Newbie just looking at the moment

[monkeymax]

Hello all!
Finding myself in a position where I need a car for a mixed 45ish mile commute I'm starting in a month(ish) and not wanting another diesel burner, I've been considering two-seater options. I've had a fair few Japanese cars, and have decided it's time to scratch the itch of owning a German car! The E85 Z4 is a car I've wanted for a long time, so it's very high on my short-list. Unfortunately, so too is a Boxster S I've been offered to buy. I'm currently torn on the whole Boxster vs Z4 debate! (What a nice problem to have! )

Anyway, I viewed a 3.0 litre one on Saturday, and while I liked the spec for the most part (no cruise control but I've read about the retrofitting on these E85s) it has 127k miles and has gone through a lot of owners. Normally these wouldn't worry me so much but the front skitted around a lot on bumps. It has made the decision between the two cars a lot more difficult but also led me to some questions. Any help would be appreciated!

- I reckon at least one of the front shock absorbers has gone. I've found replacement Bilstein costs online and seen how the job is done (much simpler than the mid-engined cars I've done the job on!) but given I'd have to take it to a garage to do (no space to work on cars at the moment), what ballpark cost would I be looking at to get this sorted?

- The steering seems really light to me and not very communicative. I'm used to older sports cars (think 80s & 90s era) with lightly powered power steering at best. Am I alone in thinking the power steering is over-assisted on these? Is there a manual rack available, and does this ruin it?

- Do these cars rust? (And if so, how badly?) I couldn't see any on this particular 2003 car. After many years of Japanese and French cars, I'm getting pretty tired of dealing with rusty sills and arches!!


Is there a good buyers guide for the E85 somewhere for me to find the answers to my other newbie questions? I've read the FAQ thread in the E85 section but have other model specific questions...!

Thanks!

[philbo909]

There's a buyers guide on the forum, use the menu/search
Boxster makes a better daily, the Zed is more of an event is the consensus
Boxster has greater running costs
Zed is better looking
Check the forum for cars that come up, what's your budget?
-Steering on Zed's gets a lot of stick, it's the first epas system and not perfect, but you get used to it. changing to hydraulic costs up to 2k at a garage I think?
-Changing shocks is a three/four hour job maybe? So 200 plus parts
-No major rust problems on these cars, but then again a lot are fair weather cars, which explains why they often have lost of owners too

[monkeymax]

Thanks! For some reason I was doing searches for specific topics and not for a buyers guide! The one I've found doesn't mention something along the lines of 'common rust areas' so I guess I should check the usual areas! Good point on the fair weather cars bit. I've been lurking on the forums a bit (I was slow to register and slow to post!). I'm interested why you think the Boxster makes a better daily though? I had a feeling the Z4 would be better for these purposes, so it'd be good to know where I've gone wrong!

[Monkeydonkeyratmagic]

The bigger question is what car do you prefer. Obviously forums will be biased.
If I could go back in time of never have bought the Z. Given me nothing but HASSLE and I kind
of resent the thing.
But RE Porkers, have a look at the real running costs. Like a set of brakes and suspension. Porsche specialists typically charge higher Labour rates and parts are dearer in general. Depends how deep your wallet is and how much your willing to take on.

[philbo909]

Boxsters are easier/more user friendly to drive, easier to look out of as well (the bonnet isn't 20ft long)
Saying that I ran both my 2.0I and 3.0SI Coupe as dailies and never had an issue (bar when I got the dog and realised a hatchback daily would be better alongside the Coupe)

[RustyZ4]

I think you can talk up/down either car, I had a Z4 E85 I drove as a daily for ten years, very few issues, usual roof motor problem, and a new starter, mate of mine bought a boxster 2 years ago, given nothing but issues (and huge bills),

Its a question of doing your research, hopefully getting the best car for your price and luck of the gods (with any car you buy)


A Z4 is much better handling/ride on non run flats, as the run flats exaggerate the steering issue, Z4`s are not prone to rust issues (although I have seen a couple of comments with the coupe), I have never seen rust on one, but someone might tell you different