This is probably the 10,000th time someone has said this, but here goes.

I happened across this site looking for info on a Porsche Cayman. I've had many old American muscle cars from the 60's and 70's. But lately I've been messing around with an E430 Benz...that led me to consider an AMG car, maybe an 05' E55.

But while the Benz is a blast to drive...when everything is working well and all systems are playing well together, that is, it's not a cheap car to own. As in so far in 6 months of ownership I've dropped about $6K into a $6K car. Yep, pretty stupid...but when it's driving good it's just so good!

Anyway, at this point I'm done with the Benz and it's probably put me off from considering an even more complex and high strung Benz like the E55.

That brings me to Porsche. I'm partial to German cars and today I dropped into a local dealer to see what they had on hand for $40K or so. Not much...although they did have an 09' Boxster S that was on hand and fit the pricing. I'm not interested in a convertible and made that clear, but the sales rep insisted that I should at least drive it to get a feel for what it offers. I was very impressed, what a great handling and performing car!

He also suggested I wait for a good 05-08 997 911 Carerra, which he felt he could get me into for my price range. He was nice enough to have me drive an 11 Carerra. It had the PDK transmission and this was just an amazing car. I still think I'd prefer a manual trans...but holy automatic!!! And the car was simply superb in it's handling. To put it short, I'm done. My next toy will be a Porsche.

We didn't look at a Cayman but he also suggested the possibility of looking seriously into a 6 speed Cayman S. So I've been researching...

OK, so I don't mind spending some money to get the right car. And I don't mind spending some money to maintain the right car. But my question is this. Do I need to expect to deal with the kind of crap I've experienced with my Benz's? Endless SRS sensors, melted light bulb housings, crappy wiring that falls apart, broken plastic interior pieces, CEL on for some dang O2 sensor AGAIN, Stability control failures, leaking rear main seals, dash display failures, freakin driver side mirror fell off twice lightly closing the door and just on and on and on. And this is on a car with TONS of dealer and independent shop maintenance receipts for service repairs.

It's been frustrating enough that I've started looking at various years of the Corvette. Not to bash, but they just aren't my thing.

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Just new to Porsche and looking to get some realistic guidance on the 997 Carrera vs Cayman S with a ceiling of $40K for purchase.

Thanks in advance.

 

You spent 6K on a 6K car (and it does not have to be an MB) because that's what a 6K car needs ---- $6,000.00 worth of upkeep! You get what you pay for.


I have had many 911's and a current 997. Go for it. IMO, they are relatively ez to fix (don't forget, I am somewhat of a mechanic).


I almost bought a Cayman, drove one, but I did not feel 'at home' driving it. The 997 fitted me like a glove.


Good luck!




p.s.,
Unless you are thinking about the C7, don't bother with a Corvette. From what I understand, the C7 is the only one comparable to a 911. I am trying to save for a C7.

 

Yeah, I know...live and learn. I always have to do crap the hard way first! The thing about the Benz is that I liked the 210 body and they are all right around the $6K mark...and they all need about $5K worth of crap to get them sorted out. And that that point you still have a $6K car that's now sorted out (or as close to sorted out as possible) for the next guy...

I drove a C7. IMO Chevy nailed it! I'm always leery of a 1st year production of any brand. But it was pretty darn impressive.

I'm mechanically inclined with a shop full of tools, but I'm not a rocket scientist. How much computer automated crap do the 997's have and how prone to failure are those systems? Are the suspensions air, hydraulic, coil-overs?

i probably need to at least drive the Cayman.

My wife thinks the 911 is a better route for the fact that it least has two back seats. We have two girls, 8 and 14...both are small. yeah, I know, they're going to HATE riding back there, right?

 

Same here on being leary about 1st-year production car.

If you are mechanically incline, then I say, "buy yourself a Porsche!" I have an '07 C4S and I have replaced the alternator, the AOS, water pump and that's it. Bought it with 11K miles and it now has almost 70K miles.

Buy the Durametric and it will help with diagnostics. I myself have not had much use for it since I only use it for turning of the maintenance reminder.

Can you cut your kids legs? hahaha. The rear seats are almost not usable. Perhaps for the 8 year old. For short trips, yeah and maybe. But for long haul, the rear passengers would start hating you. I am 5'9 and I think 3 people would be okay (1 passenger, 1 front passenger, and 1 left-rear passenger).

My remaining challenge is how to drop the engine. I have owned air-cooled Porsches and can tear them to pieces. The 997? Well, no one has done a DIY-Drop-The-Engine-Tranny article. Once I learn how, I will start trashing the car since I would know how to replace/upgrade the clutch.


Beware.... though my input was based almost 3 decades of Porsche ownership, your experience might be different. Caveat Emptor!

 

Noted! A PPI will be a given on anything I seriously consider. So to do a clutch you have to drop the engine/tranny? So I'm guessing $2-3K for a clutch swap? I have NO idea! Again, thanks for the input!

 

Yup! And prices will vary depending on location.

Btw, it's interesting that your moving from a $6k car to a $40k car. Midlife crisis? Jk!

 

Ha! No, actually I am just getting rid of several toys and simplifying life by a few hobbies. I've got a 70 Nova with a 600hp LS3 that I'm selling, a boat and a big freakin' 4x4 diesel chevy truck.

I want one car and $$$ to boot.

I laugh at myself for making stupid moves like a $6K Benz I have 12K into...That's why I'm trying to make sure that a porsche isn't going to be another money pit pos.

Plus, I've never owned one. So there's that...and the fact that I'm a car guy through and through. I can't afford any of the Italian cars and I do like German cars. I just want something that works more than it breaks!

 

I think most here will agree that these cars are not bullet proof but very reliable. I put 40,000 miles on a 2006 C4S and didn't do much except changing oil and tires. Almost 40,000 miles on the -09 C4S too and same thing there except for a failed water pump and a rare $13,000 PDK failure....both covered by warranty. Which leads to the point of my input (FWIW): Very tough, rugged cars but when things do come apart it's not cheap to fix.

 

Yes, $13K for a tranny would be a big stinking pill to swallow.

I had also considered some older 911's. 87-89 in particular. But those are almost the price as the 05-08 997.

 

Easier to work on than the newer cars though if you're into DIY. As reliable as the 997's are I personally wouldn't own one without some kind of warranty but that's a highly subjective opinion.

 

The latest Porsche Buyers Guide from Excellence has several articles on the best Porsche for a fixed budget and $40K is one of the budgets. There are several 911 options at that price point just make sure to do your home work.

 

The more you spend on the car the less the car should need. If you spent $60K you d be getting into an 09 (997.2) with all the updates and maybe even a warrenty. Just a thought.

PS/ I had a E430 Sport. Nice car but got out at about 50K miles and had no issues at all. My nephew still has it with over 100K.

 

I'm thinking about this being a long term purchase. Maybe the 997s are a bit more automated and computer reliant than what I'm looking for? A warranty would be fine for a limited amount of time, but after that it's all me. I don't mind expenses and I don't cut corners on keeping everything up to speed. My bigger concern is on there constantly being nit-picky crap going wrong. If I spend the money and the car is good for a while then that's acceptable to me.

 

I'll look that up. Thanks for the heads up! Yes, I'm trying to do as much homework as possible before I buy the next toy.

 

I agree that the E430 is a great car. I'm in it today and it's fun to drive around Atlanta. It's just the nit picky things that are getting old. The car gets compliments and turns heads more than I thought a 210 would.

Regarding the 911, I'm concerned with the newer cars complex stability systems and the adaptable suspension etc. On the Benz it's about $5K to have the air suspension redone. I'm assuming a 911 would be at least that much. And because I'm paying cash, $40K is all I want to drop. If I thought the new cars were long term bullet proof cars I'd be inclined to spend more.

What I need is a crystal ball...