Cayman Ownership - whats it really like???

[khushy]

we are about to go for a new car (used) and we are very keen on a Cayman 07/08 - would like to know . . .

real-world running costs
dealer/private - why (obviously apart from warranty & FPSH
reliability
specific items that fail - what to look out for

cheers guys

[martindower]

I've got an 09 (Gen 2) Cayman S. Registered April 09 with 13k on the clock.

Running costs:
Fuel : Computer is showing 27mpg average for the last 6k miles
Tyres: Set of rears (£500) at 10k miles, fronts are due in the next 3k
Servicing: None yet, first service not due until April next year (or 19k miles)
Insurance: £900 (45yrs old, 9yrs no claims, town centre, garage, max 10k miles)
Problems: None, faultless

Easy to drive and live with, if not a little boring and underwhelming. Top speed is 185mph (indicated) and felt stable. Sounds okay on full throttle and high RPM, anything other than that and you can't hear it. Very, very capable car and handles really well, brakes are the weak point I think, can feel them fading after heavy use - better pads would probably sort that out. Car is on 19" (no pasm) and a bit crashy over potholes but nothing to stress about. Loads of cubby/storage space, surprisingly practical. An easy choice for a daily driver.

[Trev450]

I have a 2007 S that I've owned for about 6 months. During that time I've covered around 5000 miles, averaged around 27 mpg on my daily 55 mile commute and the rear tyres are about half worn (new ones being fitted at time of purchase.

I had a interim service (10K) done at my local indy which came to £400 including an MOT, but have not had to spend anything else on it yet.

I find the car very enjoyable overall and it rewards spirited driving by providing excellent feedback. The brakes do require a little extra pressure but are certainly not lacking in stopping power. I don't track it so have no problems with fading. Mine is also on 19's but I have PASM and find the ride about right on our crappy roads.

[March2008]

I have a 2006 Cayman S. This year it's cost me a set of tyres (approx £1000) and a major service (approx £1000 with a load of other things done at the same time, i.e. plugs, brake fluids, clear out radiator areas).
That's your lot. The car has been faultless, I find it very practical, used on a week's driving holiday not so long ago, perfect for 2 people and their luggage.

I averaged 34mpg on that trip, and that was with some spirited driving too. I pay £720 for insurnace, (29 years and 6 years no claims).

[nomanali123]

Hi

I have owned a 2006 Cayman 2.7 for a year now during which time I have covered 8000 miles
Overall it has been a joy to own and never fails to bring a smile to my face, either when just cruising in town/motorway or when hammering it on a good road. The car isnt shatteringly fast but it is nice to be able to use most of the performance most of the time without doing crazy speeds! Plus the engine loves to be revved and rewards it with a great noise under load. Chassis is predictably superb and I have to say the brakes seem fine to me (although I have never taken it to a track)

In terms of mundane stuff, I tend to get 25mpg overall average (although it increases to 30-32 when cruising). Servicing has been pleasantly painless due to the fact that the service intervals are 2 yrs apart. I had my major (40000 mile) service done by a well reputed indy and it came to approx 500 incl VAT.

In the year I have had mine I have had to replace the ignition coil pack and replace an exhaust heat shield which came to about 600 pounds total. I have been warned about failing RMS and IMS which can be potentially engine destroying but apparently it is pretty rare and can be picked up fairly early and repaired if need be. The car is otherwise totally reliable and very well built

All in all a great car and a very good 1st Porsche in my opinion. Hope this helps!

[Steve Devaney]

martindower said:

I've got an 09 (Gen 2) Cayman S. Registered April 09 with 13k on the clock.

Running costs:
Fuel : Computer is showing 27mpg average for the last 6k miles
Tyres: Set of rears (£500) at 10k miles, fronts are due in the next 3k
Servicing: None yet, first service not due until April next year (or 19k miles)
Insurance: £900 (45yrs old, 9yrs no claims, town centre, garage, max 10k miles)
Problems: None, faultless

Easy to drive and live with, if not a little boring and underwhelming. Top speed is 185mph (indicated) and felt stable. Sounds okay on full throttle and high RPM, anything other than that and you can't hear it. Very, very capable car and handles really well, brakes are the weak point I think, can feel them fading after heavy use - better pads would probably sort that out. Car is on 19" (no pasm) and a bit crashy over potholes but nothing to stress about. Loads of cubby/storage space, surprisingly practical. An easy choice for a daily driver.

Do people really wait 19k miles to change the oil!?

[juansolo]

khushy said:

we are about to go for a new car (used) and we are very keen on a Cayman 07/08 - would like to know . . .

Did exactly the same thing. Bought an 07 Cayman. Experience so far is documented here

khushy said:

real-world running costs

Insurance £480ish IIRC. That's limited to 5k miles, no tracker, 6 trackdays through Henderson Taylor. Driven enthusiastically I average 27mpg. Can get 30 on a run if you're behaving. I stick Optimax in there, but it will run on regular. On the whole a hell of a lot cheaper to run than my old Impreza was (double the insurance and WAY less mpg). Servicing I haven't done yet, but it's every 2 years with my milage and with a specialist it looks to be about half the cost of an OPC.

khushy said:

dealer/private - why (obviously apart from warranty & FPSH

Got mine from the local OPC. Managed to get a very good deal (legendary haggling session). Came with a years warranty. I think these days it comes with two.

khushy said:

reliability

Touch wood it's been flawless so far.

khushy said:

specific items that fail - what to look out for

There's the seals that need checking (lots of threads on those). Would be covered under the warranty.

[juansolo]

martindower said:

Sounds okay on full throttle and high RPM, anything other than that and you can't hear it.

This is apparently a feature of the new 3.4 engine on the Gen 2 cars. They really need a sports exhaust to be vocal. The old Gen 1 cars and I believe the 2.9 Gen 2 all use the old engine and are lovely sounding things.

martindower said:

Car is on 19" (no pasm) and a bit crashy over potholes but nothing to stress about.

Also the Gen 2 cars have more compliant suspension. Even the 18's on mine were unbearable around here (we have particularly poor roads). If you go for a Gen 1 S I'd say PASM was a must. If you go for a 2.7, stick the 17's on it unless you're blessed with particuarly smooth roads. The 18's look better, no doubt. But the 17's have *much* better ride and into the bargain, they're much lighter and much more playful.

Edited by juansolo on Sunday 31st October 08:24

[RudeDog]

I've got a Cayman S that I have only had for 6 weeks but I've done about 4000 miles already. Fuel economy is about 27mpg according to the on-board computer however it does use oil too. I had a full gauge when I picked the car up but its nearly at the bottom again now. I believe this is normal having read a few fora about it.

[S1MMA]

I had a Cayman S for 2 years.

Mine wasn't faultless, although on the whole was reliable (my issues were fairly contained over 2 years, most of the time (99%) the car was fine, see below for more info) and in my view cheap to run for such a car.

Mine had an RMS problem, first discovered when the car was less than 2 years old and fixed under warranty. Then discovered to be leaking again a few months later and done under Porsche goodwill.

I changed a clutch, a set of rear tyres, and a set of brake discs/pads all around in my time of owning the car (2 years and about 20k miles). I bought a year old car on about 10k with new rear tyres and original brakes. My car went in for some warranty work just after I got it, had a rattle on one side when driving with the window open, the high level rear brake light was replaced as it starter to peel off IIRC. It broke down twice in 2 yrs, first it failed to start when cold which was fixed under goodwill by Porsche (O2 sensor IIRC) and second the clutch failed on me so had to get it towed and replaced.

Porsche dealers on the whole were good (I dealt with Tonbridge which I liked a lot, and East London who I had one incident with which was amicably solved, but didn't really enjoy the service there otherwise if I'm honest) and like I said they were very good with goodwill for me when my car dropped out of warranty. I did get an independant warranty on my car but only used it when the clutch failed (paid for a new master cylinder/servo), if I didn't have the option of a cheap warranty I would have kept the porsche warranty on it, so I recommend that. As my car had a re-occuring RMS problem and rattles/sensor problems/clutch issues etc... I thought it was a bit of a friday afternoon car, most owners don't have the issues that I suffered. Saying that, even though I had some issues, I was looked after and nothing was a major problem. The car got me to Le Mans and back at good speed with no issues, and was a pleasure to drive. At circa £25k it's a great car for the money and a great first Porsche to own in my view. After 2-3 years you may hanker more power, but there's plenty to upgrade to in the range. I stuck a Tubi exhaust on mine after a year and a half and that transfored the car. A bit extreem for normal use but it was awesome.

Recommend you go for it, keep the porsche warranty in tact and you won't need more than £1k to hand for most things that will go wrong/consumables at any one time.

Edited by S1MMA on Sunday 31st October 11:39

[mayes911]

had my cayman s gen1 for nearly 2 years from new great cars expect 24 to 25 mpg.tyres should last for 20k clutches 50k and brakes 30k(i know this had 986s for 6 years and similar engines etc).ims is not a real issue on these cars built after march 2006 ims upgraded(had failure on my boxster at 13000 miles and no you dont get any warning)rms is nothing to worry about.can suffer from clunk trunk(rattle from tailgate) and loose heat sheilds yet again nothing to worry about.there have been cases of water pump failure and bore failure(see a recent post on here) yet again rare.avoid tiptronics and dont worry if it has no pcm they date after a few years like cd players etc.would recommend xenons and leather sports seats pasm is not a must the ride on std suspension with 18" wheels is excellent.
how much you got to spend? £30k gets you a low mileage 2008/08plate.

if you can afford more £45k will get you a new Gen2 car from dealer stock.its a better car and cheaper to run ie lower rfl and better mpg.

[Grinnders]

I have 2006 3.4S and found the review by Jason Dawe in todays Sunday Times InGear review to be fair and reasonable. Check it out if you can.

I did buy it for quite a few thousand less than indicated due to spec and miles but was confident I could upgrade headlights and Stereo/Phone/Sat Nav and did so for less than £1k.

Admittedly it had 60k on the clock but meant it had just had a major service and both previous owners seemed to have accepted the OPCs "recommended" maintenance; i.e. pads and disks, tyres, wipers etc without hesitation... all to my benefit

[Deanos CaymanS]

I was also in the same position as you and I've had my 57 plate for 10 months and 10k now - it had 17k on it when I got it.
So far MPG has been around 26 - same as everyone else low 30s on a run and low 20s when pressing on or stop start.
Insurance was £800 - mid 30s, no NCB, rural location
I've put 2 new rear tyres on for £550 and the fronts seem to be wearing well so still plenty of life in them yet.
No other costs so far (touch wood).

In terms of the experience it has lived up to everything I hoped it would be. I have this as my daily driver and have found it a comfortable cruiser (19" with PASM) and great cross country (Sports Chrono). Someone mentioned brakes - they are the best brakes I've had on any car once I got used to the relative lack of assistance and began to push the pedal harder. I've not taken it on track so can't comment there. The front boot, hatch and numerous stoarge bins make it surprisingly practical to live with.

Its coming up to the anniversary and I need to decide whether to stay in the OPC warranty or go for a maintenance plan/other warranty as I've heard bad things (and some good)about OPC service and prices.

All in all I would gladly recommend you do it and can't think of much that gets close for the money.

[Grinnders]

Just to add. No warranty cover for me. Impeccable Service history gave confidence and subsequent 111 point check at Indy confirmed this so I haven't opted for OPC warranty after 3 months of ownership (mandatory before application)

I am tucking £100 away every month as a contingency pot.

[seapod]

I've just jumped into a 58 plate Cayman S from a 911 (997 C2S). Key driver for me was the relative ubiquity of 911 was starting to be irritating and -I've had a couple. It does also have a bit of middle aged/older man image for me + for work purposes it isn't always appropriate.
Costs are less but its not cheap so don't think of it as such and you will be fine. Power is less, certainly less aggressive, smack in the back feeling not there compared to C2S. BUT, and for me this was a big but, I find the average speed is high and easier to maintain than 911 which needs more point and shoot focus in a straight line. Car feels lighter (again subjective, not much difference in weight in reality) and you are aware of not having a lump hanging out over rear wheels.
Costs are working out at approx 800 for ins, 500 for service and 800 for tyres (bracknell tyres are excellent). I also do a big mileage 25000 a year and cayman resales seem to be less affected by this than the rather precious garage queen owners in 911 world.
Excluding deprec or buying, a budget of 2k a year in most circumstances should cover general ownership. Of course, you can be lucky or unlucky, relative to this figure,but equally the sky could fall on your head tomorrow!

[seapod]

I've just jumped into a 58 plate Cayman S from a 911 (997 C2S). Key driver for me was the relative ubiquity of 911 was starting to be irritating and -I've had a couple. It does also have a bit of middle aged/older man image for me + for work purposes it isn't always appropriate.
Costs are less but its not cheap so don't think of it as such and you will be fine. Power is less, certainly less aggressive, smack in the back feeling not there compared to C2S. BUT, and for me this was a big but, I find the average speed is high and easier to maintain than 911 which needs more point and shoot focus in a straight line. Car feels lighter (again subjective, not much difference in weight in reality) and you are aware of not having a lump hanging out over rear wheels.
Costs are working out at approx 800 for ins, 500 for service and 800 for tyres (bracknell tyres are excellent). I also do a big mileage 25000 a year and cayman resales seem to be less affected by this than the rather precious garage queen owners in 911 world.
Excluding deprec or buying, a budget of 2k a year in most circumstances should cover general ownership. Of course, you can be lucky or unlucky, relative to this figure,but equally the sky could fall on your head tomorrow!

[magicman1]

martindower said:

I've got an 09 (Gen 2) Cayman S. Registered April 09 with 13k on the clock.

Running costs:
Fuel : Computer is showing 27mpg average for the last 6k miles
Tyres: Set of rears (£500) at 10k miles, fronts are due in the next 3k
Servicing: None yet, first service not due until April next year (or 19k miles)
Insurance: £900 (45yrs old, 9yrs no claims, town centre, garage, max 10k miles)
Problems: None, faultless

Easy to drive and live with, if not a little boring and underwhelming. Top speed is 185mph (indicated) and felt stable. Sounds okay on full throttle and high RPM, anything other than that and you can't hear it. Very, very capable car and handles really well, brakes are the weak point I think, can feel them fading after heavy use - better pads would probably sort that out. Car is on 19" (no pasm) and a bit crashy over potholes but nothing to stress about. Loads of cubby/storage space, surprisingly practical. An easy choice for a daily driver.

My 06 Cayman S was lucky to average out of the teens, 25,26 tops on a run, standard apart from a TUBI??

[martindower]

magicman1 said:

My 06 Cayman S was lucky to average out of the teens, 25,26 tops on a run, standard apart from a TUBI??

Later engine maybe makes a bigger difference. I do find I'm tugging around town in 6th at 30mph a fair amount of the time and I do stay inside the legal limit on motorways (mostly).