56 Gen 1 Cayman S v 09 Gen 2 Cayman - Advice Please?

[mountainreef]

Hi,

This is my first post so apologies if I have put this topic in the wrong place? I am looking to buy a Porsche Cayman (10k down and the rest on finance) but i'm getting a bit confused about what would be the best thing to do?

On one hand I have found a 56 (07 registered) plate, Cayman S, 35k miles, main dealer servicing +22 month Porsche extended warranty plus just about every option:
PCM 2.1 Porsche Satnav
Telephone Module For PCM
19 Inch Sport Design Alloys
PASM Porsche Active Suspension Management
Sport Chrono Package Plus
Multifunction Steering Wheel In Smooth Leather
BOSE Sound
Heated Seats
Upgrade Fully Automatic Climate Control Airconditioning
Bi Xenon Lights With Wash
Auto Dimming Interior & Exterior Mirrors
PSM Porche Stability Management
Windscreen Toptint
Porsche VTS Vehicle Tracking

Price is £25990

On the other hand is a 2009 Cayman, 28k miles, main dealer servicing. Option's included are PCM 2.1 Sat Nav and the 19 inch turbo alloys. This car's warranty has expired this month

Price is £26995

My head say's that I should go for the S as it has the warranty and all of the options but i am worried about the fact that the car is nearly 5 years old and already a model out of date?

The warranty situation worries me slightly as I have read that Porsche wouldn't extend it out again for this model so i'm wondering if the sell-on value would diminish extremely fast?

I've had an informal quote of around £1k a year to get an extended warranty for the 09 Cayman which then increases the total cost of the car to nearly £30k. Once it gets to that figure I'm not far off an approved 61 plate..

Is there a likelihood of the Cayman S's value dropping below 15k in 2 years? Is there a major difference between the Gen 1 'S' variants at the Gen 2 standard models?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[mrdemon]

warranty wise, you don't have to have a Porsche warranty.

I think the gen 1 S with 2 years warranty for 25k is a cracking car.

Think it will sell ok as the spec is massive.

I would only go gen 2 if you can get into the S.

[crazy about cars]

Talk about deja vu! Currently looking at Cayman Ss myself. Personally I would only go for the "S" as the rest of the variants seems a little low on power and would be a downgrade from my current TTS.

Surprised you managed to find such cheap and highly specced examples though!

[Atom Ant]

Fantastic cars I have an upgraded S (320bhp on gen 1)that I need to move on as I need a GT3 in my life now. It's got to be the S though as the chassis just beg for power and the others won't cut the mustard! just my opinion after driving them all!

[mountainreef]

Thank you all for the advice, you've helped me make up mind.

Really appreciated, Happy New Year.

[jackliebling]

Speaking from experience, the Gen 2 Cayman 2.9 is NOT short on power and feels quite similar to a Gen 1 Cayman S. The 2.9 is a great engine, so do consider it...

Personally I think that the Gen 2 rear lights make a massive difference to the look of the car (same on the 997 Gen 2), so I would never buy a Gen 1...

[doneitnow]

jackliebling said:

Speaking from experience, the Gen 2 Cayman 2.9 is NOT short on power and feels quite similar to a Gen 1 Cayman S. The 2.9 is a great engine, so do consider it...

Personally I think that the Gen 2 rear lights make a massive difference to the look of the car (same on the 997 Gen 2), so I would never buy a Gen 1...

Do you really think the rear lights are that much of a difference that it would stop you buying one?

[jackliebling]

Absolutely for sure. I think the Gen II 987 and 997 look so much more modern with the LED lights (hence the current craze of putting aftermarket rear LED light units in Gen 1 997s).

The 991 changes so little over time that those small details make all the difference.

[craigjm]

Go for the Gen2 the non-S in the Gen2 on the road is almost indistinguishable from the gen 1 S. I think the styling updates make the car too and some of the options are much better (PCM3 over 2.1 etc). In terms of warranty you can buy an extended one from Porsche or an independent warranty.

[shoestring7]

mountainreef said:

Thank you all for the advice, you've helped me make up mind.

Really appreciated, Happy New Year.

Have you driven them or is buying a Porsche a spreadsheet exercise for you?

SS7

[khushy]

shoestring7 said:

Have you driven them or is buying a Porsche a spreadsheet exercise for you?

SS7

^THIS^

[mountainreef]

shoestring7 said:

Have you driven them or is buying a Porsche a spreadsheet exercise for you?

SS7

Typing on the phone doesn't really help convey what i meant in that post. Anyway, I have driven a Gen 1 Cayman and liked it hence why I started looking to buy. The two I have seen are literally at opposite ends of the country so when I said 'helped make up my mind' it was to book a test-drive with the 56 S which is around 150 miles from me.

If most people on here had started arguing furiously then I would have driven both, however looking at the replies it seems that the major differences seem to be styling and optional kit. Is it worth going to Lancashire next? I'm not convinced at this point.

I'll start with the preferred option and if i'm still unsure then i'll try and find a comparable 09 cayman to have a drive in.

Oh and yes finances do come into it unfortunately, otherwise I'd most likely be looking at a new C4S cabrio.

[ChipsAndCheese]

mountainreef said:

My head say's that that the car is nearly 5 years old and already a model out of date?

The warranty situation worries me slightly as I have read that Porsche wouldn't extend it out again for this model so i'm wondering if the sell-on value would diminish extremely fast?

The gen1 S isn't a full model cycle out of date, just a midlife facelift and engine change. The next properly new version of the Cayman isn't due until 2013. Styling differences between gen 1 and 2 cars are minimal - new headlights and slightly redesigned front bumper, new rear lights, changes to centre console inside and that's about it. IMO, not enough for the gen1 to look dated compared to gen2s.

Re: the warranty, not sure where you read that, but it is wrong. Porsche will still warranty gen1 Caymans, in fact I took one out on my 2006 S just a couple of weeks back. The official Porsche extended warranty can be applied to all Porsches providing they are under 125k miles, less than 9 years old, not modified and can pass the 111 point inspection.

Edited by ChipsAndCheese on Saturday 31st December 09:05

[doneitnow]

ChipsAndCheese said:

Re: the warranty, not sure where you read that, but it is wrong. Porsche will still warranty gen1 Caymans, in fact I took one out on my 2006 S just a couple of weeks back. The official Porsche extended warranty can be applied to all Porsches providing they are under 125k miles, less than 9 years old, not modified and can pass the 111 point inspection.

Edited by ChipsAndCheese on Saturday 31st December 09:05

Out of interest, if you want a Porsche warranty do you have to pay for the 111 point check on top of the cost of warranty?

[Trev450]

doneitnow said:

Out of interest, if you want a Porsche warranty do you have to pay for the 111 point check on top of the cost of warranty?

Yes. Although some OPC's will negotiate on this.

[doneitnow]

Trev450 said:

Yes. Although some OPC's will negotiate on this.

Sounds a bit of a WIN WIN situation for Porsche to me, so they charge a high price being Porsche I dare say for the 111 point check, now you get the results yes sir that was fine pay us another huge amount for the warranty as we think we are safe taking your money, or sorry sir you need to have these faulty items rectified at a cost of x thousands before we will charge you a huge amount for the warranty so that we can try and make sure we are safe!!!!

Should they not be taking a gamble on the car not needing anything doing to it in 12 months the same as we take the gamble that it might need work doing in the 12 months hence the warranty.

[Trev450]

doneitnow said:

Trev450 said:

Yes. Although some OPC's will negotiate on this.

Sounds a bit of a WIN WIN situation for Porsche to me, so they charge a high price being Porsche I dare say for the 111 point check, now you get the results yes sir that was fine pay us another huge amount for the warranty as we think we are safe taking your money, or sorry sir you need to have these faulty items rectified at a cost of x thousands before we will charge you a huge amount for the warranty so that we can try and make sure we are safe!!!!

Should they not be taking a gamble on the car not needing anything doing to it in 12 months the same as we take the gamble that it might need work doing in the 12 months hence the warranty.

Welcome to OPC rules This is one of the reasons why I have chosen not to put a warranty on my car and also use a good indy for servicing, etc.

[LTCayman]

"56 Gen 1 Cayman S v 09 Gen 2 Cayman "

I went through the same dilema a month or so ago.

I drove a good spec & great condition 56 plate 'S' that I was really keen on but I just thought could I stretch to a Gen 2 so I went looking around a bit more. In the end I did by a 09 Gen 2 'S' from an OPC but I got an good deal IMO that included the usual 2 yr warranty etc.

The plus sides for me are LED upgrades, PCM 3.0, lower road tax!, slightly better MPG & of course its a newer car....

My only thoughts are I will probably loose more money on this car but hopefully it has lost a big chunk already!

Impressed so far with the car..

[ChipsAndCheese]

doneitnow said:

Out of interest, if you want a Porsche warranty do you have to pay for the 111 point check on top of the cost of warranty?

Most will do it free if getting it done during a service. Sure you could negotiate the cost right down if just getting the warranty.

[ChipsAndCheese]

doneitnow said:

Sounds a bit of a WIN WIN situation for Porsche to me, so they charge a high price being Porsche I dare say for the 111 point check, now you get the results yes sir that was fine pay us another huge amount for the warranty as we think we are safe taking your money, or sorry sir you need to have these faulty items rectified at a cost of x thousands before we will charge you a huge amount for the warranty so that we can try and make sure we are safe!!!!

Should they not be taking a gamble on the car not needing anything doing to it in 12 months the same as we take the gamble that it might need work doing in the 12 months hence the warranty.

I don't think it is unreasonable for them to check that the car isn't about to explode before they issue the warranty. It is the behaviour of some OPCs where issues arise. Like the thread on here last week about the guy who was told his tyres needed to be the same N rating all round, which was very different to my experience.