2013 M3 vs 2014 Cayman S (981)

[davesaddiction]

"Thank you for the extra doors dad."

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpos...3&postcount=21

[mdosu]

Originally Posted by davesaddiction

Yessir. We bought it new (for a steal) in late 2008 - Grand Touring AWD loaded. I tell my wife she's got one of the sweetest soccer mom-mobiles in town. We've put around 25k per year on it - just over 110k at the moment.

And I don't hate driving it. Have taken it on lots of trips, the longest of which was all the way to Glacier National Park in Montana. Fantastic ride for chewing up a lot of miles, and plenty of power to tear up mountain passes.

Highly recommended for family duty.

interesting. my wife and I are contemplating family-mobiles and minivans are outside of the equation. Thus far we've narrowed it down to either a X5d, which is not a fantastic family car and crazy expensive for what it'll be used for in my case, and the new Infiniti JX, which is great, but my wife thinks it looks like an abomination, and it is expensive as well.

CX-9 is reasonably cheap for the task, we'll have to seriously consider. That Mazda 5 is also a consideration, but it's really a compact minivan.

[FVM3]

Go for e90 m3

[saeyedoc]

Originally Posted by FVM3

Go for e90 m3

He wants new, but I agree that would be the best choice. Should be able to find one with few miles though.
If tracking is really a priority, the Cayman is hard to beat, unless it's a high speed track. I can't bring myself to take my M3 to the local track when my Cayman is in the garage. It's very twisty and top speed is in the 90s, so any speed advantage the M3 has wouldn't be apparent.
Porsche's really excel at being able to drive them to and from the track without mods.
Hard to beat the sound of a screaming V8 though.

[03///m3]

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone. I need to make a decision by the end of the week. The rational side of my is leaning towards the M3.

[j2m]

Gayman's are cool but M3 ALL DAY LONG!!!

[j2m]

Originally Posted by Team Plutonium

Oh... I see what you did there, Jon.

oops typo

[nick3753]

This is a no brainer. I didn't see you mention it but it seems inferred that between you and your wife you will have 2 cars. Therefore the cayman is out. There will come some circumstance where you can't use her car for whatever reason and you will be screwed. Not to mention I don't think I would feel comfortable driving around with an infant in the front seat of a 2 seater. It would be different if you had 3 cars or maybe when your child is a preschooler or older. E92 or used e90.

[Rk-d]

Originally Posted by nick3753

This is a no brainer. I didn't see you mention it but it seems inferred that between you and your wife you will have 2 cars. Therefore the cayman is out. There will come some circumstance where you can't use her car for whatever reason and you will be screwed. Not to mention I don't think I would feel comfortable driving around with an infant in the front seat of a 2 seater. It would be different if you had 3 cars or maybe when your child is a preschooler or older. E92 or used e90.

Agreed - no matter how much planning, there will be times when you need to transport the kid. And you will be stuck. You have to be responsible here and I would not get a Cayman, other than as a third car.

Now a 991 could work, as that's a much bigger 2+2 and you can theoretically put in a car seat (though I doubt rear facing, which would rule that one out until the kid is 2 and can face forward).

I went through this calculus before and went e90 m3. Haven't regretted it for a second.

[F1Venom]

The 2014 Caymans are damn good cars, but I'd go with the E90/92 M3. Plus I can't get over the fact that the Cayman is pushing the mid $80s in price. That's nuts.

[Goat Rodeo]

Originally Posted by LarThaL

Keep in mind that a nicely equipped Cayman S will be around $90k or more.

?

Cayman S 6MT
Infotainment Package w/ Bose
Premium Package (Xenons, 14-Way Seats, Heated Seats, Auto-Dimming Mirrors, Leather)
19" Cayman S Wheels

$72,230

Cayman S PDK
Infotainment Package w/ Bose
Premium Package (Xenons, 14-Way Seats, Heated Seats, Auto-Dimming Mirrors, Leather)
19" Cayman S Wheels
PASM
PTV
Sport Exhaust

$81,365

[E90ab335i]

Get the 981 and love yourself for it. I'm jealous

[dagolfpro]

Originally Posted by Da Hapa

First and foremost, congrat's on the little one. Health, prosperity and joy to you and your family. Children are the truest blessing. I will share with you my sort of similar story.

I sold my custom ordered Carrera S when we were blessed with a baby boy. As much as I loved the car, the reality was that I was just never going to drive it because rear facing car seats just don't fit in the back of the P car and the times when it would be just me and my wife were/are few and far between. So I sold it, pre-funded my kid's college savings and haven't regretted it for a second. All my family and friends who know what a hard core sports car guy I am thought I'd lost my mind but I can honestly tell you that next to marrying my wife and having my son, one of the best decisions I've ever made.

My son is nearly 2 and a half and in a proper, front facing car seat which opens up a lot of options. So a few months back I started thinking seriously about buying another "fun" car for me. It would be my third car (we drive a 2010 Audi A6 wagon as our daily driver and we have a Honda van that my mom (our child's caretaker) drives) but I wanted to be able to take my son with me.

I remain an active PCA member and I've always loved the way the Cayman drove, just not the way it looked. I was invited to the launch of the new 981 Cayman by my dealer and took it for an extended test drive. I was absolutely blown away. It's honestly all the power you'd ever need on the street with absolutely sublime handling. And although I'm a hard core, borderline militant, three pedal manual transmission guy... I have to admit that the newest generation of PDK is really, really damned good. My dealer offered me a fantastic price on special ordering a new one but I passed.

Instead, I bought a 2008 M3 sedan. Frankly, it doesn't handle anywhere near as well as the Cayman and it's a 5-year old car with 42,000 miles so it's not perfect. That was a hard pill for an anal guy like me to swallow but my reality is that I paid less than half of what I would have paid for a new M3 or Cayman S and I now have a car that I am already sharing with my son. His car seat, stroller and his gear all easily fit. He loves riding in "daddy's new double oooh" and for me, that's worth it's weight in gold.

We each have to do what's right for us and to each his own but you're a new father. I don't know any parents who don't find that children change them and at least in my case, I can tell you with an absolute straight face that one of my great joys is sharing my passions with my son. Whether it's baseball, cars, or the ocean... nothing compares to the joy I get when I'm sharing those activities with my kid. I have to believe you'll find the same thing to be true.

The Cayman S is a fantastic car. Anyone who owns one is driving one of the great cars ever. But the M3 is a damned fine car too. Arguably the best small sports sedan ever. And you can share that vehicle with your child. You can't do that in the P car.

Best of luck in whatever you choose.

And again, congrat's on the newborn. Enjoy each stage of his/her life because you'll be shocked how fast they grow. Especially when you're sleep deprived

Great write up. Wife an I expecting our first in July and that's why I bought my E90 as well. OP, I know you're looking for a new car, but, there's quite a few E90's for sale with low milage and well taken car off. GL with your search.

[Shoney41]

My vote, perhaps not surprisingly, is to get the 2013 E92 M3. My wife and I don't have kids yet, but when I bought it I certainly factored that into the decision vs. other options (Z06, 911, etc). I don't think you can get to a better mix of performance and practicality than the E92 (given that you want new and thus the E90 is out). It's not just the child seat either -- that trunk is a real trunk as compared to Porsche's compartment.

[dead ringer]

Originally Posted by davesaddiction

As fun as the Cayman would be, as a dad I have to advise you to go with a car that your family can fit in, if needed. As little as my wife and kids are in the car, all five of us can fit (just), and it's very useful for both of your cars to have the ability to hold all of you.

If my wife's CX-9 goes to the shop/detailer/etc., we can make do for a short time. Unless you have family in town, or easy access to another family-friendly car, I'd definitely go with the M3 (E90, if you can get off the idea of a new car).

+1

I can attest that you will at some point need both cars... I was in the same boat and soooo glad i went with a 4 door! There have been numerous times in which we needed the M3 to carry more than 2 people...

[e90m3_6MT]

Originally Posted by ridin135

I was having the same dilema as you though a child was not involved. While the new cayman is gorgeous I could not get over the lack of power. Since you have a new born i think you would be better off with the e92 as you could still put a car seat in the back.

what lack of power?

Seem plenty quick for any real life situation and the track!