFF, Sport mode ON (sharpens throttle response) and it’s an event. Lairy. The extremely quick steering rack is imense, and needed. I would say steering feel is superior to the 987.x.

The 987.x architecture will never allow the same levels of lairyness, but then it feels like it is a better product, better put together, the gearbox is so much better to use, the engine is for sure torquier and it’s hard to beat in the sound department, both in and out of the car.

I ended up fitting BC Racing coilovers to the Z4M which ruined the car. My commute then included lots of B roads, the strut towers cracked due to stress induced by the solid top mounts and that was the end for me. That car cost me an absolute fortune in upkeep but never let me down. Loved it.

A 987.1 will probably make you feel better, overall it might be the better package, albeit a tad slower and less wild.

My advice is to go straight to a 987.2 and, from the height of my 3-day ownership, I assure you you won’t look back!

I forgot to tell a crucial detail tho, I set out at 5:30am and get no traffic at all! Also go against traffic at the end of the day. I may get 5min of start-stop if unlucky.

It came with a Pioneer SPH-DA230DAB!


Will be painting the frame black to match the surrounding plastics!

An amazing bargain. Enjoy

(I hate commuting by car and can't imagine ever doing it. But lots of people say the same about living in London whereas I love it )

Neat. I’d say definitely worth the effort of painting it.

I wanted to keep the PCM - had to take some brave pills before I opened it up to modify it, but pleased with the result.

Looking forward to following your progress, car looks great

I used the Mr12Volt adapter - there's a pretty good how-to video on their site - but basically:

Remove carpeted trim panels (2 screws) either side of tunnel.
Remove side trims panels (unclip) either side of PCM/centre console.
Release 4 securing clips (hex fasteners) and extract PCM.
Disconnect PCM loom & MOST connection.
Take deep breath.
Remove PCM faceplate and open unit case.
Fit video board supplied by Mr12Volt, along with support pillars, connectors etc.
Reassemble PCM.
Reconnect PCM using Mr12Volt additional loom.
Then the difficult bit: refit the PCM and persuade the extra wiring and connections to fit safely into the limited space behind it without trapping anything.
Connect Mr12Volt adaptor and find a home for it: there's loads of space on top of the knee pad to the left of the steering column for this. I secured it with a sticky pad.
Take another deep breath.
Switch on, pair phone and if it all works refit the trim panels.

No special tools needed: I found it very straightforward and I am not remotely familiar with vehicle electronics...but the adapter wasn't cheap at £400-odd.

What about the other 15 miles ?

Yes, for added peace of mind… but let’s not forget the looks, the .2 is a stunner!

A few photos taken this week:









I have now placed an order with Design911 for:

- drivers side coolant hoses (2 off) with new retaining clips
- spark plug set
- 8L of Mobil 1 0w40
- mahle oil filter, new sump plug and washer
- air filter and pollen filter

It came down to £287 with free delivery and using code PCGB005 for an added 5% discount. Not too bad!

I think I may be lucky and get away with replacing only the hose that is leaking, this is the coolant supply hose to the drivers side radiador, this connects to a hard plastic pipe and is less troublesome to replace than the return hose I think, because the latter connects to the aluminium crossover pipe and the joint between the two corrodes making it difficult to replace the hose without damaging the crossover pipe as the retaining clip siezes in place … which would require the subframe to be lowered to replace. This said, I’ve ordered both hoses on this side so will try my luck. I have ordered new retaining clips too.


Parts ordered, now just need new coolant… wait a minute, these hold 27 litres of it?? Mindblown