I sold my z4 coupe recently to scratch an itch for a Boxster S . Having had the Boxster for a couple of months its a different drive to the Z4 but would not say better. Running costs and purchase price quite a bit more, and the Boxster may still depreciate. Both cars 2008 and similar mileage at 30000, cost of boxster £5k more, tax double, ditto servicing. Should I have kept the z4???
Z4 Coupe v Porsche Boxster S???
- Thread starter Bluecat
- Start date
No 
North West Surrey
I traded my 2003 Boxster S for the 2007 Z4 3.0i. The Porsche had much more power and super handling, but I lay awake at nights worrying about a possible Intermediate Shaft Bearing failure (the dreaded IMS design fault) which was more a matter of when, not if, it would occur. It ran trouble-free for five months, and I loved it, but my wife thought that it was too loud and too fast (both are reasons for which I loved it, by the way.) A fruitless search for an Alpina B7 led me to look at M6 coupes, and I found a very pretty one, which is now in my garage, replacing the Z4. 507 HP never gets old. I do, however, as in three years I will be 80, and the authorities probably will not even allow me to own such a beast, never mind drive it enthusiastically.
David, in Brighton, Ontario, Canada
David, in Brighton, Ontario, Canada
Interesting you say that. I had a 2001 Boxster S which I ran for two years - yeah, the IMS was a thing you used to worry about, and that's sort of one of the reasons I didn't buy another one when it came to buying a new car recently - that, the s**t colour catalogue and the fussy gearing round town.
I recall the Box being much more refined, accomplished and probably quicker point to point than the Z4C - particularly in the wet, with better brakes and a lot more steering feedback - but the Z is much more aggressive car. Whereas in the Boxster you could do 100 without much foresight and effort, the inherent nervousness of the coupe means that you really have to be paying attention when you drive it.
To the OP - I think you'll be reasonably alright with depreciation depending on what you paid, the fact that most new boxsters/caymans are 4cyl turbos should prop the market up quite nicely in the long term.
I recall the Box being much more refined, accomplished and probably quicker point to point than the Z4C - particularly in the wet, with better brakes and a lot more steering feedback - but the Z is much more aggressive car. Whereas in the Boxster you could do 100 without much foresight and effort, the inherent nervousness of the coupe means that you really have to be paying attention when you drive it.
To the OP - I think you'll be reasonably alright with depreciation depending on what you paid, the fact that most new boxsters/caymans are 4cyl turbos should prop the market up quite nicely in the long term.
bmwaddict said:
Kinda did the same thing here. Ran a few Boxsters as dailys then a 4 year sports car hiatus until I got the zed as a driveway queen/weekender. Set myself a budget of up to circa £5k and got my 3.0 E85 two and a half years ago now. At the time there was a big part of me that thought I'd miss the good old boxster experience and give it a few months and I would have used the zed as leverage to convince the wife we needed to sell it and spend another £10k on top to get a decent 987. Fast forward to today and I've never really felt like that. Biggest gripe would be the 70 or so ponies I'm down on my last boxster but if I were to address that I'd probably spend some money supercharging mine just to be a bit different and I do like a project. Not done a car project now since 2010 so ..........
Boxster S .... the IMS gets swapped out when the clutch us done, and the failures aren't as common as the Internet would have you believe. An E86 vs a Boxster S is all dependent on what you want to do with the car. cruise around and have fun or win Autocross events? The only negative against the E86 is the sun roof, the Porsche has a much bigger one.
In a case like this , your opinion is the only one that counts. Whatever YOU like is what matters here...
In a case like this , your opinion is the only one that counts. Whatever YOU like is what matters here...
I drove a 2015 Boxster S on the Porsche circuit at Silverstone. I though it was terrific - a substantial notch above my E86 but I'm not sure I could cope with that understeer until you load up the front wheels business that you get with a mid-engined car. Isn't that half the fun of a reasonably powerful BMW that you can stick your foot down and kick the back out? I can imagine myself booting it out of a junction and finding myself pointing in the wrong direction on the wrong side of the road....
Been in a Boxster S a couple of times having owned a Porsche many years ago. It was incredibly quick no doubt about that but there is still the stigma of it being a poor mans Porsche and something about the design didnt grab me at least on the earlier models. It seems like the rear should have been the front although I appreciate that may sound daft. Also it is just a bit too common for my liking see even more Boxsters than Zeds in the South East.
