Which car?

mookiandco

We had the boxster. Absolutely loved it. Trying to think of bad points.......

Hintza

Hmmm this reminds me of an argument we had constantly at work 15 years ago......German or Italian. To me the German is always the safe choice but is taking the safe option the reason you would buy a car like this?

Personally I would not go for the Boxster but there again I enjoy being contrary. Is not just a Golf in disguise anyway?

Almost_Redundant

ok. Thanks for the replys so far. On a purely money related basis, would anyone care to put these cars in order as which is going to cost the most over the next few years. Take into consideration - depreciation and running costs (say 10k miles / year). cheers.

P.S recent stock market movements may have scuppered my plans (down £7K this week!!)

stumpjumper

biggest worry would be the masser... its a highly strung italian stalion...
it'll make you laugh, and it'll make you cry

jag/porsche - difficult - the german has the reputation for reliabilty, but heart would always go to the Jag

peterg1965

Just had a look on Jag website. Interestingly £24K buys a four year old XK convertible, there will be stacks of negotiating room in that price I would think and I would push for a two year warranty. It looks the part. But as stumpjumper says the German car may pip it for reliability and build.

joshm_2

I have a tiptronic Boxster (i.e. automatic) and yes, it's nice. In terms of driving, the Porsche is a true sports car and the Jag more of a cruiser in my opinion. My guess is that it's a lot heavier and won't handle the twisties nearly as well as the 'Box. There are lots of used Boxsters out there and I think it's a buyers' market for them at the moment, especially since the facelift.

Spare parts are probably cheaper for the Porker too since you can nip down German and Swedish or Euro Car Parts and get a specialist to fit them rather than a Porsche dealer (who will rob you blind by the way).

Regardless of its reliability, the Porsche is not perfect and expect it to be quite expensive if anything goes wrong. All that said, it's a fab car and will make you smile whenever you drive it. Get the right colour and options when you buy and selling it on shouldn't present a massive problem. The tiptronic box is great, by the way.

joshm_2

BTW, if you go for the Boxster get a post-2002 one if poss since it'll have a glass rear screen. The plastic ones crack when cold. Watch out for the condition of the alloy wheels, they tend to bubble and the wheel bolts rust easily. Purely cosmetic but not what you'd expect for a top-end motor. Tyres are expensive - Porsche have their own recommended 'N' fitment. I recently replaced all 4 and it set me back about £500 (and that was cheap). There are good forums and sites on the web that are a valuable source of info and will help you tackle any unscrupulous mechanic who tries to blind you with waffle about what needs putting right.

One more thing - a lot of manual Boxsters suffer from something known as "RMS" - rear main seal leakage. I think it's far less likely for a tip 'box to suffer form this, but check for drips/leaks at the engine/gearbox interface just to make sure. Even if it does leak a little, it's not necessarily a big deal.