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03-27-2014, 10:27 PM | #23 |
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Seemed like a low number to me, I just bought a new 135 that I'm in love with at the moment so I've been shopping these parts.
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03-27-2014, 10:29 PM | #24 |
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The Porsche is dynamically superior in a way an E8x will never be. Ever.
With that said, other factors are at play here. For a DD, i'd prefer the BMW. More torque, more efficient, more comfortable, non P-Car repair bills despite the N54 being a joke and a half reliability wise.
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03-27-2014, 10:32 PM | #25 |
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Was in this dilemma this summer. Was about to pull the trigger on a low-mileage pre-owned 2011 135i under warranty. Came across a pristine 2006 Cayman S, with 19 inch sport wheels in the same price range.
Dont have kids. Wanted a dual purpose track/ week-end car. I needed to confirm I was making the right decision with my 135i. Always was a BMW fan, but allways lusted for Porsche cars, especially the 997, the 997 Twin Turbo, and the 2009+ Cayman S. Most of these are outside of my budget unfortunately. I am also worried about maintenance costs and complexity to work on these cars. I do most of my repairs and maintenance as DIY, but the rear and mid engines seem daunting. When I test drove the 2006 Cayman S (on the street), I was disappointed with a few things. The seats seemed thin and lower quality, and were not in the same league as the 135i with M-sport package. The steering wheel was not as thick and did not feal as good in my hands. The clutch pedal was too firm. The suspension and 19 inch wheels were overly harsh on our beaten roads. The noise in the cabin was obnoxiously loud, and I could not see myself driving for over an hour. My wife has tinnitus (constant ringing in her ears) so she would not have enjoyed the car. The torque in the Cayman S was less than in the 135i. The only thing that could have chnaged my mind is trying the Cayman S on the track, but as you can imagine, this is not as easily arranged. Bottom line, Im thrilled with my 135i, even more so with its 3.46 Final Drive Quaife LSD, M3 suspension bits, and Cobb tune. Torque is intoxicating even at low RPM... N55 and N54 based 135i has more useable torque, with max torque available from about 2000 RPM. Cayman-S is a rev happy, and has it optimal torque band from 4000RPM to redline. Who wants to be a high-revving A-O in every day driving, to benefit from torque? That is why you will frequently see reviews about the 135i being a better DD. Cayman-S is noisier (engine is a foot away from your ears) and is better on the track and smooth pavement.
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03-27-2014, 10:41 PM | #26 | |
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Not to sound condescending, but there are a lot of things that could combine to go wrong on any turbo engine that could easily amount to $3k. One spun bearing could put you in the $2-3k range if you're not tearing it down by yourself, which I am presuming the OP ain't. 4 good tires for this car are $1000-$1500 for Pete's sake.
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03-27-2014, 10:43 PM | #27 |
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dcaron. if I may. why did you chose m3 suspension parts over powerflex with your lsd? Just asking because I'm researching these upgrades right now but don't plan on getting a lsd because I don't track and its very expensive.
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03-27-2014, 10:55 PM | #28 |
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Looks like we are thread jacking here, but will keep this short. Car is under warranty and I wanted to retain stealth look. M3 bushings are solid one-piece black hard rubber with no voids like the stock 135i rear subframe bushings. Most after market rear subframe bushings or bushing inserts are yellow or purple, and are two piece designs. Then my personal taste is to use as many M3 bits as possible on my 135i. Did this install as a DIY, and it was a PITA.
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03-27-2014, 11:04 PM | #29 | |
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The main reason turbos are being replaced on the n54s is due to leaky waste gates. And turbos that fail in those circumstances are covered by extended warranty issued by BMW. Op is looking at n55. Have not read much here, if anything about people having to replace failed turbo on n55. Same with spun bearings. Do not recall reading even a single case where this has happened. Not to say it hasn't, but it is not something one needs to be overly worried about on these engines. The fact is, these are very stout platforms, aside from a few known issues such as shitty water pumps and the failing hpfp (which has been resolved). Chances of having to drop 2k on a single repair is very unlikely. There is nothing special about the tire requirements on this car vs. any other sporty car. not sure why you are even bringing it up. |
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03-27-2014, 11:29 PM | #30 | |
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I guess my insensitive side is coming out.. I am being prejudiced, biased and all those bad things. I'm preemptivelay striking against the future thread about how he can't afford the repairs on his BMW. I hate those. German sports cars are not cheap!!! I guess I always like to be prepared for the worst case scenario. When I was his age I was busy defending the nation, not driving bimmers. I had like 35 dollars in my checking account at any given moment.
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03-27-2014, 11:30 PM | #31 | |
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If you went the jb4 tune and meth route you are at about $900. So about $2800 (plus shipping) all in. Dci and exhaust don't buy you much performance wise. So $1700 will get you pretty much the same performance. I think if you buy dp and fmic at the same time, vrsf gives you a bit of a break in price. |
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03-27-2014, 11:30 PM | #32 |
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YAY CANADA!!!!
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03-27-2014, 11:32 PM | #33 | |
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03-28-2014, 01:39 AM | #34 |
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I own a Gen2 Cayman S DFI, with Softronic tune and a few other minor performance mods.
It's almost a perfect drivers car, I just don't compare my 135i with it. Now as for a DD, that's why I own a 135i, however I needed to spend money on the suspension just so it would feel respectable on the street, anyhow now it's almost a perfect DD just a few things to go.
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03-28-2014, 03:42 AM | #35 | |
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03-28-2014, 07:50 AM | #36 |
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Get the Cayman and get it out of your system. I had a series of used Porsches and one brand new Boxster before I switched to BMW. There is NO Porsche that is practical as a daily driver (I'm talking cars, not trucks), having gone that route for quite a few years. The 135i would be far more practical, especially if you're commuting from Lake Jackson to Houston (I used to live in the Houston area). Think of it this way - as a DD, you're going to be packing on the miles, and once out of warranty, Porsches are more expensive than BMWs to keep maintained. For a fun weekend car? Sure, Cayman/Boxster are fun, but you really don't want to be driving one day in and day out, getting it dinged, full of road grime, and potentially in some kind of accident.
Also, you cannot wrench on the Boxster/Cayman engine very easily, and the only access is from underneath unless you pull out the engine cover behind the seats (in a Boxster, this is underneath the convertible top cover panel). There's not really much you can do to that engine, either, save for maybe exhaust and an intake. There's no turbo, so not much you can tune unless you start messing with cams and other internals. And, if you're like me (6'3", 230 lbs), the fit in a Cayman, especially legroom, is VERY snug. The Boxster wasn't very comfy on long trips, but that's subjective on my part.
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03-28-2014, 10:10 AM | #37 |
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OP, crazy you posted this. I was in the EXACT situation last year. 24, good job, decent money, good credit, and " looking to capitalize on something fun and slightly irresponsible before real life happens." I went with a 2011 135i DCT. I still from time to time look at the Caymans though. I'm fearful that if the Cayman had as many issues as I've had with my 135, I would be bankrupt. In hindsight, you're right about the Cayman being more reliable and even though maintenance costs are more for it, I probably wouldn't spend as much time in the shop with it like my I do with my BMW. Then again, it's always a hit or miss with German sports cars having issues or not. I had an 2001.5 Audi S4 and I never once had an issue with it in three years. Which makes me think that Porsche would be just as reliable considering VW owns Audi and Porsche, but who knows.
If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have bought the 135 or the Cayman. I would have bought a lightly used something practical, reliable, cheap, and still fun to drive...like a manual civic si or something. In the year and four months I've owned the car I've realized that being in debt almost $20K on a car right now isn't all that cool. I could have had a nice civic paid off by now and been substantially saving for a nice house and substantially paying off my school loans...and maybe even have a motorcycle to have a little fun on. Just food for thought. |
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03-28-2014, 10:26 AM | #38 |
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Going to have to assume your seating position was terrible. I'm 6'5" and the 987 Cayman has tons of space for me. 981 Boxster I can adjust to the point of not even being able to touch the wheel.
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03-28-2014, 10:36 AM | #39 | |
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And if you're really bothered by the high maintenance costs/you're still steadily losing money on the car and all the things you could have instead, then oh, I don't know... Sell it...? Your statements seem a bit contradictory... |
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03-28-2014, 10:49 AM | #40 |
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03-28-2014, 01:02 PM | #41 | |
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I don't think they have many more problems than the 135i does, however total motor failures are much less common in the 135i even on highly tuned cars. If I could do it all over again when I was searching for cars I'd buy the 135i each time. I've been hooked on turbo power since I bought my first car. also loling at the cayman drivers responses as well |
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03-28-2014, 01:03 PM | #42 | |
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03-28-2014, 02:05 PM | #43 | |
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03-31-2014, 08:22 AM | #44 |
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My problem is long legs...plus, the 986 Boxster's configuration was such that with the firewall behind the seats, you could either move them back but have to sit bolt upright or scoot them forward a few inches so you could recline the seatback. Mine was a 1997, so they may have improved the firewall dimensions. A few inches more room would have made quite a difference in comfort for me.
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