Kain

How are the running costs of a brand-new 2014/2015 Cayman S? How do they compare to a brand-new 2014 BMW 328i?

Secondly, what are the "must-have" options on a new Cayman S? If I were to buy a absolute basic 2014 Cayman S (without PASM, PTV, Chrono, etc.), would I still have a good driving experience?

il pirata

You want us to tell you the cost in Dubia?

For US cost you can go here and enter your car data...it will give you some data. In the US a new BMW does come with free maintenance for the first 4 years.

http://www.edmunds.com/tco.html

orthojoe

A cayman S with zero options would still be a great car. Options are to cater to your specific needs.

Iirc, BMW includes maintenance, whereas Porsche does not. Oil change is every 10k miles or one year.

Kain

Thanks for the replies. Didn't know that Porsches don't come with service/maintenance packages. Guess the Porsche is out.

the_vetman

Wow.

Anyway, Cayman S is a great car. Doesn't have super powers but one of the best sports cars and handling cars in the market.

markk132

you're cross shopping 2 COMPLETELY different vehicles. Not only in terms of size and body style and interior space and cargo volume, but also in how they drive. if you drove these 2 vehicles back to back, you couldn't even compare them really. each one does something different well. so i think you need to decide what kind of car you want and then go from there.

but to answer your question as best as possible, the BMW will include maintenance for the first 4 years but honestly it's a little overrated. It's filled with unnecessarily frequent free wiper blade changes and filter changes. They say free brakes but you're not likely to need them unless you really drive a lot. the oil change is the real value there, and it's only once a year, just like the Cayman. all in, if you really break it down, the free maintenance with the BMW and maintenance you pay for with the Cayman will only be a difference of about $1,000 over the first 4 years. Spending this much on a car, I don't think that should be the deciding factor on which car you choose. but having a few kids or having to drive clients around, for example, that's a deciding factor, in my opinion. hope this helps!

the_vetman

^^ Excellent points.

Dino944

+1 spot on. We found with a car we bought that had a free maintenance plan that it was basically an oil change once a year, wiper blades and a lot of visual inspections. We discovered during year 5 of ownership (after the maintenance plan ends), that the manufacturer defers a whole bunch of big ticket items to be replaced (they are not scheduled or included in the first 4 years of the service plan) and they become a rather sizable expense for the car owner. Maybe its an incentive for some to trade the car in before they get a larger service/maintenance bill.

markk132

i had bought a used 335xi from a Volkswagen dealer and it had the extended maintenance plan on it from the previous owner, so it had free maintenance for years 5 and 6 as well. I got a brake fluid flush and spark plugs, and if the VW dealer hadn't changed the brake pads with new aftermarket ones, i would've gotten that too (BMW can only replace the brake pads under the maintenance plan if they get your worn out BMW brake pads in return). So yes, maintenance in years 5 and 6, if you can somehow get that free, is more worth it.

il pirata

Just to clarify, if you follow the recommended schedule for the Cayman, end of year 4 regardless of mileage calls for a major service...if you can get it for around $1200 consider yourself lucky. Does not count oil/brake fluid changes along the way. Depending on your mileage the maintenance difference is going to be a lot more.

Here is what Edmunds shows for a base 2012 Cayman driven 15,000 miles per year.

http://www.edmunds.com/porsche/cayma...tyle=101351641

Dr.Bill

To clarify further - the maintenance on the Bimmer is not 'free'. It's included in the purchase price. Which means you pay for all 4 years ahead of time. If you keep the car for a shorter period of time, the new owner benefits.

In the US, Porsche has started selling pre-paid maintenance plans. May save some money if you keep the car for the duration and use the dealer for service, otherwise probably not.

markk132

That's true, I guess that's why BMW's are almost always a bit more expensive than their competition. And yes, the next owner does benefit because the warranty + pre paid maintenance is tied to the VIN of the car, not the owner. So those pre-paid things you buy go with the car wherever it goes, at least with BMW that's how it is.

Generally speaking, I don't like pre-paid maintenance. You just don't know what will happen tomorrow, and at least speaking for myself, there's always a more cost effective way to do something. Just handing my keys to the dealer seems foolish to me. Shop around and I'm sure you'll do better than the pre-paid maintenance, and you won't feel like you have to keep the car for the duration of the maintenance agreement.

ClassJ

Yes but in many cases BMW's "scheduled maintenance" just means longer service intervals.

Things are done based on schedule. Not need.

If the car needs wipers in 6 months due to a hard winter rather than a year, sorry out of luck. Car needs a cabin air filter? Sorry has not been 24 months or xx miles.

Oil change sooner than the computer on the car indicates? Nope.

You think you need brakes? Sorry. You need to wear the pads down another mm.

It is not a bad program per say. But it is perfectly calculated into the cost of the car. It usually ends up being 3 free oil changes. A cabin air filter. 1 brake fluid flush. 3 sets of wipers max. Maybe 1 set of brakes for hard drivers that exceed the mileage before the 4 years runs out.

Back on topic. Cross shopping any Porsche and any BMW never works unless we are talking about SUV's. Just two different beasts.

Zeus993

Wow. You're out just like that? No test drive? No Porsche dance on those Dubai straight stretches of desert road?

Yep. Better go BMW...

Kain

Some more random questions...

Any guesses as to how a new BMW M3/M4 would compare to the Cayman S or even the upcoming Cayman GTS?