New car... E92 M3 vs Cayman vs 991 vs C63 AMG

crinkleshoes

crinkleshoes

crinkleshoes

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With my new foreign assignment, it looks like the company will be sourcing me a car (it's either that or a salary bump & I've been led to believe as it's a foreign assignment - it won't increase my UK tax liability as it will be "solely" for business use - need this confirmed, otherwise I'll just take the money).

I have a budget & the amount for car will be subtracted from that & the rest then paid to me.

I've lusted after an E92 M3 for a long time and with the awesome 2 year lease deals floating around at the moment, I'm leaning heavily toward this. Will cost around £520/month.

The last (current?) gen Cayman is a fun car & the new model is looking rather tantelising. The base model is around £400/month and the R can be had for £550/month.

With where I'll be, I can get a 991 for a heck of a lot less than the UK lease deals... with a base model costing £700/month and "S" costing £800/month. I've also seen a 997 for £500/month (albeit C4S - so I'd need to do some searching for one that isn't wrong-wheel-drive).

C63 AMG will be around £500/month too.

I'm hoping these costs will be pre-tax... so the actual reduction in my monthly take-home will only be ~50% of the above figures.

The other thing that's intriguing me is the new SRT Viper... but I'm struggling to find any European leases for this, perhaps when it's actually available.



So really the thing I have to consider is which one do I really want... I've had the pleasure of driving the E92 M3, C63 AMG, current gen Cayman and 997 coupe.

Out of the above, I adore playing with the E92 - but the interior is a little lacking & the car will spend far more time on the road... I doubt I'll be stupid enough to take a lease car to the track, although I do have my moments!

I'm not too fond of 911 weight distribution... but I've read the 991's extended chassis helps reduce the nightmarish front end chatter and I know just how nice these are on the road.

The torque and interior from the C63 would make it a rather nice place to be on the road.

Going by the previous model & the 991's interior... the new Cayman might be the better balance of handling and comfort... but I'd need to wait a while for it which would be annoying!



Anyone else been in a similar situation... what did you go for?
 
Why not wait until you're 100% sure that you'll be taking the car and not the money?
 
Because I don't have long to make the decision & thought there would be a good few people on here who've been in a similar situation :p

Even if it does increase my tax liability - I may still take it.
 
edd1e said:
C63 for me anyday, it's one of the cheapest too.
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They're all around the same price... only the 991 would be a jump in price :)

That large displacement V8 is very tempting... but it would appear the base models don't come with a limited slip diff, so that's putting me off it quite a bit. All that power through an open diff = :mad:

Adding options to a lease car is a bit too big of a pill for me to swallow... paying to improve someone else's car (despite looking after it for a few years).
 
Lmao anyone care to link to the fail i seem to have missed?

Thanks,


On another note, I find the sound of a e92 M3 VERY disappointing. Zero presence

C63 however.....
 
Even though the M3 always seems to be technically a superior car to the AMG models competing against it, there's just something about those V8 Mercs that I like.

Not quite the same but I'd have a hard time deciding between an E92 M3 or a CLK 63 as just something about them I like.
 
crinkleshoes said:
That large displacement V8 is very tempting... but it would appear the base models don't come with a limited slip diff, so that's putting me off it quite a bit. All that power through an open diff = :mad:
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You better rule the 991 and the Cayman out then because they both have open diffs.
 
Eliot said:
Lmao anyone care to link to the fail i seem to have missed?

Thanks,


On another note, I find the sound of a e92 M3 VERY disappointing. Zero presence

C63 however.....
Click to expand...

Depends what you mean by presence... the noise, look or both?

Exterior look isn't a concern to me... interior + performance (not necessarily outright, but well rounded) are the primary factors.

I actually prefer the sound of the M3 engine over the C63... I just wish the M3 wasn't quite so muffled.

The C63 just sounds a bit clunky for something that's supposed to be refined... whereas the M3 just sounds... right.
 
Spunkey said:
I'd go for the C63 as well. Don't forget that Merc servicing is stupidly expensive though.
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Good point - will investigate servicing costs... quite well versed with the M3 running costs, but not so much with the others. For what the M3 is, the running costs seem quite reasonable.

panthro said:
You better rule the 991 and the Cayman out then because they both have open diffs.
Click to expand...

Oh - that's rather disappointing - I'd assumed Porsche would have LSDs as standard... I knew it was on the old Cayman R - but it looks like even the S models don't come with one as standard now.

Ah well, that's good... those two off the list.

Although... the cost to add one to the Cayman at least seems to be only £800... not as bad as I was expecting.

Looks to be a shade under £2k to add one to the C63.

With this power, lack of LSD will get on my nerves... it certainly did in the XKR.
 
Before I bought my 997 I took a C63 and a M3 out on a test drive.

I did like the C63, the brakes are amazing and the sound is something else however it was just not as exiting as the M3. With the new M3 around the corner I would not want a E92 now.

I also had the new boxter for a week and I found it to be way more fun then my 997 so maybe its worth considering the new Cayman S when it comes out. If not a 991 would probably where I would put my money.
 
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