Planet 9

I will apologize in advance for asking this as i'm sure it's probably a question that comes up often, but i'd like to get some honest feedback on it

I have been looking more and more into purchasing a Cayman. Last week I had my first chance to take a Cayman 07 and an 11 PDk Cayman S out for a spin. Honestly i'm absolutely love struck by the cars. The way it feels to drive and the sounds are absolutely a one in a million feeling. That being said I have for a great while now been curious about just how cost efficient it is to own a Cayman.

I do understand that if you purchase an 09+ that IMS issues are non existent, and that RMS issues are not a problem? Is this correct? I've also heard that when migrating to the newer engine(not sure of it's name off the top of my head) that power steering leaks are no longer a problem and that virtually every previous problem on the previous model has been worked out. Is there any truth to this? I'm basically curious too if it would be reliable in the sense of owning a Japanese car or something with the an LS engine in it from Chevy. I will admit I probably can't pull 15k out of no where to fix an issue should the engine go, but a few thousand in repair may be manageable per year if absolutely needed.

I'd also like to know some figures on cost of ownership if anybody has them. The oil changes i'm not too worried about even at 200 bucks which is the highest i've heard on here it doesn't seem too horrible. I am a little curious on brakes and how much fluid changes run for the Cayman S models? If you get the PDK does it have to have a 40k Flush of the fluids similar to my VW? Also if anybody has experience what could I expect to pay for replacement rotors/pads at an indy shop? What do your maintenance cost per year usually come out to?

I have also heard about early 2000 boxsters eating up tires excessively often within 10k miles of purchase. Is the Cayman also like this?

Are the cars troublesome? I know with my current VW i've spent some time in the shop already 3 times for windows not sealing, Gas cap latch breaking and leaving me stuck in Texas, Rear trim cracking and needing replacement. Cupping issues with tires, Trans issues. Will the Cayman also be like this given that Porsche is now part of the VW family?

With these questions in mind i've basically worked out if I do purchase the car I should purchase it on the side as a weekend car and have something else to daily during the week. Is that what most others here do or do many of you daily your Cayman's?

Basically yes. There may be HPFP issues but normally covered under warranty.

Hard to say yet with how young the DFI engines are, but I highly doubt they are anywhere near as reliable as a Japanese car or even a Chevy LS.

You should not buy a Porsche unless you can handle at least a few thousand a year in repairs. Hopefully it won't be that much, but it easily could be.

You can always have those things done at a generic shop if you are cost conscience. I find that even cheap indy Porsche mechanics are at least 2X the price of other mechanics. They generally charge around $100/hour , where a generic shop can be as low as $20. Brakes and fluids are also easy to DIY on Porsches.

A few hundred in labor; rotors are $300 a pair, pads are $100 a pair.

It depends how hard you drive, obviously, but you can easily run $1-2k just on tires and brakes (expendables).

Depends on your driving style; 10k is a bit quick but not unheard of. I corded my rear tires in 8k miles, but I have a lot of rear negative camber and drive very hard + some track time.

Yes, those types of issues do occur. It's got that "great German engineering" which means lots of things break and when they do they're very expensive

I've been spending around $3-4k a year on expendables + repairs. Little things like bad water pump, bad coil pack, bad shifter cable can all be very expensive because they're so hard to get to in the car that they take a lot of hours of labor or are hard to DIY.

Yes of course some people may chime in and say they haven't had any repair bills at all, but the point is you should not have any illusions about low cost of ownership, don't get into it if you can't afford the repairs IMO.

I have an '06 CS; it's my do-everything car.

For oil changes, I've paid ~$150 from an independent and well over double that at a dealer. For OEM brake pads it's something like $550 from that same independent (wear sensors are expensive!), plus another ~$150 for a flush. Can't speak to PDK or issues specific to the '09+ models, but this should be generally applicable

I've also spent about $2,000 on preventative maintenance since I bought the car, including replacing the water pump (leaking), serpentine belt, spark plugs and some power steering hoses/fittings (also leaking; should not be an issue on '09+ models from what I hear here).

My cost/yr is somewhat atypical because I put a ton of miles on my car between commuting 35 miles each way and tracking it on weekends. Add tires every 6-7 track days and frequent alignments and you begin to get the picture haha

Having said that, my car makes me happy just to see it and I wouldn't have it any other way

edit: My CS has never once stranded me or failed to start

edit 2: If you do track it, heaven forbid you hit a cone at 90mph because it will cost $500 to replace the flimsy plastic wheel well liner

Don't let these high maintenance costs scare you.
My experience: Bought an '03 Boxster S 3/04 and sold it 6/08. Did my own oil changes for about $100 each, Air filter $25, new tires approx $1000 and a new battery $90. That was it, never had single problem. total mileage-25000

Bought an '08 Cayman S 7/08 and sold it 11/11. Ditto on the oil changes. Changed cabin filter $25, replaced battery under warranty, needed tires when I sold it. Never a problem. total mileage 17000.

Granted I don't put a lot of miles on my car but if you don't track it, your expenses can be quite reasonable.

Even though I never had a single problem, I would recommend you stick with the 09 plus vehicles to avoid the possibility of the IMS and RMS issues. Time will tell if these cars develop other issues. I have owned seven Porsches since 1982 and they all seem to have some minor unique problems. But what car doesn't.

Thank you all for the feedback thus far. I really appreciate cbz being so honest about the cost and the worst case scenarios. I know you can ask this question on a million forums and not get an answer with as much clarity as his. That being said I don't plan on throwing a ton of miles on this car hence the pos daily idea. This thing may see track time from time to time, but nothing more than a few events a year at max. A few days here and there will be fun enough for me.

OK...Here's the thing. This car is as close to an exotic as you can get without buying an exotic. The parts cost a lot more. They are not designed to be cheap to keep. That said...

1. '09+ cars are very reliable and '06-'08 cars are also very reliable IF YOU DON"T TRACK THEM.

2. '06 to '08 Boxster/Caymans don't generally get IMS problems. Drive them with enough revs after warm up...always over 2,000 and make a point not to lug and to occasionally run them at over 3,000. A good indication of how they like to run is the high RPM at 70 or so mph. Most IMS problems with Gen1 cars are due to a crushing amount of very low RPMs in traffic and not changing the oil enough.

The '09+ engines don't have an intermediate shaft, so no intermediate shaft bearing problems are possible.

3. One of the big weaknesses of the Gen 1 is that the oil pump can start sucking air on long very hard turns...like at a track. So either don't do that or spend some money on upgrading that oil system so it won't suck air. The forum is full of that sort of information.

4. Japanese cars, as a group, generally don't last very long on race tracks. They aren't built for it and they don't reward fast driving...Most of the "reliable" ones are very happy at normal speeds and tend to go all soft and squishy when you push them a little. So, it's kind of apples and oranges.

5. With good maintenance, which is not, in my opinion, excessively expensive, a weekend or street driven car that doesn't spend most of its life in downtown traffic, will last a very long time. I've done several track events with my car. I have 55K miles on it. It has the original clutch, which works fine, the valves are hydraulic, so you don't have periodic adjustments to pay for. I drive it all winter in Chicago. I wash it at car washes. I use my winter mats all year long. I do oil changes before 10K miles. Sometimes way before if I've been to the track. I changed out the original brake pads and am on my second set but the rotors are still original.

I don't baby the car, but I use cruise on the interstates and I don't race. My track sessions consist of 20 minute sessions with maybe 3 really fast laps. I've changed my oiling system...bigger sump, extra pump, improved baffles in the oil pan. I've got a power steering cooler. I put on a different Air/oil separator from a GT3. These are not easy projects if you are not an experienced mechanic with a good collection of tools. You don't need them if you don't track the car hard. I have R tires, coil-overs, a roll bar, bigger anti-roll bars and increased negative camber....so I NEED this protection. I've also replaced my seats and have full harnesses for the car. It's not my first street/track car, so I knew what I was getting into...sort of. I would not classify these cars as easy to work on. I use a local tech for more than half of the modifications.

I change my own oil and do my own brake work. I have a real frame service lift in my garage. It's still expensive, but I'm nuts. If you just want to enjoy the car driving around...and that's a BIG part of the fun with them, you can spend a lot less than half the guys on this site.

I plan to drive my car for 200,000 or more miles. The construction of it seems very stout to me and I don't have little electrical gremlins or rattles that make me crazy. It's still a hoot to drive and looks amazing. I keep it in a heated/cooled garage out of the sun. I think that's important if you're keeping one a long time.

I'm not planning on having a rear main seal problem. Hope I don't but if I do, I'll just get it fixed and move on. I think the next Caymans are going to be the best. After that, they'll start taking power away from them and may go to 4 cylinder turbos. Even with more power, I can't see a turbo four having the same character as these cars. They are just so cool and still get what I would call reasonable economy.

If you can afford it, '09+ is the way to go, I'm convinced, but I've come this far, I'm going to stay with this one. Love all the Caymans but the early ones are best owned by people with a good shop and a checkbook or a will and the tools to do a lot of work themselves.

If you drive one normally, they'll give good service and long life.

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-Sixisenuff

'06CS;Arctic/BlkStdLea;PCM2.1Nav;SC+;Bose/stuffdsub,gtwy500,iPod;ClutchDlyFix;udPulley;psCoo ler+wintrcover;gt3VOS;sumpExt;TTPOilsafe;MDSGrills ;18"ChmpRg5w235/40+265/40MichPSS;18"Forgestar+245/40&275/40NT01;18"BoxsterSRims+Pir240Winters235/40&265/40;HeigoRllBar;SptBuckets;Schroth6pt;SoftrncPlenm& 4.1flsh;TchartTUVcatbck;gt3LCAs;gt3scoops;tpcSwayb ars(quietlnks);PCCBmasterCyl;PASM/Dmptrnics;PgdYel+StockPds;StockRtrs;Motul600;FOR SALE:1newRecaroProfiXLw/slidrs+mounts,19"CarreraS/Nitto555/F235/35&R275/35;CDC4chngr;ROTTec sCGTF Seats w/Cayman mnts.

yeah I don't plan to go quite where you are with your car, but good to know that it can be moderately inexpensive to own as a weekend car. Honestly I am thinking I would like to keep this car for quite a while and maybe towards the end of it's life track it, but either way I can't see just getting rid of a Porsche unless you're getting another one.

I think, for what you want to do, it's a great car because the look and feel of it is timeless. Great looking and great driving car made well. They can improve 911s, but the old ones will always be cool. I think the Cayman is a better deal than a 911 because it's better to drive. There are exceptions, but for a car that you can actually use and own and isn't over the top, it's hard to beat.

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-Sixisenuff

'06CS;Arctic/BlkStdLea;PCM2.1Nav;SC+;Bose/stuffdsub,gtwy500,iPod;ClutchDlyFix;udPulley;psCoo ler+wintrcover;gt3VOS;sumpExt;TTPOilsafe;MDSGrills ;18"ChmpRg5w235/40+265/40MichPSS;18"Forgestar+245/40&275/40NT01;18"BoxsterSRims+Pir240Winters235/40&265/40;HeigoRllBar;SptBuckets;Schroth6pt;SoftrncPlenm& 4.1flsh;TchartTUVcatbck;gt3LCAs;gt3scoops;tpcSwayb ars(quietlnks);PCCBmasterCyl;PASM/Dmptrnics;PgdYel+StockPds;StockRtrs;Motul600;FOR SALE:1newRecaroProfiXLw/slidrs+mounts,19"CarreraS/Nitto555/F235/35&R275/35;CDC4chngr;ROTTec sCGTF Seats w/Cayman mnts.

If you put it into perspective I don't think you can find a better sports car for the money. Japanese cars get dated or old much faster from a styling / design perspective, I've owned an MR2, 2 NSXs, a BMW, and a MBZ and I've been in the car design business for over 20 years. My first car design project out of design school was designing the Corvette C5 and my partner was one of the key designers who designed the original Boxter, he had just left Porsche to work at GMs advanced design studio in CA and arrived there when I did. He later went on to head up Pininfarina and was credited with the Enzo Ferrari.
Porsche has the best brand going and their quality is tremendous considering the volume, performance, and price points for most of their models. IMO even BMW has struggled to maintain there brand. Audi, Cadillac, and Corvette have done OK but only as of late. Porsche simply rules when it comes to maintaining a their brand, delivering performance, and building quality cars over time. When I was ready to go back into a pure sports car this year I considered several vehicles but couldn't justify anything but a Cayman when I considered everything I was looking for. With any high performance vehicle you can expect to pay more for maintenance and parts, as much as 100% over typical DD cars. I haven't owned mine long enough to to provide you with good feedback regarding the true cost of ownership, but keeping it in perspective, you would be getting one of the top five best handling cars at any price point and it looks as stunning as it did when it debuted in 05, name another modern non Porsche car that can claim this. I've had my car for just a month now and put close to 2K on and it tuns heads and has people gawking or saying "that's one sick car bro". A bit off topic but my two cents....

I have to say, most of the money I've spent on my CS is because I wanted to, not because I had to. If you just want to drive the car and don't care about mods...and have A GARAGE, it's not expensive. I wouldn't have any car worth anything without a garage to keep it in. The UV if nothing else, really messes things up that are difficult to replace: rubber, plastic, vinyl pieces. Agree so much that the Cayman is a great choice for a pure sort of sports car that you want to keep for years. It just never gets old and makes me smile whenever I see it in my garage even if I won't be driving it that day.

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-Sixisenuff

'06CS;Arctic/BlkStdLea;PCM2.1Nav;SC+;Bose/stuffdsub,gtwy500,iPod;ClutchDlyFix;udPulley;psCoo ler+wintrcover;gt3VOS;sumpExt;TTPOilsafe;MDSGrills ;18"ChmpRg5w235/40+265/40MichPSS;18"Forgestar+245/40&275/40NT01;18"BoxsterSRims+Pir240Winters235/40&265/40;HeigoRllBar;SptBuckets;Schroth6pt;SoftrncPlenm& 4.1flsh;TchartTUVcatbck;gt3LCAs;gt3scoops;tpcSwayb ars(quietlnks);PCCBmasterCyl;PASM/Dmptrnics;PgdYel+StockPds;StockRtrs;Motul600;FOR SALE:1newRecaroProfiXLw/slidrs+mounts,19"CarreraS/Nitto555/F235/35&R275/35;CDC4chngr;ROTTec sCGTF Seats w/Cayman mnts.

And that's the key. If 'timelessness' is important to you, you'll love a Gen. 2 Cayman.

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Young Turk
2011 Cayman (Platinum Silver/Black) PDK, Bose, Ventilated seats, Heated seats, Bi-xenons, 18" Boxster S II wheels, Colored wheel crests, Porsche Crests on Headrests
Previously owned:
2001 Boxster, 2005 997 Cpe, 2005 997 Cab

That's cool as hell man, I think the C5 was one of the best designs ever and it preceded my Cayman. Good job!

To the original poster...I haven't seen anybody comment on an extended warranty. I've only had my base 2008 since early November of 2011 so I can't really comment on maintenance with it so far but I did do my research like you. I seriously doubt you'd have to spend a few thousand on it a year unless, like said, you were tracking it and/or driving an extreme amount of miles. If it really bothered you, you could get an extended warranty for that few thousand and drive the piss out of it.

I do my own oil changes, filters and other easy tasks mentioned here so I'm not too worried but I will have to take it in for major service just to get them to check the comp and other points for the sake of the warranty. But at only 24k miles (major service is at 40k and 80k) I don't see costs adding up to the point of having to get rid of the car. And I drive HARD but correctly.

Having the gen 1 Cayman I've been nervous about tracking it but if its only going to be 2-3 times a year and I'm only putting around 7k mi/yr on it I figure all will be well. However, I do have a factory warranty on it still and I am planning to extend it for piece of mind.

I think you should go for it and drive it everyday. I had a pos DD and got rid of it because I couldn't deal with waking up and not driving the Cayman. I love this car. From what I've read, seen, and experienced so far these cars are made for it.

Point being, you should be even more secure with an 09+...

I've owned 3 different Porsches spanning over 10+ years of ownership, including the 2006 Cayman S I bought last year. While I only have a year under my belt on the Cayman, my Porsche maintenance experience has been good. Typically I'll go a year or two with minor maintenance costs (basically just oil changes), and then I'll have to sink in some money for bigger ticket items (tires, wheel bearings, brakes/rotors, etc.).

Overall, my running costs average out to $1-$2K per year, but I'll often have years where I only pay for oil changes. My average will obviously blow up if I ever have to pay for an engine failure though.

RBTX are you including things like tires brakes in your 1-2k a year cost or is that just in engine work and such?

Yep - it's in my post

I have 16.5K miles on my 09 PDK daily driver (about 30 months since delivery). It has had two oil changes (dealer) at ~$150 each and one brake fluid flush (also about $150). I have changed the cabin filter myself once (about $20), replaced the rear tires at 11.5K miles (the fronts look to have about 50% tread left).

It has been in for warranty work four times. A reload of the PDK software (occasional "PDK emergency run" message), a dead battery after sitting for two weeks, the HPFP recall, and just recently for replacement of the seals on the ends of the tubing that connects the two intake manifold (right and left) distribution boxes.

Other than the warranty actions, not much different in maintenance cost than the G35 I had prior.