Hey guys I'm new here and to Porsche completely, looking into acuaring an used cayman probably a 07-08 S , however I would be a bit worried on how reliable they are, again I have had no experience with the brand, any feedback on the matter would be greatly apretiated from those of you that have driven it for longer

This would be my DD
Thank you in advance for the help
Gabs

 

By and large, the only issue with the Gen 1 Cayman has been from oil starvation while on the track pulling hard turns (I think this causes the dreaded IMS issue IMO - search forum for more on that). If you are going to DD this and not track it, it should be very reliable. Porsche has a great JDPower rating and I have never had one thing go wrong with my cars. I would say that if you are looking at 07-08, go ahead and look at 06 as well. They are essentially the same. As you will hear often, get a prepurchase inspection before pulling the trigger.

I have never had a Cayman, but I really like them, so others on this forum may be a bigger help with specifics.

Good luck with it.

 

Ive had my cayman S (2006) for over a year and never had a single issue. Before the Cayman I had a Boxster and never had a single issue as well. Dont get me started on the M5...

 

For a DD, the car is very reliable. If you are going to track it, there are a number of reliability mods you really need to consider. Good luck!

 

Guys thanks a lot for your time and feedback, i appreciate it, helps alot. Also another question that I would have, is on maintenance, this would also be my first high end vehicle and not familiar with maintenance costs ie. Brake service, clutch, tires, oil changes, what are some ball park figures I'll be dealing when it comes to doing this kind maintenance ?
Again thanks for your time.

 

Dont skimp on maintenance or quality of parts, ever. Oil change at dealer will run you $200 plus. Brake Pads and rotors oem will run $1000 plus. There are a number of high quality after market choices here, the brakes on this car are the easiest to work on of any car ive ever owned. you can buy parts and save a few hundred in labor if you choose. if you dont track the car, the clutch will last 50k ay least but this will depend on e driver obviously. tires can be expensive if you stick with oem ps2s lots of pther choices here, sumis and hankooks are common "affordable" replacement tires for comparable performance but most will agree that its not as good as the ps2. in the end, if this is your first porsche, you should expect to pay the pcar tax on parts and labor. its part of ownership but the car is so worth it!

 

Great info, thank you, I understand . Thanks again, I'll start doing some test drives shortly.

 

You can change the oil and air filters yourself for much less. The Cayman is an easy car to do the basics on. You can change the oil yourself for under $100. I had a base Cayman for about 3 1/2 years with zero issues. Did the normal Porsche Maintenance intervals at 20k and 40K. Traded it with a little over 50K on the clock on a new Cayman S that has also been trouble free.

 

Great info. To know, thank you

About those brakes, that quote mention above would that be for a set?
Also how bout a clutch?
Trust me I don't mean to sound cheap, just looking for some knowledge before I pull the trigger on one of this, since I tend to keep my cars for along time (6-7+ years) like to know what the long term ownership will be like.
Thanks again for all this info again.

 

The brakes "quote" mentioned above included rotors. Unless you are beating on your car, you won't need rotors any time soon. You can go through a few sets of pads before needing to think about the rotors

Believe me when I tell you - Boxster/Cayman brakes are EASY.

With ZERO mechanical experience I was able to flush the fluid and replace the pads by myself (2002 Boxster S). I bought sportier pads and higher temp fluid and I think I spent $200.

The car didn't need the brakes done, I just wanted a bit more bite in the front end for track use.

Oil changes are very easy as well.

Search around for a guy named Pedro's Garage. He can answer all your questions about the boxster/cayman as it is his specialty.

 

Thanks, I haven't been able to locate pedros garage yet, is there a place in specific I should be looking for?
In the mean time, what would be too high of milage on an cayman? 40,50k? Would things (reliability) start to change? People here haven said much of how many miles they have put except for one (50k). Any high (50k+) milers out there that care to chime in? I promise this would be my last question,

 

I bought my 06 CS in January of this year, with 46K miles. I just put 10K miles just last month.

So far, I've done:
-two oil changes by myself, when I first picked it up just for the peace of mind and when I hit 56K miles last month (roughly around $100 for oil and filter).
-replaced the pads with Stoptech Ceramic pads ($60 front and $60 rear)
-changed the Spark Plugs ($65.00)
-Catalytic Replacement- replacement under the Federal Warranty ($0)

I think I'm due for belts at 60K but I'm having it done at a reputable indy shop but dunno about the price yet.

Knock on wood I'm doing ok (fingers crossed), this has become my daily driver as its pretty hard not to .... But just get a PPI done once you find a good candidate for your future CS

Good luck!!!

 

my aunt has a 09 Cayman 6-speed she daily drives it in NYC car takes a physical beating from the elements but drives very nice ..

what I dont like about it is it feels like a civic in acceleration compared to my 7L z06 vette haha ...

but it is an awesome car it handles beautifully

 

Least the inside doesnt look like a civic as the vette does

 

I recently just got on 6speedonline, but have been a Gen 1 Cayman S owner for about 8 months now. I will say that this car is a whole lot cheaper to own than I had expected. This page pretty much lays it out the cars reliability. Oil changes are pricy, but Porsche recommends that you do an oil change once every 10k miles or annually. You can also save a lot of money doing it yourself (about half price).

When purchasing your car, I recommend that you look into a certified pre-owned. Buying certified you save a lot of money, and you also get a great warranty. You can also relax knowing that the dealership checked out the entire car for defects, before your purchase.

I really think that you made the right choice coming to this site and becoming a member b4 your purchase! Really wish I would have done the same. I will say that mine is not a DD, but has never failed to roll. Good luck with your purchase!