Gee said:
It is a 2009 Caymen s sport in orange... and from a dealer, how common is bore scoring on the 3.4 cayman?
Putting precise numbers on it is very hard to do.
However, as major engine faults go, it's uncomfortably widespread. I would bet all my world possessions that the incidence rate of bore scoring in the 3.4, 3.6 and 3.8 M97 (the gen 1 3.4 is M97) is roughly an order of magnitude greater (10x) than IMS failure was in the M96 engines.
The problem with the late 'Sport' model is that the market slaps a premium on any limited edition model, even if as in this case, it's really just a chintzed out trim model a la Vanden Plas / Ghia in the old days.
Anyway, for better or worse the upshot is that you can get a gen 2 with the new, much more reliable engine for that same or similar money.
Of course, when you come to sell the Sport, you will of course get some of that premium back. but in the meantime, you are running a far greater risk of a really bill bill compared to the gen 2 car.
This risk can be mitigated in various ways and substantially so if you do your homework right. You can have any car scoped prior to purchase. You can run an OPC warranty. And so forth.
But at the very least, it complicates the purchase and means you need to do a fair bit of homework if you want to make an informed purchase. I personally would very much favour a regular gen 2 over a gen 1 Sport for similar money. And by a very large margin.