Hey guys, so as the title suggests. I am trying to purchase a used 2014 Cayman 981 (Base) with around 65k miles already put into it. Not sure if that’s considered a lot for these type of cars, as its gonna be my first sport car ever (coming from a ‘14 XTS), but my mind is already made up.

Is there anything I need to know BEFORE the purchase though? Any tips and tricks or helpful advice and opinions in general?

Any comments are much appreciated!

Looking at a 2014 6-speed Cayman Base w/ the following characteristics:

• Listed at $40k
• 100k miles
• Sport Chrono
• 406 - 19" Cayman S wheels (not sure if these are the wheels on the car and/or if they are in their stock config; they're black)
• Other options: 658, 748, 844 (replaced with an Alcantara wheel), P9A (convenience package)
• Full Ohlins coilovers
• Has had the door trim issue fixed
• As far as we know, has not had the clutch replaced but it feels good (reportedly)
• Clean DME - 0 occurrences in range 3 and up
• 1 minor incident on the carfax, no information available about it

Car has had 9 owners, and from what I can tell it's nearly that many actual owners. There is one stretch of time during which it may have been a state change noted incorrectly as an owner swap. Doesn't look like there were any dealer ownership periods being erroneously reported as a change in ownership either.

There are no service records with the car, just what's on the CarFax. Looks mostly there other than couple of years with gaps in oil changes and other service. I would say roughly 20k miles worth of unrecorded history.

I will of course do a PPI, but I'd like to avoid the potentially non-refundable deposit + cost of a PPI if this is already a no-go.

Has anyone with a 718 S installed the 3rd radiator? If so, could you provide details about the components, work and cost involved.

I daily drive a Model 3. Dream car has always been a Porsche Cayman but never had the opportunity to buy weekend car until recently.

I saw an available 2015 981S blk/blk with 55k miles for 50 k usd with the following options:
Option Code Description Price (USD)
981-130 Cayman S $63,800
220 Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) $1,320
345 Steering wheel heating $270
406 19" Cayman S Wheels $0
475 Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) $1,790
480 Manual transmission $0
541 Seat ventilation $730
636 ParkAssist (front and rear) $860
639 Sport Chrono Package $1,850
680 BOSE® Surround Sound System $700
A1 Black $0
AG Standard Interior in Black $0
P9A Convenience Package $900

Any guidance and thoughts will be welcomed!

Not a new observation, but it’s still striking to see it. By modern standards my 718 is not a large car, and definitely looks more svelte than a 992.2. But just now, I was stopped at my mailbox and my neighbor stopped next to me in his ’89 3.2 Carrera. It really hits now big the Cayman is compared to that.

I own the 2025 GT4 RS and my dad owns the 2024 718 Cayman Style Edition. We just did a week long road trip in both. I've got plenty of seat time in each. Someone on my last photo post asked how they compare.

All of the text below is my thoughts and proofread by me but you bet your ass Claude is doing my typing and formatting. I gave it all the content :)

Photos: https://www.reddit.com/r/Porsche/s/lkCBlnhgmS

Purpose

On paper the GT4 RS is a track weapon. But so is the GT3 RS, and so is the GT3, yet you'll see all of them on streets and canyons all the time depending on where you live. I'm in LA, so you can imagine how that goes.

The Style Edition is the value entry into Porsche sports cars. You get a 2.0L turbo four and some goodies pulled from the S and GTS. To me its purpose is two things: mid engine physics, and owning a modern Porsche, period.

The 911 of it all

Let's address the elephant in the room. Two Caymans? Make it three, since I owned a GTS 4.0 before the RS. Three Caymans and no 911? Why?

First: Caymans are pure physics. 911s are by the book anti physics, don't kid yourself. And yes yes, strut suspension, we all know it's on purpose. Second: price points (see the price section below). Third: size. Modern Caymans are the 911s of the past. It's the correct size. And I like speccing my Porsches and buying new when possible. So when Porsche released the best engine on the best platform, obviously I'd be taking one. We had specced a style edition on an allocation but then the white one with pretty much the same boxes checked came on the lot we grabbed it.

Allocation / Buying

The GT4 RS was the car at the time I bought it. Slim allocations, ADMs, the whole nine yards, all before the market tanked. From my experience, it was a huge pain.

So I got systematic. I built a CSV of every GM at every Porsche dealer in the country, wrote an email template, and used Google Scripts to blast all of them asking for an allocation and the ADM. Yes, really. I did that.

Through that outreach, plus some deposits and waiting, I got five allocation offers: ADMs of 75k, 50k, 25k, 20k, and 13k (that last one in the form of a Porsche Design watch).

Now look at the market. Brand new ones under MSRP. The catch: you can't spec your own. So let me say this once, clearly. The GT4 RS today is the best modern Porsche money can buy, at the best price you'll ever have the luck of seeing. If you want one, act now.

The Style Edition is the opposite story. Not much to say. We got it off the lot. And the one we'd allocated before finding this one was no big deal either, just an email to a GM asking if he had a slot. He did, took a small deposit, and it was ours.

Spec Sheet Stuff

GT4 RS standard:

• PASM Sport
• PTV
• Power Steering Plus
• 16.9 gal tank

GT4 RS options I added:

• FAL
• Sport Chrono
• Leather/Race Tex
• Illuminated door sills
• Colored seat belts
• Colored door loops
• Fire extinguisher
• BOSE
• PDLS
• Auto dimming mirrors
• Light design package
• Footwell net

Style Edition standard:

• 20 in wheels (narrower than the RS's 20s)
• PSE
• Gloss black tips
• Illuminated door sills
• Upgraded stitching

Style Edition options we added:

• Black leather package
• Extended 16.9 gal tank
• PASM
• Sport Chrono
• Power Steering Plus
• Premium Package (power folding mirrors w/ lights, light design package, keyless entry, ventilated seats, lane change assist)
• Footwell net

so I mean overall as best as can be this is a pretty "fair" comparsion in terms of options. The biggest difference spec-wise is PTV. All the other differences are inherent to the RS being an RS.

From the specs you can already tell the style edition is peak all around sports car sans flat6. My opinion to that extent is, its a great package and a great platform but yes there can be more desired from its sound and power dynamics. However, for street driving, its absolutely no slouch and you can get in some big trouble with that car regardless.

Engine / Sound

This one's obvious. A 9k rpm 4.0L NA flat six from the GT3, versus a 7.5k rpm 2.0L turbo four. There's objectively no point comparing the two. It is what it is.

So what sets the RS apart from the GT3/RS? The induction noise is peak. Through the rev range there are segments and blend points where induction becomes engine and engine becomes exhaust. Every movement and angle of your foot gives you control over a different noise. Once you learn how they work, every drive gets more fun, canyons, highway, short cruises, all of it.

That said, the RS drones terribly on the stock exhaust. It's not a manageable experience. I upgraded to a Kline OAP and valved rear section, which sounds way better and is louder but drones far less than stock. The only unbearable point left is 70mph in 7th with the valves open. Close the valves and the drone there disappears entirely.

Even with those improvements, the symphony is relentless. I keep concert earplugs on my keys. On this trip and a previous one, I can enjoy the car for two days back to back, but by day three I'm in earplugs 24/7 just to keep my head straight.

PDK

Every trim tunes the PDK differently, but the RS goes further than that. Its PDK is entirely different to match how Porsche had to fit the GT3 engine in backwards.

The RS PDK is god tier. Bolt action on both upshifts and downshifts. But it gets angry if you drive slow in a low gear or crawl, it just doesn't want to move. Reverse is entirely unexpected: it needs a lot of pedal input to get going, and you can rev it in reverse like a proper manual. Reversing up a hill is absolute crap and you can straight up stall the car. Literally engine cut, Christmas lights dash, stalled. What the fuck? The clutch kick mode, which doubles as a party trick rev, is nice. Lot of bystanders and kids appreciate that one.

The Style Edition PDK is slower than the RS, a bit more noticeable on downshifts. But it's smooth and fluid, does the job every time, and feels good at every speed, forward and reverse. I've never had it stall and die.

Daily / Multi-Day Use

You can't daily a GT4 RS. End of discussion. Even with my FAL the car is ass for it. It's super low, you can't see anything out of the rear with the wing, and your blind spots are the intakes so you can't see there either. There are no creature comforts either: no heated or ventilated seats with the LWBS (and I have P1Designs inserts with memory foam), no heated steering wheel, no steering wheel controls. Between that, the NVH, the road noise, the stiffness, and the maneuvering it demands, it's just not feasible every day.

The Style Edition is 10/10 dailyable across every metric, and it has all the creature comforts even with just the standard sports seats adjustability. Super comfy and welcoming ride and cabin every time.

Aesthetics

The Style Edition looks damn good. I added mods too: VS 5RS wheels in motorsport gold (also bumping it to a proper 245/295 setup on 20s) and a carbon fiber ducktail. With the decals, it's a proper flashy sports car despite being white.

The RS is peak looks. Every angle is killer, and I'm all about painted parts, which is why I skipped the Weissach package. The front is mean with the GT bumper and big radiator vents. The hood is aggressive with the NACA duct, and the fenders have louvers. The sides are all intakes and scoops. The rear is that swan neck wing. It's peak Porsche.

Price

The Style Edition at 87.5k plus tax is frankly not cheap. That's around 90k for a sports car. But for that money I think it's a great deal, given the prices of the trims above it and the outlandish cost of 911s for what you get. A well specced Cayman under 100k new is an insane deal for the package and experience.

My RS, for what it is and what the market was, was also a great deal for what I wanted. My sticker was 178.6k, part of my effort to keep it sub 180k before tax. With tax and the forced PD watch, I was around 200k. Objectively insane. But for "an RS Cayman with a 9k rpm GT3 engine, induction sounds, and a swan neck wing," it's a STEAL. The new Carrera S manual can spec up past 230k. What a joke.

Each car, independently, as specced, feels like exactly the right money for the right product. My RS could've been 13k cheaper out of pocket, but you can't win em all. I sold the watch at market, so net I'm out 9k. I can swallow an ADM of 1k per RPM. ;)

If You Had to Chose One

Neither. You take the best of both as much as you can which was what I had before both of these: GTS4.0

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for a fun car which looks real nice, something to make me like driving again. I’ve seen a listing for a 2014 flat 6 cayman S with 86k miles with its pricetag around 15k. We can assume that maintenance was performed at the dealer up and had been properly maintained, as the same dealer is selling it.

The car is sexy, and I feel excited just thinking that I could daily a porsche. Im 22 and employed.

The one thing holding me back is the reliability and mileage. I’ve read a bit, and have seen that engine, if properly maintained, can hold up. And the PDK’s reliability depends on how well you maintain and treat it. I really don’t wanna buy a car that I’ll have to be going to shops for repairs often, especially if they’re costly.

Any help or advice is really appreciated.

EDIT: First of all, thanks for all of your help and advice. And I think I should clarify that I live in the Middle East, Ive called the listing and seen pictures of the car, and yes it’s real. Asking for maintained logs ASAP.

I've read a lot of concern about the new Cayman being an EV, and losing the sole of what makes the Cayman great. But I just spent this last weekend babysitting my granddaughter, and driving her mother's (my daughter's) bran new 2026 base Taycan. She has a Tesla for 6 years, so I had a lot of experience with that car, but the Taycan was a whole new world! It did not drive at all like the an EV, but felt more live an ICE car, except for the acceleration. I can't imagine what the Taycan Turbo would be like. The regen breaking was nothing like a Tesla, and more like lifting the gas on a manual transmission that was in 3rd gear. Just perfection.

If the new Cayman is anything like the Taycan, I think people will be pleasantly surprised at how well it does. Ya, it won't have the sound of a internal combustion engine, and I understand some of you dislike the 718 four because it doesn't sound like the six. But for pure handling and acceleration, I think the Cayman EV will be a hit.

Thoughts?

I recently sold my weekend/fun car (gt350R) and have been looking at getting a Porsche to replace it. Currently I have been looking for a 991.1 Carrera s/GTS manual but with them being harder to find I have started to also to look at the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0.

I would like something that I can enjoy back roads and maybe do some autoX in but also be able to take it to work on a nice day. I have driven both but was only able to really push the Carrera s. Any insight would be helpful especially if you have had both or went from one to the other.