Considering a boxster

[mason storm]

OK after some more reading about servicing costs and engine failures, i have decided against the boxster. Thanks for everyone's input I think I could have made a big mistake. My Z has been pretty reliable aprt from a stuck brake calliper that is. I don't intend on paying porsche £2K a year on servicing/repairs. It's a shame and quite surprising how unreliable porsche flat 6's seem to be. Where did they get their reputation for reliablity?

I will just have to keep looking for a decent manual Z4 coupe and hope that one turns up soon

 

[pvr]

Think the 911 is the only one to go for, the rest is just simply sub standard to serve a larger market.

 

[paddy wright]

Mason u going for a coupe? Won't u miss the roof down fun??

 

[mason storm]

Mason u going for a coupe? Won't u miss the roof down fun??

Yes I think I will, but I really wanted to get something a bit different rather than just a new car. Still not 100% decided on Coupe or roadster, probably just depends on the best car I see that fits what I want which is:

3.0si Sport
58/09 reg (1 year manufacturers warranty
Low miles
Immaculate condition
Must be a manual

 

[Adam D]

A later 3.4 boxster S is a very nice car to drive, much better than my 3.0 when I tried one last year - you would expect so considering the age difference and price however!.

Obviously its quicker in a straight line with a healthy increase in power and similar weight, however the composure and chasis are significantly better than a sports suspension Z4 with runflats (the car I drove had the optional 19" carrera S wheels with PS2 tyres and the fancy switchable suspension -perfect in normal, can feel every bump in sporty mode). I was somewhat suprised how well it gripped and steered on winding country roads, felt very secure - my only niggle would be that the brakes are quite a lot less servoed which when coming from the Z it feels like they are not working right.... give them a shovel and they are very powerful however (salesperson suggested an emergency stop from 70mph, pulled up very straight and firmly - the zed tends to skip about a bit as the abs hunts for grip).

Whilst there is a much higher chance of bigger maintainance bills I understand the later 3.4 engine is better with regards to the RMS failures. The front and rear boots also have a useful amount of space in total but you would lose the practicality of one decent sized boot that you get with a Z4.

Build quality seemed much better, things didnt rattle although it was a fairly new car with only 3k on the clock. Shame the sat nav screen isn't as convieniently placed as the zed, and its hard to find the right car with all the options you would like. I also like the fact that you could operate the roof on the move at <30mph and the residuals are quite strong.

I think I will try a 3.4s or perhaps a SL 55 AMG when it is time to part with the zed.

 

[Sticks]

..... I was somewhat suprised how well it gripped and steered on winding country roads, felt very secure - my only niggle would be that the brakes are quite a lot less servoed which when coming from the Z it feels like they are not working right.... give them a shovel and they are very powerful however (salesperson suggested an emergency stop from 70mph, pulled up very straight and firmly - the zed tends to skip about a bit as the abs hunts for grip).

Whilst there is a much higher chance of bigger maintainance bills.......

Hi,

know just what you mean about that under braking. Have to say, getting rid of runflats sorted the braking issue and made it feel more precise on twisty roads.

I'd thought about one at some point too. Local dealer has a bad reputation, alledgedly, and I spoke to a chap who'd had one who said every service was @£2k and when his £500 alternator failed on the way home.

 

[easty027]

I was also about to purchase a boxster before the z4 nearly 3 years ago. however the amount of cars advertised with new engines certainly put me off. plus some of them are poorly specced and you get way more for your £ with the z4.

I also think the z4 servicing costs are pretty reasonable when you consider the performance etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BigT]

I owned a 986 3.2S before my Z4M. The Boxster is a truly sublime car to drive, with far more feel and precision than any Z4 in my opinion. However my timing chain failed on mine and left me with a £5K engine rebuild cost. It was supposed to be covered by warranty, but the engineer's report stated there was wear and tear evidence on the chain before it failed. What a joke (timing chain is a non-servicable item)! So faced with court costs that would approach the cost of the engine rebuild I cut my losses and haven't really looked back. The Z4 hasn't missed a beat.

People on the interweb, like me, are always more forthcoming with horror stories of course, but I do think the Porsche is funadmentally a far less reliable car than the Z4.

 

[Dreamer]

This can be summed up very easily. The boxster is a better drive but more costly to run by a country mile. My brother had the earlier 3.2s and had the rms failure so a new engine needed at 32k. It was a real ordeal getting Porsche to sort out under warranty. From what I have read the later models are a lot more reliable. So if you have the money for one of those, buy it and enjoy Porsche ownership! Otherwise get a z4 and have 90% of the thrills at 20% of the ownership costs.
Like bigT says though if you start googling porsche problems you will find them, a bit like holiday reviews - hardly anyone writes a good one.

 

[aquazi]

I think my next car will probably be a cayman....

The way i see it owning a Porche is a bit like owning an Alfa.. you have to own one at least once in your life... despite how costly/ painful it maybe - but thats what a car warranty is for :lol:

 

[Angus McCoatup]

I can echo (sort of) what Adam D and Dreamer have said above about Boxters/Caymans.

I had an hour to kill before taking the Z for a service and thought it would be a jolly wheeze to have a sit in a late 2009 Cayman at a nearby Porsche dealer. I made what I can now only reflect on as the grave error of allowing the admittedly polite and attentive salesman to force me into driving the bloody thing.

This Cayman had 19' wheels :| , sports exhaust , short shifter , active suspension and LSD (not tested). I got a good drive up and down the same excellent part of the A6 I had punted the Z down about 15 minuts earlier.

Staggering steering feel, precision and turn-in, pancake-flat cornering (especially with the active suspension switched on), lovely short-shift gear change with a precise and direct clutch, exceptional poise, balance and ability to change direction quickly. Didn't really test the brakes properly (with all I've said before there wasn't any need to shed much speed for the bends) but they are not as heavily servoed as on the Z.

I love the Z in general and my M in particular. But the Cayman is a scalpel to the M's bludgeon.

In terms of the overall drive, I though the Cayman was the best car I have ever driven and I now can't get it out of my head. But the cost to change is slightly more than I paid for my pristine, well-specified 9 month old Z when I bought it 2 years ago and that just seems wrong. Plus having cleaned and waxed the M over the weekend, I still think it's the better looking car.

The tales of reliability problems and big bills will, I hope, help me to overcome my latest obsession.

 

[ksher]

Can you get extended warranty from Porsche dealers?

 

[a11y]

I can echo (sort of) what Adam D and Dreamer have said above about Boxters/Caymans.

I had an hour to kill before taking the Z for a service and thought it would be a jolly wheeze to have a sit in a late 2009 Cayman at a nearby Porsche dealer. I made what I can now only reflect on as the grave error of allowing the admittedly polite and attentive salesman to force me into driving the bloody thing.

This Cayman had 19' wheels :| , sports exhaust , short shifter , active suspension and LSD (not tested). I got a good drive up and down the same excellent part of the A6 I had punted the Z down about 15 minuts earlier.

Staggering steering feel, precision and turn-in, pancake-flat cornering (especially with the active suspension switched on), lovely short-shift gear change with a precise and direct clutch, exceptional poise, balance and ability to change direction quickly. Didn't really test the brakes properly (with all I've said before there wasn't any need to shed much speed for the bends) but they are not as heavily servoed as on the Z.

I love the Z in general and my M in particular. But the Cayman is a scalpel to the M's bludgeon.

In terms of the overall drive, I though the Cayman was the best car I have ever driven and I now can't get it out of my head. But the cost to change is slightly more than I paid for my pristine, well-specified 9 month old Z when I bought it 2 years ago and that just seems wrong. Plus having cleaned and waxed the M over the weekend, I still think it's the better looking car.

The tales of reliability problems and big bills will, I hope, help me to overcome my latest obsession.

Damn, it's posts like yours that don't help me. Still waaaaay down the line, but my FiL already knows I'll have first dibs on his Cayman S when he comes to sell it (not likely for a few years yet). I still think it might be over my budget and that a Z4MC would be a more sensible alternative, but everything I hear about Caymans and how they drive just makes me want one.

He's promised me a drive of his sometime but now I - like what you've posted - think that might not be the best of ideas...

 

[tjlazer]

A ZM cheaper to run than a boxster?! Amazing scenes. I must tell my neighbour next time I see him, he's just traded his z4 3.0 for an 07 boxster! Having just refreshed my tax and warranty I'm not so sure?

 

[rob davey]

I too have a 2.5Z4 and my brother has a 2.7 Boxster. Whilst I really enjoy my car, if I could afford to run it I'd have the Boxster. IMO, a better drive, a nicer place to be and a nicer looking car.

Running costs, including parts/servicing etc are considerably more expensive than the Z4, however personally I don't buy into the unreliable issue. Porsche do have problems as do most manufacturers, however I wouldn't be put off by reliability worries.

The Z4 too is a great car, I just think the Boxster is better. Oh' and that tosh about not being a real Porsche is as knobbish (IMO) as hairdresser comments.

Cheers
lance

Hey I want a Porsche, I’ve wanted once since having a 911 Turbo poster as a kid, and a local guy with an RS passing my house on full chat every day, but it’s not a case of buying in to reliability issues or not, it’s a fact. Check forums, check out the firms specialising in top end or full engine re-builds? Have a look at reliability indexes like Warranty Direct, they rate cost against risk and publish the results for real life claims. A score of 100 is average, the Z scores 80 because it is more reliable than average and or repair total costs are lower. Boxster scores 222, which is frightening! (and is worse than an Alfa GTV).
http://www.reliabilityindex.com/

That's a very interesting website, looking to the Z4 even has lots of detail. One of the main issues for the car being in the garage is Axle & Suspension issues - ooooh snapped springs anyone?!

 

[exmazdamx5]

I have done the usual Z4 vs Boxster vs S2000 comparision on my quest to decide what to replace the MX5 with and like many of the posts here I decided that the boxster was a high risk given the running costs and with the budget I had set myself to replace the MX5 the Z4 will give me a newer car, a better spec, and more realistic running costs (I hope) Yes I will have a Porsche in the future but only when I can really afford in comfort the running costs.

 

[ksher]

I would rather buy a Ferrari 348/F355/360 instead and have it serviced by specialist, if service/maintenance costs of Boxster/Cayman are as expensive as Ferrari's.

 

[easty027]

that reliability website is interesting, especially with 3 mercedes models in the bottom 10 !

 

[ksher]

that reliability website is interesting, especially with 3 mercedes models in the bottom 10 !

1 series is much less reliable than a VW Golf (2004-2008). I always thought I would buy a 1 series to replace the Polo in the near future.

 

[tjlazer]

On the warranty point I agree that Porsche seem very silly, a friend of mine was told that painting the brake calipers would invalidate the entire warranty on his new panamera?!