looking for some feedback on the 05-06 Boxster S...
 

i currently own a 2004 Z4 3.0... it has been a great car and a blast to drive. at that time i was choosing betwwen that and an 05' boxster. i loved the balance and easy of driving the boxster, and they FINALLY got the interior quality/design where it should be for a car at that price tag.... but it left me wanting more power. the Z4's handling felt less composed, more raw.... but power wise there was no comparison.... Z4 sounded great, and had juice.

well i'm at it again. this summer i'll be trading in my Z4. the only two cars i'm interested in are the MZ4 and Boxster S. i've read all the reviews... most, but not all calling the Boxster S the winner... but both cars having their strenghths and weaknesses.

i looking to get some real world feedback from folks here that actually own a 05-06 Boxster S, to hear what they love and dislike about their Boxster. TIA.

Wow, definitely a tough choice.


I would offer you all I've read from reviews but you don't need anymore of that :D

Good luck!

There is a top gear clip comparing just the 07 S and the MZ3, id look for that if I were you. Something about how the MZ3 is an extremely hot pepper, while the S is a 5 star meal. Orrrr you could buy a an 05 and drop a 3.8 in it...

hey I test drove the z4, brother has a z3 and I can honestly say the easy answer is the S! I have an 05 base and no car compares to it in terms of just how great it is to drive. I am having some service done and they gave me a loaner mercedes C230 Kompressor which had me excited for all about 10 minutes until I drove it, I just keep thinking give me back my porsche!!!!! I can only imagine what the S would be like and there isn't a day that goes by that I didn't wish I sprung the extra cash for one.....especially a new one with the 295 horses.....

I have an 05 Boxster S and I feel the car is well balanced, but everyone can always use more power - right. I have never driven the ZM4, but here are some things to think about:

Appearance:
This is subjective, but I think the Boxster is a much better looking car, the Z4's long hood short backend just doesn't work for me.

Handling:
With the Boxster you can be a novice driver and still have a blast through some twisties with little concern about losing control of the car. The Z4 takes more talent to master, backend will get out on you. But, once mastered, the Z4 could be more fun, dependent you your driving style.

Acceleration (ie Power)
This obviously favors the BMW, but the Boxster S can hit 60 in 5.1 seconds, which is still pretty damn fast.

Community
I will say owning a Porsche is something special b/c of the 'community' and shared enthusiasm about the car. The PCA is a wonderful organization.

Ultimately, depends on your driving style and what you expect out of the car, but I am one very happy Boxster owner. Good Luck.

I've never understood this complaint about the Boxster interior being sub par.
The 986 BoxsterS interior is the EXACT SAME interior as in the $100K 996 911 Turbo, actually all 911 interiors GT3, GT2, C4S,etc. I've never heard anyone say "that Turbo's one exotic car with a crappy interior"
I find the elipses theme in the 986 to be futuristic and very much in the spirit of a sports cars. I've lost count how many people have complemented my interior without saying a word about the exterior.
In my opinion the the 987 interior is far too similar to what is found in the Cayenne (not a sports car). I much prefer the interior of the of MZ4 Coupe by more than a little to the 05-07 Boxsters and Caymans. But all three are very nice none the less.

p.s.
I've now driven all the cars you are considering and the only advantage I see in staying with BMW is the pricing and the interiors. The BoxsterS is the benchmark.

id agree with perfectlap. the 986 interior is so simple and classy. new boxsters are nicer looking, just more technology more buttons, more headaches. i love the fact that my interior is so simple, and get sooo many compliments.

Well, since bogg started it, I have a video of the M coupe vs the Cayman S.


I know it's not a boxster but maybe it will help?

Remember also that the M roadster is quite a bit cheaper than the boxster S.


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=117041


I'd say the boxster is BETTER, but for the price, the M is a better deal, because it's faster and performs nearly as well.

So if money isn't an issue...Boxster S all the way!

Chicks dig Porsches... Everytime I'm out and about, my car ends up surrounded by chicks in bikinis... (and then I wake up) ;)

Both are great cars and I've got a gut feeling than just about everyone on this board tossed around the idea of buying the BMW and ended up with the Boxster.

Add me to the list of people who love the simplicity of the interior! :)

Go test drive the 987 S and let us know of your impressions. My guess is once you taste the mid-engine Porsche experience you will never want to go back to anything else. I did test drive your 3.0 Z4, the M3, the Audi S4 -- and have driven a lot of other sports cars. I clearly remember the day when I test drove the base 987, a 911, and the 987 S, in that order in the same day. I knew right then and there that I'll be getting a 987 S. This car changed the whole concept of driving for me. I never knew that it could be so much fun and that I'd be doing so much driving just for the fun of it -- which is pretty much 100% of the time in the Box and on weekends, since I don't commute by car.

In value terms, IMHO, a bare bones (or a very slightly optioned) Box S (new in the low $50k area with discounts) is the best value in the sports car and roadster universe. Once up there, I wouldn't let a few $k make the decision for me, especially since in a Porsche you are paying for many things that are deeper than mere hp and acceleration numbers. There's a lot of hidden technology under that skin that undeniably produces that Porsche feeling, and to me, that's worth every penny in price difference, and more. But hurry before Porsche discontinues the Boxster and introduces the Cayman Convertible for $10k more.

Only problem for me now is that I'm going crazy looking at the impending FOURTH nice weather (50+ deg) weekend AFTER I put my box in winter storage. :( I honestly don't know how I'm going to control myself if the first snow storm doesn't come soon. :)

Z.

Before trading in the 05 987 base for an 06 S I gave some consideration to the Z4M and posted my detailed review of that car, here:

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/5598-sd987s-z4m-review-long.html

I don't have a bias against BMW and currently own one.

Driving characteristics alone, I'd say the best bang for the buck isn't the 987 S, but the 987 base, in that the base gives you 95% of the Boxster driving experience for a good deal less money than the S, and it's pretty clear after you drive them that the 987 is a more enjoyable drive than the Z series.

However, I agree with Bavarian Motorist and consider the better deal overall, to be the Z4M. Standard kit is much better and a fully loaded Z4M still won't break 60K. If you optioned a new 987S to match a fully loaded Z4M you'd be spending 70K. The 4yrs/50K free maintenance is also a huge plus, as even a Porsche under warranty is not "cheap" to maintain. When you consider the two maintenance intervals, at least one brake job and the rate that these cars chew through tires you're looking at an amount that most people wouldn't consider trivial.

yep the MZ4 coupe in white (no wood trim!!) is on my short list of great sports cars I'd own if I had the space and time for it. Would love to see some RUF style exterior enhancements to the coupe. There are some great deals on BMW leases in general around these parts.

I drove the Z4M before buying an '06 Boxster S. There's no comparing the two in my mind. The Z4M is an over powered skate board and the Boxster is a mid engine perfectly balanced roadster. No disrepect to the BMW but these cars are apples and oranges in terms of how they handle for a non-expert driver. If you're great with a skateboard and like that sensation the Z4M is for you. If you love the ease of handling in the Boxster with the feel of the engine right behind you that's the one for you. Only you can decide by driving both. I don't care what BMW says about near 50/50 weight distribution in its cars something bordering on magical happens to a car when the mass of the engine is near its center that cannot be duplicated by weight distribution. As to the interior of the Boxster it's very high quality. Sure the full leather option is drop dead gorgeous but the fit, finish and look of the standard Boxster interior is ideal for a roadster in my mind. It is true what they say: "Porsche, there is no substitute." Anyway that's my 2@s.

It was 12:30PM and I was ready to go pick up my new silver & black Z4 SI from Pace BMW. I made a last minute decision to try and find a good deal on a boxster.


I'm a happy man, but I know I would have been just as happy with the Z4.

Can't go wrong I guess?

wow was that Bimmer salesman pissed?

I use to own a BMW. Albeit a 318 but it was a great car. Never let me down. However, at no time did girls call me "papi" as I drove by or offered sexual favors like they do in the Porsche. No substitute.

thank you all for your thoughts... i'm going this weekend to take one for a spin. it was funny, i went to the dealer last night to get some literature on both cars... this dealer sells both BMW and Porsche... in the same building (BMW 1st floor, Porsche 2nd). it was funny listening to each sales person knock the others product.

Probably. But business is business. I'm sure they make plenty of $$ around here.


Oh here's a top gear vid of Z4M vs Boxster S

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItIUaSjGyYE

That U-Tube Video is a fantastic description and summary of the differences between the 2 cars. Thanks for posting that Bavarian Motorist.

The following point must have been made before but I haven't seen it anywhere so here it goes. The famous obsession about 50/50 weight distribution misses something about weight that I think (and feel) is more important. I am talking about the weight's distance from the car's center of gravity.

Consider two cars that weigh the same and have 50/50 front/rear axle weight distribution BUT the first one has ALL of its weight packed in the middle (i.e. AT the center of gravity) while the second car has half of its weight ahead of the front axle and the other half behind the rear axle (i.e. as far away as possible from the center of gravity). If you could balance each car on a sharp pole placed right under their centers of gravity, you could rotate the first one much easier (with much less force) than the second one. By the same token, you could stop the rotation of the first one with much less force than the second one. The explanation is high school physics and is expressed by rotational momentum and/ centripetal force (both proportional to -- among other things-- mass AND its distance from the center of rotation). Force just measures change of momentum per unit of time, i.e. is the first derivative of momentum (rotational, in this case).

The conclusion is that cars characterized by LOW rotational momentum (force) will turn easier, will have better control, and will be less prone to sliding (hint: the Boxster S, and most mid-engined cars). Cars characterized by HIGH rotational momentum (hint: Z4M, 911, Corvette, etc.) even when achieving 50/50 weight distribution will turn harder and when swung around their center of gravity (which happens every time you make a turn) will be much harder to stop rotating (straighten out). The increased force required to make them turn (rotate) and stop turning (straighten out) produces the instability (i.e. the "excitement" factor) and the sliding the Top Gear guy is talking about.

Personally, I'll take control any time.

Z.