Thinking of Buying a Cayman S
Discussion
Thanks Pikey
The servive costs are what put me off TVR's. I just can't justify spending that kind of money on servicing.
Its also intersting to here what residuals people actually got.Sounds like my last Lotus did quite well at 56% based on the Boxster Quoted.
I guess this is all pointing me to leaving the Porsche for a couple of years and getting the Exige S as I still really enjoy the thrill of driving my Lotus.
Going to test drive them all though and see what the heart wants
The servive costs are what put me off TVR's. I just can't justify spending that kind of money on servicing.
Its also intersting to here what residuals people actually got.Sounds like my last Lotus did quite well at 56% based on the Boxster Quoted.
I guess this is all pointing me to leaving the Porsche for a couple of years and getting the Exige S as I still really enjoy the thrill of driving my Lotus.
Going to test drive them all though and see what the heart wants
elise111r said:
Thanks Pikey
The servive costs are what put me off TVR's. I just can't justify spending that kind of money on servicing.
Its also intersting to here what residuals people actually got.Sounds like my last Lotus did quite well at 56% based on the Boxster Quoted.
I guess this is all pointing me to leaving the Porsche for a couple of years and getting the Exige S as I still really enjoy the thrill of driving my Lotus.
Going to test drive them all though and see what the heart wants
The servive costs are what put me off TVR's. I just can't justify spending that kind of money on servicing.
Its also intersting to here what residuals people actually got.Sounds like my last Lotus did quite well at 56% based on the Boxster Quoted.
I guess this is all pointing me to leaving the Porsche for a couple of years and getting the Exige S as I still really enjoy the thrill of driving my Lotus.
Going to test drive them all though and see what the heart wants
Have you looked at S2 Exige residuals though? People losing 10k on them in a year...
I'm not confident of residuals on the top priced Elises. 240Rs tanked!
Dan
Its an interesting point you make. I have heard such stories to but when I have looked today for a second hand one the prices are strong.
Lotus dealers do seem to give you a decent price. they have had my old Lotus 1.5 yrs now and still not sold it. They offered me £3k more than anywhere else.
I guess the test drive will sort the whole thing out.
Exige S is a beast though
Its an interesting point you make. I have heard such stories to but when I have looked today for a second hand one the prices are strong.
Lotus dealers do seem to give you a decent price. they have had my old Lotus 1.5 yrs now and still not sold it. They offered me £3k more than anywhere else.
I guess the test drive will sort the whole thing out.
Exige S is a beast though
elise111r said:
Dan
Its an interesting point you make. I have heard such stories to but when I have looked today for a second hand one the prices are strong.
Lotus dealers do seem to give you a decent price. they have had my old Lotus 1.5 yrs now and still not sold it. They offered me £3k more than anywhere else.
I guess the test drive will sort the whole thing out.
Exige S is a beast though
Its an interesting point you make. I have heard such stories to but when I have looked today for a second hand one the prices are strong.
Lotus dealers do seem to give you a decent price. they have had my old Lotus 1.5 yrs now and still not sold it. They offered me £3k more than anywhere else.
I guess the test drive will sort the whole thing out.
Exige S is a beast though
Your dealer obviously paid too much if they've had it 1.5 years so I wouldn't count on achieving similar again - they won't be doing that again!
As to Exiges people on Seloc have been talking about second hand prices of 23k or so on early S2 Exiges IIRC? They were 33k+ when specced new.
I like the Exige S, but I couldn't reconcile spending that much on an Exige with a supercharger. Its 40k which is a lot of money for a plastic car with a toyota 4 pot however you cut it. As a second hand buy, it will probably make more sense.
Just reading some of the other posts and wondered how long Porsche warranty was.
Read a post on a Boxster and it said a used one with 30,000 miles will cost £300-£600 to service each year and Brake discs and pads will likely go in that time at a cost of £1500.
I have Porsche's servicing costs and they are only every 2 yrs and seem reasonable to me. Where am I missing the plot?
I have had brake pads go but never disks? What is likely replacement time for Brake discs?
Read a post on a Boxster and it said a used one with 30,000 miles will cost £300-£600 to service each year and Brake discs and pads will likely go in that time at a cost of £1500.
I have Porsche's servicing costs and they are only every 2 yrs and seem reasonable to me. Where am I missing the plot?
I have had brake pads go but never disks? What is likely replacement time for Brake discs?
elise111r said:
Just reading some of the other posts and wondered how long Porsche warranty was.
Read a post on a Boxster and it said a used one with 30,000 miles will cost £300-£600 to service each year and Brake discs and pads will likely go in that time at a cost of £1500.
I have Porsche's servicing costs and they are only every 2 yrs and seem reasonable to me. Where am I missing the plot?
I have had brake pads go but never disks? What is likely replacement time for Brake discs?
Read a post on a Boxster and it said a used one with 30,000 miles will cost £300-£600 to service each year and Brake discs and pads will likely go in that time at a cost of £1500.
I have Porsche's servicing costs and they are only every 2 yrs and seem reasonable to me. Where am I missing the plot?
I have had brake pads go but never disks? What is likely replacement time for Brake discs?
The menu servicing at OPCs is pretty good value imho. Where you get blown apart is anything extra that needs doing. My OPC is 150 quid an hour and I can't remember if that includes VAT! Of course if you go to specialist you can pay 1/3rd that so no need to panic.
Can't comment specifically on consumable lifetimes, but have a look at the disks & pads on the car you are considering to see how long they have left. It depends on usage really.
Warranty is 2 years from new, then you can get the extended warranty up until 10 years/100k miles on the car at 750pa (IIRC). If your car has fallen out of warranty at any time though, then it needs to be inspected and corrected up to acceptable level by an OPC which will obviously cost.
khushy said:
Another view . . .
Last year I was lucky enough to be able to buy an 04 996 - after many years of happy BMW M ownership - on the test drive it was the soliditity and build quality that really impressed me - so instead of a brand new M3 I bought the 911.
After 8 months and 22,000 miles - I sold the 911 and went back to an M!!
In conclusion - the 911 was a fab car - fast, well put together etc etc - but it lacked one thing for me . . .
FIZZ
BMW are about ok when it comes to build quality (not the best), sure there are loads around - but where they score WELL ABOVE the 911 is in the fizz department - that straight 6 has NO competition IMHO - gets me going everytime I sit in it - which the 911 never ever did!
If you want excitment - dont go for the Porsche - if you want QDos - go for the Porsche.
IMHO blah blah blah!!!
Khushy
Last year I was lucky enough to be able to buy an 04 996 - after many years of happy BMW M ownership - on the test drive it was the soliditity and build quality that really impressed me - so instead of a brand new M3 I bought the 911.
After 8 months and 22,000 miles - I sold the 911 and went back to an M!!
In conclusion - the 911 was a fab car - fast, well put together etc etc - but it lacked one thing for me . . .
FIZZ
BMW are about ok when it comes to build quality (not the best), sure there are loads around - but where they score WELL ABOVE the 911 is in the fizz department - that straight 6 has NO competition IMHO - gets me going everytime I sit in it - which the 911 never ever did!
If you want excitment - dont go for the Porsche - if you want QDos - go for the Porsche.
IMHO blah blah blah!!!
Khushy
Edited by khushy on Friday 1st September 16:14
Your sure? unless your talking about a CSL other wise they just don't compare handling wise, drive a 911 well and it a far more rewarding car. A flat 6 at 6000rpm is a spine tingling noise.
Hi,
I owned an Elise for three years prior to buying my Cayman S in January 2006.
I thought long and hard about what to replace it with. I wanted a car that gave me thrills like the Elise would, but also had more space, speed and touring abilities (comfort/luxuries). I might if lucky get to the Nurdurgring once a year, so track pace is not too high on the list.
I knew in reality that nothing would provide the exact same feel of the Elise with the qualities I was looking for. I was tempted by an Exige, but an 8 hour drive to the south of france for two weeks holiday would mean a headache on route (with sports exhaust fitted!)and no room for luggage. Bascially I would have to compromise the holiday because of the car.
When I saw the Cayman in the showroom, I was won over. My spec - Cobalt Blue, PSM, Full leather (stone grey), cruise, steering wheel controls, telephone. And because Jersey VAT free, with these options it came in at £46k.
Now that price is still pushing the limits at the moment of what I could spend on a car. What helped the decision was the reputation of Porsche cars holding their values and what I had read in the motoring press about the Cayman was positive. Also the reliability is famed, so I am hopeing there are none or rare visits to the garage for unroutine servicing.
I'm not sure if Porsche are selling as many Caymans as they would have liked at this time, but if there are low numbers on the road, this may keep secondhand prices up with a low turn around of secondhand ones being available.
Also what has annoyed me is the fact that Porsche have now put the 3.4 ltr engine in the Boxster. Something which previously gave the Cayman some space between the models.
But, life with the Cayman S.... so far so good. I have taken it down France and it performed brilliantly. 8hr drive in one go, was done with ease and in comfort and at speed it was very stable.
I still wonder if I should have gone for PASM. The standard ride and handling I find is good. The ride is very firm, sometimes harsh on the worst of roads, but on decent roads you don't even think about the ride. I have to remember this is a set up for a 170 mph car, so it needs to be able to handle. I love the engine note. It doesn't have the same intimate feel of the Elise, but then it isn't a million miles away considering it is a heavier car with so much more real world practicality and comfort.
Apart from that, I can't think what else I would have put on the car. To send it down a track mods route would take a fair bit of cash and eventually a less resaleable car on the general market and some of the other Porsche options can get a bit over the top and expensive.
The one thing I am tempted to get at some point is a sport exhaust, maybe something by Tubi style?
I do miss the Lotus but I am really growing fond of the Cayman S and I think as an ownership experience this will grow more. The Elise is addictive and the thought of driving something not quite as focused can be hard, but I have found the Cayman is giving me areas of performance the Elise couldn't.
So overall, I am really happy with the Cayman S. Let us know what you decide.
Dave
--------------------------
www.lemans24.piczo.com
I owned an Elise for three years prior to buying my Cayman S in January 2006.
I thought long and hard about what to replace it with. I wanted a car that gave me thrills like the Elise would, but also had more space, speed and touring abilities (comfort/luxuries). I might if lucky get to the Nurdurgring once a year, so track pace is not too high on the list.
I knew in reality that nothing would provide the exact same feel of the Elise with the qualities I was looking for. I was tempted by an Exige, but an 8 hour drive to the south of france for two weeks holiday would mean a headache on route (with sports exhaust fitted!)and no room for luggage. Bascially I would have to compromise the holiday because of the car.
When I saw the Cayman in the showroom, I was won over. My spec - Cobalt Blue, PSM, Full leather (stone grey), cruise, steering wheel controls, telephone. And because Jersey VAT free, with these options it came in at £46k.
Now that price is still pushing the limits at the moment of what I could spend on a car. What helped the decision was the reputation of Porsche cars holding their values and what I had read in the motoring press about the Cayman was positive. Also the reliability is famed, so I am hopeing there are none or rare visits to the garage for unroutine servicing.
I'm not sure if Porsche are selling as many Caymans as they would have liked at this time, but if there are low numbers on the road, this may keep secondhand prices up with a low turn around of secondhand ones being available.
Also what has annoyed me is the fact that Porsche have now put the 3.4 ltr engine in the Boxster. Something which previously gave the Cayman some space between the models.
But, life with the Cayman S.... so far so good. I have taken it down France and it performed brilliantly. 8hr drive in one go, was done with ease and in comfort and at speed it was very stable.
I still wonder if I should have gone for PASM. The standard ride and handling I find is good. The ride is very firm, sometimes harsh on the worst of roads, but on decent roads you don't even think about the ride. I have to remember this is a set up for a 170 mph car, so it needs to be able to handle. I love the engine note. It doesn't have the same intimate feel of the Elise, but then it isn't a million miles away considering it is a heavier car with so much more real world practicality and comfort.
Apart from that, I can't think what else I would have put on the car. To send it down a track mods route would take a fair bit of cash and eventually a less resaleable car on the general market and some of the other Porsche options can get a bit over the top and expensive.
The one thing I am tempted to get at some point is a sport exhaust, maybe something by Tubi style?
I do miss the Lotus but I am really growing fond of the Cayman S and I think as an ownership experience this will grow more. The Elise is addictive and the thought of driving something not quite as focused can be hard, but I have found the Cayman is giving me areas of performance the Elise couldn't.
So overall, I am really happy with the Cayman S. Let us know what you decide.
Dave
--------------------------
www.lemans24.piczo.com
Dave
Thanks for your comments - they are really useful to me as this is the step I am considering taking.
I drive a Rover 75 Diesel to work and back every day and when i get in the Elise the drive is unbelievable and I have a huge smile on my face. It is so responsive in every way and it will be hard to part with.
Did you drive the Boxster before buying the Cayman? As a driving experience I could have been in my girlfriends RS Focus. The Elise is just a completely different experience.
My local dealer has told me the Cayman is a completely different drive and all press reports/test drives are very poistive. I like the look of it and having sat in one I was very impressed and felt like I wanted to make the step up.
Like you if I do decide to get one I think I will miss the Elise for sure.
Thanks for your comments - they are really useful to me as this is the step I am considering taking.
I drive a Rover 75 Diesel to work and back every day and when i get in the Elise the drive is unbelievable and I have a huge smile on my face. It is so responsive in every way and it will be hard to part with.
Did you drive the Boxster before buying the Cayman? As a driving experience I could have been in my girlfriends RS Focus. The Elise is just a completely different experience.
My local dealer has told me the Cayman is a completely different drive and all press reports/test drives are very poistive. I like the look of it and having sat in one I was very impressed and felt like I wanted to make the step up.
Like you if I do decide to get one I think I will miss the Elise for sure.
elise111r said:
Like you if I do decide to get one I think I will miss the Elise for sure.
my 2 cents:
You'll definitly miss the sensation of the Elise stepping in to a Porker. I went from a 111S to a 993 turbo, and whilst the turbo was a mega car - so much faster and better place to be than the Elise, I missed the driving sensation of the Elise. Now if this is a second car then stick with the Elise derivatives, if however you want a everyday car thats a please to be in and drive get the porker, just be prepared that it will NOT be the same as what your got now.
Really like this Forum. Everyone is so helpful and honest.
So many topics are about dealers screwing you on trade in and when you come to sell. Lotus dealer told me they make £3k on new car and not a lot on trade in.
Will be interesting when I have driven them all and made my mind up to see what they offer me for my Elise
So many topics are about dealers screwing you on trade in and when you come to sell. Lotus dealer told me they make £3k on new car and not a lot on trade in.
Will be interesting when I have driven them all and made my mind up to see what they offer me for my Elise
I've not driven a Cayman, so I can't really comment on it. But if you're comparing the likes of your Elise, and Exige S to it, do you really know what you want from a car?
The Boxster, and I suspect Cayman, is a really nice road car, fantastic drive and lovely to own and use every day. But it won't match the Exige for track days and those days you feel you want something extreme. The rest of the time the Porsche will win hands down. So, do you know what you want from your car?
My advice - if you're considering spending 50k and you do *need* that extreme buzz as well as a v nice every day car, then buy a 964 RS (sub 30k) and a 2nd hand Boxster S (low 20s). You'll have a lovely every day car in the Boxster and when you want to track or just have an evil day on the road, rake out the RS and spank it. Plus you won't loose so much money on the resale values, and this will more than make up for the cost of running 2 cars! This is what I chose to do.
Oh, and buy a Tom Tom
I didn't realise it was for use as a second car. The Cayman S is my only car. My girlfriend has a Clio 182, but I don't regard it as my second car.
Therefore all round abilities is important. The Cayman S offers fun, handling, speed, luxury and a fare amount of practicality.
If I was going to get a car purely for use as a fun car and occasional track days, then I think I would go get myself an Elise / Exige or something which is really attracting my attention, an Ariel Atom. But even comparing an Atom to the Elise, the Ariel my be faster but you could still use the Elise with some kind of practicality i.e if it rains you don't get wet!
Apart from buying another Elise/ exige, nothing else will feel like it. There will have to be a trade off on the pure handling/ steering in what ever you bought but as compensation the Cayman S would give you qualities in other areas, not offered by the Elise.
If I could, my real world ideal garage would be.. new 3 series coupe (diesel!)- for everyday comfortable use and holiday touring.... and then next to it would be a Exige or a 111r.
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www.lemans24.piczo.com
Therefore all round abilities is important. The Cayman S offers fun, handling, speed, luxury and a fare amount of practicality.
If I was going to get a car purely for use as a fun car and occasional track days, then I think I would go get myself an Elise / Exige or something which is really attracting my attention, an Ariel Atom. But even comparing an Atom to the Elise, the Ariel my be faster but you could still use the Elise with some kind of practicality i.e if it rains you don't get wet!
Apart from buying another Elise/ exige, nothing else will feel like it. There will have to be a trade off on the pure handling/ steering in what ever you bought but as compensation the Cayman S would give you qualities in other areas, not offered by the Elise.
If I could, my real world ideal garage would be.. new 3 series coupe (diesel!)- for everyday comfortable use and holiday touring.... and then next to it would be a Exige or a 111r.
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www.lemans24.piczo.com
Edited by ds240 on Wednesday 6th September 09:58
Edited by ds240 on Wednesday 6th September 09:58
jamieo said:
My advice - if you're considering spending 50k and you do *need* that extreme buzz as well as a v nice every day car, then buy a 964 RS (sub 30k)
agreed - I really don't know why you are considering a Cayman as it will not be as raw as the Elise, far more refined but far less seat of the pants
and if you didn;t liek the Boxster then the Cayman is not much different
ds240 - does anything stop you buying cars VAT free and selling them privately in UK? by the way PSM is std
The old boxster an new boxster do not compare. The new car has a far more "on rails" feel to it and is more communicative. It just doesnt let go, scarry what it can do.
As for Red its worth less but you save the cost of metallic.
Residuals will be weaker that before. The brand is becoming a volume marque.
The dealers have huge overheads and this is reflected in their margins, a car on the forecourt at £39k may have been traded for £31k, it really is like that.
As for Red its worth less but you save the cost of metallic.
Residuals will be weaker that before. The brand is becoming a volume marque.
The dealers have huge overheads and this is reflected in their margins, a car on the forecourt at £39k may have been traded for £31k, it really is like that.
Adam B.... whoops, i meant the pcm (sat nav, computer thingy)
If I sold the car in the UK mainland, VAT would have to be paid. It would have to be registered as a new car on the mainland.
Probably somekind of loophole somewhere i'm sure. It would have been cheaper still, had Jersey not introduced a new car registration tax based on engine size. The 3.4 means about £1500 on top of new car base price.
If I sold the car in the UK mainland, VAT would have to be paid. It would have to be registered as a new car on the mainland.
Probably somekind of loophole somewhere i'm sure. It would have been cheaper still, had Jersey not introduced a new car registration tax based on engine size. The 3.4 means about £1500 on top of new car base price.
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