I agree with you about the cost of maintenance, it's a total rip-off. In fact, I could afford a used 08' with low mileage, but it's the cost of maintenance and repairs that puts me off.

But I suppose the dealers have to make their money somewhere, since the Porsche is such a low volume seller.

In addition, their engines do have issues, such as the dreaded IMS failure among others.

But damn it, after driving an 07' Carrera I want to own it, at least for a little while.

I'm thinking of buying a CPO 08' with low mileage and keeping it until the warranty is nearly expired then selling it.

That is so low!

I've been thinking of buying a Z for a while now, but I also see that I could get a low mileage '09 Cayman S in the mid 40's. Figure it'll cost me about 10 grand more for the Porsche. Either way, it would be a very low mileage car so I'm not concerned about oil changes and such.

The downside is finding the right car. It's a lot more difficult to get colors and options right when buying used.

Compare the repair costs of both vehicles and get back to me. Can you afford to maintain a Porsche?

I'm very intrigued by the Cayman S. What and how much are some typical maintenance issues? I would consider a lightly used one. Rather than going to a dealer for maintenance, are there good qualified mechanics/garages who can do the maintenance for signficantly less than the dealer?

What about using a third party shop to do your work. I used to take my out-of-warranty Audi to a third party "exotic" mechanic and they only charged $80/hr. Routine maintenance wasn't terrible at all.

You snuck that in while I was typing!

Sorry dude, great minds think alike!

I can afford to buy a 997 turbo with cash.. I'm just trying to be reasonable with the car I'm going to buy, as I am in all things.

As I said, it'll be very low miles, maybe 4k a year at the most, so I'm not concerned with expensive maintenance costs.

I've driven a 2009 Cayman S a couple times. It wasn't on a track or blasting through empty streets, so I can only speak to certain aspects. The whole drivetrain is so buttery smooth it's unbelievable. My next car has to be a flat-six or a V8; no more of this V6 business. Plus it is more compliant puttering around town than the 370Z. It may sound odd but the lack of rearward visibility due to the hatch is even worse in the Cayman than the 370Z. With the engine just behind your seat you definitely feel like you're inside of a cockpit.

The interior seems well constructed, but the materials weren't anything special. I felt it was bland actually, but that's only when compared to the price. Cayman's option up to over $70k quickly and easily get up to the price of a GT-R. I got a NISMO for mid-$30k's, but if you can find the right used Cayman for low-$40k's it'd probably be worth it.

I think we need to remember that if he gets an 09 he still has a warranty and like stated before the reliability of the porsche is 8 of 10 and the Z is 6 of 10 so the porsche wont break as much which means the costs will be less. Coming from an Audi the thing that would make a repair high would be the price of the parts if bought thru the dealer. I would get aftermarket parts on the internet way cheaper than OEM, then you do the work yourself or find a good mech you trust that doesnt charge an arm. But I also buy and sell my cars according to warranties.

Tune Up on on an early 911 runs over $1000.00. If you are planning on Diy, you will need to invest in some special Porsche tools.

Anyone wears those button-fly Levys jeans? Those snaps on a Porsche are $20.00 a pop!!!!!

To really apreciate a 911, you must drive it for at least a few days. Test drives don't count.

You can pour a lot of $$ into our Z, but it will never come close to a Porsche. Again, apples and oranges.

Me? I love my Z......but I am also keeping my 911s. :)

Just wait until you learn the D.E.N.N.I.S system haha.

Really?

Phone repair has everything to do with your carrier and virtually nothing to do with the actual manufactorer. The only reason iPhones are different is because Apple does things in a closed loop. With that said, with Verizon you literally can walk into any Verizon store and say "****'s broken" and they will hand you a new phone provided you are legit.

Also judging an entire brand based on one service experience is pretty hilarious to me. Including family, friends and myself there is literally only one dealership that we've ever had a positive experience with, ever.

At the risk of derailing this thread, Always Sunny is terrible. :p

edit: also seriously who cares about any of this? buy a car, drive it, have fun
begin to ask yourself the question that is under my name.

Yes, Really.
People pay for a service that is extended to them after their intial purchase. Maybe my phone analogy was not the best, but as for the Z compared to a Porsche, when it comes to customer service, obviously you get what you pay for. That was simply what I was trying to get across. I have had my car at more than one dealer, and have gotten pretty much the same response.

I am not judging a brand based on a single service experience, I am judging the brand on how I have been treated overall by everyone I have dealt with through my purchase process and throughout the remainder of the time I own the Z.

I cannot understand how you laugh about judging a brand based on a service experience, If the company was legit, they would have process in place to hire service techs and advisors that know what they are doing. I am sure that Porsche has had horror stories as well, but do a little reading around. I can find numerous threads on just this forum that state that a customer has had a less than ideal experience with a Nissan dealer. When a problem arises with Nissan, Instead of finding a way to rectify the problem, they seem more concerned with making the customer aware that it is "normal" or not their problem.

I am not trying to argue, and I somewhat understand where you are coming from as everyone has a varying experience, I am just saying... You do indeed get what you pay for and it is much more than just an hp number, even though we loose in that category as well.

Are the HP numbers from a dyno, or quoted from the manufacturer? I'd look at that.

My old Camaro was rated at 315HP, but it put down 310 at the rear wheels. the Z is rated at 330HP, but puts down 280HP at the wheels.