987 Caymans are getting very attractively priced. S cars look to be available for a bit over $20k, non-S cars for a bit under. Looking at them as a Mrs. Deuce daily/sometime autocrosser, is the premium on the S worth it?
These have been on our list for the past decade or so and they still make both of us weak in the knees visually and I've autocrossed a few and know I like them a lot. I think it might be time to poke around at the market.
Bigger brakes, more power, extra gear, nicer interior, will hold its value better... yeah i think it is worth it. Are you selling the 911?
No, the 911 is permanent, but in Houston stop and go traffic we treat it as a seasonal car (avoiding the heat). Mrs. Deuce really wants an R8 but can't convince herself to spend $80k. She's very willing to drop $20K on something beautiful and useful and I really like them. I haven't bought anything in over six months and I'm getting itchy.
Since taking about daily driving and stop and go making the 911 unsuitable, I'm assuming we're talking auto trans? If so, from my experience selling these when they were new, I'd aim for a 2009+ S. Better engine than early cars, and a bit more so than the non-S, and much better transmission than early cars. On the autox/enthusiast side, if you can find one with PASM and Sport Chrono Plus, you won't regret it.
No, manual car. Mrs. Deuce has never owned an auto and isn't about to start now. She frequently questions my masculinity when driving any of the auto cars that she considers mine.
S. Definitely. Pretty much better everything for only a little more money.
Manual, I'd still stick with 09+ if possible. Both S and non-S engine updates eliminated the IMS and received a healthy performance boost, but only the S got direct injection. New I might have considered a non-S due to the significant price difference, but for a much smaller increase on the used market I'd look for an S. The S will also generally be more nicely optioned and at this point will probably maintain the majority of it's additional value. PASM is fun for being able to give the suspension a dual (DD/toy) personality, and as a bonus looks a little better sitting ~.5" lower. The Sport Chrono Plus is still nice for Autox, but definitely makes less difference without the PDK gearbox.
In reply to docwyte :
That's what I figured. The percentage delta is big (20-30%) but in absolute dollars it does seem like a bargain.
I'll be the dissenter and say consider a non-S. Its good too.
If I ever trade in the FRS a used 987 S is at the top of the list.
I've heard the 2009+ models have a *lot* of improvements - especially for those who track the cars. No IMS bearing, less PS problems, and a few other things. The only issue is I'm having a hard time finding 987.2 S models at <$40k, but there's plenty of 2008s in the ~20k range. I'd love to hear more from those who have owned an earlier 987 & tracked it. If it wasn't for the threat of a $20k repair bill I'd go buy one.
Personally, I'd definitely try to save a few more pennies for the S. I know if I got the base I'd eventually want the S anyway.
Fixing the IMS is just a matter of pulling the motor and bolting in the right improved parts, yes?
Sonolin said:The only issue is I'm having a hard time finding 987.2 S models at <$40k, but there's plenty of 2008s in the ~20k range.
Ouch...The 09's certainly aren't that much more car than the 08's.
mazdeuce - Seth said:Fixing the IMS is just a matter of pulling the motor and bolting in the right improved parts, yes?
I thought it basically required a complete engine tear down...Which should be right up your alley.
Statistically I don't think the IMS thing is even a thing with the 987.1's. Planet 9 is a good place to dig up more info.
On S vs. not.. I guess it depends on the reasons one is getting into a Cayman in the first place.
Driven5 said:Sonolin said:The only issue is I'm having a hard time finding 987.2 S models at <$40k, but there's plenty of 2008s in the ~20k range.
Ouch...The 09's certainly aren't that much more car than the 08's.
I think it's more of the limited numbers of the 987.2s (plus the fact they are better built). I just looked and it does look like prices have come down to the mid-low 30s which definitely makes it the more attractive option without a lot of the issues of the 987.1s.
mazdeuce - Seth said:Fixing the IMS is just a matter of pulling the motor and bolting in the right improved parts, yes?
I thought it basically required a complete engine tear down...Which should be right up your alley.
The only issue with replacing the IMS in the Caymans is the first available one has a sealed IMS that is in the engine, and replacing it does require rebuilding the engine. The percentage of cars involved are small (something like <5% I believe), but the cost of failure if it does happen is high.
I have owned a 987.2 S, 987.2 R, and currently a 981 GTS. All these models are awesome.
The 987 non-S feels gutless because the platform is so smooth and poised. The only hooning you can do in a non-S would just be late braking:) IMO, of course.
'08s require you to split the case to swap the IMS. It's one of the reasons I walked away from a deal on a beautiful blue Cayman.
Have a paddock buddy who ran a Cayman S at track days— he’s since moved on to an M2.
My impression is that they are a bit challenged to track without a lot of maintenance, and when you run them hard, they have a lot of the same kind of features you’d think of as adding character if it was an Italian car.
I especially remember how it would fumigate the entire paddock on the first start after shutting down and resting after a hard run— oil separator feature. He said there was a GT3 part that would fix that. Actually, I recall him saying that about most of the “character” features!
Jah29 said: The only hooning you can do in a non-S would just be late braking:) IMO, of course.
Base narrower tire setup hoons fine on 250hp. With upgraded tires, yeah its not going to be easy to break them loose.
There is at least one external IMS fix out there, no idea how good it is.
https://www.vertexauto.com/images/product/large/10638_9_.jpg
If you're buying a used Cayman S I wouldn't let the IMS deter. Really these cars are considered you be very reliable. And driving one, Er mah gawd.
8valve said:Statistically I don't think the IMS thing is even a thing with the 987.1's. Planet 9 is a good place to dig up more info.
On S vs. not.. I guess it depends on the reasons one is getting into a Cayman in the first place.
They're stunningly beautiful, drive like almost nothing else, and the wife likes them too. I don't need to win at AX though I would use it for that. I don't need it to be stupid fast, I have the V-wagon for tire melting. I might track it but probably not hard or often. They're fantastic and being able to get an S for a hair over $20k while people are afraid of IMS seems like the bargain of the century. I haven't done great on the "what could go wrong" scale historically, but really, it couldn't turn out that bad, could it?
I don't think the 987.2 cars are in quite the sweet spot that the .1 cars are. Honestly, I'm half tempted to find a salvage title non-S car just so I can rallycross it without feeling too bad about it.
Just saw this on SF Craigslist. 2008 Cayman S, $18.5K, 110K miles, manual trans
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/d/2008-porsche-cayman-yellow/6422675856.html
vjkvt-6422675856@sale.craigslist.org
I have very briefly driven a Cayman S and it was certainly impressive. I didn't know they were anywhere near 20k, let alone under it. The example above is a bit of an eye opener. That's a lot of car for the money. I think my $12k 911 was a good deal, but if i was expecting to race it i'd call that 18k Cayman S a better deal by a decent margin.
mazdeuce - Seth said:Fixing the IMS is just a matter of pulling the motor and bolting in the right improved parts, yes?
That's not always the case. There were three different versions.
In reply to CJ :
Thanks for posting that. Mrs. Deuce was focusing very heavily on the word "failure" when I was telling her about the IMS bearing and that car just convinced her that it was worth the risk.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Buddy of mine just sold a salvage 987.1 for 8k. Ran perfectly with a slight misfire. It's getting turned into an all out m97 track car.
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