987.2 2.9

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Discussion

Hippea

Original Poster:

2,151 posts

76 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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Anything I need to know about these? Do they feel special enough being the base Cayman and am I right in thinking most of the engine issues etc have been ironed out by now.

What are thoughts on this example?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303275...

nickfrog

21,942 posts

224 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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That looks like a great example that is well priced. I have been out of the 987 loop for the best part of 10 years but I do remember the 2.9 being the sweetspot in terms of reliability without DI or that infamous bearing thing.

Having said that my 987 had the odd issues like water pump or fan control board which were disproportionately expensive to fix. Not to mention the fragility of the Aircon condensers.

Apart from that I can't see those cars depreciating much and they are wonderful to drive despite the silly gearing.

gsewell

703 posts

290 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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Ask to see the 12 year service record. It should include brake fluid, spark plugs, serpentine belt and gearbox oil change.
This is the most comprehensive service and should have been done last year for a 2010 car.
I have no concerns about a car serviced by a Porsche specialist as OPCs can be very expensive.

nickfrog

21,942 posts

224 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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I can't help noticing that the car is in Abingdon so perhaps worth checking if it had been maintained locally by Wrightune (wouldn't be surprising) and see if they'll give a view or an inspection. Not sure if it's still the same guy there but a top bloke anyway, forgot his name.

Edited by nickfrog on Tuesday 28th March 10:36

AndrewGP

2,019 posts

169 months

Tuesday 28th March 2023
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I have a 2.9 987.2 Cayman and it’s a great car. Annual mileage is 3-4k. I have it serviced at a Porsche Specialist and they’re incredibly fastidious so anything that needs doing, gets done.I find it plenty quick enough in the real world, you can have a lot of fun without getting to crazy speeds. It does feel special to drive and for me strikes a good balance between raw but useable.

Other things not already mentioned to look out for are the Air Oil Separator which is fairly rare but revealed by smoke on a cold start. With the state of our roads, my lower control arms were all replaced at 50k miles as they’d developed a bit of play. Finally, I fitted Zunsport grills to protect the air con rads from stone damage. Well worth the price for peace of mind.

Hippea

Original Poster:

2,151 posts

76 months

Tuesday 15th August 2023
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Klippie

3,462 posts

152 months

Tuesday 15th August 2023
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Crudeoink

732 posts

66 months

Tuesday 15th August 2023
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Hippea said:
If it were me I'd take this one over the grey one. Ashgood are well regarded, and the blue is just a nicer colour IMO!

Hippea

Original Poster:

2,151 posts

76 months

Tuesday 15th August 2023
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Crudeoink said:
Hippea said:
If it were me I'd take this one over the grey one. Ashgood are well regarded, and the blue is just a nicer colour IMO!
The blue one looks a lot better to me. Good to hear that Ashgood have a good reputation.

I’m not clued up on specs but I’m guessing it’s one of the most basic specs you can get?

flat6crocer

49 posts

17 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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As 2.9s go, the spec on the blue one isn't all that bad. But it is pretty low spec in absolute terms. among gen 2 987s, even the 3.4s are usually pretty poverty spec. About one in 10 has a decent spec. For a 2.9, it's more like one in 20, especially manual. A PDK 2.9 with some spec is a tiny bit more common.

The blue one has the now irrelevant nav / PCM, Sound Package Plus, rear parking sensors, cruise, climate.

So of the options one might want but it doesn't have are Bose, xenons (standard headlights are awful, but fairly easily upgraded), PASM, PSE / switchable sports exhaust, extended leather, sports seats (well, or buckets, but a 2.9 with factory buckets is probably rarer than a 2.7 RS Lightweight), LSD (I assume no LSD, would be amazed if it had it).

Depends what you are after. In driving terms, only PASM, PSE and the LSD are relevant. Well, and the wheels, but it's on 17s which are easily the best option for driving on a 2.9. Some of the other stuff can make it a much nicer thing if you care about them. Obviously less so if you don't.

Anyway, if you want a high spec 2.9 (or even 3.4 Gen 2), be prepared for a possibly long wait. They don't come up much. I'm actually surprised how high Ashgood have priced that blue one given they are usually pretty sharp on price and given the mileage and the current market. Doesn't look quite as good a deal as their stock tends to. Unusual colour, very few in Midnight Blue.

981Boxess

11,529 posts

265 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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flat6crocer said:
As 2.9s go, the spec on the blue one isn't all that bad. But it is pretty low spec in absolute terms. among gen 2 987s, even the 3.4s are usually pretty poverty spec. About one in 10 has a decent spec. For a 2.9, it's more like one in 20, especially manual. A PDK 2.9 with some spec is a tiny bit more common.

The blue one has the now irrelevant nav / PCM, Sound Package Plus, rear parking sensors, cruise, climate.

So of the options one might want but it doesn't have are Bose, xenons (standard headlights are awful, but fairly easily upgraded), PASM, PSE / switchable sports exhaust, extended leather, sports seats (well, or buckets, but a 2.9 with factory buckets is probably rarer than a 2.7 RS Lightweight), LSD (I assume no LSD, would be amazed if it had it).

Depends what you are after. In driving terms, only PASM, PSE and the LSD are relevant. Well, and the wheels, but it's on 17s which are easily the best option for driving on a 2.9. Some of the other stuff can make it a much nicer thing if you care about them. Obviously less so if you don't.

Anyway, if you want a high spec 2.9 (or even 3.4 Gen 2), be prepared for a possibly long wait. They don't come up much. I'm actually surprised how high Ashgood have priced that blue one given they are usually pretty sharp on price and given the mileage and the current market. Doesn't look quite as good a deal as their stock tends to. Unusual colour, very few in Midnight Blue.
Just because lots of people want a certain option it doesn't mean it is important to everyone, perfect example is climate - on a convertible. Even when the roof is up most people manage to both deal with heating controls and drive at the same time, means very little to me.

Some options are an easy OE retro fit, eg cruise or different steering wheels, so again not a deal breaker.

There is one poster on here that has been looking for a car for as long as I can remember, holding out for the 'right' spec on a used car, given that they are not making any more I would rather enjoy 90% of something than 100% of nothing.

Hippea

Original Poster:

2,151 posts

76 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
quotequote all
flat6crocer said:
As 2.9s go, the spec on the blue one isn't all that bad. But it is pretty low spec in absolute terms. among gen 2 987s, even the 3.4s are usually pretty poverty spec. About one in 10 has a decent spec. For a 2.9, it's more like one in 20, especially manual. A PDK 2.9 with some spec is a tiny bit more common.

The blue one has the now irrelevant nav / PCM, Sound Package Plus, rear parking sensors, cruise, climate.

So of the options one might want but it doesn't have are Bose, xenons (standard headlights are awful, but fairly easily upgraded), PASM, PSE / switchable sports exhaust, extended leather, sports seats (well, or buckets, but a 2.9 with factory buckets is probably rarer than a 2.7 RS Lightweight), LSD (I assume no LSD, would be amazed if it had it).

Depends what you are after. In driving terms, only PASM, PSE and the LSD are relevant. Well, and the wheels, but it's on 17s which are easily the best option for driving on a 2.9. Some of the other stuff can make it a much nicer thing if you care about them. Obviously less so if you don't.

Anyway, if you want a high spec 2.9 (or even 3.4 Gen 2), be prepared for a possibly long wait. They don't come up much. I'm actually surprised how high Ashgood have priced that blue one given they are usually pretty sharp on price and given the mileage and the current market. Doesn't look quite as good a deal as their stock tends to. Unusual colour, very few in Midnight Blue.
That’s some great advice

Interested that you think it’s overpriced, it seemed comparable to others on the market. If you look at the silver one someone posted above which is private and is more

Crudeoink

732 posts

66 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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Good point about 90% of the ideal spec car vs 100% of nothing. My 987.2 has all the options I wanted minus heated seated and an LSD. The LSD I'll likely get around to sorting next year and the heated seats i've learned to live without. The 987.2 is a great car and i'm sure you will enjoy it thoroughly. Just get one bought !

flat6crocer

49 posts

17 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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981Boxess said:
Just because lots of people want a certain option it doesn't mean it is important to everyone.
Don't think anyone was saying or implying that.

flat6crocer

49 posts

17 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
quotequote all
Hippea said:
That’s some great advice

Interested that you think it’s overpriced, it seemed comparable to others on the market. If you look at the silver one someone posted above which is private and is more
Classifieds always rammed with overpriced private cars not selling, so not a great guide.

Trade values are about 25% lower now than the pandemic peak. Price of the blue car is OK for the market generally, it's just not as keenly priced as I would expect from Ashgood given the mileage and market conditions. Their cars usually look particularly good value. That one just looks OK. These cars are quite mileage sensitive re values.

So I didn't. and am not saying it's overpriced per se. But it's not the usual conspicuously good Ashgood deal.

981Boxess

11,529 posts

265 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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flat6crocer said:
981Boxess said:
Just because lots of people want a certain option it doesn't mean it is important to everyone.
Don't think anyone was saying or implying that.
Correct, I said it.

WayOutWest

831 posts

65 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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flat6crocer said:
Hippea said:
That’s some great advice

Interested that you think it’s overpriced, it seemed comparable to others on the market. If you look at the silver one someone posted above which is private and is more
Classifieds always rammed with overpriced private cars not selling, so not a great guide.

Trade values are about 25% lower now than the pandemic peak. Price of the blue car is OK for the market generally, it's just not as keenly priced as I would expect from Ashgood given the mileage and market conditions. Their cars usually look particularly good value. That one just looks OK. These cars are quite mileage sensitive re values.

So I didn't. and am not saying it's overpriced per se. But it's not the usual conspicuously good Ashgood deal.
Out of interest what £ discount would you expect for a private sale vs a 'respected' specialist dealer on a typical 987.2?
From my own experience it seems people will pay at least 2 grand more for exactly the same car from a dealer (for a 987.1 in my case) that they wouldn't have looked at privately, and that gap must grow as the value of the model increases.

It doesn't appear to be just down to badly drafted adverts from private sellers, even with nicely shot pictures and a well written ad it doesn't make up for a lack of warranty/lack of come back/perceived reassurance on a private sale. Personally I prefer buying privately but appear to be in a minority.
Although I was really stupid not to get an inspection when I bought my Cayman privately, it turned out to be a good un but it was a risk.





KPB1973

929 posts

106 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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Having had a few 987.2s, my advice would be to compromise on spec but not on history/condition (inc the drive). Nice toys will add very little, but resolving problems can detract a lot.

That said, I would draw the line at the smaller wheel size on the 2.9.

I'd recommend making sure clutch and flywheel are in good nick, They're not cheap jobs.

Re: private seller discounts, I think most sellers are pretty realistic but bear in mind that px values on 987.2s are often really poor, as they are sometimes incremental in 'the book' over the values of a pre-09 987.1. So some bargains can be had if the private seller has their eye on something else but is struggling to shift their Porker. In most cases there is wriggle room if the car needs work, but obviously it may have already been priced accordingly.

SV_WDC

814 posts

96 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
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I actually think these cars could be great value for money now as most have passed their 12 year service interval which is always a biggie (especially for PDK cars which require the fluid change which adds a large sum to the job).

Always best to buy on condition. The £2-3k premium on trade vs private sale is there but there's a big difference between Porsche specialist with a good reputation & issuing their own warranty & a general trade. That's not to say don't rule them out.

Best advice to OP would be go to look at cars. You soon get an idea on the prep of different dealers/specialists. It is also then you can get a feel on what options you can live with versus without.

Good luck!

flat6crocer

49 posts

17 months

Wednesday 16th August 2023
quotequote all
WayOutWest said:
Out of interest what £ discount would you expect for a private sale vs a 'respected' specialist dealer on a typical 987.2?
From my own experience it seems people will pay at least 2 grand more for exactly the same car from a dealer (for a 987.1 in my case) that they wouldn't have looked at privately, and that gap must grow as the value of the model increases.

It doesn't appear to be just down to badly drafted adverts from private sellers, even with nicely shot pictures and a well written ad it doesn't make up for a lack of warranty/lack of come back/perceived reassurance on a private sale. Personally I prefer buying privately but appear to be in a minority.
Although I was really stupid not to get an inspection when I bought my Cayman privately, it turned out to be a good un but it was a risk.
Personally, I'd want a 987 at about £5k-plus cheaper privately versus one of the better specialist traders. £2k discount is nowt in terms of rectifying a major problem if you buy a dud privately with no comeback. Then there's the reduced phaff factor of buying from one of the better traders versus having to arrange viewings, get an inspection done etc when buying privately. I value all of that at a lot more than £2k, that's not nearly enough to compensate for the elevated risk and phaff.

There are a few dealers where I'd be happy to put a deposit on over the phone and turn up to buy should it pass cosmetic inspection, not under the assumption that it's definitely perfect, but rather than if I got it home and it had burned two litres of oil in 100 miles (or whatever), my arse would be covered and the situation would be sorted on way or the other.

Only exception (which tbh I have personally had to make in the past) was for a (relative) unicorn spec 987.2 I paid probably £2k under trade for a private buy. Actually, have probably bought a couple of 987.2s that meet that description. So, it's easy to say I'd only pay £x, but the reality may be a bit different. Decent spec 987.2 3.4 manual are awfully thin on the ground. Probably about 15-20x the number of good spec GT4s available at any one time versus a good spec 987.2 3.4 manual. They all seem to be WFC recession spec.

Wouldn't apply so much to the 987.1. Zillions of them, relatively, and much higher proportion have decent spec.

Everyone is different in terms of how they value this stuff, but in terms of how long cars sit in the classifieds, the private cars priced near the trade definitely sit for longer. I think most buyers are nervous about private sales in general with cars like these, so any private car that's within a few £k of the trade is hard to shift.