First Porsche

[oldmanskateclub]

Hi all,

Been reading the forums and watching endless youtube videos on Porsches. I've been looking for a fun weekend car that I may track at least once. You've got to track the car once, right?

I've been thinking of a manual 997.2 CS or a 987.2 S. I saw this advert last night for a Cayman which looks like an interesting spec and great condition https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202... Sports Chrono, LSD, PASM. The only thing it looks like it's missing from my point of view is a sports exhaust. I checked Parkers for the price and it does look strong. Do people put any store in Parkers, or is it never accurate?

I told my girlfriend that I was thinking of buying it and she said 'please buy it!' I think she thinks I'll stop obsessing about Porsches if I've actually got one. I'm not so sure about it.

Has anybody good any advice on the spec or some other examples it might be worth looking at?

Douglas.

[oldmanskateclub]

Thank you all so much for your responses.

LennyM1984 said:

The thing I would enquire about is the "full service history."

Sounds like good advice. The ad says full service history, but it's a good idea to actually verify the service history. Sounds obvious now you say it! The tires look like they are in good nick. I checked out the MOT history and the tires were replaced whilst still only in the advisory so that's a good sign. Also it's good the disks and brake pads have been replaced, but it is approaching the 40K major service which will presumably have some expensive attached beyond just the cost of serivce.

Maxym said:

What's the warranty situation? Most dealers will include some sort of warranty. An official Porsche extended warranty will be about £1K/year BTW.

This car is listed as a private sale, so no warranty. Can you get a Porsche extended warranty if you don't buy the car from an OPC? I've also seen you can get some third party warranties from companies such as motoreasy. Do you have any experience of these? There's probably another thread I can read somewhere.

n12maser said:

I have a different view on sports exhaust, which is that the sense of speed is more important than the speed itself... particularly on our restricted roads.

So if the aural pleasure of a fruity exhaust makes you feel more engaged in the drive at road speeds than without (which a good one usually does), then it's a must-have.

If it can improve my driving pleasure at slower speeds, that has to be a good thing! I think you're right about the sense of speed being the most important as well as having usable power. One of the appeal of the naturally aspirated older cars to me is they're not stupid fast.

woollyjoe said:

If you're also considering the 997.2 C2 manual - get this.

It's a sweet engine, under valued (only because it is 3.6 instead of the 3.8 S), has 4 seats and is just a tonne of character for the car.

Interesting thought. I should go and test drive one for sure.

[oldmanskateclub]

Thanks all for the replies. Really interesting thoughts.

dgswk said:

My wife said the same, very supportive. On the basis I'd shut up once I had one. Not happened yet!

Andyoz said:

My wife called me a wker when I messaged her a photo of the Porsche I'd just bought.

These are hilarious. Shhh! Don't tell my girlfriend.

NewNameNeeded said:

Just to add that a sports exhaust is one of the easier options to retrofit at a later date. So definitely focus on LSD, PASM, etc.

That's good to know.

Maxym said:

I had one. Great car. Engine's a peach.

Is the engine the same one as the 991.1 C2? I think I read the 997.2 and 991.1 share the same DFI egnine.

Shjc2 said:

I would also double check whether it actually has the LSD specced from factory as you can't really tell unless you look at the option codes from the side of the door and it was a rarely specced option.

I was thinking of asking the person selling if they could send me a picture of the factory options list. What is the ASP?

Good to know about the what the service and condensors might cost me. I'll need to make a list of the things to ask. Ditto for checking the receipts. That seems like good advice for now buying a car, and also good advice once I've got it.

I was thinking of getting a PPI so hopefully some that would come up.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I did see that red Cayman. Six months warranty too, which is worth a bit. Looks to be another great option, and I know it's difficult to be too picky on spec, but without the chrono do you loose the sports mode? Not entirely sure what the sports mode does in the manual in the 987. Does it change the throttle response and the engine map?

Also, how did you see how long the car has been for sale for? Does it say that on AT? I ordered the cars by date and it was sort of in the middle. Not the oldest at least, I thought, but I could be wrong.

churchie2856 said:

One thing on this car to consider is the number of owners ... it’s had four previous. So you’d be number 6. Not necessarily a problem, but could make it harder for you to move it on later, and does count against the low mileage premium.

Hhmm, yes. That does start to sound suspicious. How do you find that out? Can you do a Nice idea on the offer as well.

Meeten-5dulx said:

Do you have a local specialist nearby?
I know one near me and he does pre purchase inspections.
Probably a good idea I'd this is your first Porsche
They can highlight any issues and for the cost of 1 - 2hrs labour could save you a load of heartache if something transpires that you hadn't noticed.

Do you mean find a specialist local to me for the pre-purchase inspection, or near to the seller? I'm in London, but the seller is in Stratford-Upon-Avon. How do they work, does someone need to drive the car to a shop? I guess so, if they're going to get it up on a rack!

[oldmanskateclub]

The idea of a well-balance mid-engine sports car certainly does sound appealing to me. Also, I don't think I can stretch to a 997 at the moment, so perhaps that's decision made!

[oldmanskateclub]

So, I bought a Porsche. I found some extra cash down the back of the sofa and bought a 2009 997.2 Carrera S manual coupe. Just thought you get a lot of power for the money, just 11 bhp less than a 718 GTS 4.0 which sounds like a great car but is more than double the price. At least the C2S did have 385 bhp at one time! Also I liked the hydrolic steering, less engine issues and back seats, which have proven very useful for transporting my girlfriend and my newly arrived daughter. And IKEA stuff. Oh yes, this is our only car at the moment!

Made all the classic mistakes when I bought the car, but it's the first car I've ever bought and at least I learnt from this experience! Saw the car in the showroom and kept thinking about it for weeks until I broke and just bought it.

Definitely bought with my heart rather than my head but it hasn't turned out too badly. Didn't really test drive it thouroughly enough. Didn't get a PPI. The only problem is the transmission (only!). 1st and 2nd gear are pretty difficult to get in when the car is cold. The garage the dealer uses to check their cars over before they are sold didn't think they were too bad. I feel the car was reasonibly priced and if I do need to get the gearbox rebuilt at some point it's not the end of the world and at least I'll know it's been done and shouldn't need to be done again for a while. They did change out the transmission oil which has helped a bit. Better the devil you know!

Thanks all for your help.

[oldmanskateclub]

It was! Apologies, I wasn’t told anyone else had offered. I’m terrible at negotiating so I just paid what he was asking.

I didn’t realise it had a short shift on it. Nobody told me! I’ve read that short shifters can be a bit notchy. Any idea why that is? The car really doesn’t like going in to 1st unless you’re practically at a a stand still. Perhaps this is how I should be shifting anyway, but I figure it has synchro rings for 1st, like all the other gears, so it should be able shift in to 1st when I’m going under, say, 20 mph.

Sports exhaust still isn’t working, I’m taking it in to AMS for them to look at next week. I’m also going to get a few things like new floor mats as the drivers side was ruined and getting stuck under the clutch and a new fuel cap. Minor things.

Still haven’t driven it enough. Hard with a brand new baby. Can’t wait to drive some nice roads and take it to a track for some tuition.

[oldmanskateclub]

And oh yes, and I would be very interested in that PPI report! Who did you get to do it for you?

[oldmanskateclub]

Yes, it’s fairly astoundingly.

Did you find another car B2T?

[oldmanskateclub]

I think they may have put a new battery in. I can’t remember. I’ll check tomorrow. They did say there might be a problem with the starter motor, but it’s been okay for me so far.

I was told there was some sort of timing/misfire issue when Invictus bought the car, although not the kind that can damage the pistons. They replaced a valve solenoid as they prepped it for sale. I don’t see anything about the fuel pump though.

It’s very nice to hear other people think it’s a good car, I have to say!

[oldmanskateclub]

I clicked on your username and sent an email to you, I believe. Is that the same as a personal message? Also a piston heads noob as well as a Porsche noob.