Hunting for my first Porsche: A Cayman 987.2

[Matt_Chaps]

54 minutes ago, Windymiller said:

As for other spec items, really depends how you think you’ll use the car. 
 

so IMO:

 

PSE - a must, or budget for a Carnewal upgrade 😉

 

sports design seats - don’t bother, too narrow round the shoulders and I find the standard sports seats super comfortable long distance driving (though crap on track).  

 

leather dash, door cards etc - really lifts the cabin, gives it a premium ‘modern classic’ feel. 
 

PASM - good ‘compromise’ if you think you’ll ever track it. But the standard passive suspension is very good on the road (just avoid potholes etc). 
 

sports design wheel - a <£200 option when new, now £1300 from an OPC - but totally changes the (literal) feel of the car in your hands. 
 

pcm 3.0 with nav - totally outta date tech. Buy a decent mount, use your phone. Or totally replace head unit. 
 

bose. Overrated, too bassy. Sound system plus perfectly good enough. And if you have PSE / Carnewal who cares what the stereo sounds like -

you’ll never be listening to it anyway 😉

 

19” wheels. Look ace. Fine on motorways and smooth roads and tracks. A little harsh on crappy A/B roads. But I wouldn’t change mine for smaller. 

 

centre armrest console body coloured. Quite rare (standard in R), but totally changes the cabin vibe. You can get them painted for ~£150-300 (they take quite some prep to remove the rubbery feel coating). 
 

headlamps. Total garbage, almost dangerous at night. Try to find one with whatever the factory upgrade option was (PDLS?). Or buy some aftermarket LED bulbs £20-£100 depending on brand and quality. 
 

At this age now for 987.2 you’d want a car that’s had the front coolant crossover pipes & hoses changed ~£600 job at a good Indy. And maybe, depending on mileage (eg >50k miles) possibly a clutch (but of course this totally depends on how the car has been drive and whether town / Motorway miles etc). 
 

check front fog lights for internal corrosion. £230 each to replace. 
 

If you can get under it then: check front and rear ARBs for excessive corrosion. Check drop links and track control arms for play / deformation in bushes. None of these parts are overly expensive to buy (quality after market brands are lemforder, Meyle, TRW), but the work to replace can be lengthy if they’re rusted in situ. 
 

Check steering rack for leaks (shine a torch in through drivers side front wheel spokes) - you can see the end of the rack with several hydraulic pipes going to it. 
 

check receipts for spark plugs done at least no more than 6 years ago (should be done every 4), if left too long they can corrode in situ. 
 

check for water/coolant leaks about mid point under car - indicator of water pump seal going. 
 

check exhaust clamps for corrosion. 
 

Pads ‘typically’ last (front) 20-30k, (rear )30-40k, discs should last x2 sets of pads each. Again depending on driving style, so check receipts for when last done. Again here, you can do them yourself really easily if you have some decent tools, space and time for ~£600 all round for top quality parts (sebro, pagid, brembo, textar) from ECP or CP4L if you catch their online sales. 
 

 

I’ll finish this all off by saying - the 987 is an absolute peach of a car. I absolutely adore mine even more after 4 years of ownership than the day I bought her, and treat her to more TLC than my wife gets 🤫🤭

 

But my god does she reward me well for doing so (the car, not Mrs ‘Miller’) 😉🤪

 

Good luck searching, take your time, the right one will come along eventually. 👍🏻
 

 

 

Thanks for the detailed reply Windymiller, really bloody helpful. SE yes, it's the sound I'm buying into and not the Bose sound system! Useful to flag the extended leather too, as the dated interior in the 987.1s is def not for me and think the .2s area great next step and extra leather only enhances that.

 

Some great options there too that I will be looking out for...the steering wheel point is interesting. More importantly, that's noted on the headlights!! Was it bi-xenons that was the upgrade? I think so..

 

And really useful watch outs too. The main thing I'm having to battle at the moment is a complete lack of patience!! Haha. And also wanting to outstrip my budget. If I hold to next month for example though, I may well have enough ready to step into £24-£26k territory which looks like it could make a fair difference. But the lower the initial cost, the more I can invest into aftermarket stuff too so....

 

Thanks everyone again, this is really awesome to read. Loving it.

[andygo]

I'm not looking to replace mine 987.2 S, but I think the silver grilles look a bit odd. Easily sorted though. No sports exhaust. Plenty of miles as well.

 

I paid £25k for mine with 20k miles in Aqua Blue, Switchable sports exhaust, heated sports seats, PDK with paddles, full OPC history (for what thats worth..) 19" wheels ,Climate control, rather than just aircon, embossed headrests (Wow! what a deal breaker) and probably some other inconsequential bits.

I think I got a bargain.

[Julian987]

I think when one sees that in person the silver grills will look fantastic. As on my R (which is black with the silver accents),  in photos the silver can look  a bit odd but in real life it’s a fantastic colour combo.

I always look to see how many have the leather dash. I luckily have that as factory optioned on my R, which is uber rare, and as rarely do I see it optioned on the Gen 2. 
 

I think you’ll be impressed with it in person.

 

I love the silver center column being the same silver colour as the rest of the interior trim on that particular car. It feels like a really well considered spec, plus has xenons which I believe are rare to see fitted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Eddie1996]

I bought a 2011 987.2 S 3 months ago from a dealer, 58K miles, for £24,000K. Very happy with the car. It's got PDK which I like (having always driven manuals thus far). I'd agree with what's been suggested above by others. I'd like manual if I had that. But I do like PDK - if you put your foot down it knows what to do. Basically both are great experiences, I suspect, if different.

[Daz]

11 hours ago, Windymiller said:

As for other spec items, really depends how you think you’ll use the car. 
 

so IMO:

 

PSE - a must, or budget for a Carnewal upgrade 😉

 

sports design seats - don’t bother, too narrow round the shoulders and I find the standard sports seats super comfortable long distance driving (though crap on track).  

 

leather dash, door cards etc - really lifts the cabin, gives it a premium ‘modern classic’ feel. 
 

PASM - good ‘compromise’ if you think you’ll ever track it. But the standard passive suspension is very good on the road (just avoid potholes etc). 
 

sports design wheel - a <£200 option when new, now £1300 from an OPC - but totally changes the (literal) feel of the car in your hands. 
 

pcm 3.0 with nav - totally outta date tech. Buy a decent mount, use your phone. Or totally replace head unit. 
 

bose. Overrated, too bassy. Sound system plus perfectly good enough. And if you have PSE / Carnewal who cares what the stereo sounds like -

you’ll never be listening to it anyway 😉

 

19” wheels. Look ace. Fine on motorways and smooth roads and tracks. A little harsh on crappy A/B roads. But I wouldn’t change mine for smaller. 

 

centre armrest console body coloured. Quite rare (standard in R), but totally changes the cabin vibe. You can get them painted for ~£150-300 (they take quite some prep to remove the rubbery feel coating). 
 

headlamps. Total garbage, almost dangerous at night. Try to find one with whatever the factory upgrade option was (PDLS?). Or buy some aftermarket LED bulbs £20-£100 depending on brand and quality. 
 

At this age now for 987.2 you’d want a car that’s had the front coolant crossover pipes & hoses changed ~£600 job at a good Indy. And maybe, depending on mileage (eg >50k miles) possibly a clutch (but of course this totally depends on how the car has been drive and whether town / Motorway miles etc). 
 

check front fog lights for internal corrosion. £230 each to replace. 
 

If you can get under it then: check front and rear ARBs for excessive corrosion. Check drop links and track control arms for play / deformation in bushes. None of these parts are overly expensive to buy (quality after market brands are lemforder, Meyle, TRW), but the work to replace can be lengthy if they’re rusted in situ. 
 

Check steering rack for leaks (shine a torch in through drivers side front wheel spokes) - you can see the end of the rack with several hydraulic pipes going to it. 
 

check receipts for spark plugs done at least no more than 6 years ago (should be done every 4), if left too long they can corrode in situ. 
 

check for water/coolant leaks about mid point under car - indicator of water pump seal going. 
 

check exhaust clamps for corrosion. 
 

Pads ‘typically’ last (front) 20-30k, (rear )30-40k, discs should last x2 sets of pads each. Again depending on driving style, so check receipts for when last done. Again here, you can do them yourself really easily if you have some decent tools, space and time for ~£600 all round for top quality parts (sebro, pagid, brembo, textar) from ECP or CP4L if you catch their online sales. 
 

 

I’ll finish this all off by saying - the 987 is an absolute peach of a car. I absolutely adore mine even more after 4 years of ownership than the day I bought her, and treat her to more TLC than my wife gets 🤫🤭

 

But my god does she reward me well for doing so (the car, not Mrs ‘Miller’) 😉🤪

 

Good luck searching, take your time, the right one will come along eventually. 👍🏻
 

 

Very wise word windymiller agree with your view.

Especially the PDK which I have an now love. If you go this route you need the sports steering wheel and paddles.

[Matt_Chaps]

On 01/05/2021 at 21:30, Julian987 said:

I think when one sees that in person the silver grills will look fantastic. As on my R (which is black with the silver accents),  in photos the silver can look  a bit odd but in real life it’s a fantastic colour combo.

I always look to see how many have the leather dash. I luckily have that as factory optioned on my R, which is uber rare, and as rarely do I see it optioned on the Gen 2. 
 

I think you’ll be impressed with it in person.

 

I love the silver center column being the same silver colour as the rest of the interior trim on that particular car. It feels like a really well considered spec, plus has xenons which I believe are rare to see fitted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Julian - I went to try see that Porsche you linked out today...it had sold already!! So no dice. 
 

The search continues...

 

A shame because the extended leather looked brilliant too.

[Julian987]

12 minutes ago, Matt_Chaps said:

 Julian - I went to try see that Porsche you linked out today...it had sold already!! So no dice. 
 

The search continues...

 

A shame because the extended leather looked brilliant too.

oh what a shame for you as that was like a hens tooth. Great for whomever has bought it but a shame for you.

 

as ever, cars of that level of spec will last a few days on the market, if not just hours.

 

Many will say the extended leather dash and doors makes no odds, which is fair enough…horses for courses, and no need to open up that debate again…but if extended leather now has become a priority for you (as it did for me) then I would say beyond my R from July of last year, that S you just missed out on has been the only other with it since, so that’s about two in a year. You might get lucky, but be prepared to wait it out. I waited two years! 
 

alternatively you could buy a second hand 987.2 leather dash and the door and PCM sides etc from Teile in Germany and have that fitted.

 

I’ll keep an eye out! 

 

 

[Julian987]

26 minutes ago, Matt_Chaps said:

 Julian - I went to try see that Porsche you linked out today...it had sold already!! So no dice. 
 

The search continues...

 

A shame because the extended leather looked brilliant too.

I stand corrected 😀

 

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11494427

 

PDK though? had you ruled out PDK? It has the carbon buckets and leather dash, nice one that…has one hell of a spec.

think it’s been on for a month. Offer £24 and you’ll probably meet at 25

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Julian987

[Windymiller]

That has got to be a ‘unicorn spec’ S!

 

Spyder wheels & carbon buckets!

 

PCCB, PSE, LSD, sport chrono+, full

leather, only 36k miles!

 

I think I’ll sell mine to buy that one... 🤔😉😁
 

 

[CaymanCup_Chris]

3 minutes ago, Windymiller said:

That has got to be a ‘unicorn spec’ S!

 

Spyder wheels & carbon buckets!

 

PCCB, PSE, LSD, sport chrono+, full

leather, only 36k miles!

 

I think I’ll sell mine to buy that one... 🤔😉😁
 

 

that car has been sold more times than I’ve had hot dinners! Seen the asking price fluctuate wildly each time too.

[Windymiller]

Is it the one advertised a year or so ago as having belonged to some writer / editor of one of the well known car mags? 🤔

[Andyoz]

2 hours ago, Windymiller said:

Is it the one advertised a year or so ago as having belonged to some writer / editor of one of the well known car mags? 🤔

 

If it is the 'Unicorn' I recall it being sold last year by the guy that deals alot in Lotus's for sub £30k??

[Beanoir™]

6 hours ago, Andyoz said:

 

If it is the 'Unicorn' I recall it being sold last year by the guy that deals alot in Lotus's for sub £30k??

Yeah, Jon Seal. 

[Andyoz]

As a 2010 spec car, you can imagine your buyers heart sinking when the the R came out a year later. The extras on that car would have cost alot more than R buyers were paying...and it'll never be an R hence the current sale price 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Andyoz

[Windymiller]

20 hours ago, Andyoz said:

 

If it is the 'Unicorn' I recall it being sold last year by the guy that deals alot in Lotus's for sub £30k??

That must be it - I recall the advert mentioned something ‘special’ about the owner.

 

even though it’ll ‘never be an R’ its still a helluva spec of a car, for pretty sensible money given the current prices boyuancy. 🤔

[Julian987]

1 hour ago, Windymiller said:

That must be it - I recall the advert mentioned something ‘special’ about the owner.

 

even though it’ll ‘never be an R’ its still a helluva spec of a car, for pretty sensible money given the current prices boyuancy. 🤔

yep it’s the cheapest it has been advertised. R or not, it’s sensational. The original poster would be wise to go the extra £distance and but that…or maybe you then 🤔😀

[Andyoz]

It's still a PDK

[Julian987]

now sold

[Matt_Chaps]

Yep that one went in the end - just as I started looking at it again, ha. There’s one or two more just gone live but spec nowhere near. It’s a waiting game now!

 

In the meantime, still trying to get into one for a test drive. I was lucky to Drove both the manual and PDK versions of the 718 back on a PED in 2017....how close a comparison do you think I can draw between those and the 09/10 plates for driver experience? Different engines I know but it helps...

 

Also, did you guys buy private or from a garage and which ones if so? 

[Julian987]

1 hour ago, Matt_Chaps said:

Yep that one went in the end - just as I started looking at it again, ha. There’s one or two more just gone live but spec nowhere near. It’s a waiting game now!

 

In the meantime, still trying to get into one for a test drive. I was lucky to Drove both the manual and PDK versions of the 718 back on a PED in 2017....how close a comparison do you think I can draw between those and the 09/10 plates for driver experience? Different engines I know but it helps...

 

Also, did you guys buy private or from a garage and which ones if so? 

 

the 718 bored me to death...though without kickstarting the debate but it was PDK and it felt monumentally boring  - may as well be holding a playStation controller. BUT! PDK for those that love it, why not. 

 

I don't think you can draw any comparisons, apples and oranges. 

 

I bought in Jersey and had it shipped over. Look over there and Guernsey, as the best spec cars of most brands end over there  - lets face it, they aint short of a bob or two.