[rolling18]

OTHER THAN PRICE.. and seating capicity

how would you compare 335i against the cayman S

driving expierience?
looks?
reliability?
other things?

thanks!

[Joop!]

I don't think those two are comparable with eachother. I think the cayman S should be compared with a Z4M Coupe.

BTW the Cayman S is still a stunning piece of kit.

[tctic]

Why not go test them out both. Driving experience can vary from one person to another. If one hates a loud interior or bumpy ride, the Porsche wouldn't suit that person. Looks are also subjective.

[HarjotM]

can't compare them, two very different automobiles
but like you said price and seating capacity not an issue, I would go with Cayman S, I drove them both. i will post an extended review tommorow

[canucklion]

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ghlight=cayman
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ghlight=cayman
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ghlight=cayman

[ALPINE6SPD]

cayman looks better and handles better. The BMW is a better buy and easier to live with on a daily basis.

[rolling18]

Originally Posted by HarjotM

can't compare them, two very different automobiles
but like you said price and seating capacity not an issue, I would go with Cayman S, I drove them both. i will post an extended review tommorow

yea i agree with you guys but...

i have driven the 335 a couple times, but there is no Porsche dealer near me so that is out.. and the closest one did not even have any (they only had 4 damn cars!!! and they wouldnt order one to test w/o deposit)

so thats why i asked i kinda figured the cayman SHOULD have better sports characteristics.

[Ray]

The 3 series is a good comprimise of sport and practicallity, while the Cayman is a true sports car.

[sflgator]

Originally Posted by ThreeThirtyEye

The 3 series is a good comprimise of sport and practicallity, while the Cayman is a true sports car.

You want a true sports car??? My brother has a Lotus Elise w/ sport pack...not much TQ, but super light (~1900 lbs.), super fast (0-60mph ~4.6 sec.), and handles like a large go-kart (~1.04 g). Oh yeah, and the exhaust note is loud like a true sports car too. It's just his "weekend car," of course.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by brummelenj

I don't think those two are comparable with eachother. I think the cayman S should be compared with a Z4M Coupe.

BTW the Cayman S is still a stunning piece of kit.

Exactly. There are many magazine articles within the past three months to proove that.

[ward]

Originally Posted by sflgator

You want a true sports car??? My brother has a Lotus Elise w/ sport pack...not much TQ, but super light (~1900 lbs.), super fast (0-60mph ~4.6 sec.), and handles like a large go-kart (~1.04 g). Oh yeah, and the exhaust note is loud like a true sports car too. It's just his "weekend car," of course.

don't get me wrong, I love the elise

but it really doesn't have a performance edge over a cayman S, and it's not a useable car.


the best thing about the elise would be getting a used one for 35 grand

[Robin_NL]

Cayman S did do 1 lap at 8mins25sec at the Nordschleife..
335i E92 8:26.

Sportauto(german carmag) tested them. Where is the Porker 'real sports car' now?

I really DO NOT like the looks of the Cayman at all. But who am I?
A Porsche freak.

[picus]

It's a testament to the 335i that it can even be compared to the Cayman S. That said, pricing, seating, and practicality aside I'd have taken the S. Unfortunately for it pricing, seating, and practicality aren't asides in real life.

[whippersnapper]

Originally Posted by picus

It's a testament to the 335i that it can even be compared to the Cayman S. That said, pricing, seating, and practicality aside I'd have taken the S. Unfortunately for it pricing, seating, and practicality aren't asides in real life.

Who's comparing the 335 to a cayman S?

In terms of sportscars the Cayman S beats the Z4M handily and the 335 is just a fast sports sedan. No comparison in my book

[e90 330]

1. First of all the M coupe does not compare to the Cayman S
2. Stop reading Car and Driver they lied
3. The M Coupe is able to beat the Carrera S
4. Yes the Cayman has better handling is neater through the bends, but if you know how to drive the M you will be able to make it through just as fast or even faster.
5. I know this cause I have beaten countless Carrera S's and destroyed Caymans.
6. Stop magazine racing, go drive the cayman S and the M you will tell the difference

PS I had the M coupe for about a week

[valeram]

You cannot say that the your M is better than the S because you smoked them when you were driving. That is why those magazine (sorry, test drivers) can present a better review because the same driver will do the actual test. It is not just C&D that says that the S is still the car to beat. BTW, I am getting rid of my 987S for a 335i because of the ride and noise as mentioned earlier in this post. I love my P car but I think I am getting old for this thing. I like to go back to a quiet but fast car. A stealth car just like my old S4.

[Traceaz]

My final 2 choices of a car were a new 2007 335i vs a 2006 Cayman S slightly used (1-2k miles). I ended up going with the 335i, not sure it was the right choice, but both are great cars. The Cayman S is a better design, both exterior and interior. I wouldnt buy a Cayman S without Sport Chrono though. I test drove both cars, they're both incredible. 335i definitely has more torque and feels faster (and may actually be faster too, although I expect its a drivers race). The Cayman S definitely handles better however (and thats not a knock on the 335i, its just a nod to how great those cars handle). The Cayman S, however, isnt a very good value for what you get for your money. The 335i however, I think is a much better value, dollar for dollar.

[valeram]

Actually I am on the same boat as you are but mine is that I already have the Boxster 987S 05MY. I already placed an order for a BS 335 Coupe and it will be a December build, January 07 delivery. I am still having second thought if I will trade-in my P car. Value for money, the 335 is definitely the best deal but the wow factor is always the P car.

[rolling18]

Originally Posted by valeram

You cannot say that the your M is better than the S because you smoked them when you were driving. That is why those magazine (sorry, test drivers) can present a better review because the same driver will do the actual test. It is not just C&D that says that the S is still the car to beat. BTW, I am getting rid of my 987S for a 335i because of the ride and noise as mentioned earlier in this post. I love my P car but I think I am getting old for this thing. I like to go back to a quiet but fast car. A stealth car just like my old S4.

how much are you goin to get "rid' of your S for???

[aleftik]

I agonized over this too. It was between S4/Cayman S/335i. Porsche has just gotten too overpriced. You will spend 70k for a nicely equipped Cayman S, which I would have preferred. However, for 50k you can get a 335i. Thats 20k. S4 is not worth the extra 10k either (gas mileage sucks too). What pushed me over the edge is maintenance. Porsche maintenance is ridiculous, (I have owned a couple). $250 for an oil change and $1000 for 30k service. At the end, it came down to a matter of principle for me (pissed at porsche), and 2 back seats. The Cayman S, makes mere mortals feel like gods in the twisties, and the engine note is just fantastic, but 335i handles well enough and how often do I drive fast in the twisties, and sometimes I just want a quiet ride. The 335i sounds ok when pushed, but its not a great sound (not awful like m3), and its hush compared to Cayman S.

[TwiBlueG35]

Other than looks, I really can't rate anything on these two cars.

I think E92 335i looks much better than Cayman S. I never like Porsche styling.

[Traceaz]

Originally Posted by aleftik

I agonized over this too. It was between S4/Cayman S/335i. Porsche has just gotten too overpriced. You will spend 70k for a nicely equipped Cayman S, which I would have preferred. However, for 50k you can get a 335i. Thats 20k. S4 is not worth the extra 10k either (gas mileage sucks too). What pushed me over the edge is maintenance. Porsche maintenance is ridiculous, (I have owned a couple). $250 for an oil change and $1000 for 30k service. At the end, it came down to a matter of principle for me (pissed at porsche), and 2 back seats. The Cayman S, makes mere mortals feel like gods in the twisties, and the engine note is just fantastic, but 335i handles well enough and how often do I drive fast in the twisties, and sometimes I just want a quiet ride. The 335i sounds ok when pushed, but its not a great sound (not awful like m3), and its hush compared to Cayman S.

Actually, the Porsche Cayman S isnt selling that well after the intial rush early last year. Most people are reporting 8-13% discounts off MSRP the last 3-6 months. A moderately equipped new Porsche Cayman S is about 65k (which is about 7000.00 in options), but after discounts, you can pick it up for 58k. You can get a slightly used 2006 Cayman S however for in the 52-55k range. Go look on Autotrader, there are a ton in the 53k-58k range, and thats the ASKING price from dealers, which jack up used cars by a few thousand more than they actually sell them for, so you could actually pick one up for 52-54k. And if you wait 6-8 weeks and buy one in December, you can pick one up for probably 50k-53k. Thats pretty close to the 335i if you were looking to pick up your car in December, which anyone ordering right now would do.

Heck, there's even a small chance, that if I found the right color combo/option list on a slightly used 2006 Cayman S, I would back out of my 335i order, which is due here in about 4 weeks (Im in 193 status right now, so its waiting at the port for over a week now, just waiting to get a ride on a ship).

Essentially, that's only 5k more than a nicely equipped 335i.

48k for a 2007 335i or
53k for a 2006 Cayman S

That makes it a tough decision. Especially for a single guy like myself with no kids. I still went with the 335i though, just for a change since Ive been driving a 2-seater for 6 years now. The car I was REALLY planning on moving up to, was an E46 M3, but when I realized in late 2005 that 2006 was the last model production year, I figured it was pointless to buy a 2005 or 2006 M3 which was going out of production in March 2006. I didnt want to spend 55-60k on a car that is in the last year of it's lifecycle. So I waited on the 335i, and Im REALLY glad I did. It matches the performance of the M3, but with a newer design, better engine technology, and improved options.

The only real dilemma was the 2007 335i vs the 2006 Cayman S, but I wanted a somewhat rare color combo in the Cayman S, which made it a little hard to find, and additionally, I wanted some very specific options too, which made that car harder to find. Add in the 4year/50k mile free service compared to Porsche's expensive servicing, and the overall performance of the BMW and how it's pretty similar overall to the outgoing E46 M3, and I ended up ordering the 335i in a close, close decision. With the 335i, I was able to order the car with the exact options I wanted, versus possibly having to settle with the Cayman S and missing an option or two I wanted in trying to find the right combo, etc. I wouldnt rule out a 2006 slightly used Cayman S at all though if you're still shopping, as it may be worth it to spend 5k more and get the Cayman S.

If you want to do research on the Cayman S, the best forum I found by far is the one at www.caymanclub.net.

Happy Hunting!