Cayman S swap for X5
Cayman S swap for X5
Author
Discussion

lukeyboy1980

Original Poster:

31 posts

192 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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Hi Chaps,

My wife recently became pregnant and seeing as we have one car, the porker, I'm now at a point where i've got to give it up.

I've been looking at the X5 Msport - clearly a big step change from a 2 seater sports car but needs must and all that....

Anyway, just wanted to find out if any of you had made a similar jump and if the running costs are fairly in line with the Cayman? Initial research suggests this is the case with the exception of tyres....

Any alternatives I should look at? I've also looked at the Audi S3 sportback as it's got 5 doors, and probably cheaper to run.....



RudeDog

1,669 posts

204 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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How about a run around for the missus and the baby or are you restricted to just having one car for some reason?

Porkupine

1,722 posts

195 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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If it was a 4x4 that you need, and if for some reason you don't want a RR, the other option I would recommend would be the Touareg - very comfortable and good value! (V10 TDI awesome)

cay

380 posts

186 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
I used to have an S3 and it was much cheaper to run than the Cayman S.

Insurance was almost half the price, tyres were half the price, servicing was cheaper and it was a bit better on fuel.

I thought it was a really good car, pretty quick, decent handling, practical and totally reliable over the 3.5 years I had it.

Not as good to drive as the Cayman but that's to be expected.

J-P

4,422 posts

236 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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Depending on when you need to buy the Mercedes A45AMG has to be worth a look - 4WD and should be pretty cheap to run compared with a Cayman.

kingston12

5,859 posts

187 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
lukeyboy1980 said:
Any alternatives I should look at? I've also looked at the Audi S3 sportback as it's got 5 doors, and probably cheaper to run.....
That sounds like a much better option to me - still a good bit of fun and much cheaper on tyres, fuel, insurance etc.

I have advised a couple of friends to go a similar route when having their first child, but they (along with everyone else it seems) ended up buying an MPV or a 4x4 because that is what everyone else has got.

Get the X5 when you have number 2 and you really do start needing the space.

RudeDog

1,669 posts

204 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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When did it become essential for parents of young families to have a 4x4 or MPV? My parents (and most of my friend's parents) managed perfectly well with a Ford Escort or Vauxhall Cavalier when we were kids.

If you need more than 5 seats I can sort of understand it but other than that, there is no way a kid is going to dictate what kind of car I drive.

betternotbigger

1,059 posts

205 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
RudeDog said:
When did it become essential for parents of young families to have a 4x4 or MPV? My parents (and most of my friend's parents) managed perfectly well with a Ford Escort or Vauxhall Cavalier when we were kids.

If you need more than 5 seats I can sort of understand it but other than that, there is no way a kid is going to dictate what kind of car I drive.
We had a Golf and never wanted for space. Nor did we need 4WD despite living on a farm.

HoHoHo

15,399 posts

280 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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What age X5?

I've just bought my wife a new X5 7 seater 30d M Sport and it's absolutely lovely. Good options and a very nice comfortable place to sit and drive in, and BMW are doing some cracking deals at the moment. She did have an X3 but it was a touch too small when we had the children, buggies etc. etc. in the boot.

The 30d engine isn't up there with the 35d but more than good enough for everyday use. Good acceleration and it will cruise all day at illegal speeds!

Bills aren't going to be huge as it came with a maintenance package, I guess tyres on the front will be the most we'll spend over the next couple of years.

This is the third X5 I've had and they are a very, very good car - safe too....I'd rather my wife and children were in a large 4 x 4 than a small hatch if the st hits the fan.


tyeo86

292 posts

182 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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Same situation I had buddy. I bought a cayenne s. I had a rrs and the cayenne was half the price and much better.

lukeyboy1980 said:
Hi Chaps,

My wife recently became pregnant and seeing as we have one car, the porker, I'm now at a point where i've got to give it up.

I've been looking at the X5 Msport - clearly a big step change from a 2 seater sports car but needs must and all that....

Anyway, just wanted to find out if any of you had made a similar jump and if the running costs are fairly in line with the Cayman? Initial research suggests this is the case with the exception of tyres....

Any alternatives I should look at? I've also looked at the Audi S3 sportback as it's got 5 doors, and probably cheaper to run.....

Actus Reus

4,312 posts

185 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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The S3 I tested felt a bit disconnected and 'digital' after the much more touchy feely Boxster S I was looking to get rid of. It was swift though - worth remembering that 4WD Audis give away quite a lot of depth in their boot compared to the 2WD variants, so 2WD are better if boot space is a concern.

I'll be getting married soon and my thoughts have turned to 'what if' car choices if we have a baby (also replacing an 08 Cayman S) and I'll quite likely look at Cayennes, though I reckon I'd be happier with a 3-series/C-class with, perhaps, a cheap toy for weekends. In an ideal world I'd keep the Porsche though, but might be a stretch financially.

Oortam

104 posts

202 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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I have both a Cayman S and an S3 sportback. While the S3 isn't as good to drive as the Cayman S, it's still a nice place to be. It has good performance and corners OK. 4 doors and you can drop the back seats to carry anything bigger. My wife uses it as a daily drive and is very happy with it. The servicing costs are much the same as I use an independant to service the Porsche but will still have to use Audi to service the S3 while it's under warranty. You won't be too disappointed if you go with an S3.

jcelee

1,082 posts

274 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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Get a 5-series touring much nicer drive and save a boat load of cash. Even our '57 plate 520D SE Manual is superb, with a 3 litre petrol I'm sure its a peach.

sundayjumper

531 posts

312 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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jcelee said:
Get a 5-series touring much nicer drive and save a boat load of cash.
This is essentially what I was about to say. There's no reason at all to buy an X5 over a 5-Series Touring.

I currently have an (old) X5, so this isn't just a case of blindly recommending your own car to everyone smile I had an E39 Touring before and it was more comfy, more economical, and had a better boot. It was an utter lemon in terms of reliability, but that was just bad luck I think...


betternotbigger

1,059 posts

205 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
quotequote all
jcelee said:
Get a 5-series touring much nicer drive and save a boat load of cash. Even our '57 plate 520D SE Manual is superb, with a 3 litre petrol I'm sure its a peach.
^^^THIS^^^

We have a Subaru Legacy Estate which is much the same thing if a little more agricultural.

EVOeng

966 posts

200 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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You should consider the 4.2 Supercharged Range Rover L322.

Zyp

16,131 posts

219 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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A Hummer.

You definitely, definitely need a Hummer with one child in tow.



But seriously, if you like Porsche why not a derv Cayenne?

Ian_UK1

1,515 posts

224 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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jcelee said:
Get a 5-series touring much nicer drive and save a boat load of cash. Even our '57 plate 520D SE Manual is superb, with a 3 litre petrol I'm sure its a peach.
Why even a Touring? An equivalent 5-Series saloon is a better drive, less expensive to buy and is still plenty big enough for 2 x parents and 1 x infant.

Junior Bianno

1,400 posts

223 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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I don't buy into this estate car business. They look like hearses. Anything like that is going to be a driving disappointment after a Cayman anyway.

X5s are great - I really liked mine. Personally I really like the high up driving position and overall look and feel of 4x4s. Cayenne was one of my least favourite TBH. On a Discovery 4 now - great car, highly recommend it.

MrBurns

48 posts

177 months

Wednesday 13th June 2012
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Unless you're carting round farm animals or towing why a 4x4? Thirsty, slow, a shed on wheels with no real interior space advantage, coming from a cayman you're going be all sorts of pain. How about a RS4 avant or c63 estate? All the space with plenty of go.