Wyatt, keep me updated on your search and what direction you are going in. I am also buying a car in the spring and the Cayman S is at the top of my list. But I am looking at 08-10. I just haven't started looking this in depth yet.

Thanks for the comparison Simba. That was a really good, detailed look at both cars!

 

Few other things I forgot earlier:

- Cayman pre-facelift nose has a little rubber "cup" in the middle that likes to pop out of place if you drive fast. Remove it and replace with mesh, or rivet the silly thing in.

- Cayman has a nice feature that shuts down most of the electronics if the car is not started for a prolonged period, as such the battery will keep a pretty decent charge for weeks on end. Z4 is dead after about 10-12 days.

- Cayman alarm is slightly annoying in that there's no audiable confirmation of locked/unlocked, and the same remote button is used for both functions. Can be solved with aftermarket bits.


Also, recommended mods:

- Both cars need an exhaust badly. Both stock units are extremely heavy, the Z4 most so, and very restrictive. I went with a fabspeed on the Cayman and rolled a custom one for the Z4.

- Cayman responds very well to heat insulation on the airbox, K&N filter and desnorkling of the side vent. It heat soaks pretty good in stock form.

- Both cars come with fairly terrible Conti tires. Replace with Pilot Super Sports. Both cars love them.

 

Awesome list!

One of my favorite parts of car ownership is sorting them out with upgrades like these.
The Cayman definitely has a little more mod potential (NA power) than the S54, but the Z has a lot of little things to do throughout.

 

IMO if you were to get a cayman s, try to get one with pse, may not be as loud as aftermarket solutions but definitely less hassle.

 

Z4M's got character.

Cayman S is so much neutral to drive. more balanced too.

i always love the Z4M. had one, wish never sold it. the car still turns head nowadays. i've gone through few of them. always recommended to friends want a reasonably cheap car for ultimate fun & styling. it's becoming pretty rare to score a clean car since the production number was pretty low. it's already in my book for future classic collectable car.

can't go wrong with Cayman S either. u'll have a lot of fun with the handling. but the look is pretty average in my book. go luck on making the decision!

btw, u didn't call me on the Z on the autotrader right?

 

I would go with the Z4M.

Would it be possible to put a HPF turbo kit on the Z4 that was designed for the E46 since they both have the S54?

 

20C4S (Simon?) - no I did not call on the car. I agree the Z has some style, soul, and rarity points, plus it's cheaper. I actually started my hunt for an E46 M ZCP, and THOSE are getting hard to find with low miles. Z4Ms are actually mostly low-mileage, seems like they were often second cars.

I agree the Cayman is nothing exciting to look at, but it sounds fun to drive, and easy to DD.
Given my age, current peers, and associate position down the road, I don't want to maximize the bling. The Cayman is a Porsche, but looks mundane compared to the Z4M. Most people haven't a clue.

 

Vapor Oil Separator, part that has been known to fail under severe turning, causing oil ingestion problems.

When you check out your car, check for excessive smoke at startup, and in terms of track time, will see a similar symptom.

The diaphragm in the VOS is what fails, I went for a Mantis supplied deep sump to alleviate the issue.

Part of your decision should also be based on what you are going to use the car for. DD or track, or mix?

 

Just read about the VOS in a comparison on .. Zpost! ha ha

Car will be for DD + spirited driving, but I would like to eventually take a performance driving class. But for now, that's a pipe dream. All I've done so far is auto-x (S2000).

 

Z4m