Cayman gen 2, PDK, PASM, to buy or not to buy?

[asupp]

Hi everyone,

So after looking at many car options around the 25K mark I have opted for a Gen 2 Cayman and looked at a few but thought I would put it out on here for comment.
its a 2010 Cayman 2.9
34K on the clock
4 owners
PASM
sport exhaust
PDK
BOSE
Chornopack
its on for 24K

The question remains is this a good deal and what should I look for when negotiating a deal?
I think the spec is good and will be not much slower than a Cayman S, but I might be wrong

[johnconners]

That's a pretty highly specced 2.9 - can't say I've seen many a Gen 2 Cayman or Cayman S with the combination of PASM and sports exhaust. But does seem priced pretty well in my view.

I went from a 2.9 to a Gen 2 S and the S is quite significantly faster when you drive them both flat out to the red line. However I tended to wring the 2.9 out a lot more than I do the S - the latter is a lot more torquey so I have to make an effort to rev it out. This means in the real world the S doesn't feel as much faster as it actually is, if that makes sense. Both of mine were manual so PDK would likely get you wringing them both out more anyway. Best bet is drive them both and see which character you prefer.

In terms of looking around that age it's all about condition and work carried out - the more receipts the better. Although at that age and mileage I can't think there'd be much to go wrong, just checking things like the discs (inside face and out) along with the radiators in the front for damage / rusting, creaking noises steering stationary lock to lock (shock mounts) and any suspension clunking or more creaking (things like control arms and what not). Mine does make more noise over a bumpy road with PASM in sport mode but I expect that's normal. If it was a manual the clutch might be on its way out (mine was at that mileage). They all get covered in stone chips on the nose / bonnet / windscreen so if it's not been resprayed you can always haggle down on that - same with kerbed alloys (particularly if they're diamond cut as that's pricey to repair).

[asupp]

thanks for you help johnconners


Is the PDK fairly maintenance free?

I guess looking at using 25K to buy a 911 is probably foolish, but the thought had crossed my mind, as did Golf R, BMW m235 and Audi TT. I think the Cayman is in a different class from what I have read online. But happy to hear others views on this?

Edited by asupp on Tuesday 16th May 13:42

[johnconners]

No PDK issues I've come across - they seem pretty reliable!

25K would get you a Gen 1 997 911 and those engines are a whole can of worms often discussed on these forums! That said a well maintained Hartech rebuilt manual one would be a cracking car... Those other cars are great in their own way but just depends what you want out of a car. As a sports car the Cayman does everything for me - practical in terms of luggage space for long Euro road trips, mid engined, sounds great, reasonably fuel efficient, naturally aspirated, Winter weapon with a set of Winter tyres on it, great drivers car. An Evora does a very similar thing but is a bit more expensive and somewhat less storage space.

[asupp]

So went to buy the Cayman and ended up buying a boxster S with full PCM and only 18K on the clock. It also had no options other than full extended leather and 19 carerra 2 wheels. I jut like the way it drove and looked. Now I will start the quest on fitting new Bluetooth connectivity to the RCD-30 unit...

[philipbrown123]

Was it the fact that the boxster seemed better value against the Cayman ?

[asupp]

I think it just looked better and drive better it actually cost the same but was the S model compared to the Cayman.