Planet 9

Okay. Here's my dilemma:

I am zeroing in on two CPO Caymans, both listed as asking price just under $43k. I have not driven either car, but I have been in communication with both dealers:

1. 2006 CS, 25,500 miles, Tip. driven by a 55 year old lady for 3 years, just back on a lease return. The car is local and comes with the very hard to find PASM and Sport Chrono. The dealer assured me the car wasn't over-revved since it was leased by a 55 year old lady. I laughed at this since that innocent ol' gal seemed to know to order the CS with Sport Chrono and PASM. She knew her stuff! I think that gal was flooring it!

2. 2008 base Cayman, 2400 miles, Tip, used as a service loaner and has only been registered and titled to the dealership which unfortunately is at least 1300 miles away! Very lightly optioned with climate, caps and heated seats, 17" base wheels, base radio.

I am almost 65 years old (this would be my milestone birthday present to myself), won't use the car to race and wonder which would be best: the local CS with the right options but higher mileage or fly, try and possibly buy the base Cayman that is practically brand new.

Choice one gives me 3 years of warrantee. Choice two gives me 5 years of warrantee.

Choice one would be more convenient and would involve making an easy trade for my 2007 328i sedan as a down payment.

Choice two would mean I would need to get a good for one week price estimate from Car Max on my 328i, fly up to New England and drive the car and if I like it, buy it right there and drive it back some 1300-1400 miles (not too enthusiastic about that).

Those are my options. Both cars by the way score "95" on Auto Check where the average for both vehicles is in the range of "93-94".

Help needed!

My gut feeling is telling me not to pass up the 2006 CS with PASM and Sport Chrono; so rare to find!

What say you?

The dealer can give you proof regarding over revs so you don't have to take their word.
Then it becomes a choice between options that appeal and warranty. Those are personal.
I do suggest reading my FAQ regrading buying used if you haven't Planet-9 - FAQ: Questions & Answers

A road trip is always better than good with a new car but before making the trip I'd ask for lots of photos, perhaps an independent inspection and a refund for the airfare if all is not as promised. My 06 is going to serve me well for a long time so I sentimentally favor that choice. But again you need to decide which features appeal most to you. Spreadsheet time?

Get the '06 CS. BTW, I've seen a few 55+-year-old women on the track - tell the dealer you'd like to see a DME over-rev printout, regardless of the age of the previous owner. If that's clean, buy the car.

brad

__________________
22-year PCA Member
PCA DE Instructor

Thanks for all that info!

Spreadsheet time? Ha! Ha!

I laughed when the sales guy e-mailed me back that I should "relax"-the car was used by a 55 year old lady. Plenty of 70 year old women driving like out of control maniacs around here! From my observations- women drive with a bit more "abandon" than men, but know how to keep the car clean.

I absolutely would insist on the rev history. I found his e-mail a bit "lame".

Attempting to make time to visit tomorrow.

Wouldn't be surprised to find that the CS was leased by Danica Patrick's mother!

Thanks!

Sorry to say I agree with the sales guy. It's a Tip car and rev-limited like all others unless your 55 yr old flashed the ECU-- doubt it ! These cars are solid and red-lined up (sometimes up to rev limit) in tracks all over the country since 2006 with out any known issue. Porsche always over-engineers engines. The bigger issue I'd have is when the first oil change was made and other relevant history on the car's maintenance.

Okay.

I would of course ask to see a maintenance history for the vehicle. Being a leased car with one "owner", I have a feeling all maintenance was done on schedule.

Thanks.

Buy the local 'S', but pay less.

This one is in Connecticut. It's around 30 degrees up there now. Sounds like snow's coming. Not too enthusiastic. The dealer claims they were very selective in who got to drive the Cayman. Most folks in for service got Cayennes. It only has 2400 miles on it and was registered and titled to the dealer-no private ownership.

I agree with all of the above.

I'd buy the '06 CS. It has more low-end torque than the base, and, with the Tip you'll be spending plenty of time there. You could drive an example of each locally to help decide.

I also wouldn't want to buy a dealer loaner car - to me, they're one step away from rental cars... and I could tell you some stories about rental cars.

As for road trips - I flew to Boston with a one-way ticket and drove my CS thru the snow and night all the way to Georgia (it had rare options) - and I couldn't be happier.

This one is in Connecticut. It's around 30 degrees up there now. Sounds like snow's coming. Not too enthusiastic. The dealer claims they were very selective in who got to drive the Cayman. Most folks in for service got Cayennes. It has only 2400 miles on it and was registered and titled to the dealer-no private ownership.

Give only those to choices, I'd recommend #1. I would still do all the due-dillgence (DME printout; maybe even a PDI). While the CPO covers almost anything that could go wrong, I trust dealers about as far as I can throw them. My main concerns would be that no one ever revved the **** out of it and that it has never been hit. I can't tell you how many CPO cars I've seen that had accident damage despite the dealers claiming otherwise.

FWIW, I wouldn't count out any car in a 1200 mile radius. I have found a couple of cars (including my current CS) that were a cheap airfare/drive away. I can't tell you how much fun it was driving the CS from Seattle to L.A. (with the exception of the ticket, of course)

Best of luck to you in your search.

Extended test drive with the CS to make sure you like the clutch and manual transmission in stop and go and seriously consider buying it (make a starting offer and negotiate).

I was in a similar situation when I was about to the pull the trigger, and I chose the 06' Cayman S. The extra horse power was what did it for me, and also if you are going to invest that much money into a car, you might as well get you like, and it seem like the options in the 06 really fancy you. Even if you don't track your car or even drive fast, the "S" just feels better, IMO not saying there's anything wrong with 2.7.

Also, we all know how we treat loaner cars.....things we'd never even ponder about doing to our own cars.

My vote is for the S!

Thanks. So the Car Fax and Auto Check reports don't mean much where accidents are concerned? Both cars come up "clean".

It's a tipronic.

Thanks for your help.

Yes. $43k for a 2006 with 25.5k miles sounds a bit high even with the CPO warranty. If the vehicle checks out okay, I would offer $38k, perhaps go up to $40k max as he dangles that left-handed key in front of my face.

So I'm wondering, if a car is offered CPO, should I request the vehicle be taken to a neutral dealer for a PPI or would that be pushing it?

I'll go for the CS as well. You won't be disappointed. You'll never have to second-guess yourself if you didn't pick the CS. I think $35 thousand would be a fair price for a 25,000 miles car. I wouldn't pay more than that.