Thethinkingwould-be Porscheowner'schoice
2005-2012
Interior
- li kemuch
oftherest
ofthecar
- is robust.
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CLEVER
BUYS
MONEY
Why you want one
A 996-gen Porsche 911 Carrera 2 is
the default choice for many whenit
comes to an accessible and interesting
performance car. It’s understandable,
given few cars offer such a
combination of desirable traits –
including natural aspiration, sixtail-
mounted cylinders and more prestige
than you can shake an IMS bearingat.
Older 911s can be rife with issues,
though. While many ‘common’
problems – such as the
aforementioned IMS bearing –are
often not as commonplace as
suggested, age and neglect can result
in hefty maintenance costs.
Consequently, if you’re lookingfora
thrilling sports car with some
pedigree, it’s perhaps best to optfor
the more modern Cayman. It hasall
the increasingly appreciated
hallmarks of sports cars of old, and
could stand you in far better financial
stead. They’re also not that common;
in one year, for example, Porschebuilt
16 ,297 Caymans. In that same year,it
built 36,504 of its fabled 911s.
What the experts say
‘Dynamically, I think these are
fantastic cars and they’re very, very
easy to live with,’ says Ostroff.
‘Servicingis justeverytwoyearsor
every20kmiles;it couldn'tbe easier.’
Crucially,giventhatmanyoften
overlookthediminutiveCaymanin
favourof itsbiggerbrother,they
representexcellentvalueformoney
for thosewhodon’twantto stretchto
the largerPorsche.‘I thinkthosewho
don'thavethebudgetwillthenlookto
earlyCaymansfromendof 2005
onwardsandprobablypickup
somethingof a bargain,’saysOstroff.
Danielsconcurs.‘TheCayman,I
think,is excellent.However,theycan
sufferthesameIMSbearingfailure
andtimingchainbreakagethatthe
99 6ssuffer,andscoredbores,but
peopledon'tseemto knowthat.It's
definitelyworthcheckingoutand
seeingif it'shadthatdone.’
‘Porscheowners,’saysOstroff,‘are
all overthe forumswithlittlethings
thathavegonewrongwiththeircars
- but I thinkit'slargelya verywell-
builtcar.I thinkjustlookforevidence
ofregularmaintenanceandif
anybody'suncertainpaythe£300or
soto geta professionalinspection
done.If it failstheinspectionall
you'velostis £300.’
There’sa lotto be saidforthe
2.7-litreCaymans,butgiventhe
oft-minimalpricedifferencebetween
thetwo,it’softenbestto aimforthe
- 2 or later3.4‘S’variant.‘Inmy
experience,Porscheownersgetused
tothepowerprettyquickly–andthen
iftheyboughtthesmallerenginethey
thenregretnothavinggoneforthe
betterone,’saysOstroff.‘Oddly,some
ofthePorscheinstructorsI knew
li kedthebalanceof,forinstance,the
Boxster2.7betterthantheearlier
3.2.Quiteinterestingbut,because
there'snotmuchinit,I'dprobably
picktheSeverytime.’
TheCaymanis definitelyonefor
thoselookingto usetheircars,though,
ratherthanthosehopingfornotable
short-termreturns.‘It’sa wonderful
car,’saysLamport,‘butbecausethere
areso manythatpeoplekeptanddid
fewmilesin,they'renotreallygoingto
appreciatefora decadeor so yet –
whenthey'vethinnedoutevenmore.
‘Nowis certainlya greattimeto buy
whilethere'sstillplentyto choose
from.If youboughtonefor£15,000
andyouboughtoneright,andyoudid
a fewmilesinit as a secondfuncar,
you'renevergoingto loseanymoney
PORSCHE CAYMAN (987)
Engine 2687cc, 6-cyl, DOHC
Transmission RWD, 5-speed manual
Power 242bhp@6500rpm
Torque 201lb-ft@4600-6000rpm
Weight 1300kg
PERFORMANCE
0-60mph 6.1sec
Top speed 160mph (limited)
Economy 30.4mpg
JONATHAN OSTROFF HEXAGON CLASSICS
'DYNAMICALLY, I THINK
THESE ARE FANTASTIC
CARS AND THEY’RE VERY,
VERY EASY TO LIVE WITH'
