[ether_joe]

it's been a while since I've seen a modern coupe that gets me as excited as my 968. . .



but shots of the new M coupe - I think I'm in love.



And that's a LOT to say for me cause I absolutely DESPISE the whole Bangle-Bungle phenomenon.



But I think this time the Bimmer has the looks. And I appreciate that this car is meat-and-potatoes with the technology serving the car rather than the other way around. You get the BMW straight-six and therefore own a piece of automotive history and greatness. 340+ hp and 3150 pounds. . . for 50K!



So whaddya say guys - is there a more desireable coupe out there on the market right now - in the price range, or even out of the range?

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[flash]

i like it better than the ragtop, but it's still too weird and hard-edged for me - too many cuts, grooves and oddly shaped bumps



i prefer the cayman



but, have you seen the new M version yet? BIG motor!

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[Mark]

I have not driven a Cayman yet but the M4 is a nice vehicle. A buddy at work picked one up a few months back- black on black like all of his vehicles. It drives well and has nice power and it looks really nice when clean (rare as his is parked outside 24x7). I have a nother friend whose family owns several dealerships and he had his M4 on order but changed it over to a Cayman after driving both, saying it was worth the extra $9,000. He was a hard core BMW fanatic but liked the Cayman that much more.



I like them both and I think the M4 is way better looking than the M3 which I think is one of the uglier cars made in recent memory.

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[ether_joe]

[quote name='flash' date='Oct 27 2006, 11:09 AM']i like it better than the ragtop, but it's still too weird and hard-edged for me - too many cuts, grooves and oddly shaped bumps



i prefer the cayman



but, have you seen the new M version yet?  BIG motor![/quote]



isn't this the one? What, is there a M car coming out with a bigger engine? (never mind the M6, can't stand that thing)



I can't get into the Cayman cause of the whole underachieving thing. That it was deliberately slowed down (no limited slip option, underpowered compared to competition) so as not to hurt the 911. Plus I'm a big 997 fan so if I was going to do that I'd go for a base 997 and get the rear seat room as a bonus.



That being said the first time I saw a Cayman in a Pcar showroom, I didn't know what it was and thought it was a new supercar <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[ether_joe]

[quote name='Mark' date='Oct 27 2006, 11:16 AM']I have not driven a Cayman yet but the M4 is a nice vehicle. A buddy at work picked one up a few months back- black on black like all of his vehicles. It drives well and has nice power and it looks really nice when clean (rare as his is parked outside 24x7). I have a nother friend whose family owns several dealerships and he had his M4 on order but changed it over to a Cayman after driving both, saying it was worth the extra $9,000. He was a hard core BMW fanatic but liked the Cayman that much more.



I like them both and I think the M4 is way better looking than the M3 which I think is one of the uglier cars made in recent memory.[/quote]





you mean the E46 M3? I kinda like that one.



Damn it's hard to keep track of BMW's model range these days though. . . too many letters and numbers all over the place. . .

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[Mark]

Sorry I always get those names confused I meant I like the new one better than this one





I always though it looked like a shoe on wheels.

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[ether_joe]

yeah that one I DON'T like, precisely for the shoe-on-wheels thing.



That can be a cool look, and it's really muscular and aggressive, but just not for me. Not a car I'd want to live with long term.

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[flash]

yeah - i was just reading up on the new ZM or whatever the heck they were going to call it, based on the Z4 - 300 and something silly hp - already packed the magazine though - lol - have to wait until i get moved to dig that one up

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[ether_joe]

yeah - that's the one I'm talking about! 340 hp straight six, 0-60 in under 5 sec, and get this - a PLAIN OLD MANUAL 6-SPEED transmission! no flappy paddles or nuthin!





meat and potatoes meets modern suspension and engine management. . . whoohoo!

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[Chris Vais]

I have a couple of opportunities to drive the new Cayman in the manner for which it is intended and I have to say I like it. Not as roomy as a 968, but it is a no nonsense high performance car that frankly gives very little away to the 997. I think that there are going to be many surprised and disappointed 997 owners that find themselves gobbled up by a Cayman in the hands of a skill driver. The car is very good. It is the first car I have driven other than a GT3 that could get me out of my 968. The GT3 will just set your hair on fire, period.

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[968rz]

[quote name='ether_joe' date='Oct 27 2006, 02:19 PM']I can't get into the Cayman cause of the whole underachieving thing. That it was deliberately slowed down (no limited slip option, underpowered compared to competition) so as not to hurt the 911. Plus I'm a big 997 fan so if I was going to do that I'd go for a base 997 and get the rear seat room as a bonus.

[right][post="27330"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Didn't you ever wonder why the 911 was faster than the 968? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/huh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



They slowed it down so it wouldn't beat the flag ship.



That being said I would take the Cayman (s) But I do like BMWs.

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[wjk_glynn]

I like the Z4 M Coupe (to give it its correct name, but is often shortened to "M Coupe"), but then I also liked the clown-show Z3 M Coupe... so there's no accounting for taste!



The reviews I've read where they pitted the BMW M Coupe vs. Porsche Cayman S say the same thing:



* M Coupe is a great car

* Until you compare it to the Cayman S

* And the Cayman S is roughly $20K more expensive when similarly equipped



Some example comparison reviews:



* http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...rticleId=117041

* http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?article_id=3823

* http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/11...e-cayman-s.html



Karl.

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[ether_joe]

thanks for the links Karl I am reading them now.



I think that the front engine design has many pluses

- easier to work on if you're a wrench

- more room inside and in the trunk. . . at least the possibility

- simpler design in general



that said the mid engine is the performance choice. . . I've never driven a mid engined car so I defer to Mr. Vais on that one.



as much as I dig Pcars i wouldn't go for the Cayman until they stopped hamstringing it. Then I'd probably dig the hell out of it.

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[ether_joe]

wow. I just read the Edmund's article. Damn, they converted me to the Cayman.



Well hell. I suppose I must drive both at some point. But that was a great article by Edmund's.

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[csc71]

If this is a poll, my vote is for the Cayman. After I saw my first Cayman, I wrote a liitle paragraph that appeared in Road & Track. The only thing that would get me out of my 968 is a Cayman, preferbly Cobalt Blue or any blue for that matter. The rear view of the Cayman is pure art. Hopefully in a few years I will get my 968 paid off and I won't have to trade it in and I can just get a Cayman.



Someday....



Steve

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[porsche]

Looks like we all agree that BMWs are very nice, well engineered cars.



It also seems apparent that the we (and the press), agree that:



PORSCHE THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE



Which also reminds me of my favorite cinema line from a late 80's car movie, "No Mans Land" when an undercover agent points to a bright red Ferrari 308 and says:



"How about that one!?!"



to which Charlie Sheen replies:



"Italian trash." "Besides, I only steal Porsches."



BMW, Ferrari, it doesn't matter.



None of them are Porsches.

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