Cost to own

[Old Chuck]

I know I am covering old ground that most every new member covers but need to ask.

Am presently considering a 987, Z4M and Vette. The overall quality of the vette has me concerned and have put it on the back burner. Looking for any opinions ( I know what that means) on the overall cost to own between the 987 and the Z4M if anyone has been down that road before. Looking at new. My history is to keep a vehicle for ten years although it may be better with these to trade more often. Again, looking for any thoughts.

Have been trolling different Porsche boards and feel this one best fits what I am looking for. Have seen some great tech support but for now, looking to narrow down my decision.

[Topless]

Obviously these are both pretty new cars and new designs so any cost of ownership could only be a guess based on brand/type history. Porsche and BMW roadsters tend to be pretty close in terms of maintenance, repair, depreciation and insurance costs. This is my observation not long term personal experience.

All of us on this site have probably considered owning these three cars at some point. My two cents:

The Vette has really come a long way. Monster hp and torque, excellent track performance and good looks. On the downside it still has vague steering, stupid skip shifting manual trans., and it's still a chevy.

The Z4M is really a very nice car all around...looks great, handles great, goes like stink, but it's still no Porsche. No trunk space either. (I drove the Z4 a lot before buying a Porsche)

Both the Boxter and Cayman are really pretty amazing cars. Whether you choose the base or S model you'll get a driving experience that is second to none. Other cars are better drag racers, other cars go faster... nothing feels like a Porsche. Someone said while reviewing this car that "It feels like it was built by people who really knew what they were doing." I cannot describe it any better than that.

Check out this recent Road & Track comparison. http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?se...article_id=3823

Good luck with your decision.

Edited November 18, 2006 by Topless

[4agdtym]

I agree with Topless.

:soapbox:

I took my brother-in-law for a ride and then let him drive my Box. He was so jazzed he immediately looked at the market. I was dissapointed when he opted for the '05 vette. He said that it rated higher in the R&T review (mentioned above) and that he fit in it better. And when I think about it, it does fit his personality better - he is a champion bodybuilder; he didn't really fit well in the Box and his head loves the horsey in the vette. My Porsche friends agree that the vette has a good performance/value ratio. But they drive Porsche cars.

And..., when you look more closely at the R&T review, you will see that when price is not a factor, the Box wins. The saying "Nothing else even comes close" is how I feel about it.

The only real maintenace issues with the Box, for me, has been tires. Depending how you drive, and what you use the car for, you may have better tire life than I do (other Porsche friends have similar experience to mine). My experience, and what I've heard from others, is two sets of rear to one set of front tires. It is not unusual for a rear set to last less than 10k miles if it is used for hard/sport driving and/or for a periodic auto cross. Of course if something breaks, the European cars are more expesnive for parts. Porsche reliabiity seems to be very high when the early Box RMS and the early Cayenne electrical problems are factored out.

My last car was an Acura RSX typeS. Reliable, good gas mileage, fun to drive when the rpms were pushed, but it always felt a bit high strung on the road. It was not expensive to maintain and did way better on tires. However, it did not begin to compare with the Box. If I factor out tires, I think I'm paying about the same for maintenance. Insurance is $16 a month more.

For me, the Porsche wins hands down. Drive them all - then decide...

Edited November 16, 2006 by Badcow!

[mikefocke]

Can't really respond unless I know what is important to you in a car.

What is your body size/type? Some people fit better in one car than another.

How important is taking 12 bags of groceries home? Luggage for 2 for a week long trip? 2 Golf bags? A computer? Whatever else your lifestyle says you will need to transport?

How important is a convertible top? Cloth OK? Store it outside or inside?

How important is all out acceleration?

How important is handling? Where are you going to use that handling?

Stick or Auto-Manual? Buttons on the steering wheel?

How important is pre-defined maintenance expense (BMW's everything covered for 50k factor)?

What car's styling do you like? Which styling do you thing will last over the 5 or 10 year period you mention?

How does your significant other feel about such cars (I ask because my wife of 30+ years urged me to buy 2 Boxsters but doesn't like to ride in it ... she feels vulnerable).

Going to have to cope with winter? How?

Have access to another car/SUV/truck (I bought a CRV before the Boxster just for the winter and rainy days so I could run all out summer performance tires)?

How comfortable are you with the stereotype others attach to those owning each car?

All three are beautiful cars in some ways, not so good in others.

Enjoy your shopping...its fun to be able to consider such cars ... cars that 80-90% of the people will never be able to own.

[Old Chuck]

Thanks to all for helping me sort out some concerns. All were very helpful.

Mile Focke, thanks for your questions as they are all valid. I also appreciate your Porsche Boxster Web Pages. Things like this are invaluable to new folks.

I agree, it is what makes us smile. I am approaching 60 and have not had the means before to consider any of these cars but am looking forward to it. I do like the horsepower rush of the vette but am concerned about build quality after four or five years. Also the vette did not feel as tossable as I like although, when pushed hard they do perform with the best in a track setting. I do not intend to track the car. I fit into all roadsters fine and that is an advantage of being 5'6". This will be a toy as I have other vehicles. I am only considering a stick.

I will enjoy my search which, is part of the fun for me. I had not considered a Porsche before because of the cost and had heard that they were not too reliable but reading these sites proves that is not always true.

Do I need a Porsche? No. I am sure any of the cars considered will thrill me however, do I want one? Possibly.

Have driven the vette and the Z4M and enjoyed both. I did enjoy the Z4M better. After researching these posts, I may revisit the local Porsche dealership and take the test ride that I passed on the first trip.

Again, I do appreciate all the help on this forum.

Can't really respond unless I know what is important to you in a car.

What is your body size/type? Some people fit better in one car than another.

How important is taking 12 bags of groceries home? Luggage for 2 for a week long trip? 2 Golf bags? A computer? Whatever else your lifestyle says you will need to transport?

How important is a convertible top? Cloth OK? Store it outside or inside?

How important is all out acceleration?

How important is handling? Where are you going to use that handling?

Stick or Auto-Manual? Buttons on the steering wheel?

How important is pre-defined maintenance expense (BMW's everything covered for 50k factor)?

What car's styling do you like? Which styling do you thing will last over the 5 or 10 year period you mention?

How does your significant other feel about such cars (I ask because my wife of 30+ years urged me to buy 2 Boxsters but doesn't like to ride in it ... she feels vulnerable).

Going to have to cope with winter? How?

Have access to another car/SUV/truck (I bought a CRV before the Boxster just for the winter and rainy days so I could run all out summer performance tires)?

How comfortable are you with the stereotype others attach to those owning each car?

All three are beautiful cars in some ways, not so good in others.

Enjoy your shopping...its fun to be able to consider such cars ... cars that 80-90% of the people will never be able to own.

[jmatta]

Old Chuck,

I'm not that much younger than you and drive a long nose 911 for track purpose. However, I bought a Boxster S this past spring for a weekend fun car. I could have bought many other cars, but the Boxster is very special. I've driven Corvettes on the track on many occasions; they feel big and vague (the exception is the new Z06). The Bimmer is fun to "man-handle" (read drift), but nothing compares to the Boxster. Plain and simple, it just does everything better than the competition IMHO. Take that next test drive at the local P-Car dealer; you won't regret it, as I think you may with your other choices.