Q – I am thinking of buying another Porsche. I have owned a 930 turbo, a 993 Cabriolet, and after I sold the cab, I got a muscle car. It is just not the same. I am looking at a Cayman S at the local dealer and I wonder if I should be concerned based on issues with the engine on the older cars. I am also considering buying a car from a private owner and then purchasing a service contract. Your opinion please. Tom

A – I know what you mean about those muscle cars, I once owned a Chevy 2 with a 350 and it was only fun in one mode, full throttle ¼ mile. It is a good thing that more muscle car owners will never drive a “furrin” car or the prices of pre-owned Porsches would skyrocket. Of course there is one muscle car that I like, my Hudson Hornet, but I admit it is a personal thing.

The Cayman will be an excellent choice for a number of reasons. All the bugs have been worked out. The engine is bulletproof. If you are buying from a Porsche dealer and the car is Certified Pre-Owned, the warranty is even better than a new car. Naturally you will pay more for the car than you would from a private owner, but when you buy a car from a dealer, you should expect that.

The warranty from Porsche is excellent. If you buy from a private owner, you can purchase a warranty but before you buy it, you had better have an attorney look at the contract and find out how they pay for repairs. I recently managed an order where the client had an extended warranty that reimbursed at a labor rate which the warranty company determined was the national prevailing rate. This resulted in extra out of pocket expense that cost hundreds of dollars for the “covered repair”. Even worse, numerous issues were not even covered at all due to various “weasel clauses” built into the contract. The factory sponsored warranties are far more comprehensive and fair. – MC