GR86, Cayman or Alpine?
Discussion
I’m sure some of you have had the dilemma - around £30k to spend and a once in a lifetime choice of excellent coupes to choose from.
GR86 - pretty much brand new for £30k
Cayman - tons of choice, but ten years old
Alpine - a little more money, but the best residuals?
Which to go for, and why? Just to add to the mix I’m 6ft 3.
GR86 - pretty much brand new for £30k
Cayman - tons of choice, but ten years old
Alpine - a little more money, but the best residuals?
Which to go for, and why? Just to add to the mix I’m 6ft 3.
I really like my GR86, but have no doubt that a 30k Cayman would be a better car. So long as you're ok with the risk associated with a 10 year old Porsche that has to be the better option. I think you would struggle to fit in the GR too. I'm 5'10" and there isn't a lot more room to put the seat back.
For me the Alpine is the pick & it's a cracking steer BUT your looking at around 36k for one:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405099...
& at that point I'd but one of these instead:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404068...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404248...
I'm 6'7 & feel comfortable in these.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405099...
& at that point I'd but one of these instead:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404068...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404248...
I'm 6'7 & feel comfortable in these.
I suspect you'll need to be closer to £40k for an Alpine.
Not had a GR86 so can't comment.
Had a number of Caymans and Boxsters and I would always advise to look/buy on condition/history, not age/mileage. Also, don't overlook the base engined, non turbo (718) models...they are sublime. My fave Porsche I've owned was the least powerful one, base engined 987 Boxster with PDK. Reason is you can really drive them hard and rev it out without hitting NSL in 2nd.
Not had a GR86 so can't comment.
Had a number of Caymans and Boxsters and I would always advise to look/buy on condition/history, not age/mileage. Also, don't overlook the base engined, non turbo (718) models...they are sublime. My fave Porsche I've owned was the least powerful one, base engined 987 Boxster with PDK. Reason is you can really drive them hard and rev it out without hitting NSL in 2nd.
Owned a GR Yaris beforehand and each of these were on my list of potentials (as was a Supra which isn’t on your list?)
Guess it depends what you’re looking for.
I ruled out the Cayman because of its age, potential costs but mainly because I felt it wasn’t different enough and that it needed the bigger engine variety to make it an enjoyable experience.
I enjoyed the GR86 but perhaps made the mistake of driving on the same roads I enjoyed in the Yaris. It was huge fun but felt you had to drive it (much) harder to make the same progress. No doubt spoilt by the power delivery of the Yaris, Good fun car though.
I ended up buying an Alpine - (blowing any budget I may have had in mind but hey… 🙂). If you can live with their obvious shortcomings they really are super things to drive. GT or S have plenty of go but probably unnecessary really. 3-4 months in and only seen one other. One thing maybe worth considering is the dealer network won’t be as widespread as the others.
Guess it depends what you’re looking for.
I ruled out the Cayman because of its age, potential costs but mainly because I felt it wasn’t different enough and that it needed the bigger engine variety to make it an enjoyable experience.
I enjoyed the GR86 but perhaps made the mistake of driving on the same roads I enjoyed in the Yaris. It was huge fun but felt you had to drive it (much) harder to make the same progress. No doubt spoilt by the power delivery of the Yaris, Good fun car though.
I ended up buying an Alpine - (blowing any budget I may have had in mind but hey… 🙂). If you can live with their obvious shortcomings they really are super things to drive. GT or S have plenty of go but probably unnecessary really. 3-4 months in and only seen one other. One thing maybe worth considering is the dealer network won’t be as widespread as the others.
Alpine and residuals do not usually go together ! 
Neither are they renowned for reliability. The French reputation holding true it seems.
The A110 performs poorly for reliability. Models 0-4 years old scored just one star out of five in the latest Which? car survey. A huge 75% of owners reported at least one fault with their A110 in the 12 months covered by the survey, which is more than three times the figure we’d expect for petrol cars of this age. Plus, 65% of cars also had a complete breakdown, which is more than 10 times the figure we’d expect.
Www.which.co.uk
Neither are they renowned for reliability. The French reputation holding true it seems.
The A110 performs poorly for reliability. Models 0-4 years old scored just one star out of five in the latest Which? car survey. A huge 75% of owners reported at least one fault with their A110 in the 12 months covered by the survey, which is more than three times the figure we’d expect for petrol cars of this age. Plus, 65% of cars also had a complete breakdown, which is more than 10 times the figure we’d expect.
Www.which.co.uk
do you prefer to be an active driver or feel a well engineered car consume the road?
The 86 is a great drivers car but the suspension isn't so compliant or composed on rough roads. Proper fun and involvement if you're a keen driver. The Yaris is much faster, but less fun imo. opinions will vary according to preferences.
The other 2 are both great cars, and mid-engined, so will be easily fast on a B road. I'd take the Alpine for its engineering, purity and lightness.
The 86 is a great drivers car but the suspension isn't so compliant or composed on rough roads. Proper fun and involvement if you're a keen driver. The Yaris is much faster, but less fun imo. opinions will vary according to preferences.
The other 2 are both great cars, and mid-engined, so will be easily fast on a B road. I'd take the Alpine for its engineering, purity and lightness.
I have a GR86 and love it to bits. Such a fun car to drive.
I used to have an Elise 220 Cup and wanted something a bit more comfortable but as cheap to run.
The GR has lived up to my expectations and feel I’ll be keeping it a while. The 10 year warranty was a big draw for me too.
Not one for being goaded into sillly bhp figures and 0 to 60 times as I look for so much more in a driving car.
As for residuals I’m pretty sure the prices will hold pretty well as there are only 1500 in the country and with many being used as dailies and track cars this quantity will drop eventually firming up the prices more.
I used to have an Elise 220 Cup and wanted something a bit more comfortable but as cheap to run.
The GR has lived up to my expectations and feel I’ll be keeping it a while. The 10 year warranty was a big draw for me too.
Not one for being goaded into sillly bhp figures and 0 to 60 times as I look for so much more in a driving car.
As for residuals I’m pretty sure the prices will hold pretty well as there are only 1500 in the country and with many being used as dailies and track cars this quantity will drop eventually firming up the prices more.
Edited by Composite Guru on Tuesday 21st May 10:15
I went for the GR86 , not driven an Alpine it was out of budget. Driven a couple of Caymans 987 Gen2 and my expectations were so high with all the hype etc but was little disappointed. It may have been the dealer experience which put me off but I could not really relax with a salesman sat next to me giving all the jargon.
When I test drove the GR86 they gave me the keys and said come back in an hour. Great car and no regrets. At 6ft 3 you may just fit. Try one, .
When I test drove the GR86 they gave me the keys and said come back in an hour. Great car and no regrets. At 6ft 3 you may just fit. Try one, .
sturge7878 said:
Alpine and residuals do not usually go together !
Neither are they renowned for reliability. The French reputation holding true it seems.
The A110 performs poorly for reliability. Models 0-4 years old scored just one star out of five in the latest Which? car survey. A huge 75% of owners reported at least one fault with their A110 in the 12 months covered by the survey, which is more than three times the figure we’d expect for petrol cars of this age. Plus, 65% of cars also had a complete breakdown, which is more than 10 times the figure we’d expect.
Www.which.co.uk
Classic case of "don't believe all that you read".Neither are they renowned for reliability. The French reputation holding true it seems.
The A110 performs poorly for reliability. Models 0-4 years old scored just one star out of five in the latest Which? car survey. A huge 75% of owners reported at least one fault with their A110 in the 12 months covered by the survey, which is more than three times the figure we’d expect for petrol cars of this age. Plus, 65% of cars also had a complete breakdown, which is more than 10 times the figure we’d expect.
Www.which.co.uk
Very small sample size always distorts things. There has been an issue with fuel pumps that was not handled well by Alpine but a recall is now well underway.
Apart from that very are very few issues
Patrick1964 said:
I’m sure some of you have had the dilemma - around £30k to spend and a once in a lifetime choice of excellent coupes to choose from.
GR86 - pretty much brand new for £30k
Cayman - tons of choice, but ten years old
Alpine - a little more money, but the best residuals?
Which to go for, and why? Just to add to the mix I’m 6ft 3.
The only reasons to go for the gr86 is if you need finance + want a 10 year guarantee when you service it at a main dealer.GR86 - pretty much brand new for £30k
Cayman - tons of choice, but ten years old
Alpine - a little more money, but the best residuals?
Which to go for, and why? Just to add to the mix I’m 6ft 3.
I had one arrive, my 2.7L Boxster 981 was to be sold, but driving both back to back that was kept and the gr86 sold.
Edited by bennno on Monday 20th May 22:02
GR86 if you are risk averse.
With a 10 yr warranty and Toyota reliability, i can't see it costing anymore in terms of running costs than a Corolla. Obviously insurance/ fuel will be higher.
Will also hold its value better than the other two, in my opinion. In keeping with Yaris GR values.
With a 10 yr warranty and Toyota reliability, i can't see it costing anymore in terms of running costs than a Corolla. Obviously insurance/ fuel will be higher.
Will also hold its value better than the other two, in my opinion. In keeping with Yaris GR values.
I had a similar short list, didn't include the GR86 because I thought they were all sold out but looking now they are fairly widely available nearly new for around £30k, think they will hold value well and should be reliable.
Was close to buying a Cayman 981, probably an S but think the 2.7 would be a great car as well but was put off by an expensive experience running a 2006 Boxster previously, hopefully a 981 would be more reliable but if it wasn't then sorting it out would never be cheap.
So I bought an Alpine, a brand new GT, at the time they were offering 0% PCPs which with only a bit of man maths made it as cheap to own for 3 years as a 10 year old Cayman.
It has a 3 year manufacturer warranty, does 35 mpg, more on a run and is very rare, only friends who are real car guys even know what it is. Hopefully that rarity and the fact that soon you won't be able to buy anything like it will keep residuals strong, if not Alpine are taking the risk if it's worth less than the GFV in 3 years time.
I drove home from work tonight on a mix of country A and B roads and a few miles of lanes back to my village and it is just awesome, so small and light with supple suspension, think it might be a bit soft for trackdays (which I won't be doing in it) but as a quick road car I can't see anything matching it.
Was close to buying a Cayman 981, probably an S but think the 2.7 would be a great car as well but was put off by an expensive experience running a 2006 Boxster previously, hopefully a 981 would be more reliable but if it wasn't then sorting it out would never be cheap.
So I bought an Alpine, a brand new GT, at the time they were offering 0% PCPs which with only a bit of man maths made it as cheap to own for 3 years as a 10 year old Cayman.
It has a 3 year manufacturer warranty, does 35 mpg, more on a run and is very rare, only friends who are real car guys even know what it is. Hopefully that rarity and the fact that soon you won't be able to buy anything like it will keep residuals strong, if not Alpine are taking the risk if it's worth less than the GFV in 3 years time.
I drove home from work tonight on a mix of country A and B roads and a few miles of lanes back to my village and it is just awesome, so small and light with supple suspension, think it might be a bit soft for trackdays (which I won't be doing in it) but as a quick road car I can't see anything matching it.
Don't rule out the Evora.
Should be able to get a really nice NA or a slightly higher mile S for about £30k, like this one:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16247264
Rock solid residuals, reliable (usually niggles if anything) and absolutely brilliant to drive.
Should be able to get a really nice NA or a slightly higher mile S for about £30k, like this one:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16247264
Rock solid residuals, reliable (usually niggles if anything) and absolutely brilliant to drive.
Andy665 said:
sturge7878 said:
Alpine and residuals do not usually go together !
Neither are they renowned for reliability. The French reputation holding true it seems.
The A110 performs poorly for reliability. Models 0-4 years old scored just one star out of five in the latest Which? car survey. A huge 75% of owners reported at least one fault with their A110 in the 12 months covered by the survey, which is more than three times the figure we’d expect for petrol cars of this age. Plus, 65% of cars also had a complete breakdown, which is more than 10 times the figure we’d expect.
Www.which.co.uk
Classic case of "don't believe all that you read".Neither are they renowned for reliability. The French reputation holding true it seems.
The A110 performs poorly for reliability. Models 0-4 years old scored just one star out of five in the latest Which? car survey. A huge 75% of owners reported at least one fault with their A110 in the 12 months covered by the survey, which is more than three times the figure we’d expect for petrol cars of this age. Plus, 65% of cars also had a complete breakdown, which is more than 10 times the figure we’d expect.
Www.which.co.uk
Very small sample size always distorts things. There has been an issue with fuel pumps that was not handled well by Alpine but a recall is now well underway.
Apart from that very are very few issues
Alternatively some first hand forum feedback would also seem to suggest far more issues than “just the fuel pump”…
Alpine owner said:
There are a few issues arising - just search for these items on threads.
Alternator
Fuel pump
Injectors
Batteries
My Alpine has been the least reliable car I’ve owned
Alternator
Fuel pump
Injectors
Batteries
My Alpine has been the least reliable car I’ve owned
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