My imagination has failed me - where next from 986 Boxster S
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm hoping I can pick your collective brains here, as I'm starting to get bit of an itch for a new car, but cannot think of anything 'better' that what I currently have, without spending very large chunks of change.
I've had a 2001 Porsche Boxster S with 100k miles for nearly 2 years now. It's my only car (but my g/f has a 5 door car for when practicality is needed). I drove it every day to work and back - about 15 miles each way - until March last year, and now it's rarely used. I'm being told that at some point I will be back in the office, but it's likely to never be 5 days a week any more. Therefore my meagre practicality needs probably are lower than they ever have before. Prior to the Boxster, my 'interesting' cars included a BMW M5 (E39) - with it's 400bhp V8, manual gearbox and ability to shrink around you when you found a nice twisty road - and a Mazda RX8 PZ - 9000rpm of rotary bonkersness, amazing handling with shocking reliability and fuel consumption.
The Porsche seems to tick so many boxes for me, I struggle to move past it when thinking of what I might fancy next. It was cheap to buy (£5100), it's had completely rock solid reliability (passenger door lock sensor excepted - but every time I have turned the key, it has gone 'vroom', and got me to where I'm going ... again, a low bar, but one it's cleared with ease), it is fast enough, makes a great noise and handles really well. It's also a nice place to spend time, and despite the negative image connotations (non car people assume you are loaded and a prick, car people think you're too poor for a 911!
) I struggle to think of anything it does badly ... except for fitting in both my girlfriend and my dog (30kg GSD - so not huge, but not a small dog) at the same time - forcing us to take her snoozemobile anytime we're going anywhere with the dog.
At the moment my search criteria for a replacement are:
- Rear wheel drive
- Manual gearbox
- good handling/fun to drive
- reasonably quick
- Interesting engine/makes a nice noise
- Unlikely to cost me an arm and a leg keeping it going (says the man with a 986 on its original IMS bearing!)
- Ideally done the vast majority of its depreciating
Things that aren't really important to me are:
- Badge/image
- Body style (open to almost anything)
- Age - as long as it can meet the requirement of starting every time I turn the key
- Mileage - same as above
- Bluetooth/interior gadgets/connectivity malarkey
My budget is everywhere from shed up to about £20k. The problem is, the higher the budget goes, the higher my expectations go. I look at £20k cars and I think "Am I really going to enjoy this 4 times as much as the 986" ... and the answer is almost universally 'No'.
So far I've stayed pretty exclusively within the confines of my criteria above, and they throw up 986/987 Boxsters/Caymans, 911s, GT86s, NC MX5s, 370Zs & a plethora of different BMWs. I'm not against any of them ... it's just they struggle to beat the current car for £ per smile.
So, firstly - is there anything I've missed in my direct criteria that might float my boat enough to interest me? And secondly, if I were to flex my criteria - does that open up anything that might feel like it has a good enough £ per smile ratio to tempt me away from the Boxster?
Over to you guys for your suggestions.
I'm hoping I can pick your collective brains here, as I'm starting to get bit of an itch for a new car, but cannot think of anything 'better' that what I currently have, without spending very large chunks of change.
I've had a 2001 Porsche Boxster S with 100k miles for nearly 2 years now. It's my only car (but my g/f has a 5 door car for when practicality is needed). I drove it every day to work and back - about 15 miles each way - until March last year, and now it's rarely used. I'm being told that at some point I will be back in the office, but it's likely to never be 5 days a week any more. Therefore my meagre practicality needs probably are lower than they ever have before. Prior to the Boxster, my 'interesting' cars included a BMW M5 (E39) - with it's 400bhp V8, manual gearbox and ability to shrink around you when you found a nice twisty road - and a Mazda RX8 PZ - 9000rpm of rotary bonkersness, amazing handling with shocking reliability and fuel consumption.
The Porsche seems to tick so many boxes for me, I struggle to move past it when thinking of what I might fancy next. It was cheap to buy (£5100), it's had completely rock solid reliability (passenger door lock sensor excepted - but every time I have turned the key, it has gone 'vroom', and got me to where I'm going ... again, a low bar, but one it's cleared with ease), it is fast enough, makes a great noise and handles really well. It's also a nice place to spend time, and despite the negative image connotations (non car people assume you are loaded and a prick, car people think you're too poor for a 911!
) I struggle to think of anything it does badly ... except for fitting in both my girlfriend and my dog (30kg GSD - so not huge, but not a small dog) at the same time - forcing us to take her snoozemobile anytime we're going anywhere with the dog. At the moment my search criteria for a replacement are:
- Rear wheel drive
- Manual gearbox
- good handling/fun to drive
- reasonably quick
- Interesting engine/makes a nice noise
- Unlikely to cost me an arm and a leg keeping it going (says the man with a 986 on its original IMS bearing!)
- Ideally done the vast majority of its depreciating
Things that aren't really important to me are:
- Badge/image
- Body style (open to almost anything)
- Age - as long as it can meet the requirement of starting every time I turn the key
- Mileage - same as above
- Bluetooth/interior gadgets/connectivity malarkey
My budget is everywhere from shed up to about £20k. The problem is, the higher the budget goes, the higher my expectations go. I look at £20k cars and I think "Am I really going to enjoy this 4 times as much as the 986" ... and the answer is almost universally 'No'.
So far I've stayed pretty exclusively within the confines of my criteria above, and they throw up 986/987 Boxsters/Caymans, 911s, GT86s, NC MX5s, 370Zs & a plethora of different BMWs. I'm not against any of them ... it's just they struggle to beat the current car for £ per smile.
So, firstly - is there anything I've missed in my direct criteria that might float my boat enough to interest me? And secondly, if I were to flex my criteria - does that open up anything that might feel like it has a good enough £ per smile ratio to tempt me away from the Boxster?
Over to you guys for your suggestions.
Quite Frankly I fully understand your dilemma. I have a Boxster 981S that I have had nearly 6 years (I rarely keep cars more than 4-5 years), people ask me “what are you getting next” and there’s just nothing else I’d rather have.
The easy answer for you is a 987S or 981S, but the extra you get for the cost involved is probably not worth it for you.
The easy answer for you is a 987S or 981S, but the extra you get for the cost involved is probably not worth it for you.
Heathwood said:
How about something like a series 2 Elise 111R?
A solid suggestion. If they were a similar price to the 986, I'd be keen to give one a go to see how the comfort:handling balance feels when tipped more in favour of the latter. But I can envisage a scenario where I'm slogging up the motorway with the engine buzzing away and there being a fair bit of background noise, and I think to myself "I spent 3 times the price of my Boxster for THIS?". I think I could forgive the compromise if they were of similar value, but not when they're so far apart.Truckosaurus said:
A new Boxster or Cayman seems ideal.
Or a 911 which is similar but gives a back seat for the doggo.
But is 'new' any better? The 986 doesn't feel old (to me).Or a 911 which is similar but gives a back seat for the doggo.
And if a 911 was in the same sort of ballpark as the Boxster, then I'd completely agree ... but paying an extra £10k-£15k just to flip the engine round (obviously I massively oversimplify - but I'm sure you all get the point) and give the dog somewhere to sit seems a little ridiculous.
Jazzer77 said:
I cant see anything at £20k matching what you've got out of the Boxster.
Would a Merc SL make you smile everytime you turn the key?
6 cylinder Z4 or Z4M perhaps.
A Merc SL wouldn't ... I'm probably about 20 years too young for one! Would a Merc SL make you smile everytime you turn the key?
6 cylinder Z4 or Z4M perhaps.
The comfort:handling balance is tilted too far in the comfort direction for my liking.I've considered a Z4 or Z4m, and I'm sure they're great engines, but again have such a price discrepancy to the Boxster that I struggle to justify the fact they probably won't handle as sweetly, and make up for it with a bit of brute force from the engine. Which is absolutely fine when both are at a similar price point ...
HaydenS2k said:
Why not get the missus a more exciting car?
I'm sure you could do that for a lot less than £20k. You'd be able to enjoy it more of the time and still have a Porsche for weekend b road blasts
You know ... that really isn't a bad shout. I'm sure you could do that for a lot less than £20k. You'd be able to enjoy it more of the time and still have a Porsche for weekend b road blasts
I'd been toying with the idea of getting myself a second car (maybe a Jag XF for about £6-7k) ... but having done barely 1500 miles in the Porsche in the last 12 months, getting a second car seemed a little ridiculous for so little mileage.
But getting the missus something she likes but is also a little more peppy (she likes her hot hatches, I could see a Mk2 Focus ST or similar going down well) might help things out.
Food for thought there - thank you.
TVR Chimaera?
It meets all of your criteria, I think, and you can get a good one for a decent chunk below your 20k maximum budget, and certainly will bring a lot of £ per smile.
Though noting your comment on the Elise above, they are obviously going to be a lot less civilised / modern / well built than your 986.
It meets all of your criteria, I think, and you can get a good one for a decent chunk below your 20k maximum budget, and certainly will bring a lot of £ per smile.
Though noting your comment on the Elise above, they are obviously going to be a lot less civilised / modern / well built than your 986.
I was in a similar position a few years ago when I had my 986 but don’t regret selling it at all. The 986 handles superbly but it also has flaws. The interior felt cheap and plasticky and I had to do the stupid “chop” every time I put the roof down.
Anyway I have had a few cars since then and even though none handled as nicely I thought they were far better cars. My money would go on a Z4m coupe. I had the non m version and loved it. It was a far better place to be than the 986 99% of the time.
Anyway I have had a few cars since then and even though none handled as nicely I thought they were far better cars. My money would go on a Z4m coupe. I had the non m version and loved it. It was a far better place to be than the 986 99% of the time.
Rotary Potato said:
Hi all,
I'm hoping I can pick your collective brains here, as I'm starting to get bit of an itch for a new car, but cannot think of anything 'better' that what I currently have, without spending very large chunks of change.
I've had a 2001 Porsche Boxster S with 100k miles for nearly 2 years now. It's my only car (but my g/f has a 5 door car for when practicality is needed). I drove it every day to work and back - about 15 miles each way - until March last year, and now it's rarely used. I'm being told that at some point I will be back in the office, but it's likely to never be 5 days a week any more. Therefore my meagre practicality needs probably are lower than they ever have before. Prior to the Boxster, my 'interesting' cars included a BMW M5 (E39) - with it's 400bhp V8, manual gearbox and ability to shrink around you when you found a nice twisty road - and a Mazda RX8 PZ - 9000rpm of rotary bonkersness, amazing handling with shocking reliability and fuel consumption.
The Porsche seems to tick so many boxes for me, I struggle to move past it when thinking of what I might fancy next. It was cheap to buy (£5100), it's had completely rock solid reliability (passenger door lock sensor excepted - but every time I have turned the key, it has gone 'vroom', and got me to where I'm going ... again, a low bar, but one it's cleared with ease), it is fast enough, makes a great noise and handles really well. It's also a nice place to spend time, and despite the negative image connotations (non car people assume you are loaded and a prick, car people think you're too poor for a 911! ) I struggle to think of anything it does badly ... except for fitting in both my girlfriend and my dog (30kg GSD - so not huge, but not a small dog) at the same time - forcing us to take her snoozemobile anytime we're going anywhere with the dog.
At the moment my search criteria for a replacement are:
- Rear wheel drive
- Manual gearbox
- good handling/fun to drive
- reasonably quick
- Interesting engine/makes a nice noise
- Unlikely to cost me an arm and a leg keeping it going (says the man with a 986 on its original IMS bearing!)
- Ideally done the vast majority of its depreciating
Things that aren't really important to me are:
- Badge/image
- Body style (open to almost anything)
- Age - as long as it can meet the requirement of starting every time I turn the key
- Mileage - same as above
- Bluetooth/interior gadgets/connectivity malarkey
My budget is everywhere from shed up to about £20k. The problem is, the higher the budget goes, the higher my expectations go. I look at £20k cars and I think "Am I really going to enjoy this 4 times as much as the 986" ... and the answer is almost universally 'No'.
So far I've stayed pretty exclusively within the confines of my criteria above, and they throw up 986/987 Boxsters/Caymans, 911s, GT86s, NC MX5s, 370Zs & a plethora of different BMWs. I'm not against any of them ... it's just they struggle to beat the current car for £ per smile.
So, firstly - is there anything I've missed in my direct criteria that might float my boat enough to interest me? And secondly, if I were to flex my criteria - does that open up anything that might feel like it has a good enough £ per smile ratio to tempt me away from the Boxster?
Over to you guys for your suggestions.
Keep the Boxster give it some TLC on the suspension front, then start using your powers of persuasion & get the girlfriend to buy something more interesting that'll accomodate the 3 of you. I'm hoping I can pick your collective brains here, as I'm starting to get bit of an itch for a new car, but cannot think of anything 'better' that what I currently have, without spending very large chunks of change.
I've had a 2001 Porsche Boxster S with 100k miles for nearly 2 years now. It's my only car (but my g/f has a 5 door car for when practicality is needed). I drove it every day to work and back - about 15 miles each way - until March last year, and now it's rarely used. I'm being told that at some point I will be back in the office, but it's likely to never be 5 days a week any more. Therefore my meagre practicality needs probably are lower than they ever have before. Prior to the Boxster, my 'interesting' cars included a BMW M5 (E39) - with it's 400bhp V8, manual gearbox and ability to shrink around you when you found a nice twisty road - and a Mazda RX8 PZ - 9000rpm of rotary bonkersness, amazing handling with shocking reliability and fuel consumption.
The Porsche seems to tick so many boxes for me, I struggle to move past it when thinking of what I might fancy next. It was cheap to buy (£5100), it's had completely rock solid reliability (passenger door lock sensor excepted - but every time I have turned the key, it has gone 'vroom', and got me to where I'm going ... again, a low bar, but one it's cleared with ease), it is fast enough, makes a great noise and handles really well. It's also a nice place to spend time, and despite the negative image connotations (non car people assume you are loaded and a prick, car people think you're too poor for a 911!
) I struggle to think of anything it does badly ... except for fitting in both my girlfriend and my dog (30kg GSD - so not huge, but not a small dog) at the same time - forcing us to take her snoozemobile anytime we're going anywhere with the dog. At the moment my search criteria for a replacement are:
- Rear wheel drive
- Manual gearbox
- good handling/fun to drive
- reasonably quick
- Interesting engine/makes a nice noise
- Unlikely to cost me an arm and a leg keeping it going (says the man with a 986 on its original IMS bearing!)
- Ideally done the vast majority of its depreciating
Things that aren't really important to me are:
- Badge/image
- Body style (open to almost anything)
- Age - as long as it can meet the requirement of starting every time I turn the key
- Mileage - same as above
- Bluetooth/interior gadgets/connectivity malarkey
My budget is everywhere from shed up to about £20k. The problem is, the higher the budget goes, the higher my expectations go. I look at £20k cars and I think "Am I really going to enjoy this 4 times as much as the 986" ... and the answer is almost universally 'No'.
So far I've stayed pretty exclusively within the confines of my criteria above, and they throw up 986/987 Boxsters/Caymans, 911s, GT86s, NC MX5s, 370Zs & a plethora of different BMWs. I'm not against any of them ... it's just they struggle to beat the current car for £ per smile.
So, firstly - is there anything I've missed in my direct criteria that might float my boat enough to interest me? And secondly, if I were to flex my criteria - does that open up anything that might feel like it has a good enough £ per smile ratio to tempt me away from the Boxster?
Over to you guys for your suggestions.
Failing that get yourself a 370Z Nismo:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009093...
Then start using your power of persuasion on the girlfriend so she gets something more interesting
Edited by ZX10R NIN on Wednesday 2nd June 18:44
Cascade360 said:
TVR Chimaera?
It meets all of your criteria, I think, and you can get a good one for a decent chunk below your 20k maximum budget, and certainly will bring a lot of £ per smile.
Though noting your comment on the Elise above, they are obviously going to be a lot less civilised / modern / well built than your 986.
It really will bore you. It's not quick, has a very old inefficient engine struggling to get to 200bhp. And they are nearly all driven by men in their 60s having a crisis.It meets all of your criteria, I think, and you can get a good one for a decent chunk below your 20k maximum budget, and certainly will bring a lot of £ per smile.
Though noting your comment on the Elise above, they are obviously going to be a lot less civilised / modern / well built than your 986.
The obvious answer here is MX5. Cheap, loads of parts availability and loads of tuning options.
Have you read the Nissan 370Z GT thread?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Makes me want to try one!!
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Makes me want to try one!!
Similar scenario, although actually sold my 987.2 3.4S late last year.
Purchased a Mk1 mx5 as we had one 20 years ago and thought it would be great to relive that. It really wasn’t. Slow, basic, rusty - have just sold it after less than 6 months and now in the same boat as you with similar budget.
I’d love a Bentley GT which I could pick up for less than 20k, but running costs are reportedly horrendous, and i end up going around in circles. I’d prefer a convertible so I keep ending up back at a 987.1 2.7 for around 12k - can’t think of much else that does everything, with the badge for similar money.
Purchased a Mk1 mx5 as we had one 20 years ago and thought it would be great to relive that. It really wasn’t. Slow, basic, rusty - have just sold it after less than 6 months and now in the same boat as you with similar budget.
I’d love a Bentley GT which I could pick up for less than 20k, but running costs are reportedly horrendous, and i end up going around in circles. I’d prefer a convertible so I keep ending up back at a 987.1 2.7 for around 12k - can’t think of much else that does everything, with the badge for similar money.
mattman said:
Similar scenario, although actually sold my 987.2 3.4S late last year.
Purchased a Mk1 mx5 as we had one 20 years ago and thought it would be great to relive that. It really wasn’t. Slow, basic, rusty - have just sold it after less than 6 months and now in the same boat as you with similar budget.
I’d love a Bentley GT which I could pick up for less than 20k, but running costs are reportedly horrendous, and i end up going around in circles. I’d prefer a convertible so I keep ending up back at a 987.1 2.7 for around 12k - can’t think of much else that does everything, with the badge for similar money.
If you like the Bentley but don't fancy the potential astronomical borkage, maybe the SL55:Purchased a Mk1 mx5 as we had one 20 years ago and thought it would be great to relive that. It really wasn’t. Slow, basic, rusty - have just sold it after less than 6 months and now in the same boat as you with similar budget.
I’d love a Bentley GT which I could pick up for less than 20k, but running costs are reportedly horrendous, and i end up going around in circles. I’d prefer a convertible so I keep ending up back at a 987.1 2.7 for around 12k - can’t think of much else that does everything, with the badge for similar money.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106013...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105253...
Or CL500 are both great GT alternatives:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007271...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202103190...
Tyre Smoke said:
Cascade360 said:
TVR Chimaera?
It meets all of your criteria, I think, and you can get a good one for a decent chunk below your 20k maximum budget, and certainly will bring a lot of £ per smile.
Though noting your comment on the Elise above, they are obviously going to be a lot less civilised / modern / well built than your 986.
It really will bore you. It's not quick, has a very old inefficient engine struggling to get to 200bhp. And they are nearly all driven by men in their 60s having a crisis.It meets all of your criteria, I think, and you can get a good one for a decent chunk below your 20k maximum budget, and certainly will bring a lot of £ per smile.
Though noting your comment on the Elise above, they are obviously going to be a lot less civilised / modern / well built than your 986.
The obvious answer here is MX5. Cheap, loads of parts availability and loads of tuning options.
@OP, I didn't think of a Chim from your criteria, but it might be an interesting left-field choice, especially if you'r interested in the car as a hobby, improving it and moulding it to your tastes as you go along. Dog might fit on the back shelf, lol... it definitely won't bore you!
Also Mustang, Camaro, Corvette (?), Monaro...
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