Foxmod

Any views to be had on this

I like the look of both, not not had a drive yet, can anyone link to any good forums out there.........

OR any opinions from owners would be great

Many thanks

Dave

PS this is for the misses in the week and my toy at the weekend

RMA26

Bro has a Boxster S (05 reg) its quick, but personally i wouldn't have one

Flatcapdriver

A difficult choice as your head will err towards the Boxster and your heart towards the Beemer. Personally, I found the handling of the Boxster by far the better of the two which was let down by an inert engine that sounded a bit light weight. The cabin space was well laid out with direct steering and decent ergonomics, plenty of room and good head height but the dashboard wasn't to my liking. The Beemer is equally as good and something of a rarity these days as everything is so simple and you don't have to spend all day searching for the right button.

Handling

The Boxster is a very direct car to drive with plenty of grip and a suppleness to the ride which doesn't get distracted by pot holes or other imperfections in the road and the PASM system seems to get you out of most problems, although I didn't get the chance to turn the nannytronics off to see how much fun was to be had. It follows your eyeline round corners almost telepathically, coping with lifing off mid-corner and even braking without exhibiting any bad behaviour.

The Beemer is a different beast altogether, not being as glued to the road and definitely has more of an old school feel to it. To get the best you need to grab it by the scruff of the neck and give it some stick, usually best accomplished by turning the nannytronics off which is a simple flick of the switch and then the fun begins. It has a tendency to understeer initially which would be cured by putting some decent rubber on it but at least they've got rid of the RFTs. The slippy diff provides some fun on roundabouts and once you get used to it, some mild oversteer can be induced, although sometimes it can catch you out at which point simply turn the ASC back on to save yourself visiting the scenery.

Boxster S - 9/10
Z4M - 7/10

Engine

As I said earlier, the unit in the Boxster is underwhelming and the chassis is begging for more power but having said that it does shift but in a very understated way revving freely although the example I drove did feel like it had a very light flywheel with minimal engine braking. It doesn't even sound that nice, merely rasping from inside the car like a vaguely pissed off wasp.

The M54 unit in the Beemer is another matter entirely, coming from the M3 and sounding like it wants to walk up to the bar and punch someone's lights out - and that's as soon as you start it up. Initially, I didn't get the engine but now its been thrashed mercilessly for 7k it is a fantastic unit freely revving up to over 8k with plenty of low down grunt when you're feeling lazy or need it on the motorway. I can see why this engine has won so many awards as its one of the best engines I've come across.

Boxster S - 6/10
Z4M - 10/10

Brakes

Porsche has done a good job in this area with a nicely weighted linear feel to the system that avoids any grabbiness although I felt that there was some potential for brake fade if driven enthusiastically - not proven as the salesman was a bit of a wuss and wasn't keen on me thrashing it. I think, however, that there is an upgrade option which probably costs an arm and a leg but is probably money well spent.

The Beemer's brakes come straight off the CSL and feel like you're about to have an accident - theyr'e that abrupt. OK, not to everyone's taste but at least you know the car will pull up quickly! The ABS isn't overly enthusiastic either which is a bonus in modern cars - they work for me.

Boxster S - 8/10
Z4m - 9/10

Build Quality/VFM

There's not much to say about the Boxster S, other than to say that its so solid you know its going to be good for at least 100k. Paintwork is about as good as it gets, albeit with some orange peel here and there and the cabin and interior materials are of a good quality. However, on the VFM front I think Porsche are being way too ambitious with the pricing particularly when you hit the options list and its very easy to spec one of these into the late £40k bracket - too much for what it is.

Unfortunately, the Beemer suffers from its American origins with some of the interior detailing (mainly behind the scenes) being a bit cheap (the door handles aren't great - typical low rent Yank materials) although the dashboard area isn't tainted by this. Paintwork isn't quite as good as the Porsche but to my mind its far better value, which even with BMW's famously extravagant options list doesn't allow you to get too carried away.

Boxster S - 9/10
Z4m - 8/10

With either of these cars, you're on to a winner and as I said at the beginning its probably going to be a case of your heart falling for the Z4 and your head for the Boxster. For me the Beemer had so much more sould and character and reminds me of how a TVR should have been with plenty of performance which now and then reminds you of who's in charge with a wag of the tail - usually when you think you've mastered the thing and start believing you're a driving God! The engine sounds fantastic with the roof down too.

Having said that, I can understand why people flock towards the Porsche because it is a very good car and totally undeserved of the 'hairdressers label' that the great unwashed like to level at it - a really great handling car let down by an insipid engine and a tad expensive.

Obviously, I went for the Z4M which unusually for a BMW has the added bonus of being pretty exclusive and I've only seen a couple of others on the road in six months. Either way, you should be happy.

Good luck.

The Chief

Wow - ever thought of a job at EVO/Autocar???

Very surprised you said that about the engine note though. my buddies 2.5 howls when you give it some stick and makes the hairs on your neck stand up, although maybe because this is not a 3.2S.

Great write up btw

Flatcapdriver

Thanks, I've merely copied their style and don't really have the talent for journalism. I can't comment on the engine, other than to say it sounded a bit girly. Is your mate's Boxster one of the new ones?

One of my pet hates on this forum is the repetitive questions - at least this way I don't have to type it all out again.

The Chief

No my mates is an old 99 year, it does sound superb above 4k although being the 2.5 you do have to rev the knackers off it

billythekid

If the boxster is the latest 3.4 then I would go with that myself. A much better car IMHO.

The Z4 is brilliant but not quite the same as the 987, mainly due to the layout of the car TBH.

ScoobyJawa

Had the same choice last year looking at second hand cars.

For the same money the Z4 had lower mileage, lots more toys, nearly same performance and was 3 years younger.

I went with the Beemer.

Foxmod

Thanks all for the comments, looking at around £40K, so a ex demo Z4M "56" plate, or a "06" Boxster with less toys, and it would be the 3.2 model....

any more comments?

Flatcapdriver

There are heaps of ex-demo Z4Ms around for a lot less than £40k and they're fully loaded. I got mine for £38k and that was in September last year so I'd have thought a much better deal is available now.

The ex-demo models are usually red.

Obviously, you need to try both cars as you may prefer the Porker which if it comes down to it will be the pricier of the two. Let us know what you decide.

IwantAscoob

spend a bit more and get a used sl55 amg in black !

eldudereno

No manual gearbox, therefore from my point of view that totally ruins the driving experience.

ScoobyJawa

There's some bargain Z4M's around, some under 30k