Cars We Drive!

[bawlin]

Ironically, track cars are usually much better maintained than normal cars. And if it's a true track car, things like the stock rotors, wheels, etc., will usually be swapped for a track setup and would, therefore, be in like-new condition. That said, I can see why one would prefer to avoid a track car, but personally I am not bothered by it.

On a manual Porsche, you can pull the DME and look at the overrev report. Stage 4+ usually means money shift (shifting from 5-2, causing revs to spike past redline). This only tells half the story (my old GT3 was tracked by previous owner and myself and had a perfectly clean overrev report), but is a good starting point.

 

[otc]

how about an oddball option : early Porsche Cayenne, GTS or Turbo? They’re cheap now and in the early days Porsche didn’t realize yet that their customers didn’t give a **** about off-road capability...so they actually made them good off road. Bit of a crapshoot maintenance-wise though.

Saw this on the road last night.

Early Cayenne with rally lights, lift kit, and big offroad wheels/tires.

 

[Dino944]

@Dino944 pretty much nailed it. Buy a 981 Cayman S and call it a day.

The only drawback of the Cayman (981 and 718) is I find the cabin to be quite cramped and claustrophobic. So much so that I'm not sure I could drive one for any extended period of time. YMMV.

Good luck.

It's funny, because I know some people who complained that the 981 and 718 are larger than the old 987 Cayman/Boxster. Personally, I like the size of the 981 Cayman and Boxster because its pretty close in size to older 911s. As you know 911s have gotten larger over the years...but maybe having a back seat makes even an older 911 seem a bit more airy and spacious on the inside. If the OP finds the Cayman claustrophobic inside, then maybe he will want to try a Boxster. I know some people find the ability to put the top down makes some people feel a car is more spacious and less confined.

 

[Drek Galloche]

Ideally I would have Cayman with folding roof , but one has to choose. I find Boxsters ugly, so it is an easy choice for me.

 

[patrick_b]

I've been halfheartedly window shopping 981's this year. My purchase timeframe isn't until next spring. The one issue I can't get past is the number of used porsche's with 3-4+ owners. Clearly that doesn't tell the whole story and isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's striking how many hands they go through.

 

[Dino944]

I wonder if there is a relaible way to tell if the car was a weekend cruiser vs. a track car. What are the tell tale signs? I know how to avoid repaint or accident cars as my family was in a car buisness, but I am not familiar at all with wear that is specific to competition cars.. I would def. want to avoid the track car.

Modifications, non stock suspension and brakes are often, but not always signs cars were tracked particularly Boxsters and Caymans. I've rarely met guys who just drive their cars on the street who modify the suspension and brakes. It can depend on on mileage, but to some degree a lot of track cars, the paint condition isn't always as nice as street cars. Now that's not a guarantee, but cars on tracks tend to get their front ends beaten up a bit from chunks of rubber tire and other bits coming up at them from the cars ahead of them. Today it may be less noticeable with paint protection films especially if the paint protection film on the hood and bumper got replaced at some point.

However, two things I'd want, 1) a Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI), they can probably tell the condition on the underside and any mods that may have been made, damage that has occurred, or things that may be worn and need replacing; and 2) I'd want maintenance records.

 

[Dino944]

I've been halfheartedly window shopping 981's this year. My purchase timeframe isn't until next spring. The one issue I can't get past is the number of used porsche's with 3-4+ owners. Clearly that doesn't tell the whole story and isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's striking how many hands they go through.

Well it's important to remember the earliest 981s were coming into the US in 2013 ...so that's 8 years ago, and the last new ones are now 4 years old. Some people lease a car and move to something new every 2-3 years. Some people, unexpectedly have a kid and the 2 seater has to go. Some people go to a 911 or Panamera because they need a back seat. Then you get people who spec'ed the car themselves with all the options they wanted, it meets all of their needs, and they still have it and so it's never been on the pre-owned market.

 

[patrick_b]

Well it's important to remember the earliest 981s were coming into the US in 2013 ...so that's 8 years ago, and the last new ones are now 4 years old. Some people lease a car and move to something new every 2-3 years. Some people, unexpectedly have a kid and the 2 seater has to go. Some people go to a 911 or Panamera because they need a back seat. Then you get people who spec'ed the car themselves with all the options they wanted, it meets all of their needs, and they still have it and so it's never been on the pre-owned market.

Just let me know when you decide to sell yours .

 

[Dino944]

Just let me know when you decide to sell yours .

Sure thing my friend! A few pix until then



https%3A//i.imgur.com/7LAXkF6l.jpg[/img]']

 

[patrick_b]

@Dino944 Dark blue, light colored leather interior, no CF buckets and a manual. Perfect spec IMO! She really is a beauty.

 

[yorkshire pud]

								Sure thing my friend! A few pix until then https%3A//i.imgur.com/O6ltfAwl.jpg[/img]']https%3A//i.imgur.com/7LAXkF6l.jpg[/img]'] Nice!! Do manual gearboxes fetch a premium in the USA??

 

[Dino944]

@Dino944 Dark blue, light colored leather interior, no CF buckets and a manual. Perfect spec IMO! She really is a beauty.

Hi Patrick, thanks! Yes, I had fun specc'ing it. Dark metallic blue, 2 tone interior agate and pebble gray full leather interior (they included the deviating stitching when you opted for that package). I nixed the plastic trim in favor of brushed aluminum, and picked all the performance options Sport chrono, Porsche active suspension management (which also lowered the car 10mm), 20" Carrera S wheels (the lightest ones offered at the time), torque vectoring, and their sport exhaust....and a few other details that escape me at the moment. I've had it 7 years and its still a blast to drive!

 

[Dino944]

								Nice!! Do manual gearboxes fetch a premium in the USA??

I haven't noticed that with these cars, at least not yet. Although, there is a strong market for the manual equipped cars among actual enthusiasts.

Plus far less to worry about. PDK is brilliant for an automatic...but if it dies out of warranty, its brutally expensive to replace. I was chatting with a guy who has a 991 with PDK. The system broke, but thankfully it was under warranty. According to him, Porsche won't fix a PDK transmission. You have to buy/install a new one. He said between parts and labor, if it wasn't under warranty it would have cost about $25K to replace. He said he keeps cars for a while so his next Porsche will be a manual, as he never wants to deal with that issue again out of warranty.

 

[Drek Galloche]

Sorry, which model is this? I cannot tell if this is 911 or Cayman.

 

[Dino944]

Sorry, which model is this? I cannot tell if this is 911 or Cayman.

The car I have, which is in the photo above is a 981 Cayman S.

The story involving PDK repair involved someone's 911/991.