Dilemma: ///m vs. boxster

W

Woots

Veteran
 Milton Keynes
Rite in a bit of a dilemma, quite a nice one i guess

Having looked at renwal prices for the old insurance which is due in sep (yeh i plan ahead) i realised tht insurance for an ///m and a boxster arent too much more than the rewal for the blueflash.

In sep i ll be halfway thru my finance deal with bmw so seems ideal time along with getting the third year ncb
Had a bit of a porsche itch tht i wanna scratch and could only afford a boxster, not many of the boxster s's are available for less than £22k so its really gona be a 2.7 vs an ///m

Okay so the porsche will be more to buy but possibly cheaper to run? Or is there not much in it with servicings and tax etc
Obviously thr 2.7 will be a lot less powerful and less exciting, but apparently its the better car?
I kno ppl here will be biased, the only thing really putting me off the ///m is tht while im sure its v v diff to what ive got now, it doesnt really look like a totally diff car, whereas a boxster is. If that makes sense. Has anyone owned or driven both?
Also i prob owe around 10k on my finance and the car is worth about 8k i guess....so do u think if i went to bmw and wanted to buy an ///m for about 18k they would screw me over less than porsche. Cos surely they'd make money off me by making me re-start a finance deal and also my 2.0 was 15k and this would be 18k so id be financing more. If tht makes sense?

Cant see porsche offering me any discount and prob wont help me cover the shortfall in what y car is worth and the amount i owe.

Any thoughts guys? :D
 
I've driven both. Had a friends boxster s for 3 days. Left me cold to be honest. Doesn't compare to the M in terms of ceremony. Sure it's an accomplished car and handles superbly, just doesn't provide the raw thrill that the M does. Also, servicing costs from Porsche aren't any better than M-power servicing by main BMW dealers. I'd choose the M every day.
 
playalistic said:
I've driven both. Had a friends boxster s for 3 days. Left me cold to be honest. Doesn't compare to the M in terms of ceremony. Sure it's an accomplished car and handles superbly, just doesn't provide the raw thrill that the M does. Also, servicing costs from Porsche aren't any better than M-power servicing by main BMW dealers. I'd choose the M every day.
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What he said and on this side of the pond the service cost on the boxster are alarming... :o
 
Now let me see you're asking guys on a BMW forum if you should buy a Porsche :wink:
I wonder if you'd get the same answer on a Porsche forum. :D
But seriously, I've driven a Boxster (not an M though) and I have to say that the Boxster just feels unexciting even compared to my Coupe.
 
So 5 people here at work drive Boxster's only one of them is a non S. This says to me that the non-S is pretty much pointless and is also seen as you not being able to afford the 'proper' boxster even then most people assume you couldn't afford a 'proper' Porsche hence why you bought a box.
There is no denying the Porsche isn't good because it is. Fact. Any motoring press will tell you that. But I think the difference is emotion. The M makes you feel whereas I never felt anything in the boxster. It was just a quick car, that's all.
Running / servicing etc all the same for both. Buy the car you want not the one your told to, go and drive them both see how they make you feel. If you like the box buy it, if the M scares the pants off you and you think you need that in your life buy that. :simples:
 
BlackOut said:
So 5 people here at work drive Boxster's only one of them is a non S. This says to me that the non-S is pretty much pointless and is also seen as you not being able to afford the 'proper' boxster even then most people assume you couldn't afford a 'proper' Porsche hence why you bought a box.
There is no denying the Porsche isn't good because it is. Fact. Any motoring press will tell you that. But I think the difference is emotion. The M makes you feel whereas I never felt anything in the boxster. It was just a quick car, that's all.
Running / servicing etc all the same for both. Buy the car you want not the one your told to, go and drive them both see how they make you feel. If you like the box buy it, if the M scares the pants off you and you think you need that in your life buy that. :simples:
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haha BRILLIANT

i think i need some scares in my life :D
sounds like a bloody good day to me as well lol
and for a boxster s with lowish miles its about 24k which is pretty steep compared to an ///m
what do u think the chances are tht they'd let me test drive a car now even tho i cant buy until sep lol :P

what do u reck would be bmw's view on it if i part ex'd m car for an ///m

mine was 15k so i pay bout 330 a month,i'll be halfway thru my 4 year finance deal, worth prob about 8, owe about 10 i reck so if i went to buy an 18k car do you think id be payin much more than i am now? does tht make sense? cos im signing up for another deal so theyd make money out of tht....
 
I spent ages researching and driving the 2.5/3.0 Zed Vs similar priced 2.7 Boxsters, I simply can't entertain big repair bills for major components so a check of sellers adverts convinced me to go with the Zed. Lots of Boxsters have recently had top end or full re-builds, or RMS (rear main seal), I couldn't find a single Zed with similar engine/transmission problems.

This is backed up by Warranty Direct's reliability index based on real world claims. The 03-09 Zed scores 91 (good with 96% of claims being suspension or electrical). The Boxster scores 183 (v. poor with claims spread over most parts including 30% for engine/transmission) and average repair bill being double for the Boxster.

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/reliability

Now I know ///M work carries a premium but I can't swallow a car being twice as unreliable and costing twice as much to repair. However if you don't mind down time and have a warranty I suppose it won't matter.

Oh and the Zed is just.... more to drive and looks better IMO
 
I think most M owners at least tried the Boxster.

IMO it's a great car, but the 2.7 is nowhere near quick enough for what it costs, hot hatch performance. The S is the one to have and is much easier than a Z4M to drive fast (acres of grip). But I don't like the engine note, the interior, the stubby nose, the cabin is very noisy as its mid engined, its too expensive, etc. The 911 is much much better but then it should be.

Only idiots say the Boxster is for people who cant afford a 911, but even so its not for me.
 
I tried a 987 Boxster, A 987 Boxster S a Cayman and the ///M.

The ///M was the last of the 4 I tried and I bought it without a moments hesitation.

The cabin is waaay nicer, it looks good from any angle (the Porsche only looks good from the front and front 3/4) it puts a huge smile on my face, it's more fun and on standard wheels i think it's almost as accomplished as the Boxster. Parts and servicing for the Boxster/Caymen are a joke due to engine access. You can do some things on the ///M yourself.

Look at the price of 3.2 986s and that's what's going to happen to your money.
 
Woots, reading your post I think you should consider a high spec 2008 3.0si. It WILL be alot different to your current car and certainly exciting. I'm probably going to get flamed :fuelfire: but if you are financing and you owe more than the value of your car, then a boxster nor a M are for you (yet). They are both too pricey to run though cheap to buy. Just my two cents :)
 
My mate had the 2.7 boxter and we used to swap me when he needed 4 seats to chauffeur his kid and hes mates to football practice , i then had a e46 330 sport . Apart from the roofless bit i was glad to give it back totally uninspiring to drive very dull , now i own a 3.0 roadster and its just so much more fun to drive and much better looking and its not a girls car :D
 
Have to agree with Zed five, I'm not just saying this because I own a 3.0.. I really think you should consider one over an M, having a nice car is one thing in life but having enough money to live is another. We're on pretty much the same money so I can confidently say yes I've looked and still look at getting an M but the servicing etc on top of the finance you talked about it's alot of money.

£350 at least for finance then insurance fuel tyres a service tax at £400 I think? Bonkers mate
 
I would go for boxster as it's a porsche but as has already been mentioned, drive both and see what you think. The BMW may be a bit more of a handful and the porsche more point and go, more precise but then it depends on how you like to drive and what you enjoy more. If you have a hankering for the porsche then scratch that itch. A zed is just a bmw but a porsche is a Porsche and the boxster is a great car. Good luck with your decision making and enjoy the research :driving: :thumbsup:
 
Woots & Blueflash said:
haha BRILLIANT

i think i need some scares in my life :D
sounds like a bloody good day to me as well lol
and for a boxster s with lowish miles its about 24k which is pretty steep compared to an ///m
what do u think the chances are tht they'd let me test drive a car now even tho i cant buy until sep lol :P

what do u reck would be bmw's view on it if i part ex'd m car for an ///m

mine was 15k so i pay bout 330 a month,i'll be halfway thru my 4 year finance deal, worth prob about 8, owe about 10 i reck so if i went to buy an 18k car do you think id be payin much more than i am now? does tht make sense? cos im signing up for another deal so theyd make money out of tht....
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They'll let you test drive if you go in with a "story" then when they pressure you to buy it just tell them you bought the other car ;) they'll soon leave you alone.
Not sure really what they would want to do in terms of the finance elements, it's always really messy i find. Cash is king ;)....if you have it lol. You might be better trying to move yours on, settle the finance agreement and then start afresh.
 
Simple maths if I've understood...£18,000 new car plus £2,000 old debt divided by 48 NOT including interest is £416 a month!

About 6 months ago I was in Salisbury looking to buy an Sl55 AMG and even the salesman talked me out of it! He just said unless your retired stupidly rich or a nutter £20,000 on finance plus up-keep is crazy.. Maybe if you had a large deposit or the £20,000 it wouldnt be so bad.
 
billygilly said:
Simple maths if I've understood...£18,000 new car plus £2,000 old debt divided by 48 NOT including interest is £416 a month...........He just said unless your retired stupidly rich or a nutter £20,000 on finance plus up-keep is crazy
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1. It is highly unlikely, especially post credit crunch, a dealer will wrap a shortfall up into a new loan on another vehicle. They do it in the States but BMW Finance especially (burned in the past on high residuals) will never go for it. To get a deal they would need to offer him a discount on the car, a high trade in value on his, a discount on their extortionate finance rate or a mix thereof.

2. The Salesman you spoke to doesn't sound like he wanted to sell you the car?! 'Cost' and 'Affordability' are very different, don't forget for some a £1200 PCM car payment for three years (£44,000) is more attractive than laying out £80,000 for the car and getting £40,000 back at the end. People finance Lambos, and it isn't exclusively because they cant afford them....

Cash and finance have different merits, it depends on what the buyer is trying to achieve
 
thing is i doubt i'll ever have a car without finance

first reason is i get bored easily, if i could afford a ferrari enzo id love it to bits...but then a year or two later id see a new zonda and be like "i need tht in my life" so it doesnt make sense for me to buy a car outright, the only perk of having finance seems tht its a lil easier to swap after two years
also it would take me forever to save 20k for a new car, and by time i saved 5k id be so bored of the car i had tht id spend tht anyway, so id still be in a finance agreement.
Finance for more sporty cars seems ideal, astons etc (long way off) cos ur not really financing the big lump sum payment at the end...cos after the 48month point i doubt i'd ever pay over 5k just to keep the car, cos by then i would reaaaalllyy be bored of it, so id be starting from nothing essentially anyways.

When i got my zed i was trading in a 116i and was in a siilar state, owned the car for 6 months, owed more than it was worth and as part of the "deal" the salesman said he'd settle the finance deal and literally just start afresh.
Not betting my life on a similar thing happenening if i did it again but its possible.
 
Woots & Blueflash said:
When i got my zed i was trading in a 116i and was in a siilar state, owned the car for 6 months, owed more than it was worth and as part of the "deal" the salesman said he'd settle the finance deal and literally just start afresh.
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...95% certain he didn't add your shortfall to your new loan though. He has used the profit margin in the Z to subsidise your trade in and get a deal closed. My guess is on your invoice, either they paid more for your 116i or the Z is discounted by the amount you needed. As long as they make a decent profit overall, he's happy. Plus BMW dealers, in my experience, always, always, always try and bend you over with a laughable opening offer for your car. I guess a fair number of people just accept it?

Example: I was offered £17,000 for my E46 M3 against this Z. They wouldn't budge past £19,000. I sold it for £23,500. :o

Don't forget if you do use car finance, shop around and perhaps use a broker. Failing that, remember BMW standard rates are hilarious and come down through negotiating.
 
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