Time to move on?

I think Toplad sums it up pretty well. I've driven both the Boxster and the 'S' and agree the Boxster is too ordinary. Don't accept the 'poor man's Porsche' rubbish. The S is a great car, well balanced and poised on the road. The interiors can be really nice and to be honest seem to be put together as well as or better than the Z4.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks looking at and thinking about moving on. When someone offers you a nice Boxster S with a similar spec/mileage to my 'M' but then asks for another £5K it sort of brings the BMW into prespective. It is a performance bargain at today's prices. I will keep looking to see if anyone offers a better deal but at present I think I'm leaning towards keeping the 'M'.
 
I personally wouldn't buy a boxster over and M. Maybe a Cayman S but they are a little more expensive. I tempted to buy an impreza soon but thing I'm going to go for a an older white STi. I've owned an Impreza before and I must say what a car it was. I want this one

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I could extend my budget and buy a Cayman S but it's even more expensive and the roof doesn't come off :o Always loved the way Imprezas sound and go - interesting that you see a move to an Impreza as your next car. It'd be a boring world if we all wanted exactly the same things :)
 
O yes forgot the roof didn't come off. I loved my Z4M which has now gone but need something practical and fast at the same time. Could go for an M3 but the Impreza has so much character and respect on the road not that an M3 doesn't but I think the impreza are cheaper to run than an M3 too.

What ever you buy I'm sure it will be fun. The best bit for me would be staring at a Porsche badge on the steering wheel. :)
 
Despite what some posters might think the Porsche badge has more cachet than BMW

When you say you own a Porsche the majority are impressed and want to know all about it.
 
Ugh. I can understand the feeling of scratching an itch, & I don't see it as the poor mans porsche either, but I think /MR -> 911C4 would be the only way I'd wanna see a Porker badge on the wheel. When I bought mine I could have had a Boxter S for similar money, didn't even want to drive one.

Hire one ? Maybe I'm missing something. :oops:
 
toplad said:
Despite what some posters might think the Porsche badge has more cachet than BMW

When you say you own a Porsche the majority are impressed and want to know all about it.
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or think the complete opposite :)
 
toplad said:
Despite what some posters might think the Porsche badge has more cachet than BMW

When you say you own a Porsche the majority are impressed and want to know all about it.
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Do you care though? You've got to drive it every day, so personally I just want the one I like best. I don't really care what anyone thinks of my car

paulg1979 said:
but I think the impreza are cheaper to run than an M3 too.
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Doesn't the STI have 6k service intervals? What's it like on fuel etc? IMO, an M3 (especially an E92) is in a completely different league tho
 
I wouldn't say the M3 sounds better but has a sound as good as the impreza but different. Fuels pretty much the same as an M3 I do look at the E46 and think I'd love one. I had a 330Ci vert and did like it but got a little bored after a while. Impreza is 12,000 mile service the Mitzi Evo's are 6000 mile services. If it was an E92 then there wouldn't be any competition I'd grab the E92 anyday but is 3 times the price

M3's are built better but I think your safer buying a second hand impreza for reliability. They're near enough bullet proof. Get a much later lower mileage for the same price as a pretty worn M3. Do love them both though. :) If I was going for an E46 I think I'd love the CSL but are a little out of my price range
 
I also came from a Boxster S to a ZMR. The Porsche is really a fantastic car, but the M is far more fun to drive IMO. It does come down to personal preference though. If your kicks are gained from progressing as swiftly as possible around B roads with the roof down then the Boxster is the better bet. If you want a bit more of an experience then the ZMR I'd have every day of the week.

I also test drove some 996s and for me if I needed to scratch as Porsche itch then it would have to be a 911 now. I would never go back to the Boxster, great car though it is. Trouble with the 911 is that I like my convertibles and I worry that not having been designed from the ground up as a cabrio then I'm somehow not getting the best 911 experience.

I've owned some reasonably nice cars over the years and the ZMR, even after a year of ownership, thrills me every time I drive it. It's a keeper for me and if I'm wanting for performance in a few years then perhaps I'd look at an ESS supercharger or similar. Someone once described the Z4M to me as the closest thing you can get to a well built, reliable TVR and I can relate to that. And I've always loved TVRs.
 
I'm on my second Z4 as I had a 2.5 sport before the M. Before that I had an S2000. Each time I changed I looked seriously at the Boxster and each time I decided not to buy one. Maybe that should tell me something :)
 
BigT said:
if I needed to scratch as Porsche itch then it would have to be a 911 now
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I'd agree, the 911 does everything well and is worlds apart to drive from a Boxster...but when compared to the Z4M - the price is a problem. Brilliant though it is, a good 997 C2S is going to be 2.5 times the price of a Z4M of a similar age...is it 2.5 times the car?

Someone once described the Z4M to me as the closest thing you can get to a well built, reliable TVR and I can relate to that. And I've always loved TVRs.
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Yeah I think that's a good description; a TVR that starts and doesn't leak. Shame it's not a V8 though.
 
mikedav said:
Brilliant though it is, a good 997 C2S is going to be 2.5 times the price of a Z4M of a similar age...is it 2.5 times the car?
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I think not. I don't know of another car that blends "newness", quality, performance and thrills in the same way as the Z4M. I've never really understood why they depriciated quite how they have. I mean it is a car that wasn't panned in the motoring press, was produced in limited numbers and succeeded a car that is proving to be a classic. Perhaps it is because it doesn't look sufficiently different from the rest of the range? But that didn't make the M3's value drop like a stone. My car had shed over 50% of its list price when I picked it up at 18 months old. I know there's a recession and all, but that's an awful lot reallyl.
 
BigT said:
mikedav said:
Brilliant though it is, a good 997 C2S is going to be 2.5 times the price of a Z4M of a similar age...is it 2.5 times the car?
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I think not. I don't know of another car that blends "newness", quality, performance and thrills in the same way as the Z4M. I've never really understood why they depriciated quite how they have. I mean it is a car that wasn't panned in the motoring press, was produced in limited numbers and succeeded a car that is proving to be a classic.
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A few of reasons.

Firstly, as much as I love the Z4MC or R version, I realise it's a very niche car, for most people the car is to awkward to drive, harsh, cramped and impractical to live with day to day. The majority of punters don't care about owning a limited production 338 BHP RWD 2 seater costing 44k. They would rather have 4 seats and a big boot, the fools :lol:
Secondly, all brands have been affected by a larger drop in residuals than we've seen in the past, the Porsche Boxster use to hold its money really well, but not any more, probably due to greater numbers in the market place and plenty full supply.

Finally, the BMW brand doesn’t have the cachet of more prestigious brand like, Ferrari, Aston martin and to a lesser extent Porsche. Less people dream of owning a BMW and even though the Z4M C/R offer tremendous performance for the money it’s not possible to compete with the elitist brands, so is less desirable to the mass market and loses a larger percentage of it’s value in the second hand market place.
 
TBH a 911 would be nice but with a budget of about £25k it'd be a 996 with some potentially hefty bills in the offing.
 
sammyz said:
TBH a 911 would be nice but with a budget of about £25k it'd be a 996 with some potentially hefty bills in the offing.
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The 996 was a great car at the time, but it's getting a bit long in the tooth now, the interior is a bit dated , the 997 was a big leap foward, it's much better at speed.

I'm going for the CSL or a 997 next, but I miss my Z4MC already
 
Well, you've all helped convince me that I'd be a fool to move on for an older Boxster S. Looks like only a lottery win will see me in a Porsche. My two sons both were adamant that I'd only be buying it for the badge as the 'M' is such a fantastic car to drive :)

So I'll be keeping the 'M' for at least another year. :thumbsup: Thanks for the input, it helped me decide what to do. Next job is to refurbish the wheels in gloss black. Looks good on the red cars and BMW have done it on the special edition M3 so it doesn't seem so chav :roll:
 
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