New car. Boxster or Z4?

[johnnyr6]

Hi guys. I'm looking for a roadsters to play with for a couple of years. I've seen 2 cars I like,
A Boxster 986 2.7 and E85 Z4 3ltr.
Price is about the same.
The Z4 is newer but higher miles (98k)
The Boxster has lower miles (70k) but is older.

What's your opinion on both cars? And what do you think will be worth more in a couple of years when I'm selling on?

Thanks, Johnny.

[henrycrun]

was a similar thread recently

[johnnyr6]

Cheers, I'll have a look.

[ZX10R NIN]

They're different cars so in reality only a test drive will tell you which one suits you best.

[Dapster]

Don't underestimate the cost of routine maintenance on the Boxster even if nothing goes wrong. If the numbers still work, it really is a fantastic car and would be my recommendation. The handling is sublime and is plenty quick enough.

Are you looking at the facelift version with the glass rear window?

[Frimley111R]

We've had both. Running costs the same using independents. The Boxster was the nicer to drive and own.

[John Laverick]

I've had 2007 BMW 2.5 Si and 2005 987 Boxster 2.7

Boxster is far superior in everyway in my opinion other than running costs.

[InductionRoar]

The Porsche is the more polished product, but the Z4 has more character.

I never regret not going for the Porsche.

[Summit_Detailing]

I had a 3.0 Z4 and wished I'd hung on and found a Boxster in the spec I wanted.

Drive both, ideally back2back or at least on the same day and work out which works for you.

cheers,

Chris

[johnnyr6]

Thanks for the replies. I ended up going for the Z4 as i got a car 8 years younger for the same money. Both were nice to drive and felt about equal in performance overall. The Z4 felt and looked more modern imho and it has all the extras.
I never took maintenance into it as I do my own work and with the age of these cars I can get away with that.

cheers, Johnny.

[WJNB]

johnnyr6 said:

Thanks for the replies. I ended up going for the Z4 as i got a car 8 years younger for the same money. Both were nice to drive and felt about equal in performance overall. The Z4 felt and looked more modern imho and it has all the extras.
I never took maintenance into it as I do my own work and with the age of these cars I can get away with that.

cheers, Johnny.

The sensible & practical decision for you & well done for seeing beyond the supposed magic of the Porsche name.
Too many are deluded that their driving is so skilled that on our congested roads they can fully exploit the Boxsters potential. The BMW is a sleeker looking machine whereas the old Boxster is just plain ugly & dare I say it getting just a bit too common, the Ford Focus of the sports car world.

[Halo in reverse]

WJNB said:

The sensible & practical decision for you & well done for seeing beyond the supposed magic of the Porsche name.
Too many are deluded that their driving is so skilled that on our congested roads they can fully exploit the Boxsters potential. The BMW is a sleeker looking machine whereas the old Boxster is just plain ugly & dare I say it getting just a bit too common, the Ford Focus of the sports car world.

There are plenty of roads where you can exploit a Boxsters sublime handling, looks are subjective too and comparing a Boxster to a Ford Focus is obv written tongue in cheek...all that said the Z4 is a decent car but Boxster beater it isn't.

[Mr Tidy]

I've had a Z4 Coupe for over 5 years, mostly because they look much better than any Boxster or Cayman IMHO.

Yes, I'm sure a Porsche will drive better but it is more likely to generate bigger bills!

It just depends on exactly what you want.

We're just lucky to have choices like those.

[sandman77]

I currently have a 3.0 Z4 (coupe) and previously had a 986 Boxster and can honestly say the BMW is the nicer car to be in. The Boxster just felt too small and the interior was absolutely dreadful. It certainly didn’t feel like a premium car like the BMW does.
The Porsche handled better on county roads but in my opinion that’s all it did better. In every other respect the Z4 is better.

[spreadsheet monkey]

johnnyr6 said:

I never took maintenance into it as I do my own work and with the age of these cars I can get away with that.

On that basis, you made the right decision - the E85 Z4 is easy to work on with plenty of room under that long bonnet. The Boxster's mid-mounted engine is a pain to access.