buying advice for cayman

buying advice for cayman

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Discussion

mattgtd

Original Poster:

322 posts

136 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
quotequote all
Hi guys, a friend of mine is looking at buying a cayman, up to around 16k, currently looking at 2.7s.
Are there any key things to check for, any advice would be greatfully received. Cheers.

Trev450

6,314 posts

171 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
quotequote all
The 2.7 is the more robust engine and doesn't have any real worries. That doesn't mean they can't have issues though. Apart from all the usual checks you would make when buying used, look for any oil leaks, unusual noises and signs of smoke.

Check the condition of the tyres as they are around £800 a set, also check the discs for wear and rust particularly the backs.

mattgtd

Original Poster:

322 posts

136 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
quotequote all
That's interesting to hear, so what are the issues with the 3.4s then?

Magic919

14,126 posts

200 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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Scored bores.

iandc

3,708 posts

205 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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mattgtd said:
That's interesting to hear, so what are the issues with the 3.4s then?
I assume you have just returned from a different planet! Try the search facility!

mattgtd

Original Poster:

322 posts

136 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
quotequote all
iandc said:
I assume you have just returned from a different planet! Try the search facility!
Thanks for that, that's helpful.
Was just after some valued buying advice that's all.


mattgtd

Original Poster:

322 posts

136 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
quotequote all
Essay? who said I wanted an essay? Just a few quick bullet points would have been great that's all.
I can honestly say I have never seen anybody get such sh#tty responses on the TVR forum when just asking for some simple advice.
I'll leave you all alone now don't worry, I'll just try convince my mate to buy something else.

SkinnyPete

1,411 posts

148 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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mattgtd said:
Essay? who said I wanted an essay? Just a few quick bullet points would have been great that's all.
I can honestly say I have never seen anybody get such sh#tty responses on the TVR forum when just asking for some simple advice.
I'll leave you all alone now don't worry, I'll just try convince my mate to buy something else.
Lol.

Klippie

3,096 posts

144 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Don't put your mate off from buying one he'll be missing out on a great car.

Lots of Cayman info here - http://www.planet-9.com/forum.php

J12KJR

2,860 posts

242 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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mattgtd said:
Essay? who said I wanted an essay? Just a few quick bullet points would have been great that's all.
I can honestly say I have never seen anybody get such sh#tty responses on the TVR forum when just asking for some simple advice.
I'll leave you all alone now don't worry, I'll just try convince my mate to buy something else.
Well I have only really frequented the TVR, Aston Martin and Porsche sections and would say they are all the same when you ask a question about common items. That response will usually be along the lines of google is your friend, read the frequently asked questions, buy the book.
If you do some research and then ask for clarification or peoples experiences then you will usually get a much better response.

Huskyman

653 posts

126 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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Well sometimes we don't have time for that, but anyway the Cayman is just a car at the end of the day with it's weaknesses and strengths...

Engine
This is the biggest source of fear amongst those of us who are considering this model, as there are a lot of horror stories about this engine, mostly centered around the Intermediate Shaft(or IMS) From the earliest days of the first flat six Porsche decided to keep the cam chain speeds the same along it's length, and in the very first air-cooled flat six there was an intermediate shaft directly below the crank driven by a gear off the crank-shaft, that was geared down to 50% of crank speed(which is camshaft rotational speed), and this shaft also drove the oil-pump. In the air-cooled flat six and the Metzger engines this ran in forced oil lubricated bearings similar to the main bearings, but in the newer M96 and M97 engines this was replaced with a cheaper sealed ball bearing arrangement that wasn't lubricated by the oil pump and can fail. Later engines addressed this weakness and are better.

The main worry with any engine is how it has been treated during cold-starts, and how hard it has been driven, an aluminium engine expands more than the older cast iron engine due to the coefficient of aluminium alloy being higher, and it is a good practive to fully warm the engine through before driving it hard. The ECU will register the number of ignitions in certain rev ranges, the higher the rev range that there has been ignitions in(1-6) the more the engine has been abused and over-revved, and a interrogation of the ECU by a specialist can give this info. Do some research on this.

The suspension and brakes can and do wear and again you need to get the car inspected for this, also the usual like HPi and checks for accident damage.

If you do not like the sound of this then try and stretch to a later GenII car as the DFi engine does away with the intermediate shaft altogether.

That's my essay, and it is not a bee all and end all. When purchasing anything, be it Hi-Fi or a lawn mower a bit of research can save you from a lot of pain. They are really enjoyable cars and have fun in your hunt!

Edited by Huskyman on Monday 26th January 10:16

J12KJR

2,860 posts

242 months

Monday 26th January 2015
quotequote all
So in the instance of the OP's friend they are going to spend up to £16,000 but don't have the time to type into a search engine and read a few threads off of some websites.
Just doing so brings up the PH buying guide as the first result which details the potential engine problems as below.

Courtesy of PH

The biggest reliability issues with the Cayman centre around the first-gen engines built between 2005 and 2008. First problem is the intermediary shaft (IMS) bearing, which begins to fail and can be noticed by a rattle from the engine at idle. If this is left unattended, the bearing will fail and leave the engine a wreck, so check the history for evidence of a new or rebuilt engine or listen for on that has no rattles.
Second of the major issues to watch for is bore scoring on pre-2007 engines, though this has afflicted some later engines. Look for excessive smoke when the car is started from cold. Most Caymans emit a small puff of smoke when fired up, but anything more than a slight haze indicates trouble with the cylinder bores. A car that begins to use a lot of oil may also indicate the bores are scored and a Cayman should use only a small amount of oil every 1,000 miles, even with hard use.

Bore wear on early cars can result in smoke
Bore wear on early cars can result in smokeA common fault of Porsches of this generation, not just the Cayman, is the rear main seal (RMS) that shows as a small leak under the engine. This isn't quite as worrying as the two problems mentioned above but will need addressing sooner rather than later. The second generation of Caymans have engines that don't have an RMS, instantly avoiding this problem.
The only other concerns to have with a Cayman's engines and transmissions are if the car has been used regularly on track. The first-gen cars' engines have only two oil pick-ups and the cylinder head can become starved of oil under during hard cornering. The second-gen cars have four oil pick-ups that resolve this problem.

Otherwise, the Cayman's engines and gearboxes are strong and reliable. The limited edition Cayman S Sport arrived late in first-gen production with 303hp, helped by a standard sports exhaust. For the Cayman R that arrived in 2011, Porsche fitted the Powerkit to raise power to 330hp over the contemporary S model's 320hp. The S Black Edition also sported 330PS. With the PDK transmission and Sport Chrono pack fitted, the 55kg lighter Cayman R was capable of 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds.

tyrrell

1,670 posts

207 months

Monday 26th January 2015
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Harsh but fair biggrin

juansolo

3,012 posts

277 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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mattgtd said:
Hi guys, a friend of mine is looking at buying a cayman, up to around 16k, currently looking at 2.7s.
Are there any key things to check for, any advice would be greatfully received. Cheers.
Buying guide

bcr5784

7,102 posts

144 months

Sunday 1st February 2015
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juansolo said:
Interesting and well balanced read.

juansolo

3,012 posts

277 months

Tuesday 3rd February 2015
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anonymous said:
[redacted]