Guys, I have an opportunity to purchase a Cayman. The two cars are both black, both have similar MSRP. The Cayman S black edition is one of 500 and the cayman r is a R. In terms of collectibility, is one anymore desirable than the other? The R is a manual and the S is PDK.

 

Cayman R of course. If you can stretch it, I'd recommend the new Boxster Spyder.

 

Are you sure the black edition is a 'S' model? Here in the US, it's only a base model. There is nothing special about the black edition so the 'R' is more special. If you want special, GT4 is as special as it gets.

 

This is what is posted on the Cayman registry:
2012 Cayman S Black Edition
The Limited Edition Cayman S Black combines many of the high performance benefits found only in the 2012 Cayman R with many other desirable options off the list, options that when combined create a distinct personality for this special car.
After the R hit the scene, many potential buyers complained of the inability to order one with many of the highly desirable street options, particularly PASM. Well the Cayman S Black Edition provides a canvas on which one can build a Cayman with the 330 BHP engine found in the R but without all of the other performance focus. Where the Cayman R is built to be the master of performance, the Cayman S Black is built to be the master of touring.

 

That is interesting, we don't get the 'S' black edition here in the US. The black edition is nothing special here, the R is much more desirable.

 

I agree most Black edition are base model with some free upgrades, however Cayman R is more future collectible for sure

 

For MY16, all Black Editions are based on the base model. However, in 2012, it was only the 911 Black Edition that was based on the base model.

The 2012 Boxster & Cayman Black Editions were in fact based on the ‘S’ model, but they had the same upgraded ECU tuning as the Boxster Spyder and Cayman R respectively. This made them a more interesting option vs the ‘S’ that year considering the 10hp boost and all the included options as standard. It’s a pretty good value provided you’re OK with the up-keep of a black car. You get a small HP bump and a ton of options as standard making it cheaper than a comparable ‘S’.
http://caymanregister.org/faq.php?fa...#faq_2012black

Short term, the Spyder and Cayman R are commanding a higher price, likely due to their performance centric focus and praise in the media, but the production wasn't restricted on these. Long-term is anyone’s guess, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2012 Boxster / Cayman S Black editions held value pretty well too given the limited production numbers and the fact that subsequent black editions were all based on base models. The Cayman S Black edition was the rarest of the bunch with only 500 produced world wide.

2012 Boxster ‘S’ Black Edition (320hp) – 987 Produced world-wide
2012 Cayman ‘S’ Black Edition (330hp) – 500 Produced world-wide.
2012 911 Black Edition (345hp) – 1911 produced world-wide.

It’s very difficult to predict future collectables though and most of us don’t hold on to cars that long anyhow. You should buy based on how you plan to use the car and your own impressions after driving. If you are going to track the car regularly, a Spyder / Cayman R would be a good choice given the weight drop and stiff suspension. If you are going to drive the car around town, the 2012 Cayman / Boxster S Black Editions are a great choice given the upgraded performance and value of the overall package.

Full disclosure I may have a slight bias towards the MY12 987 S Black editions as I just traded in my 2008 911 C2 S Cab for a Boxster S Black Edition. I didn't want to deal with the cumbersome roof of the Spyder and I daily drive the car so all the included options are great. Mine even came with PASM adjustable suspension, multi-funciton steering wheel and ventilated seats. The car feels every bit as fast as my old 911 given the same power to weight ratio, but the new 9A1 engine feels much smoother. PCM3.0 feels like a big upgrade as well.

Whatever you end up with will be great, but I'd advise against buying a Porsche as an investment to stow away in the garage. They were made to be driven and enjoyed.