135i vs. Cayman S

[boofi]

My budget is 28.5k, or up to 30k USD if it's something really special (low miles/clean etc.). I'm located in Texas. I don't do much wrenching myself but I am very willing to learn. Manual transmission preferred, but I'm not expert at it just yet. I'm 24 and make a fair bit of money for my age so I'm looking to capitalize on something fun and slightly irresponsible before real life happens.

I realize that this comparison is apples to oranges. I've been reading comparisons on forums, but the general consensus is "both are great!" which isn't that helpful. I'd be looking at a 2011+ 135I or a 2006+ Cayman S

Test driving both, the Cayman is light, super balanced and quick to respond. The 135i is quite similar but leans slightly more luxury. It's also heftier It's quieter and I sit a little bit higher. Both are awesome, I would love to have either.

Mostly I'm looking for a unique DD that's rewarding to drive around without thrashing and at least mildly practical. I've narrowed it down to these two. My daily commute right now is country roads in texas, so straight with the odd bend or 3.

Also if someone has hard numbers for maintenance cost (from personal experience maybe) that would also be helpful. I've heard that the Cayman is more mechanically reliable than the 135i, and has better gas mileage, but I'd be out of warranty with a cayman, whereas with the bimmer I'd be in warranty.

So which do you guys prefer? What kind of opinions or advice can you guys offer?

cross posted to planet-9 so you guys can fight

[OrangeTea]

I am no expert but Cayman being mid engine, makes it way harder to work on it yourself.

[mturo]

Warranty is why I settled with my 135i a few weeks ago.

What part of Houston?

[Zombie1]

for your needs id say get a 135i and have some fun. people think bmws are expensive when somthing breaks i cant imagine a porsche repair bill.

[boofi]

Originally Posted by mturo

Warranty is why I settled with my 135i a few weeks ago.

What part of Houston?

Well I really live in Lake Jackson and work in Sweeny. I'm in West Houston & Katy a lot though.

[lowbudgethero]

135i, the long straights go by real fast with a flashed 135i. The 135i ticks a lot of check marks, but never has that feel of the Cayman. From the factory, the clutch travel and feel is terrible until you get a different clutch stop and/or modify the clutch delay valve. The runflat tires offer decent grip, but have a terrible road noise and give a bad ride. Since you're under warranty and probably want to keep it unmodified I'd go with the Cayman S.

With Pilot Super Sports, a home made adjustable clutch stop, and a flash the 135i offers a lot of performance without sacrificing cargo room for long trips.


Both cars do different things, but I would say if you like torque and practicality get the Bmw. If you want one of the best feeling and handling cars available get the Porsche.

I was in the same boat when trying to find a replacement for my m roadster. I went and drove a tuned 135i and decided I'd rather have the extra power and practicality.

[ShocknAwe]

Cant imagine how I could get the volume of "stuff" into a Cayman as I can in my 1er. Practicality just beats it hands down every way to sunday for a DD.

The Cayman is nice though, and handles really well. Warranty is a factor and that would steer me towards a 135i as well. Depends on what you need it to do and what kind of roads you have locally to have fun on.

[edisapimp]

Ehhh... I hated the Cayman S and the Boxster S. Porsche missed with the Cayman in my opinion. It's too expensive for what it is. As someone has already stated the maintenance costs on a Porsche are unbelievably expensive. They won't open your car door for under $1k.

I get it, you're young, and you've got a good income, but unless you have the ability to drop $2-3K at the drop of a hat I wouldn't get either of these cars. If you do, then get a Porsche!

[JeffyD]

The Cayman is going to be more fun, will be quicker to learn with, has a higher limit to reach, and will, ultimately, be more satisfying to eventually master. It's the best at what it does, and, at 30k dollars, has no real competition in the same layout.

That said, you're better off with the 135i as a DD- stock or modded. It's going to be plenty to learn with, will get you around easier, and sacrifices less in the name of specialized fun. I'm 27, in a similar quandary, and bought an M coupe instead of a Cayman because I'm in love with the former.

I wound up getting an is on a whim, and can tell you that the 135 is going to make you feel less regret day to day over the Cayman. Pick up your fun car when you can afford one to use as a treat on a less frequent basis. You can daily drive the cayman, no doubt, but there are going to more instances where you wish it had more... Convenience for DDing.

If you want unique, able to learn doing your own work, and is tons of fun at around 28-30k, I'd actually suggest the Z3 M coupe. If that's not your thing, and it isn't for most people, get the 135i. Warranty, schwarranty, dude.

[TheSt|G]

If you can't afford an 09+ Cayman, you can't afford a Cayman. The 06-08s are so cheap because they suffer the same IMS based engine failure as the 996s.

I'm often noted as one that gives the N54/N55 a hard time about reliability, but in this case it might as well be a small Toyota engine in a reliability comparison. Early watercooled Porsche engines outside of the raceblock based Turbo/GT3 are awful for longevity. 30,000 mile replacements are not uncommon.

[lowbudgethero]

the IMS failures were like the fuel pump, water pump, and wastegate problems with the 135. Some people had them some people didn't. If you get a record that the IMS was fixed in a pre '09 cayman then I wouldn't think it would be so bad to get one.

[Overpar56]

Compare insurance costs. You're 24, probably single and hopefully a clean record. Insurance companies would love to insure you on both, but my guess is the Cayman will be higher. Replacement cost, theft rate, etc. will do you in. No Certified car thief takes our 1ers serious so they'll pick on the Cayman if parked side by side.

If you don't have a significant other, women probably would prefer the Cayman.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by lowbudgethero

the IMS failures were like the fuel pump, water pump, and wastegate problems with the 135. Some people had them some people didn't. If you get a record that the IMS was fixed in a pre '09 cayman then I wouldn't think it would be so bad to get one.

Except that it grenades the engine.

And this is before we get into the more benign problems the prefacelift 987 has, like cornering oil starvation.

[GeorgeJ.]

A couple of my favorite cars. I love the look and character of the Cayman and it would be a fun extra car. With the 135i I have a car that is capable of taking three or four people, fold down seats provide great flexibility, and the driving position is suited to the urban battle ground of the city. It is my favorite daily car of all time.

Performance is pretty nice, I lapped my buddies in their Carrera and Turbo both in five laps at Sears Pt (I'm familiar with the track/they weren't). Never the less with Dinan Stage II the 135i is a fun car and a bit more stealth which I also appreciate.

[Hops128i]

Real life happened to me and i now have two child seats in the back. I don't think you can do that with the Cayman.

[foghat]

Originally Posted by edisapimp

I get it, you're young, and you've got a good income, but unless you have the ability to drop $2-3K at the drop of a hat I wouldn't get either of these cars. If you do, then get a Porsche!

Highly unlikely you will need to drop $2k, let alone $3k on a single 135i repair. Outside of replacing the turbos I don't see how you would do it. Especially if you do the work yourself or go to an independent.

[Obi Wong Kenobi]

Before the 135i, I had a 2006 Cayman S and it was an amazing vehicle. Clocked about 61k miles before I sold it and had a great time with it. But like others have said, if I knew about the possible engine issues and oil starvation through hard corners, I probably would have waited for the 2009+ models.

If you don't plan to modify either car, a 2009 Cayman S is hard to beat in comparison to a stock 135i. It has a better clutch/shifter feel, a little quicker, MUCH better handling, and wins in the looks department. But if you're planning to modify your future car, don't get the Porsche. Any mod is ungodly expensive, not to mention the regular maintenance on it. A typical brake job was like $1600 while being "hooked up". It's an extremely low car and don't plan to buy more than a few things at Costco cuz it won't fit in the trunk or the frunk. My wife didn't like holding the groceries on the way home.

In the end, it really depends on your lifestyle and what you plan to do with the car. So far, I'm enjoying my flashed 135i in the straight line performance and need to figure out how to really up the game on the handling side without breaking the bank.

[MuNkY6913]

I always liked the way porches look. Raced a cayman s a couple years ago and he lost. Then he pulled up and said nice car! I was shocked. I said look at what your driving. That thing is nice. He laughed and said nice car again. Every time I get a comment on my car people are wondering what it is. They seem intrigued and want to know more about it. I feel like when people see the Porsche they just say hey look at that Porsche, it's really nice. When someone sees my 1er they take the time to come up to me and ask what it is. Now that I'm full bolt on and tuned with E85 and meth I've only spent about $2.5k in parts total and haven't had to do any repairs yet that weren't covered by warranty. All tuning was done myself with a hand full of tools in my garage. I'll keep my 1er forever. Not sure of your looking for something to eventually sell. I've never driven a Porsche, I've driven by a lot of them : haha. Seeing as this is on the 1er forum I think I'm allowed to be bias.

[daflamme]

Originally Posted by foghat

Highly unlikely you will need to drop $2k, let alone $3k on a single 135i repair. Outside of replacing the turbos I don't see how you would do it. Especially if you do the work yourself or go to an independent.

One word: vanos...

Especially if the OP is looking for '11 model. Please if you get one take the time to verify you serial number

[GeorgeJ.]

Did I mention the Turbo I lapped had track tires and an Andial 560hp motor?

Also last fall headed out to our cabin with:
3 cases of wine
1 large Cooler
5 bags of charcoal
2 thirty-six packs of coke
7 bags of groceries
5 cooler bags
2 large Costco bags
2 duffel bags
and me!

[brocklanders]

Originally Posted by MuNkY6913

I always liked the way porches look. Raced a cayman s a couple years ago and he lost. Then he pulled up and said nice car! I was shocked. I said look at what your driving. That thing is nice. He laughed and said nice car again. Every time I get a comment on my car people are wondering what it is. They seem intrigued and want to know more about it. I feel like when people see the Porsche they just say hey look at that Porsche, it's really nice. When someone sees my 1er they take the time to come up to me and ask what it is. Now that I'm full bolt on and tuned with E85 and meth I've only spent about $2.5k in parts total and haven't had to do any repairs yet that weren't covered by warranty. All tuning was done myself with a hand full of tools in my garage. I'll keep my 1er forever. Not sure of your looking for something to eventually sell. I've never driven a Porsche, I've driven by a lot of them : haha. Seeing as this is on the 1er forum I think I'm allowed to be bias.

$2.5k? pls explain your definition of "full bolt ons"

[foghat]

Originally Posted by brocklanders

$2.5k? pls explain your definition of "full bolt ons"

Probably: fmic, dp, exhaust, intake, and tune. and I guess meth in his case. Pretty easy to do for $2500 in parts.