Z4M Coupe or Cayman S??

[Batster]

Car conundrum - I need a car to commute c 100 miles a day of mainly motorway, the car must be fun, fast, handle well and need not be practical (as have RS4 Avant). Want some individual style as well. Read great reviews of both the Z4M coupe and the Cayman S and wanted some owner feedback as am guessing some of you might have made similar choices....

Discounting current M3 as too similar to my RS4, really want a 2 seater. Budget of max £55K for a new car (needs to be new as will be a company car).

Thoughts/opinions please!

Batster

[rassi]

Z4 M Coupe, and it's yours (for a nearly new with very low miles) for around 30-32K, so a no-brainer IMHO

[taffyracer]

I'm the other way, have a Z4M for my daily grind and i'm looking for something else, something more practical, either 997 or new M3 as quite simply the Z4M is massively compromised, the ride is awful, the build quality is well below par for a car of this sort of money, but the engine and chassis are sublime and absolutely stunning when driven the way it was intended, if i had the choice again I think i would go for the Cayman S though, prettier car and by far the better car to live with on a daily basis

[Sandy59]

Have you thought about an SLK 55 ??
I had the 350 version which was very good fun, well built and comfortable, and the folding roof is a real bonus.
The AMG 55 is supposed to be awesome, and the newly announced facelift should be another bonus.

[Beedub]

i have a z4m and imo its awesome, its my ONLY car its used daily, everytime i drive it im excited to be their, the noise, the chasis the engine is a true masterpiece, to be honest pretty much all my cars are uncompromising and usually the other side of sporty going into serious performance so a stiff, taut ride is what i prefur, the built quality on my car is brilliant, it doesnt rattle, it doesnt creak, the sat navs never taken me down the wrong route and i have still only seen 1 other ZM4 on the road and ive had mine for 2 months now. its got exclusivity , its cheaper, it looks better, it sounds better, i prefur the way it drives, its got all the kit i could ever ask for and more (mines got literally every extra) i love it!!! porsche wouldnt get my money over the z4m, and i tried both, it will be kept for a long time.

[Winton]

Drive the Z4MC and you will know whether it is for you or not. I drove the Cayman S and loved it, really loved it, but the Z4MC was just that bit more endearing to me - mostly because of its faults.

But that is not for everyone, I know, so drive it and I think you'll know.

[shunt]

I also drove both before chosing the MC, I was really blown way by the handling of the Cayman and without a slippy diff too. It's ability to tighten it's line when most others would be on the limit really is impressive, it has a better ride than the MC and feels a bit better put together.

But I went for the MC because I'm not really a porsche owner, I prefer the handling on the MC, the engine / noise and overall it just has more about it.

As said before try them both it's your call, it's my daily ride and it's special, they're also significantly cheaper than a Cayman.

[markda]

Earlier this year I went from an e46 M3 to a Boxster S and then onto the Z4M Coupe. I can't put my finger on what exactly it was, but I never really got on with the Porsche. The engine in the Boxster didn't feel as free revving as the BMW's S54 and it felt slower because of this (I know it wasn't, it just felt that way).

Then there was the handling, the Porsche was so good it made me nervous! It sounds stupid, but even in the wet it was just phenomenal. But I guess your used to huge levels of grip if you currently own an RS4, so you might like that I was just waiting for it to catch me out when I least expected it, plus I kinda enjoyed the predictable tail happy nature of the M3 before it

I had not really considered the Z4MC before a friend who works for a BMW brought one home, but that was it! I sold the Porsche and purchased my Z4MC a few weeks later, and love it! I agree the interior plastics seem a bit cheap, but no rattles or squeaks and it's very comfortable even on longer journeys and can return 29-30 mpg if you go steady and about 23-24 mpg as a combined average but again your probably not too concerned if you currently own an RS4!

The ride is quite firm, but I haven't struggled on longer journeys and I have a back complaint. The seats could probably do with a a lumbar adjustment in the ideal world and the fuel tank is only 55 litres so the range is anything from 160-280 miles, depending on how it's driven

Unfortunately due to work my Z4MC is currently up for sale. I am gutted, but due to some changes in my job I am now expected to run a 4 seater car. I guess I would recommend you drive both vehicles, but don't judge the Z4MC until it's warmed up. There a bit of a dog to drive when cold, but much fun when warmed up and much cheaper than the Cayman too.

[stuthemong]

i had a cayman S 24 hour loaner when I was in my e46 M3. I massively prefered the noise+revs+power of the M3 over the cayman. I was set on a z4mc, but had to save some cash so have an elise now.

I've not driven a z4mc, but it must have the benefits of a M3 in engine+gearbox, and improved chassis+lower weight - z4mc must be an awesome car, make no mistake! caymanS left me slightly cold, although it was stunning.

[Batster]

Some very interesting comments - i will have to try and find a bmw dealer who has one - my local one in Chiswick told me they didnt have a MC and just left it at, not even offering to try and find one..!

I went from a Boxster S to an M3 so can relate to the sense that the M cars have a bit more about them charachter wise than the Porsche, but must admit i totally enjoyed the whole Porsche ownership propositon with the Boxster and 996 I had a year later.

Suprised to hear about some build quality issues though in MCs...

[Bumcrack]

stuthemong said:

i had a cayman S 24 hour loaner when I was in my e46 M3. I massively prefered the noise+revs+power of the M3 over the cayman.

The M3 doesn't really have any of those qualities over the Cayman S, the noise makes it feel faster than it is, both cars are on par in terms performance in the real world, as is the Z4mc, but I do think the Z4MC and M3 are a bit quicker at higher speeds(130mph plus) and more stable too
Check out this video and write up for the comparisons, the review noting the Z4mC rated BHP advantage didn't make any difference on the track or road.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/11265/2006...

I’ve owed the Cayman S and think I prefer the z4M coupe, but the Cayman does ride better and is easier for every day use, certainly with PASM. It basically brilliant at the boring stuff, but then again I don’t think it’s as exciting as the Z4MC and its more money too. With prices at the 30K mark for one with less than 10K on the clock the Z4M coupe wins for me, it’s going to be my next car in fact.

[markda]

The build quality is on par with the Porsche, remember being very disappointed with certain aspects of my Boxster like the arm rest, sure it was made of an old ice cream container covered in leather That said, it never rattled or broke and that's all that matters I suppose!

[LittleBro]

Late Maserati GranSport??

[stuthemong]

Bumcrack said:

stuthemong said:

i had a cayman S 24 hour loaner when I was in my e46 M3. I massively prefered the noise+revs+power of the M3 over the cayman.

The M3 doesn't really have any of those qualities over the Cayman S

But it does, doesn't it?

noise - subjective, but I much prefered it as I like a highly screaming monster as opposed to a lower end grunter (Which the cayman felt in comparison)
revs - cayman ran out of puff much lower than the 8.25K RPM of the M3, something like 7KRPM but I dont remember fully.
power - 50hp advantage (295 v 342).

All of which make me prefer the M3 (ergo z4mc). I have seen different comparisons where z4mc's have walked away from cayman S's from 60mph, so it depends where and when really.

Anyway, all good clean fun stuff

Edited by stuthemong on Sunday 30th December 16:21

[Nano2nd]

i use mine for a 70 mile daily comute, no real issues to note, apart from maybe the fuel economy which for a 350bhp car is pretty good just not as good as a golf TDI LOL though sadly u can't have your cake and eat it

considered a cayman myself and would of loved the badge , i prefer the looks of the Z4MC but in all honestly it came down to price, i got a fully loaded Z4MC 3 months old with 2100 miles on the clock for less that £35k when i looked at the caymans at the same spec were closed to £50k!!!

[Bumcrack]

stuthemong said:

Bumcrack said:

stuthemong said:

i had a cayman S 24 hour loaner when I was in my e46 M3. I massively prefered the noise+revs+power of the M3 over the cayman.

The M3 doesn't really have any of those qualities over the Cayman S

). I have seen different comparisons where z4mc's have walked away from cayman S's from 60mph,
Anyway, all good clean fun stuff

Edited by stuthemong on Sunday 30th December 16:21

Post them please

[stuthemong]

Hardly scientific, but look at Ed's post.

http://www.mtorque.co.uk/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php...

I don't know, it seems that something is going on somewhere - perhaps the caymanS put out different quality engines, and me and Ed had lower performing ones? I don't know, suffice to say I'm certain I'd not be as quick in the caymanS I had over my old M3.

In the end I was smitten with the 2 seater-ness of the cayman, and got an elise after selling the M3 (couldnt afford a z4mc). I Still have the same issue of scaring myself silly by underbraking (except now I lock up, rather than trigger abs!) - I never had this issue in the M3 unless I'd overheated the brakes. I loved that car and could threshold brake like pie

FWIW, I'm yet to fit advan 07's on the elise, on potenza's at the moment. I hope when the sun comes out and temps go up, the grip from the elise will improve and I'll be more dialled in - especially if shod with better rubber too. In the M3, moving from Eagle F1's to PS2's, the performance inrease was *significant*, it did transform the car. I suspect that a lot of people's delight/dismay when trying new cars can be put down to tyres alone - that is where I probably draw my conclusion on the cayman I had, I wish I could have driven it with softer rubber which is more suited to my driving.

anyway, I'm no mansell, just giving my opinion of things as I saw them, no agenda!

Kindest,

Stu

Edited by stuthemong on Tuesday 1st January 18:24

[Bumcrack]

Hardly scientific as you say and on a BMW site, I could believe it, if he didn’t say the Z4 Roadster pulled away easily, the difference between the cars on paper performance is small and the beemer hasn’t got enough extra power to induce such a crushing defeat in a straight line drag. Also if you look at any rolling road tests for either car, they put about the same power to the road regardless of headline power numbers.
BMW power outputs are optimistic in generally, not many cars make the stated output. Porsche bench test engines before install, any which don’t make the quoted BHP are rejected. I do think the m3 and z4M feel faster though, the Torque's been sucked out of the 3.4 Porsche lump, so it doesn’t thread on the 911 toes, hence it doesn't feel that fast.
When I drove my mate 53 plate it felt about the same

Bit more info here, another interesting review of the z4M coupe vs. the Caymans


http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-comparisons/4302-...

Happy New Year!

Edit cos I can't write drunk

Edited by Bumcrack on Wednesday 2nd January 09:25

[taffyracer]

The S54 is usually pretty accurate with power figures so they will be close to states power outputs, the Z4M is definitely the quicker more raw and most likely more fun car to drive, the Cayman is more clynical, easier to drive and better built, horses for courses, given the option again I would have bought a gayman

[housemaster]

Can't go with the BMW on this one, I would have to go with the Cayman S, simply sublime handling and an engine the gets looser and looser as the miles grow. I have not driven a better balanced car, and if it had an LSD and a GT3 engine I suspect Porsche would have the greatest sports car ever built, and the annoying thing is they know that. Side by side a Z4 would be a little quicker, but i'd go with the Cayman.