Considering a used Porsche Purchase

[JackBurton]

This. My back seat is for packages, not people. Except my little nephew, he fits back there. An adult? Not unless it's Peter Dinklage.

If I were looking for a Porsche, in the $40k range, I'd be all over a Cayman. Like this: http://cargur.us/dxct

IMO, to get to 40k in a 911 you're going to need to make sacrifices, big ones. Either in mileage or age, and neither is very kind to that platform. Compared to the Cayman; repairs are more, service is more, and performance is less (since you have to go so far back).

Get a Cayman (or Cockster) with as few miles as possible, then keep a tight service regemine. Don't use it as a weekend-only driver, drive it often and don't baby it. Mind those things and it'll serve you well for a long time.

Why isn't it a good idea to use a Porsche as a weekend car?

 

[Fenixgoon]

i was once looking at a ~2006 +- 1yr Cayman S. thought it would be an excellent DD/autocrosser. sadly my money is not of infinite supply

and i know maintenance isn't cheap on porsches.

 

[hans007]

One thing with older Porsches is the ims bearing issue. Seems to affect 5-10% of pre 2009 I think Porsches.

When it fails it takes your engine with it apparently. Friend of mine almost bought a boxster and got an s2000 instead due to that. 911s have it too

You cab buy some sort of retrofit kit that makes it not fail I think.

 

[manimal]

One thing with older Porsches is the ims bearing issue. Seems to affect 5-10% of pre 2009 I think Porsches.

When it fails it takes your engine with it apparently. Friend of mine almost bought a boxster and got an s2000 instead due to that. 911s have it too

You cab buy some sort of retrofit kit that makes it not fail I think.

ya as mentioned way too many times on the internet the intermediate shaft can fail catastrophically. The retrofit kit costs about 600 bucks though a cheap version is in the works according to pelican parts. I really wouldnt worry about a failure. I have seen only one and actually inspected the engine since it was somewhat a novelty.

If you buy a used Porsche replace the IMS when you do the rear main seal and the clutch. Boom your good to go.

I know three shops here in indy that would do that job entire job for under 3k. Thats including a new clutch.

 

[Imdmn04]

You can get a nicely optioned 50K mile 996 Turbo for mid $40Ks; no contest between a cayman, 997 or a 991.

I ended up taking the back seats out entirely; at least it's somewhat useful as cargo room.

A Cayman with a rear mid-engine layout is much more balanced than the antiquated 911 with the rear engine layout.

Most of the Porsche enthusiasts have long expressed that Cayman has a technological superior platform. The only reason that Porsche hasn't put in a higher HP engine in it is that they are afraid of it stealing 911 sales.

Plus from an affordability standpoint, maintenance on a 10 year old 911Turbo will hurt the pocket much more than a 3 year old Cayman for someone whose budget-conscious (he must be because he is buying a used-Porsche)

 

[RichieZ]

Back seat on my 911 is pretty much useless; you will not be happy with the car in that regard. They're really 2 seaters.

They do have a weak spot in the so-called intermediate shaft, 99-09 cars have a set up that relies on a bearing to distribute the timing from crank to the cams and it's prone to failure. Luckily there's an aftermarket fix available for ~$600 + labor for pre-06 cars that adds great deal of reliability. The failure rate of 06-09 cars are minimal (latest bearing design).

Also maintenance isn't cheap, especially at he dealer.

Interior on the pre-05 cars is a function of the options the car came with; my 4s has full leather, body matched console, stitched airbag, wood inlays etc etc. The base cars are pretty meh-looking though.

so did you do the LN engineering IMS bearing retrofit on your 996?

 

[GoatMonkey]

I've had brief daydreams of getting a 911. Enough that I read some owner reviews on used car sites like Edmunds. I don't think my pockets are deep enough even for the standard maintenance. Also, there were a few posts that I read where the owners had major engine failures. It's about $23K for a new engine on a non-turbo 911. Think about a warranty just in case for major stuff. The numbers on that were relatively small though. Out of about 200 reviews on one site there were 3 or 4 that had engine failures. That's really not that bad when you think about it. The people most likely to write a review are the ones with a terrible experience. And some of them were just stupid, who buys a used Porsche with 90k miles and expects it to be perfect?

 

[deadken]

Back in the late 1980's (and again in the early 1990's) I used to work at a European Auto repair shop. There was a saying there:
You don't save up to buy a Porsche. If you have to save to buy it, you'll never be able to afford everything else you need for it (maintenance, insurance, repairs, etc...).

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[halik]

so did you do the LN engineering IMS bearing retrofit on your 996?

No, mine has a new 05 motor under warranty, the one with the 997 bearing assembly.

 

[RichieZ]

No, mine has a new 05 motor under warranty, the one with the 997 bearing assembly.

early 05 engines supposedly still have the smaller IMS bearing

 

[MagickMan]

Why isn't it a good idea to use a Porsche as a weekend car?

Because they actually age/wear better if driven regularly. It's an everyday sports car, built to be driven every day. As I mentioned before, my Carrera S is my DD and it does it perfectly (and makes regular trips around town a lot more fun).

 

[halik]

early 05 engines supposedly still have the smaller IMS bearing

Yeah, midway though 05 they switched it. Mine has serial number in the 997 bearing range.

 

[manimal]

Because they actually age/wear better if driven regularly. It's an everyday sports car, built to be driven every day. As I mentioned before, my Carrera S is my DD and it does it perfectly (and makes regular trips around town a lot more fun).

while your technically right one could get away with it like I did for a long time. In the summers I would take it one day a week as a reward to myself.

 

[tongqi2]

Maintenance isn't really that bad on 911s. If you don't track, you won't go through tires/brakes like crazy either.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Get a 914 instead. :awe:

 

[halik]

A Cayman with a rear mid-engine layout is much more balanced than the antiquated 911 with the rear engine layout.

Most of the Porsche enthusiasts have long expressed that Cayman has a technological superior platform. The only reason that Porsche hasn't put in a higher HP engine in it is that they are afraid of it stealing 911 sales.

Plus from an affordability standpoint, maintenance on a 10 year old 911Turbo will hurt the pocket much more than a 3 year old Cayman for someone whose budget-conscious (he must be because he is buying a used-Porsche)

I don't disagree, the layout should make for a far better balanced car. In all honesty I wouldn't be opposed to buying one, the 911 is just slightly better all around choice (AWD, more space with the fake-back seats, better options etc... also my car looks better imo).

The maintenance should actually be fairly identical; turbo cars have very little weak spots (spoiler rams ?) and the labor runs about the same.

 

[RichieZ]

I don't disagree, the layout should make for a far better balanced car. In all honesty I wouldn't be opposed to buying one, the 911 is just slightly better all around choice (AWD, more space with the fake-back seats, better options etc... also my car looks better imo).

The maintenance should actually be fairly identical; turbo cars have very little weak spots (spoiler rams ?) and the labor runs about the same.

996 looks better than the cayman? you are probably in the minority, but glad you enjoy it

 

[Blackjack200]

I like the looks of the Cayman a little better too, but honestly both are gorgeous cars.

 

[Throckmorton]

I would think a 911 is easier to repair because the engine is accessible from above, instead of only from below

 

[halik]

996 looks better than the cayman? you are probably in the minority, but glad you enjoy it

Widebody 996, absolutely. I don't find cayman all that well proportioned, especially from the rear.

 

[manimal]

im gonna go all in and say I would rather have Haliks 911 too ^^

and I am a guy who LOVES caymans

 

[Blieb]

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[Howard]

Porsche manuals feel really nice in the hand. At least try it out first.

 

[satyajitmenon]

Porsche manuals feel really nice in the hand. At least try it out first.

Indeed

 

[Phanuel]

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