Planet 9

Hello all
My first post , just joined , hopefully it will be one of many

I am going to look at a Cayman this weekend with a view to buying it. It is from an internet based trader.

I am slightly nervous in that it is not in a main dealers' with all the backing that that provides, however if I can satisfy myself that all is above board then I will go ahead with the purchase.

The car is a 2007 57 plate with 10500 miles on it.
I would assume that it should still be on the original tyres ??
How many keys do you get with the car, two ??
Where is the chassis number stamped ?

Anything else other than a good look around it, test drive, HPI check that I should do ?

Many thanks.

Here is a FAQ that addresses your questions Planet Porsche - FAQ: Questions & Answers

I can add my experience - I found my car @ a subaru dealer who does a side-line in off lease higher-end cars; mine had the original factory warranty and nothing more ....

I spoke w/ a non-dealer porsche mechanic who said he liked off-lease cars and that mine would have enough of the factory warranty remaining to catch anything serious .. it would likely fail, if it did, before the warranty ran out.

Condsider the cost of a new set of tires and that 1'st service if it hasn't been performed.

you can also pay a porsche dealer for a 'used car evaluation' -- and make your purchase contingent on those results.

I bought my '06 w/ 12K miles on it and am really happy.

specifics - you get 2 'regular' keys + a small / minimal plastic+chipped key for your wallet. for when you lock the real keys in the car.

you should also look closely at the docs which come w/ the car -- ensure you have the maintenance booklet -- in there are the build specifics for your car pasted to a page -- paint codes, options ...

"specifics - you get 2 'regular' keys + a small / minimal plastic+chipped key for your wallet. for when you lock the real keys in the car"

Newer model cars no longer have the plastic "valet" key. And as the FAQ points out you should get the wheel lock key as well.

Thanks for the advice guys.
As it happens the sale has fallen through, turns out the car is a two owner car. At 1.5 years old two owners has put me off so back on the hunt for another.
I have seen one fully loaded , just about every extra I'd want but it has 19 inch wheels, I've worried in that they can cause the ride to be a bit harsh.

Do you reckon if I bought a car with 19 inch rims I'd regret it ?

Sorry for all the newbie questions but I want to get this purchase right, I tend to buy a car and keep if for years and years so a few weeks or months getting the right one is worthwhile for me.

Thanks again.
Kenny.

I have 19" rims and I don't find the ride too harsh. But that is just me. Go to a Porsche dealership and drive one with 19" rims to see if it is too harsh for you.

What about the car having 2 owners has you put off? This kind of car is sometimes bought to fulfill a dream or wish list and then reality sets in. One may find it too expensive to own, doesn't live up to the dream or just isn't all it was envisioned to be. A Porsche PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection) with a DME (Digital Motor Electronics) report should eliviate most fears of abuse. Also a Porsche extended warranty(CPO), if bought from a Porsche Dealership, should decrease your worries even further.

Thanks for the replies.

I saw an 8 month old car in a Porsche dealership with 19 inch alloys on it within my price band, I thought I'd found the car for me until I went to see it. It had been extensively resprayed, the paint was so soft that I could mark it with my finger nails. The dealer told me it'd had a few stone chips that they wanted to tidy up, I didn't belive him and walked away from it. The ride wasn't too harsh with the bigger alloys though.

Saw antoher one , again 8 months old, demo and have put a deposit on it, the dealer has confirmed in writing that it has not been in any accidents or re painted at all, I go down to pick it up a week tomorrow if all is well with it ( extensive photographs indicate all is OK ).
I'm pretty excited about it, it's costing me a lot more than I've ever spent on a car before but I reckon it'll be worth it.

Roll on a week on Sat !!

It may be costing you a lot more than you have spent on a car before BUT it will pay you back so much more. It is an investment of the spiritual side, so to speak. I get so much pleasure every time I turn the ignition key and hear the engine come to life. Then I step on the go pedal and I cannot help but smile. So, this car has actually increased it's worth, to me, many times over. I just wish I could find a financial investment that had this ROI (Return on Investment) I would be Bill Gates wealthy

Kenny, don't worry about the wheels. They're easily changed if you decide you don't like the ride or the look. You will have no difficulty selling or trading 19s for 18s whenever you wish. Wheels are not a reason to pass on an otherwise desireable car. That said, I've been quite happy w/my 19" Classics (with PASM).

__________________
Dan

Thought you would like to see my personalized license plate:

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
Cold Croc
38 years of continuous Porsche ownership

Ride History
1966-1969 ---- 1961 Rambler Classic (Sorry)
1969-1970 ---- 1969 Mustang Mach I (Engine lasted 49K mi... swore I'd never buy another American car)
1970-1972 ---- 1964 356C - Rust Bucket
1972-1976 ---- 1972 914 - Ball Buster
1976-1977 ---- 1973 911T - Was I crazy?
1977-2007 ---- 1963 356SC 306K mi
2001-2003 ---- 1984 911 SC Targa - For my son
2000-2005 ---- 1997 Ferrari 355-F Brain Fart
2007- ???? ---- 2007 Cayman S
2008 ---------- 2008 Audi R8 - Delivery late spring '08

Make sure you get a DME over-rev printout.

If you wind up with 19" wheels and want to get rid of them, or trade for 18" let me know.

__________________
2008 Cayman S Sport
2008 GTI
1970 Judge
1967 GTO
2008 1098R
1992 900 SS
2010 XB12R Firebolt

Cheers guys

The car I have put a deposit on has 18 inch wheels , having now driven both 18 and 19 inch wheels I didn't notice any difference on the roads I drove on.

What is a DME over rev print out, I assume it records when the car has been over revved, but is there not a rev limiter fited to these engines ??
If the DME shows it has been overrevved is that something to worry about for the future ?
It's coming from a Porsche dealership, is a DME printout something that would be supplied to me as a matter of course .
Is it something that may help me in case of any warranty issues in future years , showing that it had been overrevved by Porsche themselves as it has only been owned by them, as a demo and service manager's car.
It is an 8 month old car so still has plenty of prsche warranty on it, if it's been over revved is the engine likey to go bang within that period ??


Are the DME over revs assigened to a certain mileagae or date or does it just show over revs without any link to when thye occurred ?

You've now got me worried !!

Thanks,

Kenny.

I copied this from the FAQ section for you. VERY advisable to ask for this. I had to back out of an offer based on a DME readout that had an over-rev event in range 5.

Description:

The Cayman's DME (Digital Motor Electronics) records the number of ignition cycles that occur when the engine speed passes 7,300 RPMs. It also records the 'hour' of operation in which the incident took place. These records can be retrieved by using a PIWIS. This information can be used by a Porsche dealer to deny a warranty claim when abuse is the cause, or by a potential buyer to identify abuse of a used Cayman.

There are six ranges of over-revving that are logged by the DME:
Range Rev Speed Comments

1 7,300 - 7,499 RPM Ranges 1-3 can be achieved by bumping into the rev limiter (more likely if a car is driven in Sport Chrono Sport Mode). Ignition cycles here are no cause for concern. The Cayman engine is considered mechanically safe beyond 7,900 RPMs, but revving beyond this range is going to result in extra ordinary wear and stress.

2 7,500 - 7,699 RPM

3 7,700 - 7,899 RPM

4 7,900 - 8,399 RPM This ranges (and beyond) can only be achieved by a miss-downshift and these speeds are pushing the range of physical damage. Carefully inspect the number of ignition cycles that have been recorded in this area and get ready to walk.

5 8,400 - 9,499 RPM If the engine is still running, it is very likely that it's been seriously damaged and will likely suffer a premature death. Budget for a new engine. If you have over-revs in this range, don't expect warranty coverage.

6 9,500 - 11,000 RPM If the engine hit this range, it exploded. There is no way this thing is still running.

Don't be alarmed if you see 1,000 or more cycles in a range. That sounds like a lot, but keep in mind that a Cayman engine sees 3 ignition cycles per revolution. You can determine how much time was spent in the range by using the following formula: Time at Over Rev = Ignition Cycles / (RPM/20) . So, 1,000 cycles would be less than 3 seconds, or more likely, three 1 second bumps into the rev limiter.

It is possible to use aftermarket software to erase over-rev records, so this test should not be used as a definitive or exclusive identifier of abuse. If buying a used Cayman, a pre purchase inspection conducted by an experienced Porsche repair shop or dealership is a very smart move.

I bought an 06 CS with 19" wheels, PSAM, and a dealer CPO. Now a year later, wonderful car, only problem is a mysterious drain in the gas tank. I fill it up, start on a brief ride, come home a couple of hours later with a big smile, and much of the gas has vanished. Now 12K miles later, still very happy with the Black Pearl. Ed

PS: I tend to loose keys and since I plan to keep the CS for years, I had the dealer get me 3 full keys and a valet key. Somewhere along the line I will loose a key someplace. Of course if I knew where I lost it, it wouldn't be lost , would it? Ed

I got the DME report from the dealership, it shows 2032 ignitions in range 1 and 36 in range 2, zero in all of the rest of them so my weekend of worrying has now come to an end

Roll on Saturday