Hello Everybody

[Jay1406]

Hello

 

My name is Jay and I am 50 years old, I have been living overseas for the last 10 years so I do not have any active no claims bonus. I will be coming back the The UK to live shortly and want to buy a Cayman. 

 

My last car before leaving was an Impreza WRX STI.

 

I am not sure if I will need to buy a cheapo crap car for twelve months to get my bonus back or go straight in for the Cayman. 

 

For my first Cayman I would look to spend 17k to 21k and probably after 18 months or so go for a new one.

 

I have read that it is best to get a 987 Gen 2 2.9l or 981 2.7l, I have also thought about the Cayman S but obviously it would be a little older than the Cayman if I were to buy one.

 

What do members think is best to go for? 

Would you go for a newer car with more miles or an older car with less miles on it? I was looking at cars up to 35k on the clock, is that low for a Cayman?

 

Thank you very much for your help

[Beanoir™]

Hi Jay! Welcome  

 

Is performance a key requirement for you, there is obviously a difference between the S and the base Cayman.  

 

Worth getting some quotes from insurance companies first, quite easy to do online (Compare the Market type websites etc) and that will probably help you decide if you need to run a cheap car for a year first or not.   

 

I wouldn’t expect your premium to be too bad given your age and experience though.  Where you live also has a large impact on premiums.  

 

 

[Peopleandcars]

1 hour ago, Jay1406 said:

Hello

 

My name is Jay and I am 50 years old, I have been living overseas for the last 10 years so I do not have any active no claims bonus. I will be coming back the The UK to live shortly and want to buy a Cayman. 

 

My last car before leaving was an Impreza WRX STI.

 

I am not sure if I will need to buy a cheapo crap car for twelve months to get my bonus back or go straight in for the Cayman. 

 

For my first Cayman I would look to spend 17k to 21k and probably after 18 months or so go for a new one.

 

I have read that it is best to get a 987 Gen 2 2.9l or 981 2.7l, I have also thought about the Cayman S but obviously it would be a little older than the Cayman if I were to buy one.

 

What do members think is best to go for? 

Would you go for a newer car with more miles or an older car with less miles on it? I was looking at cars up to 35k on the clock, is that low for a Cayman?

 

Thank you very much for your help

 

Welcome!

 

All about condition - I got mine from a private enthusiast that kept it absolutely spotless and properly maintained etc. -  49k on clock is a 2009 gen 2 2.9

My  reasoning is that best for these cars is to have been driven especially if they start to be of a certain vintage. Normally I look for cars with about 4-5k mileage a year and full service history

 

Performance is adequate but it won't push you hard in the seat - great fun on b-roads tho and a lot of high revving

 

If you come from a WRX maybe you are used to a bit more in the torque department.

 

My advice is to try a couple of the engines and decide what is the best fit for you

 

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by Peopleandcars

[Peopleandcars]

I see you are based in Herefordshire - some of the nicest road around there, and probably insurance won't hit you as hard.

Is a lot based on postcode. Example if you are a LL22 Wales postcode your risk factor is about 10ish from 1-60 and if you are in London East is 59/60!

 

Do you plan to track the car?

There are a few providers that also offer trackday insurance in a package for ADTO track days.

[Daz]

Hi I bought a 987.2 Cayman base earlier in the year. Fun but not super fast. But you can use all the power on the road.First car since a bad experience with a TVR Cerberus 10 years ago. That was silly fast but unreliable. I have no no claims bonus ,48 years old, based in Kent rural location ,  kept on Drive £450 per year ,based on 6k MLS per year. Not sure how much discount I got for driving a company car with no accidents.

 

I hope that helps.

[Forum Admin]

Welcome to the OC Jay! 

[Jay1406]

Thank you for the replies guys. 

Firstly performance is not the number one thought, I really enjoyed my STI and it was very quick, it cost me 33k new and if performance was the issue I would probably get another or a Focus RS but I really love the look of the Cayman. 

 

I really do not want to spend more than 20k for my first one as I have never had a two seater before and want to dip my toe in the water before going full in. 

 

I am still at a loss as to whether less miles and older is better than newer with more miles really. I suppose it depends on the service history, I see some have had cam belts changed and some have not, is this a major expense?

 

Also I see talk of problems with Gen 1 S 3.4l with the engine.  There does not seem to be much difference between a 2.9l Gen 2 and the S Gen 1 so the smaller engine may be better.

 

Basically I have been overseas for a long time and need to sort out buying a house and furnishing first hence the concern of spending less but after getting established I would plan to upgrade and spend 30 - 35k

 

Thanks again for the welcome.

[Beanoir™]

They don't have a cam belt, they're chain driven which isn't a service item (lifetime - whatever that means).  The drive belt needs changing fairly regularly, 4 years or 48k miles or something like that.  Its a very cheap part and its external on the engine, not a very expensive job to have done at all (there is a service access panel in the back of the car for this very purpose).  I'd not be put off by a car that needs one soon, but i'd be put off by a car that needed one and hadn't had it purely because it points to potentially poor maintenance elsewhere on the car. 

 

Its true the 2.9 and the 2.7 are generally thought of as the more reliable unit - and the gen 2 cars are slightly more refined particularly the interiors.  So, if performance is not critical to you then i'd probably go that route for a year or so and see how you get on.  There are other aspects to bear in mind that will add to the driver/owner experience like certain options that might be important to you.  For instance PASM can make a car ride better, particularly if it's on larger wheels.  If you want a throaty sound, then seek out a car with PSE or think about an aftermarket option.  All depends what is or isn't important to you really in that regard.  

 

The cars are very sensitive to wheel alignment and suspension condition.  I'd always recommend having a wheel alignment done one you've bought the car as a priority to ensure it's as good as can be.  

 

[Jay1406]

10 minutes ago, Beanoir said:

They don't have a cam belt, they're chain driven which isn't a service item (lifetime - whatever that means).  The drive belt needs changing fairly regularly, 4 years or 48k miles or something like that.  Its a very cheap part and its external on the engine, not a very expensive job to have done at all (there is a service access panel in the back of the car for this very purpose).  I'd not be put off by a car that needs one soon, but i'd be put off by a car that needed one and hadn't had it purely because it points to potentially poor maintenance elsewhere on the car. 

 

Its true the 2.9 and the 2.7 are generally thought of as the more reliable unit - and the gen 2 cars are slightly more refined particularly the interiors.  So, if performance is not critical to you then i'd probably go that route for a year or so and see how you get on.  There are other aspects to bear in mind that will add to the driver/owner experience like certain options that might be important to you.  For instance PASM can make a car ride better, particularly if it's on larger wheels.  If you want a throaty sound, then seek out a car with PSE or think about an aftermarket option.  All depends what is or isn't important to you really in that regard.  

 

The cars are very sensitive to wheel alignment and suspension condition.  I'd always recommend having a wheel alignment done one you've bought the car as a priority to ensure it's as good as can be.  

 

 

Thank you buddy, I understand about the belt now, I just read belt on some of the service records and thought about the old cam belt expense some cars used to have.