Talk me out of a Boxster, please...

[DaveP]

OK, so while the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, it's fairly representative of where I am at the moment.

I'm in the market for a two-seater, automatic soft-top, with a budget of about £7k (2.7/3.2 Boxster vs. 3.0 Z4). I want something that will deal equally well with Central London traffic and the occasional countryside thrash, while not trying to bankrupt me.

I tested a 2001 Boxster S tiptronic at the weekend, and absolutely loved the way it drove and felt - much more of a 'junior supercar' feel than I remember from my time as a passenger in a Z4. However, on the other side of the coin, the fabled Boxster unreliability reported on the internet scares the pants off me, and the Z4 appears to be an absolute counter-point in this respect. All my reading about the Z4 suggests that it's a really easy ownership proposition, and still reasonably fun to drive.

My problem appears to be a simple head/heart conundrum...
Head: The Z4 is a much more reliable, predictable ownership prospect.
Heart: The Boxster excites me in a way that the Z4 doesn't necessarily.

I'm sure this must be a comparison that some here have made (or even owned), and I would be keen to hear what tipped you over the edge towards the Z4? Which models did you compare?

 

[DanStarr]

I'd say if you've joined this site a Z4 forum you've already decided on the Z4... :wink:

 

[mr wilks]

I would only consider a Boxster if a 987 , the previous "fried egg" front lights & early interiors are looking very dated by comparison to Z4s which imo still look relatively fresh from 03/08 ?
£7 should get you into a a facelift / SI over the coming months but it may have to be 2.5 or up on miles ?
RE the service & repairs ? I would say both cars bought around £7k would be similar in reliability bu the repair costs should they be needed will cost more on the Boxster whereas barring anything major the Z can be maintained for less than a Ford Focus
Hope that helps

 

[si-forks]

The old 986 is pig ugly the Z4 isn't oke: not much help I know

 

[DPG]

Tough choice. I love the look of the original 986 but I wouldn't buy one.

It would have to be a 987 S then straight in to Revolution for a LN Engineering bearing.

 

[DaveP]

Thanks guys. I'm genuinely torn between the two, and have asked a similar question on the relevant Boxster forum. I guess I'm struggling to trade-off the reliability of the Z4 with the appeal of the Boxster. While I realise that a Z4 specialist forum will have some inherent bias, I can't believe nobody else was as torn as me?

 

[Steve84N]

I was torn but only because I can't afford a Cayman yet. In the end the potential IMS issue and being a soft top led me to the Z4 Coupe. It's exceeded my expectations but I still want a Cayman as they have better steering/handling plus at least as much luggage space and as good or better sound.

The Z4 3.0si does feel good for 0-60mph in 5.5s and is peppy in all the gears due to the relatively low overall weight. Body rigidity is excellent, not so on the roadster. Steering is a bit naff but not as bad as I feared. Looks great and cabin is nice.

 

[2dogs]

The old 986 is pig ugly the Z4 isn't oke: not much help I know

+1

 

[MrPT]

I'm not sure the Z4 is much more reliable - it's just that IMS bearing failure on the 986/early 987 is catastrophic, and that makes it scary even though it is a rare event. A bit like a shark attack.

It is ugly though.

 

[Fishy Dave]

My wife has owned her yr2000 986 Boxster S for more than 2 years and covered around 36,000 miles (now at 86,000), I bought my M Roadster about a month ago now.

First off, reliability. The Boxster has been superb, I have serviced it myself, usually at 6000 mile intervals (I always service early). It has had one window regulator fail, which I replaced myself for around £100 genuine parts plus £60 to get the airbag light switched off. The interior heater fan started to get noisy last year, I compared part numbers and found it was shared with a mk5 VW Golf unit which I sourced from ebay for £7 (yes, £7!) and fitted it myself, took about 15 minutes if that. Last week it failed its MOT due to play in the 'coffin arm' lower wishbone which was any easy change and cost £80 for the part from Euro Car Parts. These three parts are the only slight issues we've experienced and cost considerably less to run that our shed of a Peugeot 206 in the same period!

Boxster S Positives
The sound is lovely at full throttle above 4000rpm
Handling is reassuring with lovely balance and feel on track
Fuel economy averages 31mpg, very good I think for a 3.2
Parts availability is brilliant, with plenty of choice between genuine, oem and tuned equivalents
Braking performance is the best of any standard road car we've owned, not sharp or grabby, just strong.
Despite being mid-engined it's an easy car to maintain yourself plus everything comes apart (no horribly rusted seized bits)
Great boot space for touring
Residuals are good, we suspect our car has barely moved in price

Boxster S Negatives
The cabin is basic and dated (although well built) with the standard stereo being barely adequate and many extras such as cruise control being rare
Doesn't 'feel' that fast, although its performance is actually fine
Seats are too small in height and shoulder width (and my wife and I are pretty slim), not a patch on my old 911 3.2
Rear window is plastic, which requires you to open the hood a bit, get out and 'chop' the rear window, then get back in and open the hood fully (it is quite slow to open compared to the Z4). It's a pain, but has meant the rear window isn't creased.
Rather common
No limited slip diff (I do like to drift when safe to do so on track)

BMW Z4M Positives
Sound at all revs is mighty
Interior quality and equipment
Very strong engine performance
Great seats
Rare
Stereo quality (HiFi pack)
Reassuring VSC

BMW Z4M Negatives
Clunky gearchange
Fuel economy is around 26mpg on the same routes as above
Brakes are quite sharp when heel and toeing
I like to think I drive with courtesy but have already experienced some negative driver reactions to being overtaken which I'm not used to
You can feel the car is heavy
Steering feel

I'm not really comparing apples with apples here, with the Z4M being twice the price and almost half the age of our Boxster. Honestly, I would be happy to own either but with your budget it would be the Boxster I would choose, although in a manual every time. :driving:

 

[AndyBeech]

I had a similar dilemma a while back before i brought my 3.0si at the time.

The main points against the boxster:

Expensive maintenance/parts, catastrophic failure a possibility
That generation Boxster is really dated, interiors pants compared to Z4, felt cheap and nasty to me.
Z4 looks better, again that generation Boxster hasn't aged very well IMO. Boxster has THAT image, poor mans Porsche etc. The Z4 looks more masculine and has a design that'll last, unlike the Boxster.

While I liked the Boxsters I test drove, and yes it has many plus points such as the handling etc. I felt at the end I was only considering it because it was a 'Porsche' and I liked the idea of owning a Porsche. The Z4 seemed a more 'hardcore' driving experience if you like, which I preffered.

And now I have an M, I certainly wouldn't consider a Boxster of that generation in the slightest!

 

[Z4M-2006]

The Coxster is a better driving car then the Z... It handles better,and a 3.2s goes better..

BUT.... if your about the 1 in 8 that will experience engine failure,then you will have about £7000 in engine rebuild costs.. Manuals have a tendency to jump out of gear too,usually 2nd... £2000 repair bill.....

If you can live with the potential repair bills and you get no trouble then the car is a great drive..

 

[DPG]

Thanks guys. I'm genuinely torn between the two, and have asked a similar question on the relevant Boxster forum. I guess I'm struggling to trade-off the reliability of the Z4 with the appeal of the Boxster. While I realise that a Z4 specialist forum will have some inherent bias, I can't believe nobody else was as torn as me?

I was considering both for some time. I've always been a big Porsche fan but never owned one.

The IMS really scared me off but now that Rev do the bearing upgrade for around £900 I think if I did get one then I'd have that done as preventative maintenance.

I might chop the M in for one next spring.

 

[john-e89]

I had a 2004 3.2s on 80k miles a few years ago and the parts bills we're getting silly. It's IMO the better car but you have to have deep pockets for maintenance. For the money you're talking and only the occasional country thrash I reckon you'd do no better than a 3.0 or 3.0si Zed, the engine is peachy smooth and reliable, light gearbox, plenty of grunt low down and all across the rev range, excellent handling without the awful run flats. I wouldn't touch a Boxster at 7 k tbh.

Just my 2 penneth of course. Best of luck deciding.

 

[samZ4M]

Have you sat in a boxster? Convinced me to get a z4!

 

[Mad Professor]

Boxster S is a fine car and i suspect the RMS and IMB failure is over-exaggerated on the Porsche forums -don't touch one without a full PSH or a reputable indie .

 

[Steve84N]

The problem is over exaggerated but the issue for me is not knowing if I was going to be one of the unlucky ones as there doesn't seem to be any warning signs. The potential bill is one I couldn't swallow financially and even if I could I wouldn't want to.

 

[WJB]

I was in the same position a few weeks ago, Ive always wanted a Porsche and love the 986, engine failures are rare, especially the 2.5. In fact, realistically the only thing that puts me off one is the cost of general maintenance, if you hear from owners who speak openly & honestly about the cost of servicing and running costs you'll find that the 4 figure bills for consumables occur a little bit to regularly for my liking.

On a side note I can't believe people are saying it's ugly, I think its a lovely looking car, yes the interior is a bit dated but the design is almost 20 years old. Would you discount a 993 turbo for it's "dated" interior?

Its incredible that you can pick them up for about £3k now, that's internet scaremongering for ya, it's obviously a gamble at that money and you'll probably see a £2k bill the first time you drop it in for quick a service though

 

[Geezah]

Upside down bath tub!

 

[paulgs1000]

Don't know much about Boxsters but the servicing and repair costs at the price point I was looking at put me off.

My Zed 3.0si also has it's concerns but not as catastrophic - roof motor replacement - now £500 to £600 to replace (I know my roof motor is ok as I've seen it when BMW replaced my roof last year (under warranty)). Servicing costs using a well respected specialist are about the same, surprisingly, as the family hack (Skoda Octavia diesel) and the long service intervals given the performance, is amazing. Tyres are costly if you have the staggered option (sport). But given the performance and looks, the Zed is an amazingly affordable option - can that be said of the Porsche I don't know. Of the two, the Boxster is generally agreed to be the better handling sports car but I guess on the road that difference is not so obvious - a more relaxed and composed drive perhaps at a given speed? My Zed certainly gives me an involved drive when I use the performance and I've grown to really enjoy that. The latest generation of Porsche Boxster looks amazing and the newer the better looking for me. The zed looks terrific to me and makes me look back to see it whenever I park up.

Finally - what is it about being a Porsche owner - seems to be a lot of negativity and put downs associated with ownership, so much so I'd be worried about where I left it. Seems totally unfair and odd that a brilliant piece of engineering that can produce a driving experience of such brilliance should be vilified so much :?