Has anyone compared BMW M Roadster to the Boxster S?

[Lux]

Originally Posted by Rowag

The Z4 is considered to be on-par with the Boxster with regards to handling, and having driven one on multiple occasions I can say it is an absolute blast of a car to drive. The upcoming M version of that car will probably be disgustingly high-performance.

Hell no. Not even close. The only people that think that are delusional Z4 owners. The Z4 handles ok but lacks the "right now" feel of the Boxster. The upcoming MZ4 is still rumor at best. Those same "spy pics" have been floating around forever. Right now, there is upwards of $10K off in incentives on the Z4. Why would BMW come out with an even more expensive version of a lousy selling car?

As to the original question, the only thing the MZ3 has going for it is straight line speed. The S52 motor is about as quick as a 986 S and the S54 motor is a lot quicker with it's 320hp.

However, it handles like ****************. The suspension is from the 2nd previous generation (E30) 3 series. Try taking some bumpy corners at speed and see what happens. That alone should make the Z3 a non-contender.

And lastly, the Z3 is fugly. Seriously. It looks like crap compared to the Boxster. Why is this even a comparison? What exactly is better on the Z3???


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[Perfectlap]

yes I have seen some very modified Z3's (Dinan I think) at Autocross events and even those seem to sway like battleships. Along comes a BoxsterS and its sticking at all four corners like an open wheeler. The Z4 corners allot better than the Z3 (from a spectators point of view) but the demmand and resale isn't looking promising. I'm a fan of the styling of both paticularly the Z4 and M Coupe, very forward looking.
But not in the Boxster handling league. I doubt you'll find a better car for hand over hand steering than a Boxster which you really really really notice right away when you get out your Boxster and into another sportscar. Excellent for clipping those corner apexes.

[Push]

Well after takling to more owners of Boxster S's I'm leaning that way.

I can't really get an answer about that rear suspension "spookyness" on the Roadster and I won't want to, in a car I buy. Even BMW owners say the Boxster "S" has the upper hand in the control department. I like the increased power from the BMW and I think the BMW wins in the aggressive looks department while the Porsche looks great in a much more classy, refined way.

I guess it comes down to reliability and price. Is the Porsche more rock solid than the BMW and is the edge in handling and braking worth the extra 5k-7k {depending on the Coupe or Roadster}.

I'm also in Canada so add 20% to all prices. :ah:

[Brucelee]

"I guess it comes down to reliability and price. Is the Porsche more rock solid than the BMW and is the edge in handling and braking worth the extra 5k-7k {depending on the Coupe or Roadster}."

As someone who deals in both BMW and Porsche, I would not call either marque "rock solid" if you are talking reliability. You would have to hand that title to Toyota or Honda for sure.

Having said that, both the M and the Box will hold up very nicely IF TAKEN CARE OF! If you intend to race on or off track weekly, expect to have a repair budget similar to racing teams.

[Push]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

"I guess it comes down to reliability and price. Is the Porsche more rock solid than the BMW and is the edge in handling and braking worth the extra 5k-7k {depending on the Coupe or Roadster}."

As someone who deals in both BMW and Porsche, I would not call either marque "rock solid" if you are talking reliability. You would have to hand that title to Toyota or Honda for sure.

Having said that, both the M and the Box will hold up very nicely IF TAKEN CARE OF! If you intend to race on or off track weekly, expect to have a repair budget similar to racing teams.

Yes, I didn't think they were the "most" reliable of all cars, I was just comparing the two, thanks.

The car won't see a track and I will use it like I do any other car, so I don't think I'll run it into the ground.

[Rowag]

Actually, the front of the suspension on the Z3 is based off of the E36 (prior-gen 3 series), while the rear is from the E30 for space consumption reasons (the E36 rear setup would have resulted in the Z3 having a prohibitively-small trunk).

I agree, though - bumpy corners tend to upset the rear end a bit.

Originally Posted by Lux

However, it handles like ****************. The suspension is from the 2nd previous generation (E30) 3 series. Try taking some bumpy corners at speed and see what happens. That alone should make the Z3 a non-contender.
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[Lux]

An M3 cab is the worst of all worlds. It's a pig at what?...3800 lbs for the E46 and 3500 lbs for the E36? Handling will suffer as well as straight line speed.

The Boxster with its 2 trunks is actually damn practical.

If I had to pick a BMW roadster, I'd go with the Z4 before even the MZ3. At least the Z4's chassis is up to the task of being a roadster. The Z3 is a little loosey goosey.

Rowag,
You are correct on the suspension. Not that the E36 rear was that great. I've blown out more shock mounts and lower control arm bushings than the law allows. It was great when everything worked though.

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[Adam]

I agree with what you said about the M3 cabbie being a pig. It's good for boulavard cruising and that's about it. The only reason I suggested it was because it didn't sound like Push drove hard enough to realize the benefits of the Boxster...but he cleared that up.

[Richard Truss]

to read all these posts, you would think the reason we bought our boxster is because it fit our specific needs unlike any other car -- which i think we could all agree, in the price range for the boxster S (which i have) there are cars that are WAY faster, handle as good (or almost), are MUCH more practical, are FAR cheaper to maintain, are MUCH better on gas, are MUCH more comfortable -- the list goes on and on....

why did i buy my boxster S and never really gave ANY other car more than a passing thought? because -- to be blunt -- only a woman and a ferrari give me as much (or more) wood as a porsche. i love almost all porsches (save the 924). a porsche is a porsche -- and no merc, bimmer, Z06 or whatever will ever have the head-turning value and pure thrill of looking in and sitting in it as my boxster will.

the only drivers i envy are other porsche owners of my other favorite cars (968 and 993). bottom line is i love the handling, and i love the power, but those reasons came down the list for me -- it was all about looks, the badge, the heritage, and the car that everyone looks at. i have owned an E36 and a cherry impala SS (when they were actually rare) -- and im telling you, those cars never got any love from anyone. my porsche gets more attention that i would have ever imagined. but hey, its shallow -- but who am i fooling..... people love it for a reason -- a great car only a few of us are lucky enough to have. THATS why we buy these cars.

pardon the rant.

[Brucelee]

A man's relationship with his car is irrational!

Let the good times roll!