Steven Elliott Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 Hi all, im looking at buy a 987 cayman. Obviously all I read are issues with IMS bearings and scored pistons, all horror stories. They can’t all have issues can they??? The one I looked at yesterday had no bearing noise and no smoke coming out the back. Owner had no idea about cars and got it regularly serviced at a Porsche specialist. Only 68k on the clock. 3.4 s engine. should I still worry? Also so what do you think about depreciation on these? Basically I’m using money that I had earmarked to buy a flat to rent out. Thought I might as well enjoy it while I save up the next £10k or so. many thanks steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougle_turbo Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 My understanding is that the IMS horror stories are some what over inflated. What year is the car? Gen 1 or gen 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrik Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 (edited) @Steven Elliott There are indeed anecdotal horror stories of premature intermediate shaft bearing collapse & the dreaded bore scoring on the Cayman S gen1 ('05-'08) but the percentage of failures isn't as high as some would have you believe? The design of the flat 6 Boxer motor does lend itself to use more oil than a conventional V or inline motor... Even the Impreza has the same inherent oil burning issue! Usually due to gravity whereby the oil will "seep" past the oil control rings at rest. A Cayman that isn't used often can have a plume of blue/black smoke on start-up due to this leakage of engine oil past the rings but usually clears after a minute at idle (never a good idea to rev ANY cold motor on start-up!!) I think every high performance car I've ever owned has had its own inherent "Achilles Heel" Imo, if the car has a good service history with regular oil/filter changes then the risk is less? If you are really scared of the horror stories then buy from a reputable dealer that supplies a cast iron warranty or pay for a specialist car inspection where they can bore scope the cylinder pots. Depreciation isn't as marked as other lesser marques but resale can be problematic due the the anecdotal horror stories! Edited March 16, 2019 by Mavrik 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Elliott Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 1 hour ago, Dougle_turbo said: My understanding is that the IMS horror stories are some what over inflated. What year is the car? Gen 1 or gen 2? Gen 1. On a 55 plate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrik Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 (edited) Imo... When you go to view a potential car purchase ensure that the motor is COLD... A seller that has taken the car for a spin before viewing is likely attempting to hide a cold start/oil burning issue. Ask the seller to allow you to start the car from COLD... If a Cayman S shows any signs of blue/black smoke from the exhaust on revving (look at the exhaust tip as sooty deposits can be a give-away) once it is at full operating temp then walk away... Another top tip is to go with a friend & get them to follow you on a test drive... Any smoke issues will be seen! Edited March 16, 2019 by Mavrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Elliott Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 Thank you for the advice I’m going to dig deeper into this one. It is in very nice condition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCA Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 (edited) From my research I would suggest a gen1 2.7 would be pretty safe a bet, with no known engine issues - bore scoring highly unlikely/unheard of? - later IMS bearings therefore safe? Or any of the gen 2s? i think it’s only really a concern for the gen 1 3.4s, and even then the true number of effected cars is hard to gauge. I also think you’ll struggle to find anyone with a non-working Cayman on here, they seem to be generally pretty robust and/or well looked after. Looking forwards to getting one myself. Edited March 16, 2019 by BCA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrik Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 3 hours ago, BCA said: From my research I would suggest a gen1 2.7 would be pretty safe a bet, with no known engine issues - bore scoring highly unlikely/unheard of? - later IMS bearings therefore safe? Or any of the gen 2s? i think it’s only really a concern for the gen 1 3.4s, and even then the true number of effected cars is hard to gauge. I also think you’ll struggle to find anyone with a non-working Cayman on here, they seem to be generally pretty robust and/or well looked after. Looking forwards to getting one myself. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Personally, I would miss the extra 50 horses you get with the S ... Gen2 Caymans are still bucks in comparison... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Elliott Posted March 16, 2019 Author Share Posted March 16, 2019 2.7 does have enough power for my liking. Might as well buy a Renault megane 😂😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budflicker Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 None of the Caymans suffer IMS as they all have the later upgraded bearing, bigger concern is bore scoring on the 3.4 engine. 2.7 dosent suffer this but is 50 ponies down and lighter spec. Gen 2 cars seem pretty reliable thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder Beanoir™ Posted March 16, 2019 Founder Share Posted March 16, 2019 Peter Morgan did a very good article for GTPorsche Mag, I highly recommend giving it a read. https://www.porscheinspections.com/downloads/M96_M97_GTPorsche.pdf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porsched eggs Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 It's hard to know the extend of issues because you don't hear from those who's cars are ok. Production of 996, 997 and 987 cars was around 110000 between 2003-2008, but I'd say the issues I've read about aren't in the thousands. Not much fun if you are one of the unlucky ones i will admit, but I'm not sure it's the widespread issue it may seem... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMGPete Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Don't discount a 2.7 Having previously had a 911 with the 3.4 and suffered engine failure I couldn't face the prospect of it again. My 2.7 car gives a greater sensation of speed than my E92 M3 even though it's significantly slower. So much so I just sold the M3 as I just haven't really enjoyed driving it since getting the Cayman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 4 hours ago, PMGPete said: Don't discount a 2.7 Having previously had a 911 with the 3.4 and suffered engine failure I couldn't face the prospect of it again. My 2.7 car gives a greater sensation of speed than my E92 M3 even though it's significantly slower. So much so I just sold the M3 as I just haven't really enjoyed driving it since getting the Cayman Agree with that! I've never felt the 2.7 lacking in power at all. Maybe on the track it would be different, but on the road its probably got the edge as you can push it further without as much fear of losing your licence! I had a 350z previously but the cayman definitely feels faster off the line to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Elliott Posted March 18, 2019 Author Share Posted March 18, 2019 Yeah it’s all about the track speed for me 😂😂 that article really helped has have all have all the opinions thanks guys. I have also also read if using on track to keep the stints short as there are oil flow issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrik Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, Ben said: Agree with that! I've never felt the 2.7 lacking in power at all. Maybe on the track it would be different, but on the road its probably got the edge as you can push it further without as much fear of losing your licence! I had a 350z previously but the cayman definitely feels faster off the line to me. ----------------------------------------------------- I've also got a 350z GT VQ35HR & on track it is a tenth quicker at Brands GP than my 3.4S 🙌 Edited March 19, 2019 by Mavrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Mavrik said: ----------------------------------------------------- I've also got a 350z GT VQ35HR & on track it is a tenth quicker at Brands GP than my 3.4S 🙌 I had the non-HR model (276 BHP), a great car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrik Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Ben said: I had the non-HR model (276 BHP), a great car. ---------------------------------------------------------- Indeed... The DE with a few mods was an epic motor! My 308 BHP HR roadster convertible is fully loaded & half the price of a base Cayman... Yet it is 200kg heavier & still gives the Cayman a bloody nose on track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Elliott Posted March 19, 2019 Author Share Posted March 19, 2019 350z was one of the other cars I was looking at. Are they actually good then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Steven Elliott said: 350z was one of the other cars I was looking at. Are they actually good then? IMO one of the best bang for buck cars out there. But more of a blunt tool than the Cayman. The Zed's weight counts against it, but it was very reliable and relatively cheap to run (excluding petrol!). Had mine for 9 years. I enjoy the Cayman more though as its a better B road car, and sounds fantastic now I have the Carnewal GT exhaust fitted 😊👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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