Cayman 987.2 Buyers Tips

[Lewis's Friend]

Hi All - I was hoping for some wisdom.

I am currently researching buying a Cayman 987.2 for my next car (I prefer the look over the earlier cars).

I have looked at a lot of buyers guides, and while they are often quite thorough, they are mostly for 987 cars in general and spend a lot of time talking about potential engine issues in the 987.1.

I would probably be looking for a 2.9 (mainly due to budget!) and was wondering whether there was a good buyers guide for 987.2 specifically?

Equally, if anyone here has any tips they would be gratefully received.

I am aware that crossover pipes are something to check, and that a 'Cayman trunk rattle' is a thing!

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Megaflow]

I ran a 987.2 2.9 for 6 years and they are probably the most reliable Porsche for known horrors, as I am sure you know, they do not have an IMS to worry about and bore score isn't a thing.

They are even reasonable cheap to run, I specifically bought one with 17" wheels, and even a full set of Michelins was only £600, Texstar OE pads & Brembo discs were only £400 and I fitted them.

The three biggest bug issues are the crossover pipes, they will need doing at 8-10 years, and will probably need doing again at 16-20 years. AC condensers corrode with muck build up in the bottom corners of the ducts.

The other issue, which is common, but doesn't seem to get mentioned as much, is gear cables. They last about 10 years, seemingly regardless of mileage, both mine and my dad's failed at ~10 despite a mileage difference.

[clive_candy]

Had a 2009 2.9 PDK for a couple of years and loved it. It was about 12 years old when I bought it and you'd have expected any problems to have been showing up by that stage. But nothing. To be fair, it was a one-owner car and the guy who had it originally was a PCGB type so it had been well looked after.

The crossover pipes hadn't been done and they didn't need doing in the time I had it. Apart from a couple of routine services the only thing it had was a pair of tyres, Eagle F1s so they weren't cheap but I was replacing like with like.

Oh, the pop-out coffee cup holder was broken when I bought it and had been glued shut. Irritated I'd not noticed it before I bought the car and it cost an arm and a leg to buy a replacement part - and it was painful dealing with a Porsche main dealer. But when your only complaint is a non-functioning coffee cup holder it kind of says all you need to know about the kind of car it was.

Edited by clive_candy on Friday 1st May 16:46

[Clad-Hach]

Mine is a 2009 Cayman S 987.2 currently on 21,000 miles, in the fourteen years I've owned it apart from the regular maintenance items it has had the following.

Two rear water hoses.

One new aircon condenser (warranty covered it)

New Battery.

A couple of MOD's I've done, replaced the stock steering wheel with a Sports Design wheel which was a bit pricey (£2000) but it looks so much better and I am convinced it makes it drive better...worth it absolutely, and a new pre-modified Carnewal Cayman R exhaust for more noise.

Currently it has few age related issues to be fixed, last year at the MOT (OPC) an advisory for a rear coffin arm popped up, and water is leaking from under the front somewhere (probably the cross over pipes) and that's about it up to now.

So would I recommend one of these cars...100% definitely, I wouldn't change my 987.2 for any Porsche in the line-up, I does everything I want a sports car to do, it looks great, drives amazing, and sounds fabulous.

One thing to think about...lots of people say the 2.9 is enough, having driven both I would disagree the 3.4 is way better.

Edited by Clad-Hach on Friday 1st May 18:46

[Lewis's Friend]

Thanks for the feedback, it's most helpful.

It does seem these are pretty reliable cars, with a few weaknesses that don't sound too bad to address at home. They seem to get under the skin of owners too!

Edited by Lewis's Friend on Friday 1st May 21:25

[sdh2903]

Sold my 2009 987.2 3.4 at the end of last year after a 2.5year project to get it up to scratch, it had been a bit neglected but went into it with eyes open. Tbh im still not 100% i did the right thing in letting it go.

They are getting to an age now where if not already done then they will be needing a bit of a refresh. Coffin arms and all the other suspension link bushes especially. Coffin arms are an experience to change if in poor state, a reciprocating saw is your friend. Dampers are subject to porsche tax even for aftermarket.

As above coolant pipes will likely need doing if theyve not been done. Check in the openings in the front bumpers for leaves. If they are mucky they rot the condensers and rads behind.

Brake pipes are known for rotting. The main front to back runs live under an undertray so slowly corrode away without anyone noticing. The caliper link pipes also let go.

Not sure if the 2.9 is the same as the 3.4 but the aux belt tensioner can seize causing issues and its a 350 quid bit from porsche.

Rear lights on the 987.2 are known for crazing/cracking and are not cheap to replace, although the design911 'non genuine' ones are made by the same manufacturer as oem.

Standard halogen headlights are borderline dangerous so try and get one with the upgraded ones or budget for an upgrade to hid.

For me the .2 is a little muted in stock form, personal preference obvs but a stainless exhaust really livens them up.

I put a lot of time and prob 5k into mine but it drove beautifully once all done. Make sure any potential purchase has a decent history and plenty of receipts. If its been run on a shoestring with deferred issues it will cost you in the long run.

Best of luck with the search.

[SV_WDC]

OP feel free to take a look at my garage blog for the 6 years I owned by 987.2 PDK. https://www.pistonheads.com/members/showServiceHis...

[Lewis's Friend]

Thanks for taking the time to post - it's very useful to hear people's experiences and things to look out for.

I feel better when viewing a car if I have a check sheet to go through; it makes me feel like I'm being thorough!

[Megaflow]

Lewis's Friend said:

Thanks for the feedback, it's most helpful.

It does seem these are pretty reliable cars, with a few weaknesses that don't sound too bad to address at home. They seem to get under the skin of owners too!

Edited by Lewis's Friend on Friday 1st May 21:25

Coolant pipes is not really a DIY job, in theory it can be done at home, but it requires the front subframe to come off, and that usually means getting a car higher in the air than possible at home.

[Lewis's Friend]

Megaflow said:

Coolant pipes is not really a DIY job, in theory it can be done at home, but it requires the front subframe to come off, and that usually means getting a car higher in the air than possible at home.

That's interesting to know. I'll have a look and see if there are any videos around.

I've done some jobs at home with cars fairly high (front subframe out on a Jag XJ/engine & subframe out on and mx5), but if it's not possible that would be quite a large bill from a garage.

[sdh2903]

Megaflow said:

Coolant pipes is not really a DIY job, in theory it can be done at home, but it requires the front subframe to come off, and that usually means getting a car higher in the air than possible at home.

It doesnt need to come off. You can do them with it lowered a few inches. The best way is to use some threaded bar in the subframe bolt holes and lower it. 4 inches or so is enough for access. I did mine on the drive on axles stands. There are a few guides online.

Refilling the coolant afterwards is tricky. I persevered and got it bled eventually by jacking the rear up. If doing again id invest in a vacuum filler.

[andySC]

I’ve had my 987.2 S for just over a year. I looked at quite a few private sales & each & every one needed work & were priced very close to what dealers were asking. This ranged from needing services, ancient tyres (on low mileage cars, usually the fronts), condensers leaking, wheel refurbs & other cosmetic jobs. After around 8 months of trawling the classifieds looking for what appeared to holy grail I bought a beautiful Carrara white s from a well regarded independent Porsche dealer. All the work that I asked about had been done or wasn’t required & photos & videos were sent to me to calm my nerves somewhat. The car was as good up close as it was described & I couldn’t have been happier. They put 6 months comprehensive warranty on the car then another 6 months for the engine/gearbox.
The .2 cars are quite scarce & when you are reasonably picky on spec/colour the pool gets even smaller.
I would’ve loved to buy a private car from an enthusiast that was just about perfect (or priced correctly) but I didn’t manage it so plumped for the dealer option.

[Lewis's Friend]

andySC said:

I ve had my 987.2 S for just over a year. I looked at quite a few private sales & each & every one needed work & were priced very close to what dealers were asking. This ranged from needing services, ancient tyres (on low mileage cars, usually the fronts), condensers leaking, wheel refurbs & other cosmetic jobs. After around 8 months of trawling the classifieds looking for what appeared to holy grail I bought a beautiful Carrara white s from a well regarded independent Porsche dealer. All the work that I asked about had been done or wasn t required & photos & videos were sent to me to calm my nerves somewhat. The car was as good up close as it was described & I couldn t have been happier. They put 6 months comprehensive warranty on the car then another 6 months for the engine/gearbox.
The .2 cars are quite scarce & when you are reasonably picky on spec/colour the pool gets even smaller.
I would ve loved to buy a private car from an enthusiast that was just about perfect (or priced correctly) but I didn t manage it so plumped for the dealer option.

It's interesting you say that.

I've started observing cars for sale, and with the caveat that I haven't stood in front of any yet, the prices seem all over the place, from private sellers and dealers. That may just mean I need to physically look at some and then the prices will make sense to me.

I enjoy working on my cars, so buying one that needs a few jobs doing would be fine for me, but only if the purchase price reflects the work required.

I'm also zeroing in on my ideal spec, but as you say that very much decreases the pool - often to none! So compromises will probably have to be made there... maybe a few more will pop up over the summer.

[Clad-Hach]

You will probably already read people mentioning about cars with a plastic dash and they wouldn't buy one without extended leather...yes the leather is a nice have but there is nothing wrong with the soft touch plastic, I wouldn't loose out on a nice car because of the material of the dash.

Wheels...lots of comments about how these cars ride and handle better on smaller diameter wheels and the 19's ruin it, mine feels perfectly fine on 19's.

Private buying...I can only tell you my experience. When I went looking for one my car was a private sale on Autotrader, when I went to see it I wasn't only looking at the car I was checking out the owner and his house to see how it looked, my thinking nice chap well kept house and gardens so the chances are the car will be the same.

Good luck finding a nicely kept car its worth the time and effort to find a good one...but don't dither the nice ones go fast.

[CanAm]

Clad-Hach said:

You will probably already read people mentioning about cars with a plastic dash and they wouldn't buy one without extended leather...yes the leather is a nice have but there is nothing wrong with the soft touch plastic, I wouldn't loose out on a nice car because of the material of the dash.

Wheels...lots of comments about how these cars ride and handle better on smaller diameter wheels and the 19's ruin it, mine feels perfectly fine on 19's.

Private buying...I can only tell you my experience. When I went looking for one my car was a private sale on Autotrader, when I went to see it I wasn't only looking at the car I was checking out the owner and his house to see how it looked, my thinking nice chap well kept house and gardens so the chances are the car will be the same.

Good luck finding a nicely kept car its worth the time and effort to find a good one...but don't dither the nice ones go fast.

Very much like my experience; a 2.9 on 19" wheels, but with PASM the ride is fine. The extended leather was the icing on the cake.
And a similar experience with the private seller; he turned out to be a fellow Caterham owner too, so we got on well.

[Lewis's Friend]

Again, thanks for the replies.

In terms of spec, I would like:
- a colour that isn't white, silver or black
- heated seats
- cruise control
- upgraded sound system (but not Bose)
- rear parking sensors
- multifunctional steering wheel

Whether all these things are possible to achieve in one car, I guess we shall see! Equally, I am happy to compromise, the above is just what I would ideally like.

[Megaflow]

sdh2903 said:

Megaflow said:

Coolant pipes is not really a DIY job, in theory it can be done at home, but it requires the front subframe to come off, and that usually means getting a car higher in the air than possible at home.

It doesnt need to come off. You can do them with it lowered a few inches. The best way is to use some threaded bar in the subframe bolt holes and lower it. 4 inches or so is enough for access. I did mine on the drive on axles stands. There are a few guides online.

Refilling the coolant afterwards is tricky. I persevered and got it bled eventually by jacking the rear up. If doing again id invest in a vacuum filler.

Oh, ok. I understood it had to come off to do it. That said, it's not a job I'd want to tackle without a ramp, but I am getting old!

The refilling is a good point though, they are a slag to bleed.

[CanAm]

Lewis's Friend said:

Again, thanks for the replies.

In terms of spec, I would like:
- a colour that isn't white, silver or black
- heated seats
- cruise control
- upgraded sound system (but not Bose)
- rear parking sensors
- multifunctional steering wheel

Whether all these things are possible to achieve in one car, I guess we shall see! Equally, I am happy to compromise, the above is just what I would ideally like.

I got

- a colour that isn't white, silver or black - metallic midnight blue
- heated seats
- cruise control
- upgraded sound system (but not Bose) - But BOSE
- rear parking sensors
- multifunctional steering wheel
PLUS
PASM
PCM 3.0 with Nav & Phone
Extended Leather
Automatic Climate Control

So, many thanks to the first owner for ticking all those boxes

Edited by CanAm on Tuesday 5th May 13:50