Z4 or Boxster £5k

[Jez m]

I went Z4... been faultless (and ALOT of fun eversince!)

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[motco]

George111 said:

3ananaPie said:

That said, give the S2000 a test drive. It has one of the greatest engines ever

Raaaaiiiiight . . . put the crack pipe down The BMW 6's are probably the best engines at this price and the S2000 will never be the best engine at any price point.

The Z4 will be a great car for £5k, ideal for top down trips with the wife, bullet proof and cheap to run. The Boxster is better handling but not sure I'd fancy one at £5k. The S2000 is neither special, reliable, fast or fun, unless you like a boy racer exhaust note, bit chavvy.

...and the insurance group is very high in comparison with the Zs

[3ananaPie]

George111 said:

Raaaaiiiiight . . . put the crack pipe down The BMW 6's are probably the best engines at this price and the S2000 will never be the best engine at any price point.

The Z4 will be a great car for £5k, ideal for top down trips with the wife, bullet proof and cheap to run. The Boxster is better handling but not sure I'd fancy one at £5k. The S2000 is neither special, reliable, fast or fun, unless you like a boy racer exhaust note, bit chavvy.

The S54 is pretty special but the standard range is nowhere near. Whether you are trolling or at all serious, it is very tragic indeed.

[Don]

I have an MY03 Boxster S. It was a great car when I bought it new. It is a great car now.

1) You couldn't buy it for £5K. One you get for £5K will have been a bargain - possibly too much of one
2) Running costs are around £2K a year now, They were MUCH lower when it was new - but now stuff is wearing out and needs replacing. My last service was £1500. This WILL happen to you if you get one

The Z4 will be newer and consequently have fewer of the ageing problems of any car. It will be cheaper to fix (a bit).

Despite the fact that I am a long time owner of the Boxster and love it to bits I'm not sure I could recommend running one on a tight budget. I have £10K put aside for an engine rebuild should this be necessary. Whilst the chance of it happening is a few percent or less there's no warranty option on 12 year old car...

[daveco]

3ananaPie said:

George111 said:

Raaaaiiiiight . . . put the crack pipe down The BMW 6's are probably the best engines at this price and the S2000 will never be the best engine at any price point.

The Z4 will be a great car for £5k, ideal for top down trips with the wife, bullet proof and cheap to run. The Boxster is better handling but not sure I'd fancy one at £5k. The S2000 is neither special, reliable, fast or fun, unless you like a boy racer exhaust note, bit chavvy.

The S54 is pretty special but the standard range is nowhere near. Whether you are trolling or at all serious, it is very tragic indeed.

Granted the S2000 is a high revving high performance engine that outperforms everything BMW offers up to 2.5, however for all round usability, noise, economy, and performance the standard BMW 3.0 litre-6 has it licked.

[ess]

Can't comment on the Boxster but I ran a 2004 E85 3.0i prior to buying the Z4MC.
A very enjoyable 4 years.
The 3.0 engine really is superb and would even return 38-40mpg on motorway runs if easy on the loud pedal.
Ride is crashy on less than smooth roads (I never got round to replacing the run-flats) and rear springs tend to snap (aftermarket replacements should solve this)
Common faults on the earlier cars - drivers window relay, rain sensor adhesive failure, high level brake light cracking (a recall to replace fixings).
Electric steering a bit vague, but other than that would thoroughly recommend.

s

[k-ink]

Prof Prolapse said:

If you can't afford a decent Porsche you certainly can't afford a cheap one.

Very wise. This can be applied to pretty much any performance car. Ignore at your peril.

[k-ink]

CaptainSlow said:

Buy the MX5...you'll sleep easier, plus the image is the same for the others. All good cars though.

I agree, as MX5 would be great fun.

Also there really is no real image issue with any convertible. It is all in the minds of those who wish they could drive something interesting, but are forced to drive dull boxes. Get over the ridiculous mentality of sad numpties and drive whatever the hell you like. Besides there are a fair few forced induction MX5s out and about which would leave most cars for dead. For the price of a Boxster and a repair bill you could have a Z4M killer, if that is your thing.

[resigner]

Having owned an S2000 since new in 2007, you really really REALLY must go and drive one. It is bulletproof, with only 2 things causing a problem which are the TCT issue, which is a really easy fix and a friend of mine did it as he has access to a sandblaster for nothing, but should cost you £30 (google it) and of course the hood may get a small hole or two, but what softtop wont over time..... CV joints can also go, but it takes a long while and depends how the car has been driven. Other than that, a service costs £150 fixed price and tyres arent expensive at around £125 a go.

It has been an incredible car and I still have it as there is literally nothing I would want to replace it which offers an advance over how it rockets around short of spending £40k on a Gen 2 911 Carrera S convertible. Have driven 2 boxster S's recently on 07 plates and they are not better than my S2000, and even a Gen 2 Boxster S with the DFI engine doesn't offer an advance and would cost £25k plus.

As for an MX5, its a fine small sports car, but an S2000 is a totally different animal and a different league.

S2000 will run rings around a 2.7 boxster and pretty much any Z4. Oh, and the killer for a Z4 are the run flats. Wifes 330d convertible has them, and they destroy the ride, and burst if you show them a pothole!!! Awful decision by BMW to use them, note they now dont on new cars.....

So, Stretch to this S2000
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...

Get it for £6k and be safe in the knowledge that you wont spend 5k on it in a year. Really is a stunning car, at home driving around in traffic as its 'just' a 2 litre, but get the Vtec going and it rather changes character!

Happy for you to PM me if you want to hear more about S2000 ownership, you wont regret it!

Ian

[resigner]

daveco said:

Granted the S2000 is a high revving high performance engine that outperforms everything BMW offers up to 2.5, however for all round usability, noise, economy, and performance the standard BMW 3.0 litre-6 has it licked.

Total and utter rubbish. 3.0 Z4 0 to 60 5.7 seconds, S2000 0 to 60 is 6 seconds.

BMW, 31mpg, S2000, 28mpg.

licked, no.

Now, a BMW costs a fortune to service and keep going, the wifes is awful, but the killer are the run flats, they are truly horrific. Spoil the ride, destroy any feedback, and cost a fortune!

[Prof Prolapse]

The Z4 really is the quicker car on the roads mate. It's just more useable. I agree the runflats need binned, I really feel it's getting slating for it's ride here and that isn't accurate.

This is quite fun;
http://fastestlaps.com/comparisons/honda_s2000-vs-...

[resigner]

But with his wanting to spend £1k a year on servicing, an S2000 easily makes the most sense and if you know how to drive one (i.e. use the 9000 revs!!!) it really is an exceptional sports car. I suspect there is literally nothing between them......

[Asterix]

I'll also add my weight behind giving the S2000 a go.

I had one before the Cayman S. Great car with a world class engine.

Also, you won't find a better gearchange anywhere imho.

[3ananaPie]

Prof Prolapse said:

This is quite fun;
http://fastestlaps.com/comparisons/honda_s2000-vs-...

Suppose it would also depend on whether it was a pre or post facelift car, as those were noticeably faster around a track vs AP1 (according to BMI), mostly due to the suspension changes. Both great cars either way.

[Piersman2]

Welshbeef said:

£150 for front pads and discs you say?
Why on earth on Wheeler Sealers did Ed China skin all the discs to save money as they were 70% worn but worth skimming yet from these numbers its madness not to. It was a £1k Porsche Boxster too

PAGID Discs and pads set for front end, £150'ish from Eurocarparts, maybe £160 all in - as they had them in stock I could just go pick them up, 10 mins down the road. Online it's about £155 I believe from several places.

I'm going to do the rears at some point in the near future, they're about £150 as well... I just hope the caliper bolts aren't seized in either of the rear hubs like they were in one of the front hubs - hence the replacement front hub in the list.

Takes about 20 mins to change a side - if you don't have a stuck bolt!

[ShadowsB]

£5k purchase price
£1-2k a year in maintenance.

Seems most are suggesting S2000 or the Z4, not many votes for the Boxster at this price range..

I'm not really a fan of the S2000's styling and I'd probably rather save some cash and get an MX5 in that case.

For £5k, the Z4 does appear the best choice (£10k and up, Boxster.)

[Asterix]

Why not have a drive of a S2000 anyway. Just give it a go - you have nothing to lose.

Also, it's a very different car to the MX5. I'd never think of putting them in the same grouping.

[furtive]

With Boxsters someone in the know told me to avoid a 3.2 that's <2009 and a 2.7 that's <2007, which probably rules out any of the cheap ones

[Shenanigans]

Z4. Its incredibly easy to shift facelift bmw parts onto the non facelift. Includes M sport steering wheels, bumpers and lights. In theory you could make a 2004 z4 look like a 2008 model.

I use mine as a daily. 60miles a day roughly average 35mpg on the motorway. When I go for a hoon I average about 24mpg.

Things to watch for is the roof motor, especially in the later models. The rear diff can leak occasionally. Think its just a case of replacing the gasket.
Remove the run flats, transforms the ride and handling.

Have a look on the z4 forums, its very friendly community with god knows how may "how to" guides. From servicing your z to fitting cruise control.

[Prof Prolapse]

3ananaPie said:

Prof Prolapse said:

This is quite fun;
http://fastestlaps.com/comparisons/honda_s2000-vs-...

Suppose it would also depend on whether it was a pre or post facelift car, as those were noticeably faster around a track vs AP1 (according to BMI), mostly due to the suspension changes. Both great cars either way.

That is actually set for the AP-1 and 3.0i, quite a good wee website. Not convinced it's accurate in terms of lap times but good to know.

You could do the AP-2 and 3.0si if you wanted.