The return of Marty Wild
Paul Ricard
- Joined
- 4 Nov 2016
- Messages
- 3,146
Hello Ladies and Gentleman,
First post here from a long time lurker that is looking to get his first Porsche. Have experienced a wide variety of Porsches through friends, from a 964, 993C2s, 993TT, 996.2 GT3 up to a 997s that a friend has posted on here about tracking recently. He made reference to me spending too much time detailing my cars as opposed to driving them. Least my paintwork is always immaculate though! This is a great forum and I have learnt a lot of stuff over the years, to the point where said mate comes to me for the knowledge. Sadly however, to date, I have never actually owned a Porsche so that is an issue that needs redressing.
*Note - The rest is a post I made pre-purchase
Currently drive a mint mkIV R32 which I love dearly as it handles whatever is asked of it. I am aware that the car I am looking after (Cayman 987.1 S) isn't quite as practical, but the itch does need to be scratched.
So without further ado, if you will oblige, I would very much appreciate some information from this font of knowledge. I do apologise for the biblical length of this first post in advance!
Went to see this car as a marker, for the sole purposes of seeing how much space the car actually has inside to see if it covers my needs:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...008-porsche-cayman-3-4s-petrol-manual/6138390
I personally thought from all of my research this car was overpriced, given the mileage and lack of options. As far as I could make out, other than this car being an '08, there really wasn't much else for them to be commanding such a high price. Couldn't properly drive it as I was invited to do a loop of the industrial estate, so was not in any way bowled over. Not that it mattered, I know what these cars can do and will have the chance to drive more.
I have read a lot of threads on here and PH about the infamous issues, so let's start with the big one:
Bore Scoring
This is supposedly a greater problem on the 3.4 due to less effective cooling with the increased bore size over the 2.7 version. I understand that it also has to do with the materials of the block, the pistons and their coatings. However, it is very difficult to gain any real feel for numbers. I was thinking a pre-purchase inspection might be a good idea, even if the car is coming from a Trader over private. Is that reasonable? Of course there are plenty of horror stories and people saying that a warranty is a must. The tone of the internet anecdotes does remind me of the R32's fabled engine problem, supposedly ALL R32 blocks with suffer catastrophic engine failure due to the chains letting go. Yet on the OC, I can't really think of any members that have actually had this happen. I am aware that this board and PH does have members that have suffered the curse of the 3.4 however.
I have read some very interesting posts by 'Baz' at Hartech explaining the issue, how one helps to avoid it and what they do to fix it. In short, what is the consensus to the bore score issue? I know it is not just the Cayman, but also the 997s 3.8 that can suffer this fate for example. The PH buying guide and Porsche Club GB make the issue sound blown out of proportion. I am aware that the 2.7 is regarded as the safer bet, but I want my next car to have more power than the R32 and not just be 200kg lighter.
Is fitting a LTT and perhaps using slightly thicker oil the way to go as easy preventative measures?
IMS/RMS Bearings
Knew about these issues facing Porsche engines for a long time. Probably through my mate having a mezger engine'd GT3 and reading stuff on here over the years. From what I have managed to gleam, these issues were mainly sorted on the older run cars, so buying an 07-08 car should largely safeguard against this. Is that correct?
Pre-purchase checks
What is the deal with 'Bore scoping', how much of a job is it and how much do they charge to come see a car with you roughly? Will the same outfit also be able to run diagnostics and check for 'over-revs' and the engine hours against the mileage etc?
The Options
Having driven my friend's 997s with Sports Chrono Plus and PASM, I would ideally like them on the Cayman. But from what I can make out so far in my research, not many cars had these options. PASM giving you softer than the standard suspension when running 18s or 19s does sound like a benefit on our tired roads. As does the luxury of being able to go stiffer than standard at the touch of the button. Should I hold out for PASM over all else? And presumably problems on the PASM suspension is a lot more expensive to rectify?
I notice the Sports exhaust is distinguishable from the two separate circular tips, but what does the SE actually do? Is it just for purposes of the soundtrack?
Sports seats, I have found it difficult from looking at countless adverts to work out exactly what the sports seat are over the standard? Is it just the hardback?
Mileage
Would be looking to keep the car some time, so ideally was looking for a car with circa 40k on the clock. Have read some bits that conflict in that, some say, cars that haven't been used very much may be more prone to the aforementioned issues. Is there any general consensus on this matter? I know maintenance and how it's been driven account for condition the most, tougher of course to determine the latter.
Trader or Private
I acquired my R32 from a member of the R32oc, it was low miles and he was only the second owner. It was obvious that he looked after the car and knew of all the issues, so the car was sorted out of the box. When I test drove the Cayman above, I missed the rapport and the enthusiasm. A more personable relationship with the seller allows you to gain insight on how the car has been treated. You just don't get this looking at countless ads where a lot of info about the car isn't even stated. Is there any clear cut benefits with going through a dealer apart from allowing me to chop the R32 in and not having a patch without a car?
Servicing
In the VW R-line world, you wouldn't trust them to put air in the tyres. All the board members get the cars serviced at recognised indies or do it themselves if they plan to hold onto the car for ever. So I have had my car well looked after by AMD in Thurrock for less than VW would have charged. I am of the impression that full OPC service history seems to be favourite. Is it best to keep the Porsche stamps coming? A couple of friends use the local Cambridge OPC and give good feedback.
Warranty
So this leads me into the final question, a lot of people on PH (not that I'm a member) state they wouldn't drive a gen1 997 or 987 without one. Do many people on here have the Porsche warranty or other such cover in place in case of big repair bills should the worst happen? Was looking at the Hartech one, but that seems to just cover the labour unless I am mistaken?
I thank you if you have managed to get to the bottom of this post, let alone replied. Really appreciate any input!
Marty Wild
First post here from a long time lurker that is looking to get his first Porsche. Have experienced a wide variety of Porsches through friends, from a 964, 993C2s, 993TT, 996.2 GT3 up to a 997s that a friend has posted on here about tracking recently. He made reference to me spending too much time detailing my cars as opposed to driving them. Least my paintwork is always immaculate though! This is a great forum and I have learnt a lot of stuff over the years, to the point where said mate comes to me for the knowledge. Sadly however, to date, I have never actually owned a Porsche so that is an issue that needs redressing.
*Note - The rest is a post I made pre-purchase
Currently drive a mint mkIV R32 which I love dearly as it handles whatever is asked of it. I am aware that the car I am looking after (Cayman 987.1 S) isn't quite as practical, but the itch does need to be scratched.
So without further ado, if you will oblige, I would very much appreciate some information from this font of knowledge. I do apologise for the biblical length of this first post in advance!
Went to see this car as a marker, for the sole purposes of seeing how much space the car actually has inside to see if it covers my needs:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...008-porsche-cayman-3-4s-petrol-manual/6138390
I personally thought from all of my research this car was overpriced, given the mileage and lack of options. As far as I could make out, other than this car being an '08, there really wasn't much else for them to be commanding such a high price. Couldn't properly drive it as I was invited to do a loop of the industrial estate, so was not in any way bowled over. Not that it mattered, I know what these cars can do and will have the chance to drive more.
I have read a lot of threads on here and PH about the infamous issues, so let's start with the big one:
Bore Scoring
This is supposedly a greater problem on the 3.4 due to less effective cooling with the increased bore size over the 2.7 version. I understand that it also has to do with the materials of the block, the pistons and their coatings. However, it is very difficult to gain any real feel for numbers. I was thinking a pre-purchase inspection might be a good idea, even if the car is coming from a Trader over private. Is that reasonable? Of course there are plenty of horror stories and people saying that a warranty is a must. The tone of the internet anecdotes does remind me of the R32's fabled engine problem, supposedly ALL R32 blocks with suffer catastrophic engine failure due to the chains letting go. Yet on the OC, I can't really think of any members that have actually had this happen. I am aware that this board and PH does have members that have suffered the curse of the 3.4 however.
I have read some very interesting posts by 'Baz' at Hartech explaining the issue, how one helps to avoid it and what they do to fix it. In short, what is the consensus to the bore score issue? I know it is not just the Cayman, but also the 997s 3.8 that can suffer this fate for example. The PH buying guide and Porsche Club GB make the issue sound blown out of proportion. I am aware that the 2.7 is regarded as the safer bet, but I want my next car to have more power than the R32 and not just be 200kg lighter.
Is fitting a LTT and perhaps using slightly thicker oil the way to go as easy preventative measures?
IMS/RMS Bearings
Knew about these issues facing Porsche engines for a long time. Probably through my mate having a mezger engine'd GT3 and reading stuff on here over the years. From what I have managed to gleam, these issues were mainly sorted on the older run cars, so buying an 07-08 car should largely safeguard against this. Is that correct?
Pre-purchase checks
What is the deal with 'Bore scoping', how much of a job is it and how much do they charge to come see a car with you roughly? Will the same outfit also be able to run diagnostics and check for 'over-revs' and the engine hours against the mileage etc?
The Options
Having driven my friend's 997s with Sports Chrono Plus and PASM, I would ideally like them on the Cayman. But from what I can make out so far in my research, not many cars had these options. PASM giving you softer than the standard suspension when running 18s or 19s does sound like a benefit on our tired roads. As does the luxury of being able to go stiffer than standard at the touch of the button. Should I hold out for PASM over all else? And presumably problems on the PASM suspension is a lot more expensive to rectify?
I notice the Sports exhaust is distinguishable from the two separate circular tips, but what does the SE actually do? Is it just for purposes of the soundtrack?
Sports seats, I have found it difficult from looking at countless adverts to work out exactly what the sports seat are over the standard? Is it just the hardback?
Mileage
Would be looking to keep the car some time, so ideally was looking for a car with circa 40k on the clock. Have read some bits that conflict in that, some say, cars that haven't been used very much may be more prone to the aforementioned issues. Is there any general consensus on this matter? I know maintenance and how it's been driven account for condition the most, tougher of course to determine the latter.
Trader or Private
I acquired my R32 from a member of the R32oc, it was low miles and he was only the second owner. It was obvious that he looked after the car and knew of all the issues, so the car was sorted out of the box. When I test drove the Cayman above, I missed the rapport and the enthusiasm. A more personable relationship with the seller allows you to gain insight on how the car has been treated. You just don't get this looking at countless ads where a lot of info about the car isn't even stated. Is there any clear cut benefits with going through a dealer apart from allowing me to chop the R32 in and not having a patch without a car?
Servicing
In the VW R-line world, you wouldn't trust them to put air in the tyres. All the board members get the cars serviced at recognised indies or do it themselves if they plan to hold onto the car for ever. So I have had my car well looked after by AMD in Thurrock for less than VW would have charged. I am of the impression that full OPC service history seems to be favourite. Is it best to keep the Porsche stamps coming? A couple of friends use the local Cambridge OPC and give good feedback.
Warranty
So this leads me into the final question, a lot of people on PH (not that I'm a member) state they wouldn't drive a gen1 997 or 987 without one. Do many people on here have the Porsche warranty or other such cover in place in case of big repair bills should the worst happen? Was looking at the Hartech one, but that seems to just cover the labour unless I am mistaken?
I thank you if you have managed to get to the bottom of this post, let alone replied. Really appreciate any input!
Marty Wild