Base Boxster vs. E46 330i ?

[B6T]

I had an E46 330ci in the past. It required a few bushings, a crank case vent valve, and a valve cover gasket. Nothing else really beyond that. The Boxster is a whole order of magnitude more expensive than the BMW was to keep going. Brake parts, suspension parts, etc all have the same life span and are much more expensive than the BMW. Once you factor in the preventative maintenance required for the M96 it only widens the gap.

If you pop an engine on an E46, you can find a replacement for a few hundred dollars. The same event in the Boxster, only made more likely because of the weaknesses of the M96, spells certain death for the car.

However, the two cars aren't really comparable anyway. The BMW has four seats, the Boxster has a convertible top.

My daily driver is a 2009 BMW 135 M-Sport, so in some ways comparable to the E46, but with its own separate purpose than the Boxster.

If the M96 wasn't such a steaming pile I think Boxsters would be much more valuable than they are now.