Buy 2008 Boxster S or 2014 BRZ limited?
 

$30k out to door 1 owner 2008 Boxster S 6MT with only 20k on it
or
$25k out to door 2014 BRZ Limited 6MT, 4k miles on it
or
Keep my MK6 GTI Autobahn Stage 1

Now, I've driven BRZ's before and I love it, but I never driven any Porsche. I know this is S model and has close to 300HP and weights 2,950lbs so it should be faster than the BRZ, but it is 6 years older and more expensive to buy and maintain. But it is a convertible too which I prefer, but it is not a deal breaker.

This will be my daily as well. Which one would you go with and some pros and cons?

Thanks

Get a Cayman :p

Thought about it, but they are more expensive, and I'd rather have a convertible :)

I was actually between a cayman and a BRZ also.

I went with the brz because i really couldn't get down with the interior of the cayman. In addition to that i would have a higher mileage car (40-60k) that ive never done it never done any kind of work on before so i really was not comfortable going into it. I still hope to get a Porsche in the future.

If you can live with the convertible and can get a boxer with relatively low mileage go for it. At this rate u can pick up a BRZ in a couple years for the price of a 92 honda civic

Depends on driving the Porsche and mostly your budget for maintenance/consumables. If you buy a Porsche you will pay Porsche prices for everything. If you don't have at least $5K disposable set aside for incidentals I highly suggest you prepay for an extended warranty if you can get one for the Porsche. I would have considered that car as an option too but probably better I didn't.
Price a replacement exhaust, brake job, etc and that's barely scratching the surface. Insurance too.
Don't get me wrong, I am sure its a really nice drivers car if you can live with it.

Boxster - I was between a 987.1 Cayman S and the BRZ. Chose the BRZ and don't really regret it, but that Porsche sure was nice. If you can swing a 987.2, definitely do that. Much nicer engine and updated interior.

That's ultimately what made my decision - the newer engines in the 987.2 were such a bonus over the 987.1's, but I didn't want to pay that much premium for the updated car. So, I bought a new BRZ with a warranty. 987.2s also don't have an intermediate shaft, so while the failure is very unlikely in a 987.1, it's impossible in the 987.2.

Oddly enough, insurance was actually less expensive for me on both a 997.1 and 987.1.

Right now my next sports car target (eventually) is a nice 997.2 Carrera S or a Z51 Stingray.

If for a DD then BRZ.
I was looking at a similar pair but the expense of operation and impracticality of the Boxter pushed it right off the radar when I discovered the FRS. Yes the Boxter was faster but as a DD I rarely get to drive the FRS much above 50% of it's capacity so figure why have a car I can only drive at 40% most of the time.
I have zero regrets going the way I did.

Or, if still happy with what you have why change at all right now. Save some cash fro a few more years and get a new Boxter or whatever else is nice at that point.

Yeah, there are so many pros with both cars that it is really hard to choose. I also wanted 987.2 DFI engine, but those were just too much money right now. I guess I will have to drive the Boxster to see if it's worth the premium.

I had the same experience with insurance as well, when I plugged in quote in my GEICO for Boxster vs BRZ, and Boxster came out cheaper.

I would guess Boxster would hold value better over the next few years?

It depends on what you want to drive and if you need any space inside and cost of maintenance. Since it's your daily you might be better off keeping the GTI or getting a BRZ.

I bought my BRZ when I still had a 2006 Cayman S. I loved the Cayman for different reasons then I love the BRZ. I replaced my Cayman with the new Golf R because the Cayman was out of its certified warranty. Maintenance can be a killer but Porsche's are great driving cars. You won't regret it. You might regret not having any inside room for anything.

I thought about keeping my GTI but I really want RWD and a manual. GTI (with DSG) is phenomenal car for the money with superior interior and quality, but overall car is not that exciting even with stage 1. It does everything really well, but it doesn't put a smile on my face as BRZ or even Miata did when I test drove those two.
And honeslty, I am getting little tired of turbo. Loved it at the beginning, but I grew out of it. There's that immediacy and raw feeling I love about NA engines.

Get the BRZ, seems like you answered your own question.

Totally different purpose cars:

1) BRZ/FR-S = Cheap, reliable, slow
2) Boxster S = Expensive, less reliable, fast

It all comes down to how good of a mechanic you are and how much money you make. All of us would pick "faster" if we could afford it.

The cars are NOTHING alike.

ND Miata or BRZ.

Buy 2008 Boxster S or 2014 BRZ limited?
 

Boxer cuz my friend has one lol.
Not fooling around thou, if you ask this questions that means you are not big into modding cars. If you are not gonna touch it, stock for stock is definitely boxer.

If i brought a Porsche, it will end up as a garage queen. So I brought a 86 and made it as a street whore.

Got rid of my Golf GTI for a BRZ and no regrets. My friend has a 986 Boxster and everything from parts to labor seems to cost 3 times as much as my old GTI. But if money is no object, stock for stock I would go with the Boxster.

Not "all of us" would pick faster.
I could easily have had the Boxster but like I said above, as a DD I only drive the FRS at 60% of it's capacity most of the time so no need having a Boxster to drive at 40%.
Anybody that is driving a FRS/BRZ at 100% of it's capacity all the time, on the streets, is gonna end up in jail or dead. This is why I can never grasp the whole non tracked, street only, DD, need for "more speed". Where do you guys get to drive the car on the streets that you need to go faster than stock or lightly modded can go? Oh, and nobody give me that "I can't pass a minivan" shit.
Now if I was looking for a track car...

I've owned all of those cars: mk6 GTI, FR-S, Boxster S.

My advice - if you can afford it go with a Boxster S, but 2009 or newer (987.2 generation). Porsche made significant improvements to the engines that year - deleted the IMS bearing for reliability, improved the RMS, better oiling generally. All of those things can prevent catastrophic engine failure.

If you're worried about whether you can afford the Porsche and you like convertibles, I'd take a look at the ND Miata in addition to the BRZ.

If convertible its a plus, get the s2000

Porsche: always the right choice.
I've owned both. They biggest difference for me was cost of ownership. Porsches are typically very reliable cars. But a DIY oil change on the 986 was something like $120 due to the volume of oil. Tires were 265s out back, so they were expensive. Brakes are huge so those were pricey. For me the cost difference mainly came down to consumables.
I loved that car, and hope to have a Cayman in the future. But at this point I have other financial goals, drive on tracks a lot and am concerned about the cost of consumables. Therefore, I drive a BRZ.

I've driven S2000 and it was at the top of my list. However, absolute deal breaker for me was the fact that you could not adjust steering wheel. No up/down or back/front. And no matter how I adjusted my seat, my left leg was hitting the bottom of the wheel every time I clutch. I am not that tall, maybe little over 6 feet. I do have long legs, but still.

Well money is always the object. I mean, both wife and I do well and are making close to 150k in both incomes and have no other debt except the mortgage which is less that $1,200 a month and have 7 years left to pay it off.
So I am able to afford even more expensive Porsche, but money will still be object trying to justify expensive purchase. It is slippery slope once you start going down the road of "which year or which model of Porsche should I get". You might start 986, then convince yourself that you need 987, then 987.2 and the next thing you know you are taking out another mortgage on a brand new 911 turbo. So I set my psychological (not financial) limit at around 30k, and will not go higher no matter what.

Two things that I already checked out and that will be almost the same cost or less than my current GTI are tires and insurance. Insurance for 2008 Porsche S is less than my GTI or BRZ.
Tires are almost exactly the same price as my current GTI (18's).

Oil changes are actually expensive. There's a great Porsche shop here in Louisville and they charge $135 which I can live with (dealer wanted close to $300)

I've driven NC Miata and I liked everything except two things: goofy front end (in my opinion) and acceleration. Now, when I test drove NC I had 300lbs salesman next to me so that might've affected performance little bit, but I could not find a gentle way to convey that to him so that he would let me drive it alone :)

Now, I agree, ND looks amazing. I don;t care about the numbers either, I would have to drive it, but that will have to wait until next year until dealers calm down with their markup prices. I know cars are not investment, but I don't want to drive out of lot with that Mazda and immediately lose $7,000

what facts do you have to backup the boxster being less reliable?

I will probably not mod any of these car a lot. I would definitely do few things to BRZ (tune, header, shifter bushing and trans oil change, maybe few cosmetic mods).
On, Boxter I am planning only new lighter wheels later on. Maybe a tune for better throttle response. That's it.

You still have options like aftermarket seats, its up to you. I mean if you like it you will try to make it happen

I liked BRZ better believe it or not. BRZ was lot sharper, more comfortable, better steering feel and steering wheel. I do prefer S2000 looks, shifter and clutch though.

There are so many variables but in the context of both cars costing approximately the same up front and being able to afford consumables for either car, I would go with the Porsche if I were using it more as a street car than a track toy/car that I would beat on. If I were using the car where I would be tracking it regularly, I'd probably stick with the FRS since I would be replacing things more often...

With that said, I do love my FRS.

I can't even get a 986 or 996 due to the narrow pedal box which make my driving position quite uncomfortable on long trips. I can only imagine the air cooled P-cars are even tighter inside.

987.2 would be the logical choice for me due to fit and reliability (no RMS), but yes you are right cost is always a primary factor.

BRZ made the most sense for me (cheaper to own and maintain than my MkV Golf GTI, lower driving position - my #1 concern, usable cargo space - foldable rear seats, much better handling with less weight - subjective, less issues thus far most likely attributed to less complexity - got lucky I guess, port injection - less carbon buildup issue than DI only setup, much much better fuel economy, solid roof with good headroom).

But driving a Boxster with that flat 6 engine note right behind the seat is quite intoxicating.

I've only done minor tuning with factory sports parts to my BRZ (fluids, brake pads, clutch, short shifter with heavier knob, minor suspension and chassis tuning, minor aero, lighter wheels and better street tires, sports exhaust) thus far and I really don't miss driving my friend's Boxster to be honest.

Yeah I can imagine dealer markup is crazy on the ND's right now.

If you didn't like the steering feel on the S2000, have you considered a Lotus Elise? You can buy them used for about $30k, they are open-top, and offer plenty of feedback through the steering wheel.

Yeah so far I'm leaning towards BRZ little bit, but the test drive will determine if Boxster S is worth the extra cost and worry :)

Yeah, I feel you about the carbon build up in GTI's is insanely overlooked.

Since this will be my daily, Elise is too stripped down, and also the front end looks little goofy like a PIXAR car lol.

From all that I read in this thread the BRZ is the car for you. I love the idea of a boxster/cayman but the cost of maintenance plus having that extra power to get me in more trouble wouldn't be worth the hassle unless you plan to use the extra power in a controlled environment.

I could never get over the general looks of the Elise and could never quite put my finger on why. I think you have nailed it!

If you can afford it and still live comfortably get the Porsche.

It truly is :)

http://www.pcwalls.net/download/pixa...er-800x600.jpghttp://i.ytimg.com/vi/0xQ3Qz03oIo/0.jpg

Let the test drive decide. Relatively speaking the newer generation Porsche's are pretty reliable and it sounds like you make enough money that if you got hit with a big maintenance bill you would be okay.

You just need to decide if you want to daily drive a convertible 12 months out of the year in Kentucky. The BRZ will be a lot more practical 12 months out of the year and has more room for stuff.

Pretty tough choice and I don't blame you. And how dare you guys make fun of the Elise :)

You're right, I have to take into consideration 12 months convertible in KY. We don't get bad winters here, but do get snow and ice once in a while.

Also, what many overlook is a car wash. I can't take the damn thing through a car wash (it says in their manual) so it is either: do it myself which would be about 2 hour job every week or every other week, or pay $100-$150 for detailing. It adds up, in ether cost or time.

I live in Minnesota so we can't even hand wash cars in the winter and only a couple places near me can operate once it is -20 and below.

I would say the test drive should be the deciding factor. If the Porsche just stands out to you then you can find a way to deal with the impracticality. If it is close get the BRZ. If you prefer the BRZ, get the BRZ :)

Resale and Porsche is a slippery slope. Obviously the previous gen Boxster had catastrophic engine issues so resale on those was horrible. But a 2 seater convertible is just going to be more limited in buyer appeal vs a 2+2 coupe. As Porsches age (unless they are sought after models) resale can be affected due to the cost of maintenance. It can scare people away.