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Porsche Cayman Prices Paid and Buying Experience

138 messages,  Last post on Feb 24, 2011 at 9:14 AM

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What is this discussion about? Porsche Cayman, Porsche Cayman S, Car Leasing, Car Buying, Coupe

Messages Page 7 of 15

#56 of 138 Re: I'm looking for some guidance buying a Cayman... [falite] by habitat1

Sep 15, 2007 (4:16 am)

Replying to: falite (Sep 14, 2007 10:26 pm)
A few suggestions:
 
(1) If you are ready to buy now, and want the best price, scour dealer inventories for leftover 2007's in the colors and options you want. You can get a list of all dealers within up to a 300 mile radius of your zip code via. Porsche's website (find a dealer tab): Porsche USA
 
(2) 9-10% off an in-stock 2007 Cayman would be a very good deal. 5-7% off a made to order 2008 would be a good deal. This is from my experience in my area (DC), it varies by geography.
 
(3) Study the option list via Edmunds and the Porsche brochures. It's a mile long and many of the options are excessive, IMO. Especially if you are trying to stay within a budget and want to have good resale value. Rather than load up a base Cayman with expensive options, I suggest considering a Cayman S with minimal options. The 295 hp Cayman S (and Boxster S) is a significantly elevated driving experience from the base model, IMO.
 
(4) I paid cash for my 911S, so I can't help you with financing suggestions. But, from what I've heard, Porsche leases are rather expensive (compared to say, BMW) and they offer little, if any, financing subsidies.
 
(5) What I'd do differently: Stop procrastinating on taking Porsche's Performance Driving School. Everyone I know that has taken the 2 day course says it adds considerably to their ownership experience.

#57 of 138 Re: I'm looking for some guidance buying a Cayman... [habitat1] by falite

Sep 16, 2007 (7:23 am)

Replying to: habitat1 (Sep 15, 2007 4:16 am)
thanks for the info!

#58 of 138 Re: I'm looking for some guidance buying a Cayman... [falite] by ringleader6

Sep 16, 2007 (5:18 pm)

Replying to: falite (Sep 14, 2007 10:26 pm)
I do not know what part of the country you are in, but the highest discounts generally offered are in the southeast. There are two Atlanta dealers who are extremely competitive as Porsche USA is also located in Atlanta. Bought my Cayman S there. The cars are ported nearby also, so they can do a lot of allocation swapping. Generally the west coast dealers offer the smallest discounts because of demand and allocation limitation.
 
I have purchased both new Caymans and Carreras, presently drive a 2007 Carrera S2 which was purchased from Brumos in Jax. They are Porsches number one dealer, not in units, but overall. They also have their own driving school at the Gainesville raceway, which comes at no charge with a purchase and instruction is by one of Porsche's race drivers. Highly reccomended. Porsches school is in Birmingham, Barber race track, also highly recommended, but not at no cost.
 
You should expect discounts in the range of 6-7%. I do not know of a 10% deal, but I had a dealer in South Carolina offer 9% on an order. Unless you want something exotic, or heavily optioned, you should be able to locate the car you want. I really do not think it matters which dealer you buy from, they all want your service business. You should surf the Porsche website for the individual dealers, and you can check their inventory. Bear in mind some of the inventory may have been sold, but this list also shows cars for the dealer which may have not been ported. If not ported, it can be transferred to another dealer before being trucked. So you can buy a west coast car on the east coast without double shipping.
 
You should give careful thought to the options on these cars, as they all are extremely expensive and you will not recover on trade or resale. One item which may affect your discount is if you want an automatic, as Porsche only makes a dribble of allocation for automatics.
 
Color choice is the most limiting on these cars, if you like silver or black, that is about half the inventories and also bring the highest dollar on trade.

#59 of 138 Re: Porsche Cayman: Prices Paid & Buying Experience [kyfdx] by ydv

Sep 17, 2007 (10:50 am)

Replying to: kyfdx (Dec 27, 2006 7:58 pm)
I am trying to decide between a 911 carrera and cayman s. A demo or slightly used carrera (07) is mid 70s it seems while a new cayman s is mid 60s or so (maybe a little less).
 
curious to hear peoples thoughts on this.

#60 of 138 Re: Porsche Cayman: Prices Paid & Buying Experience [ydv] by donc6

Sep 17, 2007 (12:59 pm)

Replying to: ydv (Sep 17, 2007 10:50 am)
a nice problem to have. I don't recall the MSRP for '07 Carrera.. but at mid 70's, I wonder how "slightly" used the car really is. In any event, I bought a Cayman 2.7 (the extra 5-8K wasn't in my budget-- and I already heard all the arguments why no one should settle for the 2.7, please) and didn't even look for an equivalent priced 911 becasue I knew it would be really "used". But frankly, I liked the body style, mid engined layout and ability to carry luggage that a carrera wouldn't handle well, e.g. two bags of golf clubs. So, for me, the decision was easy -- the handling and utility of the Cayman trumped status of the Carrera. Now, if the Cayman wouldn't have taken the golf clubs, I hate to think what I would have ended up with !!
Don

#61 of 138 Re: Porsche Cayman: Prices Paid & Buying Experience [ydv] by ringleader6

Sep 17, 2007 (4:31 pm)

Replying to: ydv (Sep 17, 2007 10:50 am)
Do not compare the used 911 to the Cayman unless the 911 is certified. A Porsche certified actually has a better warranty than a new Porsche. Porsche does not charge for this, but the dealers will try to add additional cost, so negeotiate this. If the extra 10 grand is not an issue, the 911 is the obvious choice. You will more than recover in trade or resale. The jump seats and the extra shoulder room is the difference, the seats will recline in the 911, but cannot in the Cayman. I have both, and the difference is there. Plus, if you are vain, the Cayman is a wanna be 911.

#62 of 138 Re: I'm looking for some guidance buying a Cayman... [ringleader6] by falite

Sep 17, 2007 (6:36 pm)

Replying to: ringleader6 (Sep 16, 2007 5:18 pm)
I'm located north of Atlanta...what 2 Atlanta dealers were you referring to?
 I'm assuming you felt the extra 10k for the Cayman S was worth it...I haven't driven either one yet...is the extra HP a noticeable difference?
Thanks

#63 of 138 Re: Porsche Cayman: Prices Paid & Buying Experience [ydv] by habitat1

Sep 18, 2007 (2:29 pm)

Replying to: ydv (Sep 17, 2007 10:50 am)
Two years ago, I had to decide between a Boxster S and 911 Cab. I went with the 911 for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was because it could handle my entire family (wife, two daughters 7 & 10 at the time). I also went for the Carerra S which was considerably more powerful than the then 3.2 liter 280 hp Boxster S. Even though in my case, the premium was more like $37,000, I have never looked back with any regrets.
 
However, if you are single and/or don't ever anticipate using the rear seat for passengers, a 3.4 liter 295 h.p. Cayman S is a heck of a nice car, too.
 
Hard to go wrong, either way.

#64 of 138 Re: I'm looking for some guidance buying a Cayman... [falite] by donc6

Sep 18, 2007 (3:03 pm)

Replying to: falite (Sep 17, 2007 6:36 pm)
Just a note-- a lot of chatter on this and other rooms about the power vs. extra $10k. Really it is about $9k difference becasue the CS comes with the 18in wheels standard, as does the 6 speed -- and that 2007's left over can likely be had with further discounts. It is probably also true that the CS version will command higher resale than the 2.7L. In my case, I choose the standard 2.7L version because the extra 7-10k was not insignificant and the standard version still offers 245hp and less weight and I tend to keep my cars for a long time, thus resale is not much of an issue.
I'll find out just how much difference there "really is" during an upcoming track day, but, honestly, for day to day motoring about, I find 245hp pretty darn snappy. I'm sure there are some situations where the extra 50hp could even be "used" but I'm up to the speed limit in a few hear beats as is... So, it comes down to a personal enjoyment, ability to afford, -- either way, you really can't go wrong.

#65 of 138 Re: I'm looking for some guidance buying a Cayman... [falite] by ringleader6

Sep 18, 2007 (6:20 pm)

Replying to: falite (Sep 17, 2007 6:36 pm)
Hennessy and Ellis, both to be considered volume Porsche dealers if there is such a thing. I believe Hennessy is the No 1 in units for the USA. Ellis might have an edge in their service department. But, these cars don't need service. I do know that Ellis is where Porsche sends problem vehicles for the corporate technicians to inspect.
 
The original Atlanta dealership was one set up as a gift for their race team driver who obtained a vision problem in an accident, never got over it, and became self inflicted terminal. I bought a car from them in '83 after looking them over in Jax. I may hold the record for a Cayman S as it listed at 96K plus satellite radio and speed film.
 
You need to recognize the HP difference in all Porsche cars is noticeable, however you also should recognize that all Porsche are fast, extremely fast when compared to anything else. The difference in the S or base should be if you are going to insist on the options for your base which would escalate the price to virtually the same as the S. I would not get too caught up in trade value comparisons either, pick the car you like.
 
I have my cars serviced in Montgomery for convenience, a dealership which only delivers a minuscule number of new vehicles. Buy the car from whomever you can get the best deal, unless service is an issue with you. But your service manager could care less who you purchased from, so long as he gets to write the service.

Messages Page 7 of 15

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