5k Weekend car - TT, Boxster, MX5?
Discussion
Thinking of adding a pure fun car to the garage to sit along side the wife and I's commuters.
I am based in the US, but roughly these are all around the same money (To buy)
Mk1 TT - Love the design, i've driven one a lot in the past and enjoyed it. If a little numb... but I think they looks the best of this list
Mk1 Boxster - Not so keen on the looks as much, but know it will be the best handling car on the list. Afraid of some big bills though which would be an issue.
MX5 - I've owned one before, loved it and would be both cheap and reliable. Rust not as much of an issue in California. Feel like i've been there before.
Z4 - This is a new addition to the list. Never driven one, like the looks, the 3.0 would be good. But they would almost all be auto's over here.
Anything else I'm missing?
Edit:
The sole purpose of this car is fun. I'll be taking it up Angeles Crest, doing car shows and really it's only for me. So pretty much zero practicality needed.
I am based in the US, but roughly these are all around the same money (To buy)
Mk1 TT - Love the design, i've driven one a lot in the past and enjoyed it. If a little numb... but I think they looks the best of this list
Mk1 Boxster - Not so keen on the looks as much, but know it will be the best handling car on the list. Afraid of some big bills though which would be an issue.
MX5 - I've owned one before, loved it and would be both cheap and reliable. Rust not as much of an issue in California. Feel like i've been there before.
Z4 - This is a new addition to the list. Never driven one, like the looks, the 3.0 would be good. But they would almost all be auto's over here.
Anything else I'm missing?
Edit:
The sole purpose of this car is fun. I'll be taking it up Angeles Crest, doing car shows and really it's only for me. So pretty much zero practicality needed.
Edited by InformationSuperHighway on Wednesday 21st August 17:58
I've been in this position previously and have owned both an MX-5 and a Boxster 986 2.7
The MX-5 is great cheap fun if you can fit in it ok, as a tall guy I struggled with it so I was never too comfy with it.
The 986 is a great car to drive but as you rightly point out it can easily throw a big bill up, everything is expensive parts wise, mainly because a lot of parts are only available directly from Porsche or specialists who charge the same prices anyway, I was glad I owned one but I wouldn't do it again.
For me a 3 litre Z4 would be my ideal if I was to buy another convertible, but I don't think I would, tin tops for me from now on
The MX-5 is great cheap fun if you can fit in it ok, as a tall guy I struggled with it so I was never too comfy with it.
The 986 is a great car to drive but as you rightly point out it can easily throw a big bill up, everything is expensive parts wise, mainly because a lot of parts are only available directly from Porsche or specialists who charge the same prices anyway, I was glad I owned one but I wouldn't do it again.
For me a 3 litre Z4 would be my ideal if I was to buy another convertible, but I don't think I would, tin tops for me from now on
Jamescrs said:
I've been in this position previously and have owned both an MX-5 and a Boxster 986 2.7
The MX-5 is great cheap fun if you can fit in it ok, as a tall guy I struggled with it so I was never too comfy with it.
The 986 is a great car to drive but as you rightly point out it can easily throw a big bill up, everything is expensive parts wise, mainly because a lot of parts are only available directly from Porsche or specialists who charge the same prices anyway, I was glad I owned one but I wouldn't do it again.
For me a 3 litre Z4 would be my ideal if I was to buy another convertible, but I don't think I would, tin tops for me from now on
How tall ?The MX-5 is great cheap fun if you can fit in it ok, as a tall guy I struggled with it so I was never too comfy with it.
The 986 is a great car to drive but as you rightly point out it can easily throw a big bill up, everything is expensive parts wise, mainly because a lot of parts are only available directly from Porsche or specialists who charge the same prices anyway, I was glad I owned one but I wouldn't do it again.
For me a 3 litre Z4 would be my ideal if I was to buy another convertible, but I don't think I would, tin tops for me from now on
Had quite a few MX5, s, most end up with me driving them the 500 miles to South West Ireland, 6 foot 6, and always feel comfortable in them. More so than the MG Midget I ran daily for a while
, that was a sqeeze getting in and out, not so bad once in. Great things for weekend fun, but those Z4, s are on my radar, and if the right one pops up, will give it a go.
How about a MK3 Toyota MR2? Gives you the handling thrills of the Boxster without the risk of painful bills. Yes they only have 140 BHP, but i've loved mine here in the UK. You might even be able to find one with the Toyota 2ZZ 1.8 swapped into it which will take it to 190 BHP and revs to 8500 RPM...
I've owned a Mk1 TT 1.8T and currently own a 3.2 Boxster S.
In terms of pure fun, the Boxster S is leaps and bounds above the TT for me. The TT was still very competent car though, had plenty of grip, plenty enough go and on our annual road trips it had enough to keep up with much more exotic machinery. What I would say the TT did very well and probably does better than the Boxster is how easy it was to drive in all roads. From quick roads to town it was just easy. The Boxster requires a bit more effort to drive, and town driving can be very tiresome if there's lots of traffic. From what I remember the TT also had better wind buffeting with the roof down. Sometimes the Boxster just feels a little too windy in the cabin.
In terms of Boxster running, I don't actually feel / find it all that much more expensive. My local PSC seem to be very reasonable pricing wise. I believe Porsche also treat the 986 Boxster as a "Classic" now, so parts are often discounted and a lot of PSC's do fixed price servicing and also charge heritage hourly workshop rates. Obviously it will be more expensive as you're also buying into a "prestige" brand, but at this age I don't find it eye watering.
If the "fun" part is having the roof off and taking in the scenery, smells and noise of the engine, then how about Alfa Spider V6's? Lovely Busso engine and beautiful looking car.
In terms of pure fun, the Boxster S is leaps and bounds above the TT for me. The TT was still very competent car though, had plenty of grip, plenty enough go and on our annual road trips it had enough to keep up with much more exotic machinery. What I would say the TT did very well and probably does better than the Boxster is how easy it was to drive in all roads. From quick roads to town it was just easy. The Boxster requires a bit more effort to drive, and town driving can be very tiresome if there's lots of traffic. From what I remember the TT also had better wind buffeting with the roof down. Sometimes the Boxster just feels a little too windy in the cabin.
In terms of Boxster running, I don't actually feel / find it all that much more expensive. My local PSC seem to be very reasonable pricing wise. I believe Porsche also treat the 986 Boxster as a "Classic" now, so parts are often discounted and a lot of PSC's do fixed price servicing and also charge heritage hourly workshop rates. Obviously it will be more expensive as you're also buying into a "prestige" brand, but at this age I don't find it eye watering.
If the "fun" part is having the roof off and taking in the scenery, smells and noise of the engine, then how about Alfa Spider V6's? Lovely Busso engine and beautiful looking car.
I owned a £5k 3.2L Boxster S for nearly 5 years. It never threw up a big bill in that time, and the price of parts from Porsche ranged from 'about what I expected' to 'pleasantly surprised by how cheap it was'. There were no big scares in financial terms.
A lot of people are worried about the engines s
tting themselves - and the simple fact is that these are old cars now. If they were going to grenade themselves, the chances are they would have done it by now. The ones left are the ones that have had the weak spots remediated, and the ones that were built right in the first place. At least that's what I told myself when I was buying! 
As for the drive, it felt like a proper sports car ... but not one so overpowered that you couldn't have fun with it at reasonably sensible speeds. I also found it a surprisingly capable cruiser - top down at 80mph wasn't unpleasant, the car was comfortable for long drives, it felt like a nice place to spend time. Now granted, I'm coming at this from a slightly unusual angle ... my cars tend to be from the older and cheaper end of the market, and definitely biased towards performance over comfort or reliability ... and so maybe my points of comparison differ from someone who's just stepped out of a new 5 Series ... for example.
I've never driven either a BMW Z car or a MX5, so can't make any comparisons directly - but both were in my thinking when considering the Boxster S, and the Boxster S won out as - to my eyes - it combined the fun of the MX5 with the grunty engine of the Z3/Z4.
One thing I would say about the Boxster - at least here in the UK - is that almost anything not essential to being a car was an optional extra, and so there are significant differences in spec between cars for sale. Heated seats, upgraded headlights, extended leather, upgraded suspension, upgraded engine, upgraded exhaust, audio options, wheels (size and style), cruise control, on board computer, etc. etc. - all can vary from car to car. So if you test drive one, don't think that any other car out there is likely to match it. The feel of a bare-bones car with no options and the feel of one with a healthy options spend can be surprisingly different. I worked out which options were "must haves" for me (heated seats and upgraded headlights as it was going to be a year round daily driver) and considered anything extra to be a bonus.
A lot of people are worried about the engines s
tting themselves - and the simple fact is that these are old cars now. If they were going to grenade themselves, the chances are they would have done it by now. The ones left are the ones that have had the weak spots remediated, and the ones that were built right in the first place. At least that's what I told myself when I was buying! As for the drive, it felt like a proper sports car ... but not one so overpowered that you couldn't have fun with it at reasonably sensible speeds. I also found it a surprisingly capable cruiser - top down at 80mph wasn't unpleasant, the car was comfortable for long drives, it felt like a nice place to spend time. Now granted, I'm coming at this from a slightly unusual angle ... my cars tend to be from the older and cheaper end of the market, and definitely biased towards performance over comfort or reliability ... and so maybe my points of comparison differ from someone who's just stepped out of a new 5 Series ... for example.
I've never driven either a BMW Z car or a MX5, so can't make any comparisons directly - but both were in my thinking when considering the Boxster S, and the Boxster S won out as - to my eyes - it combined the fun of the MX5 with the grunty engine of the Z3/Z4.
One thing I would say about the Boxster - at least here in the UK - is that almost anything not essential to being a car was an optional extra, and so there are significant differences in spec between cars for sale. Heated seats, upgraded headlights, extended leather, upgraded suspension, upgraded engine, upgraded exhaust, audio options, wheels (size and style), cruise control, on board computer, etc. etc. - all can vary from car to car. So if you test drive one, don't think that any other car out there is likely to match it. The feel of a bare-bones car with no options and the feel of one with a healthy options spend can be surprisingly different. I worked out which options were "must haves" for me (heated seats and upgraded headlights as it was going to be a year round daily driver) and considered anything extra to be a bonus.
anyoldcardave said:
How tall ?
Had quite a few MX5, s, most end up with me driving them the 500 miles to South West Ireland, 6 foot 6, and always feel comfortable in them. More so than the MG Midget I ran daily for a while, that was a sqeeze getting in and out, not so bad once in.
Great things for weekend fun, but those Z4, s are on my radar, and if the right one pops up, will give it a go.
I'm 6ft4. Had quite a few MX5, s, most end up with me driving them the 500 miles to South West Ireland, 6 foot 6, and always feel comfortable in them. More so than the MG Midget I ran daily for a while
, that was a sqeeze getting in and out, not so bad once in. Great things for weekend fun, but those Z4, s are on my radar, and if the right one pops up, will give it a go.
I can't physically drive an NA MX5, can't get my knees under the steering wheel, the one I owned was an NB which I could drive, bouhgt it off my dad when he listed it on eBay, i could fit in that ok, I used it for track day's and had to keep the roof down on track as couldn't get in with a helmet on.
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