S-Line Avant or Cayman?
 

I'm in the market for a new ride and have been looking in the $25-30K range. This puts both the cayman or a S-line Avant in my range. I know it is a strange comparison but I have wanted both for awhile... I've got a 30 mile commute each way and would like to have something fun. Currently I'm in a 330i and am wondering if the S-Line Avant manual will be comparable for fun. Has anyone daily driven a Cayman? Thoughts?

Sline avant depending on engine and mods are comparable to the 330. Stock 2.0T vs 325, and Stg1 2.0T/3.2 compare to the 330. Now the Cayman are light years more fun than all of the above.

Station wagon or 2dr/2seater coupe. Weird (which I know you admitted to). I understand. I had a wide range of cars that I looked at also when shopping recently. I don't get the avant thing. Just looks like a station wagon to me. But I do understand the need for roominess, easy loading and unloading via the hatch, etc. I looked at anything from caymans and corvettes to cayennes and Jeep SRT8's. I wanted practical and fun, so I do understand the variety. I ended up with a sedan that I fixed up a bit. Seemed like a good compromise.
With all that said, I just wanted to put in a vote against both. The avant is a little too boring (IMO, and I know that they improve greatly with mods). Just still looks like a grocery getter to me. The Cayman on the other hand is way to impractical and not really that impressive as a sports car. Difficult to mod (power increase wise). They do look pretty good, handle great, and have Porsche quality. My vote would be to look at a TT and mod it up instead of the Cayman. You get good quality, a faster car considering mods, have the option for all wheel drive, the back seats and truck are small but twice the storage of the Cayman.
Sorry for the novel, but just went down a widespread search myself.
Good luck!

Yup. Avants are boring
 

Like this one...

Nice one...

Avants FTW!

Cheers,

Nick

I don't think there are two cars more different than one another. They're both German I guess. LOL. Just strikes me as a funny decision. Carry on.

Well, I've got a 2007 Cayman and was looking for an A4 Avant 6spd to complement it. I test drove a nice 2008 B7 Avant (non-S line) and enjoyed the ride. Unfortunately, I didn't move quick enough and someone else bought it. Accordingly, the search goes on.

I can tell you from first hand experience that these two cars are very different. However, I disagree with the one poster who mentioned that the Cayman is not practical. As long as you aren't planning on carrying more than two people, the car has a surprising amount of utility. One set of golf clubs fits comfortably in the back and you can fit two sets as long as you don't mind them being visible to passers by. The front trunk is also quite spacious and can hold an impressive amount of gear. I originally bought the Cayman to be my sole car(still have a second set of wheels and tires in the basement for the planned dedicated snow tires) and ,but I chickened out and have a back-up car. I believe that the limiting factor for getting around in the snow in the Cayman would be ground clearance.

That being said I've got a Subaru Outback wagon that I use day to day in the winter. It's a great car, but an A4 Avant would definitely be sportier. That being said, the Cayman is a rewarding car to drive. First, it's mid engine and the sounds that emanate over your should are great. Second, the steering and handing are really superb, but don't take my word, check out what the press say.

Essentially, if you're not toting around a whole brood and you don't get tons of snow where you live, the Cayman could be a great day to day car.

Hope this helps.
Bill