Lower budget higher miles 987's.

[Simon Wiles]

I am looking to  move out from my current weekend toy (Nc mx5) to a 981 no preference as to S or not.  It appears that my upper budget gets in the current market gets me an example with slightly higher mileage 70-100+k miles 

 

Now after filling my head with the info from 101 buyers guides I am still unsure of what higher miles does to a Cayman?  I have a reliable daily so  981 will be for weekends away and whenever the opportunity for A to A drive comes up perhaps 3-4k per year.  But I don't want to be buying in to a money pit.

 

I am sure there's got to be a few owners of higher mileage cars on here that are happy to share there buying and ownership experiences?.

 

 

[Mavrik]

Can you clarify if you're after a 987 '06-'12 or 981 '12 onwards??? 🤔

Edited July 9, 2019 by Mavrik

[Craiglm68]

Well, I cannot speak for 981's, but there are plenty of gen 1 987's out there with 150K miles or more and running strong. I saw a post from a chap in Canada this week  who had just ticked over 300K km (he bought it 10yrs ago when it had 20K km on the clock).  I messaged him re the low down, turns out he was on the original engine , obviously had gone through clutches fly wheels over that time (he was on his 3rd of his ownership) and usual consumables/things that wear out (brakes, suspension, pipes etc). He'd been sticking to a regular service/maintenance regime, which seems key in keeping cars like these happy and healthy. As you've no doubt learnt, it's all about buying for condition and history, a well maintained car will carry on for an awful long time  as evidenced by the number of 20th C 911's you see on the road. I would have thought 981's would handle mileage at least as well as 987's.  As for S versus non-S, both are a hoot, drive both and see what you like (though will likely get more bang for your buck with the smaller engine).  My gen 1 (57 reg) is only on 52K miles so barely run in......

Good luck, happy hunting.

[DJMC]

My 2.7 981C PDK has been with me for three and a half years, 35k miles.

 

Bought used, the private seller filled me with confidence of no abuse. I had an OPC check it over before purchase, no issues noted.

 

It's never used a drop of oil. Only issue was the heater fan stopping (well documented) on one occasion 16 months ago but not since.

 

Like any car, the way it's driven will affect how it withstands wear. I think the engine is strong, as is the PDK box. Suspension components will wear over time. My brakes and pads are all original at 48k miles total and were checked at 40k as less than half worn. Yes, you guessed it, mostly motorway miles.

 

I always warm the coolant to 90 degrees and oil to 80 degrees before pressing on, but many will not, especially "normal" owners (rather than enthusiasts). Now mine is 5 years old I'm going to take advice from RPM Technik as to what preventative maintenance would serve it well.

 

Down there on the 27th at their "Saturday surgery" for a free hours use of a technician and ramp so as to see what it'll need at its interim 10k oil service. That's not a scheduled service, just one I like to think will do it some good as I still can't make sense of 20k oil changes.

 

My experience of the OPC network hasn't been a good one. Incompetent, ignorant, badly run, not owning up to damaging my car, even putting Tesco fuel in it! RPM seem far more enthusiastic and better run and I'm just about close enough to take advantage of their services.

Time will tell...

 

As for your search, a one owner car will be hard to find at higher mileage perhaps, but that's the only way you'll be able to glean how it's been looked after and, for me, that's the main ingredient to buying a car which will give you fewer issues. If you don't trust the seller in any way, walk away.

[Simon Wiles]

1 hour ago, Mavrik said:

Can you clarify if you're after a 987 '06-'12 or 981 '12 onwards??? 🤔

Sorry a double typo i looking at 987,s.

 

Form the advice so far it seems proof of good maintenance history is key & if in place miles aren't to be afraid of.

 

Thanks all that have responded so far.

[Craiglm68]

You've pretty much nailed it Simon. Obvs a comprehensive pre purchase inspection is a must once you've found a car you're keen on.

[GlosRich]

Hi Simon,

 

If you are buying that age/mileage of Cayman, best buying it privately or a specialist dealer, and you want to be seeing full service history and a pile of bills showing all the work that has been done. Probably worth getting an inspection before you buy it.

 

When they get older the suspension needs rebuilding, strut tops, control arms, coffin arms, track rods, so you want to see bills for these.

 

Clutches tend to only do 10 years at the most, so again you want to see a bill for this.

 

Usual checks on tyres are good brands and brakes are in good nick.

 

Coolant hoses can leak, you can see them in the front of the front wheel arch, look if they are damp.

 

Also look for damp patches on the aircon condensors, through the front grilles, as they get battered by stones.

 

No issue buying higher mileage, older, but you need to see the bills for good maintenance, because if not you'll get stung with replacing all this stuff.

 

A lot of these cars get bought on a whim, kept for a year then traded on, so often maintenance is skimped.

 

All the best

 

Rich