987 Cayman - Tell me to man up or get out ....

[2Btoo]

Guys,

I'm looking for a 987 Cayman. I've read the entire internet and it seems that the 2.7 is the one to go for and cmoose on here says that those without the full leather interiors feel like Korean shopping cars so I can't contemplate one with plastic on the dashboard and door cards. I really really don't want a black car with a black interior and I'm going to own it for a long while so want a decent one. Manual, natch. Money is available for the right car and I've been looking at the classifieds since before Christmas until my eyes have gone funny.

Few cars fit my description but this one does;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-Cayman-2-7-57-2...

It's about an hour from home, ticks all the boxes, I've called the seller and he sounds pretty genuine and I've booked to go and have a squiz. But .... I'm having cold feet. What about? Well, about the fact that the 2.7 does occasionally bore score (although Barry from Hartech says they are pretty bombproof), about the fact that it has PASM so the replacement shock absorbers that it will need within 5 minutes of me buying it will cost a fortune, it's on the original clutch which will need to be replaced about 10 minutes after those shock absorbers, the seller tells me that there is no record of the radiators or air-con wotsits having been changed so those are at the end of their lives too, it's suspiciously cheap and the seller has admitted he's struggling to sell it and so I could be buying a moneypit.

What should I do? My questions are whether anyone has a really good Buyers Guide which I could print out (PCGB has one but it's not very specific and talks generally about the models on offer. The Pistonheads one isn't much better). I am practical and want to know what knackered air-con wotsits look like, how to spot a rusty radiator (yes, I look at it - simples! But where should I be looking?), how to tell a clutch that is at the end of it's life and - all importantly - how to spot bore score.

How does the PASM system cope with high mileages? Normal shock absorbers rarely last 100,000 miles - do the PASM ones last longer? Will these be knackered? What goes wrong with them? New ones are fearsomely expensive.

My options are to go and have a look at this one or to pull the plug and find one with fewer miles OR to find the extra cash and find a 2.9 Gen2 model, which are meant to be more reliable. If I am going to pull the plug on this one then I want to do so as soon as possible in order to avoid messing the seller around as he sounds like a decent guy.

Should I get a Pre-Purchase Inspection done on it? If so then where? It would need to be local to Horsham. Can anyone recommend somewhere to take it? I am practical (I've maintained my old 944 for the last 15 years) but don't know much about the Cayman model.

What would you do? All suggestions welcome!

Thanks in advance.

[2Btoo]

David,

Thanks. Sanity. I need it.

The current owner has had it around 2 years and it's had quite a lot of owners (5+). He doesn't think there has been any work done on the suspension nor does he think that the radiators at the front have been changed either. My thoughts mirror yours though; they are unlikely to have lasted this long without being changed so there may well be work done at some time in the past.

PPI is an idea. Can anyone recommend somewhere near to Horsham who would do such a thing? I would rather pay a knowledgeable mechanic who knows Caymans well to spend an hour looking over the car with me and give an honest assessment than to pay a lot for a million-point check which will tell me that there are some chips on the windscreen and a big report which I will never read in full. Parr are the local Porsche specialists but they fall very much in the latter camp and the thick end of £280 is a bit steep.

Thanks again for your help.

[2Btoo]

Andy,

Thanks. I think the Bore Score was bothering me more this morning. I've now switched to worrying about the PASM shock absorbers. Great to be me, huh?

I think the problem is that I know my current car (944) inside out and there is little that I have not done on it myself. A Cayman is a much newer, much more complex proposition and I simply don't know what I am looking at. And I HATE uncertainty.

'Learn to relax after a while'. That's helpful, thanks. How long is 'a while'?


Oli.

[2Btoo]

Question: The car linked to has Sports Chrono. Does this mean it will have the 6-speed gearbox?

(I know I could ask the seller but I don't want to bother him .... )

[2Btoo]

Guys,

Thanks for the replies. The colour combo is why I am looking at this car but I am very aware that it is also one of the reasons why it has not sold. As J44esd said, Caymans seem to be selling very slowly and it's been said elsewhere that those with coloured interiors are the slowest sellers of the lot. I know my tastes are abnormal but that which I like will make it hard for me to sell on in future, so I am approaching with care.

Stockman, thanks for the comments about the Sports Chrono. I think it has the 5-speed box. The 6-speed would put it up a tax group and that would put me off buying it.

BertBert, thanks for the Carrera Performance recommendation. It seems that they have a good rep on here and I've booked it in there for a PPI on Thursday morning.

Heavho - thanks. A dud VR6 Corrado shows that there are even bad examples of great cars!

Klippie, you've raised the age old 2.7 vs 2.9 argument you bad lad! I'm buying a car to keep long-term if at all possible. However I have always been more into handling and delicacy of drive rather than straight forward performance and the 2.7 is meant to be a lovely engine so it'll do to start with ...

Thanks again for your help.

[2Btoo]

cmoose,

Thanks. A set of 17's will be on the shopping list for the future. Hopefully I'll be able to change from the things that are on there at the moment (19's?) and even make a little money on the deal.

The 2.7 should be similar performance to my S2 which is more than fast enough for me at the moment. Chasing power is a never-ending game which gets expensive very quickly and I'm lucky enough that I still have my licence with the current car so more performance would not help. (If it would work as an only car then my dream would probably be a small-engined Caterham, but a wife and certain other practical requirements means that this isn't really an option.)

[2Btoo]

ooid said:

If you would be doing your garden, and asking the question; Stone patio or wooden deck? Many experts would recommend you to save money and do a Stone patio. (Wooden deck is cheap, but would need loads of maintenance, ages badly and you do not want rats or spiders living underneath!)

When it comes to porsche of this era, I think the usual recommendation just save money and buy gen2 (boxster or 911).

The last time I've checked, there were fairly good used gen2 2.9 boxsters were around 13-16k. I would aim for those, rather than spending 10k on any gen1. They are both brilliant cars, its just I would hate to own another m96/m97 engine, wondering what and when things might go wrong again!

Yes, absolutely. However a 2.9 (i.e. Gen2) would cost £16k and more. That's another 60% on the price of this one. I don't know for sure but I'd wager that £6k would buy me a clutch and flywheel, suspension rebuild and put a big dent in the cost of a full engine rebuild from Hartech. Yes a 2.9 would be more reliable but it too would need the clutch, suspension and other bits doing when anno domini has taken it's hit. Finding that extra £6k would be quite possible but I'm not sure I want to spend that much on a car just now.

(Famous last words these. I'm keeping my fingers WELL AND TRULY crossed. )

[2Btoo]

jamesx19 said:

Addspeed in Horsham are good, experienced in Porsche and reasonably priced. I found Parr's to be condescendingly short on information to concerned buyer questions and quite happy charging double the amount Addspeed wanted for a PPI. Just my experience. Good luck with your search OP.

Thanks, that's helpful. The last service on the car was done by Addspeed, and if they are good then hopefully they will have picked up anything serious wrong with it.

[2Btoo]

PaulD86 said:

Plenty prefer the leather interior but the plastic dash is absolutely fine and some prefer it. To rule out a good car as it doesn't have cow on the dash would be rather foolish IMHO. If you have ever actually driven any Korean shopping cars you will immediately recognise that the Porsche plastic dash is somewhat of a different proposition.

Oh stop it! The aim of this thread was to talk me into going to see this car, not to talk me out of it. All those nice gentlemen above have just about succeeded in that aim, and then you come along and say this ....

[2Btoo]

DM,

I thought the same. Sport Chrono doesn't usually mean more power. However from what I've read it does give a sharper throttle response and also means there is a hard rev limiter rather than a soft one, and this can mean that the engine is still producing power at higher revs when the (normal) soft limiter is starting to back off, meaning it can feel faster.

Haven't yet seen the options list, will do tomorrow.

[2Btoo]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I'll print that out and take it with me as added haggling material ....

[2Btoo]

BertBert said:

What was the result of the ppi?
Bert

Thanks for asking. I've fairly literally just walked into the house but thanks for chasing me up.

PPI said:

1. N/S Headlight glass has slight staining
2. O/S rear wheel has corrosion around valve area
3. Paint work off both front lower wing sections (chipped from road gravel)
4. Slight leak of coolant from N/S hose area
5. All tyres not N-rated. Rears old
6. Small oil leak front rear main/IMS area
7. O/S and N/S outer CV bot mounting loose/leaking
8. Incorrect clamps on rear exhaust box, leaking slightly
9. Rear gear cable ferrule rusty
10. Anti Freeze laying in under tray possible over filled
11. Small amount of debris build up in front radiators
12. Anti freeze leak front hose above engine O/S
13. Dashboard display delaminating
14. Rust markings around rear level sensor arm
15. Air con inoperative, possibly N/S radiator

What did I do? Haggled, and then put a deposit down! We came to a price that was lower than the seller wanted and higher than I wanted which means it's probably about right. Collection next week ....

And here's something to make you fall off your seats laughing ... I didn't even get to drive it! PPI guy (Jez) drove it but the seller declined to allow me the wheel as I didn't have fully comp insurance; insurance on my car gives me TP cover on other vehicles but not fully comp. So I've just put a chunky deposit down to purchase a car that I have yet to drive. Great to be me, huh?

[2Btoo]

Thanks. Yes, that's my plan. The big-and-very-urgent one on that list is the cross-over radiator pipe at the front of the car. Jez (mechanic) showed me the problem and it's not got much longer left. New parts called for, and soon.

OK, so a practical question; where can I find service manuals, parts diagrams and so on for a 987 Cayman? There is a wealth of stuff available for the 944 and other older Porsche models but what about the Cayman? Or do I simply dive on in with a socket set and keep my fingers crossed?

[2Btoo]

Guys,

Thanks for the replies. Sadly I can't say I am excited about the new car; I drove my old 944 to the viewing and back and I still really love the old girl. The hardest part of this process is deciding what to do with her; sell or or lay her up somewhere for a few years. I'm inclining to the latter. Getting excited about the Cayman is therefore taking a back seat. Maybe that will change when I actually own it. I hope it does.

DRH986 said:

Congratulations!

If you PM me, I have some info I can send you. I did a detailed write up of the coolant pipes replacement.

Thanks - that would be really helpful. I'll PM you pronto.

Thanks again.

[2Btoo]

Bev211264,

Great first post - thanks for the help!

How did you know where the misfires where? I presume you had a scan tool.

If you have the address of the Newcastle place that refurbished the drive shafts then I'd be quite interested if you could pass it on.

Thanks.

[2Btoo]

Further to the wheels comment .... what do these look like on a 987.1 Cayman?



I've googled but can't find any pictures of them on a Cayman. They are 17inch and listed as being quite light (8.3 and 9.0kg respectively.)

[2Btoo]

Ah, thanks - that's helpful. I'll pass on them then!

Which ones are good for the 987? These ones?

[2Btoo]

18inch Cayman S alloys - the slightly slab-sided ones.



I want to go smaller.

[2Btoo]

Thanks again cmoose. Your Cayman knowledge is very useful!

From browsing eBay it seems that there are quite a number of different models of wheel which were fitted to the Boxsters and Caymans. I'm looking for 17inch ones (as the purists seem to say they are by far the best size for the car) and I quite like the first ones you pictured - the star-pattern ones. However prices seem to be all over the place; the ones I posted a picture of have just finished on eBay at £120 with no bids so didn't sell, and yet there are people asking two and three times that price for other designs.

I guess the question is where can I pick up alloy wheels second-hand that are priced realistically? Or is it simply a matter of keeping an eye on eBay and seeing what comes up?

[2Btoo]

Thanks. Where did you find those ones you purchased - eBay?

If there are four styles then those will be 987.1 base Boxster, like this:



987.2 base Boxster, like this:



987.1 base Cayman, like this?



... and 987.2 base Cayman



However there seem to be a number of other 17inch wheels which crop up. These, which seem to be a 986 type and are for sale in their hundreds:



Are these 997 wheels?



What about these?



These seem to crop up fairly often.



I'm not sure I have seen these in real life but they are supposedly 17inch Boxster wheels.



I think I saw a thread somewhere about fuchs wheels being made of the right size for Caymans, but they were fiendishly expensive ....