Cheap Porsche... 911 or Cayman

Bluefoam

I'm living in Dubai & it's finally time (within a month or two) to do the good thing and trade my 4x4 for a sportscar... something that I couldn't own back home...

I'm looking at either a 2005+ 911, or Cayman S...

There's lots on the market, but it's about getting the right one at the cheapest price.

The Cayman would be newer and have lower mileage. Plus it's slightly more modern in its appearance...

The 911 is a 911... There's plenty out there... S models, convertibles, GT3's etc... But mostly high mileage... I've been advised by a good dealer to go for a 911, post 2005... It's better for me coz I'm tall, and it's more of a pure sportscar...

Any thoughts? Keeping it budget is on of the key things for me... General servicing is cheaper than my Toyota, but I can imaging that problems are pricey... BTW, I will be getting it checked by a Porsche service garage before purchase...

Bigus

If you're not going to take it with you when you leave then I'd go for a Cayman , they're fundamentally better than a 911 , however future values would be better on a 911 . I wouldn't rule either out and look at both until one rings your bell ,due to spec ,colour or somebody leaving in a hurry.

dashoonage

Whats the availability of decent specialists over there? factor in the cost of a rebuild to your buying price as well, or look for one with a good documented rebuild done with the right bits upgraded to prevent further kabooms...

I know I know they all dont give trouble and you could get one that would drive away just fine but when they go south they are expensive to fix especially with the 996

Bluefoam

Thanks for all the feedback. Good to see that there is some love for the Cayman. I could get a newer model with less mileage for my money... Plus they do look good... Probably an S model. I'm not looking for a great investment... Just a fun daily driver to get me through a couple of years. The roads here are mostly highway and few twisties, so auto is probably the only option.

dashoonage wrote: »

Whats the availability of decent specialists over there? factor in the cost of a rebuild to your buying price as well, or look for one with a good documented rebuild done with the right bits upgraded to prevent further kabooms...

I know I know they all dont give trouble and you could get one that would drive away just fine but when they go south they are expensive to fix especially with the 996

With the 911, I'd be looking at the 997 specifically... Most are auto here, but at that age, few are PDK. I'm aware that there may be a cost to running it, but I'm selling my current car... what I get for it will be put directly into the Porsche, with little additional cost (so a straight swap)... The money that I used to spend on loan repayments can then be diverted into a slush fund for the Porsche (in theory). I am worried about cost.

There area few Porsche specialists here. Some with good reputations, some with high cost, some with low... But general servicing is reasonable.

Like I said, I'll be taking it to a reputable mechanic for a full report before purchasing.

Bluefoam

Yeh, the new Boxter looks great, but still very expensive... most models are high end. The older models don't apeal to me as much as the Cayman or 911 though.

Bluefoam

Heres an example of whats available on the market:

Cayman S

Bluefoam

Thanks Lightning... I feel much better about looking at the Cayman now. I'll put my car up for sale at the weekend & see what I get for it... Then I'll look into buying the Porsche... Still haven't dismissed the 911, but the Cayman is definitely very appealing now.

A weird thing that is niggling at me, is that the 911 is closer to a super car... and its possibly as close as I'll ever get to owning one... I know thats terribly superficial, but it's having an odd effect on my logic...

+1 for white cars... The 911 defo won't be available in white... The Cayman yes.

ironclaw

Cayman S is a seriously fun machine. If I had the choice between a 911 and the Cayman, I'd take the Cayman. I felt, for the week or so I had it, it was far sporter and nimble, being a more involved drive. I'm 6ft 4" and although snug, it wasn't uncomfortable (Unless you are doing huge mileage) Fun in the twisty stuff and I felt it was more responsive to the 911 when you were really pushing. That said, Dubai is relatively flat, so if you want to cruise, 911, if you want fun, Cayman.

Jude13

Not a fan of the red interior prevelant in the UAE, I have tinkered with the same idea myself.

I had a look and porshe have a used car, approved and warrantied section might be work a look during the Ramadan sales.

Bluefoam

Jude13 wrote: »

Not a fan of the red interior prevalent in the UAE, I have tinkered with the same idea myself.

I had a look and Porsche have a used car, approved and warrantied section might be work a look during the Ramadan sales.

Porsche Second Hand only hold onto the high value stuff, mostly well in excess of 200,000aed's... Anything less than that they export...

I did catch them with a 10 y/o white 911 S last year which they were willing to sell to me for 112,000, but it wasn't a good example and had a well worn interior. You'd find better on Dubizzle for allot less.

Some of the 911's have a chocolate brown interior that is awesome (!!!). Personally I like the red interior... what I don't like is the silver leather trims to the steering wheel etc... But when you buy second hand, you don't get to chose exactly what you want.

My hit list will be:

1. Year
2. Mileage
3. Model
4. Colour
5. Interior Colour
6. Rims
7. Extras...

I'll probably end up putting an Android Auto head-unit in eventually & change the wheels if they're awful, but that's it...

Jude13

Iknow what you mean about the steering wheel alright. I didn't know that about porsche second hand stuff.

Whenever I don't have the cash or the guts to push the button there are always fine examples on Dubizzle. It will be a good time to buy here.

To echo the previous poster, I would avoid the soft top. I had a reg top SL for a few years out here, not amount of basement parking or AC helped.

Bluefoam

Well... I've found a car that I really like. It's more expensive than I had planned... But, it's a 2012 Cayman R with 79k.

The benefit is that they are offering an great trade in on mine and have dropped their asking price considerably. They'll also throw in a 1 year warranty, window tint, detail & registration... Warranty isn't usual here on second hand cars...

Because it pushes up the price, I'm still not sure... so hoping you can answer a couple of questions to help settle my mind...

1. Will it be worth while bringing back to Ireland with me, if and when I return? Remember its LHD
2. Will it have any value on the Irish Market?
3. Will it be possible to insure in Ireland?
4. Will the annual tax be crippling?

Just to clarify... The Cayman R is lighter and lower than the standard Cayman, has carbon fiber seats, pull straps instead of door handles, has 10 extra horsepower etc... But still has the same level of comfort as a daily driver. It looks like this random photo off the internerd:

Jude13

Nice looking car.

Is it that f you own it for 6 motnhs you can avoid import tax?

dashoonage

A lhd high tax imported porsche will be a hard sell on the irish market.....any cayman is a hard sell on the irish market...just browsing donedeal yesterday i spotted one in the same garage from when i was looking last year.

ironclaw

Will it be worth while bringing back to Ireland with me, if and when I return? Remember its LHD
Will it have any value on the Irish Market?
Will it be possible to insure in Ireland?
Will the annual tax be crippling?

Your target market is going to be tiny in my opinion. You'll first need someone who is willing to part with the bones of €25k+ privately as no Irish garage will take a LHD. You then need to find someone who will take a LHD. You then need someone who will insure a LHD, as they are loaded in Ireland. The value won't change on the market but your market will be tiny. England has a much bigger market and you'd sell in a heartbeat and likely at a profit, but you face the same problem albeit with a slightly larger market. You're saving grace may be someone with a summer home in France / Spain who'll move it there.

If you saved a bunch on the import tax and forecasted the sale price (You cannot hold on to it for very long in Ireland as your return will diminish rapidly), minus the effort and time it may take you to sell it, you may actually make money. Your other ace in the hole would be the fact you won't pay a huge amount of VRT, meaning you can undercut the market if you want to sell quickly without making a loss.

Bluefoam

... so, not a good idea then

Ah well. I'm still working on terms. It's not a bad price, but am I willing to pay it...?

MarcusP12

Hi bluefoam, I'm in a similar boat in terms of living the ex-pat dream out in the ME! I'd love to go down the route you are going as there are plenty of "exotic" options out here (im in Bahrain) at a price point similar to what I'd fork out at home for a car change. Unfortunately I'm not really working in a sector that would lend itself to driving around in a Porsche (its all about the mazda 6 dream machine for us!) nor would I be at the higher end of the ex-pat earnings (though not doing too bad don't get me wrong). Its a shame for me as its probably the only opportunity to drive a serious car as running costs are just too high back home even if you could source a reasonably priced example (ultimate first world problem!). plus the likes of dodge chargers and challengers which are quite common here and that I'm strangely attracted to are unavailable back home. Oh well!

Anyway, Porsche's are very common here (relatively speaking) and just to weigh in on the query, if it was me, I'd be going for the newer cayman. Really like them. I find some of the 911s a bit bland unless they're a GT or turbo. No experience at all of driving them but as others have said, Porsche don't make dud cars so in that case, I'd go cayman.

Anyway, can't say I'm not jealous but the very best of look with what you go for....

Bluefoam

Okay... I'm very excited today... put a deposit down last night. I'm being abused by my insurance company, but what to do yanni?! Hopefully I can talk them down.

Can anyone inform me of the difference between the sport and sport plus buttons?

Bluefoam

MarcusP12 wrote: »

Hi bluefoam, I'm in a similar boat in terms of living the ex-pat dream out in the ME! I'd love to go down the route you are going as there are plenty of "exotic" options out here (im in Bahrain) at a price point similar to what I'd fork out at home for a car change. Unfortunately I'm not really working in a sector that would lend itself to driving around in a Porsche (its all about the mazda 6 dream machine for us!) nor would I be at the higher end of the ex-pat earnings (though not doing too bad don't get me wrong). Its a shame for me as its probably the only opportunity to drive a serious car as running costs are just too high back home even if you could source a reasonably priced example (ultimate first world problem!). plus the likes of dodge chargers and challengers which are quite common here and that I'm strangely attracted to are unavailable back home. Oh well!

Anyway, Porsche's are very common here (relatively speaking) and just to weigh in on the query, if it was me, I'd be going for the newer cayman. Really like them. I find some of the 911s a bit bland unless they're a GT or turbo. No experience at all of driving them but as others have said, Porsche don't make dud cars so in that case, I'd go cayman.

Anyway, can't say I'm not jealous but the very best of look with what you go for....

I'm not a big earner either, but trying to live the dream! Pushing myself financially to buy this car, but I'm unlikely to have an opportunity like this again.

There are lots of cars here that you couldn't have back home. I've been driving an FJ for 5 years and have loved it! Get something to have fun with... doesn't have to be expensive.

BTW, I saw a Boxter advertised a few weeks ago for 33,000aed!


Lol, I'm dreaming of the day I turn up to Nikki Beach and get vanity parking!!! (*jokes)

grogi

ironclaw wrote: »

If you saved a bunch on the import tax and forecasted the sale price (You cannot hold on to it for very long in Ireland as your return will diminish rapidly), /.../.

Well - one needs to keep car for at least 12 months after relocating to the state. Otherwise the VRT exemption does not apply...

Bluefoam

Heres the actual car photographed with the previous owner:

Bluefoam

She's mine!!!

The garage dropped her off today. I walked out of the office earlier to grab the keys and forgot to go back... I think I've been to every corner of Dubai so far today, in sports mode!

So Excited!!!

Bigus

Bluefoam wrote: »

She's mine!!!

The garage dropped her off today. I walked out of the office earlier to grab the keys and forgot to go back... I think I've been to every corner of Dubai so far today, in sports mode!

So Excited!!!

Great that you got a limited edition R model, how many were made ? Probably very collect able being lightweight , just look at BMW CSL s

ENjoy

Bluefoam

I think there were only 1500 made... biggest selling point are the door straps that replace the door handles, that had me sold on the car

Bluefoam

Having so much fun with this car... 500km in the first two days, just driving aimlessly.

Gonna do a driving skills day, just to learn a few things about the car and my driving...

genericguy

Bluefoam wrote: »

Having so much fun with this car... 500km in the first two days, just driving aimlessly.

Gonna do a driving skills day, just to learn a few things about the car and my driving...

Nice to see someone so happy with a purchase, enjoy!!

Bigus

This car could be worth a lot of money in Germany in a few years , pics pls, can't see the previous ones.

Bluefoam

Bigus wrote: »

This car could be worth a lot of money in Germany in a few years , pics pls, can't see the previous ones.

Here she is:

Bluefoam

Here's a bunch of photos: Link

Bigus

Good choice Sir, and I repeat, a serious potential to increase in value as with any limited run porkers

Bluefoam

Bigus wrote: »

Good choice Sir, and I repeat, a serious potential to increase in value as with any limited run porkers

Not sure it'll be worth that much... it's already got 80k & I'm gonna rack up plenty more miles. Lovely car though.

Bigus

Bluefoam wrote: »

Not sure it'll be worth that much... it's already got 80k & I'm gonna rack up plenty more miles. Lovely car though.

I'd be replacing the air filter myself more than twice as often between services in a dusty climate, or a least give the dirty side a regular hoovering, minimal cost diy job, cylinder bores don't like grit, never mind dust strangling the performance.

Bluefoam

Bigus wrote: »

I'd be replacing the air filter myself more than twice as often between services in a dusty climate, or a least give the dirty side a regular hoovering, minimal cost diy job, cylinder bores don't like grit, never mind dust strangling the performance.

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep an eye on it. Part of the GCC spec is uprated filters, a/c etc... due to the harsh environment.

Bigus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN4Tcw3766o

Bigus

More relevant autocar comparison

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mFoSpbhAOw

Bluefoam

Yeh, I think I've exhausted YouTube looking for info on the car... definitely a special car!