Advice & Experience Greatly Welcomed

O

oo7ml

Active member
Hi, i have been thinking about changing my car lately... but not particularly changing away from the Z4. I currently have a 2003 3.0i Z4 and i have been thinking of a few different options

- 2007 3.0 Z4
- 2007 coupe (sorry, not an M just yet)
- 2005 boxster s
- 2005 elise

I would like to think that i have gained a respectable knowledge of the Z4 (roadster & coupe) thanks to my experience and with this excellent forum (big thanks to everyone). Can anyone who has owned a boxster s (05 onwards) or an elise share their experience or advice with me in comparison to the 3.0 Z4. Thanks in advance...
 
Ive got an MC right now, have owned a 3.0Si together with Boxster and Elise in the past.

The Boxster is not as "great" as the reviews suggest. It is quick, good ride, great luggage space, comfortable but the handling is too soggy in standard form to be considered a true sportscar.

The Elise is quick, good ride and handling far beyond the Z4 or Boxster. It is also surprising how comfortable it is but not so easy to get in and out of.

The Si Coupe has poor ride, reasonable handling, reasonably quick, good fuel consumption, comfortable seats.

You've not asked about an M but I'm not sure why you would dismiss it. I made the mistake of doing so when I got my Si Coupe.

All of these cars are different and I suggest you take a drive in all to see which one turns you on. If you haven't driven an Elise before then that will probably impress the most as it is the most focused drive however that may not be your only consideration.
 
Cool, thanks for the great reply... to be honest the price of cars in Ireland are a little crazy in comparison to the UK or anywhere else for that matter. I have converted the Irish (€) price to UK to give you guys an idea of how lucky you are in the UK when it comes to buying cars.

Before some of you ask, why not buy in the UK... well we have to pay Vehicle Registration Tax when importing a car which i have included in the € price before converting back to £ for the benefit of the reader:

Ireland
- 2007 3.0 Z4 (UK:£16,000) (IRE:£25,500)
- 2007 Z4 coupe (UK:£20,000) (IRE:£28,000)
- 2006 Z4m coupe (UK:£21,000) (IRE:£32,000)
- 2005 boxster s (UK:£18,000) (IRE:£28,000)
- 2005 elise (UK:£15,500) (IRE:£24,000)

This is why i can't justify paying that kind of money for an M just yet... thanks again for sharing your experience. I know the positives of each of these cars and i would be more than happy with either of them but here are my negative opinions on each of them, so feel free to correct me if i am wrong:

- 2007 3.0 Z4 - already have one, so would i just be buying for the reg
- 2007 Z4 coupe - it's not an M
- 2006 Z4m coupe - don't fancy or don't think it would be a sensible move to spend that type of money on a car in the times that we live in right now
- 2005 boxster s - expensive service and parts (and also the same point as the Z4m for a 2005 reg car)
- 2005 elise - very claustrophobic inside the cabin and absolutely no storage space

After working all of that out now... i am thinking i should nearly just stick with the Z4 lol :oops:
 
I've not tried it but what about 350z? Their price seems to have come down in last year or so and although it doesn't have the badge/storage, it seems good value for money with cheaper service costs (compared to beemer or porche)
 
Yeah, i had thought about them before the Z4 but to be honest they don't really appeal to me any more, thanks again
 
Whenever i get dreamy looking through Pistonheads i always try to think in terms of percentages.

Like someone said in a recent post about boxsters... a Z4 is at least 80% a Boxster. Now when you think of the amount of money your going to spend to get that extra 20% and it seems a little crazy.
The grass will always be greener and owning/trying lots of different cars is great but it does come at a cost unless your a very good salesman and you shift them on quick.

An Elise is a great car on track but in real life they dont quite do it. Joining the motorway from a sliproad can be quite daunting at times as your so low and people often dont see you. Its a corners car really, which is only half the story for road driving.

A boxster is an awesome car, i've only had a brief drive in one but its what i would be owning if i had 'in case things go wrong money'

Give the Z4 a clean, spend a few hundred on a wheel refurb and valet or something and look back at what is a very nice car :)
 
It depends how old you are, my daughter had an Elise and she loved it, but, I had to get on all fours to get out of it! (age 65) they are not very well made (IMHO) and the ride is HARD, expect repair bills.
 
Have driven all but the ///M, 987 model Boxster S 3.2 is the better car in my humble opinion - just take one for a test drive and you will understand the hype.
 
Cool, thanks for the help, I'm 27 considering someone asked so getting in and out of an elise is not a problem :)

I have test drove an elise before and to be honest it scares me how light they are built and how tight it is inside. I think it is either stay with what I have or else a boxster s
 
Unless you are very keen driver and only use the car at weekend, Elise will be the first car eliminated from the list. I had Elise S1 for only 2 weeks, and sold it. It was just basic and simple. The suspension was so hard (even harder than E85/86 M Sport suspension). The noise was so loud over 65mph. S2 with Toyota engine, air-con, electric windows, and central locking can be much better than S1. But the Elise had excellent road holding ability (it really sticked on the road).

3.0i Coupe would be my choice. :)
 
oo7ml said:
Cool, thanks for the help, I'm 27 considering someone asked so getting in and out of an elise is not a problem :)

I have test drove an elise before and to be honest it scares me how light they are built and how tight it is inside. I think it is either stay with what I have or else a boxster s
Click to expand...

When I tried the elise that I bought, the salesman showed me the technique to get in and out. I could even get in/out when the car was in my tiny single garage with the roof up.
 
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