Base Porsche Boxster vs 370Z
 

So my 911 is in the shop for running over a piece of debris (not sure exactly what it was) on the freeway (was kicked up and shot back by another car). The front bumper was very lightly damaged, but I heard whatever it was bouncing underneath the car before exiting out the back. The car still drove perfectly, but the body shop quoted 14k in damages! (Which of course insurance is paying for). Oh and there is no engine damage, just panels, condenser, and other random things. Anyways, I use a high end insurance company that's hands out pretty good rental cars, and in my case I got a 2013 Boxster with only 150 miles!

This was a bones base Boxster, so msrp must have been in the low 50's, which does not include MANY of the must have options.

Interior:
The craftsmanship of the car felt great, which is to be expected. It should come to no surprise that the it beats the interior of the Z, but for that money it better.. The seats are comfy yet supportive, dials look great and the right dial has a very useful screen that can display anything that the main nav screen can. The material of the wall behind the seats is cheap though. I would much prefer the inexpensive pleather material over the trunk surface material it uses. Top opens and closes quickly, but there is a a very slight wind noise where the glass meets the roof wheat he top is closed. I would have expected there to be none.

Engine:
No one should be worried about Nissan downsizing the next Z's engine. The small 2.7L engine in this car was SO fun and had so much life to it! It may have been a combination of the PDK transmission or the low weight of the car, but it felt just right. It may not be as strong as our 3.7L, but it was just as enjoyable. This car should be the poster car for 'hp isn't everything'. I hope Nissan uses a smaller 6 cylinder instead of a turbo 4.

Suspension:
Everyone raves about this car's handling power, but honestly it not that good over 65. Don't get me wrong, under 65 it's amazing, no brake dive, no roll, great feedback. It's perfect under 65. But anything over that and the suspension becomes very upset and start bouncing around. Maybe if it was equipped with the amazing PASM suspension system Porsche offers, this would be a different story, but it wasn't. I honestly did not feel safe taking fast turns in this car, or even go fast in a straight (bumpy) line. The Z feels a lot more planted at higher speeds (especially with a cheap sway bar upgrade). It is more comfortable than the Z over bumps though (although I have not tried the new European suspension on the '13's).


After you get a couple options, you'll be in M3 price range, and for the price I'd much rather get an M3 coupe / M4. The car doesn't really excel in anything particular. It's not crazy luxurious. It's not amazing performance wise. It is just fun and enjoyable, but for a little too much money. And I feel manly when I drive the Z (and I'm not talking about the teenage girl with rich father stereotype that the Boxster has - I'm talking about the aggressive nature of the Z compared to the dainty nature of the Boxster). It's a great car but the driving feel is not worth the money, whereas the 370Z IS WORTH EVERY PENNY. Honestly if they took off the Porsche badge (which does come with the amazing Porsche engineering) and degraded the interior a bit, this would compete with a BRZ turbo.

Bottom line, I don't think people should upgrade from a Z to a base Boxster or cayman, and for the money I'd rather get the new M4 when it comes out.

Edit: I just configured a base Boxster with my must have options, and it topped over 64K without the PDK.

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Oh I forgot to talk about the transmission. One of the best features of any PDK equipped Porsche. The system is just insanely amazing. Low speeds, high speeds, it's all amazing. Except it does have the occasional low speed shift clanky noises (yet you can't feel them) that my 911 doesn't have.

When upshifting, there is a cool sound that sounds similar to a large pressure change (think BOV without the whistles..). Whatever it is it sounds cool, and the shifts are lightening fast. A good transmission is a big deal in my opinion, which I'm afraid to admit the Z does not have. I hope the next gen Z implements a GOOD dual clutch system as an option. But in a roadster, I'd rather get a MT.

Nice review. I like the new Boxster. Would love to test an S.

Thanks Steve!
As would I. And I would get a loaded Cayman S or a Cayman R / Boxster spyder over a base 911 for sure.

Thanks, nice write up. One thing the Porsche does have going for it is no retarded silver gauge! LOL

Does it still come with the Butt Hole single center exhaust tip ?

I'm still pretty amazed at your insurance company.

Thanks man! Nice write up.:tup: Now I sort of having an idea how the Boxster drives like. I do like the new look of the Boxster.

On another note, 14K to fix the front bumper! That's a GTM turbo kit for me!:icon17: I am glad you have a high end insurance company coves it.:tup:

im sure there are others wondering too... what insurance do you have and how much do you pay?

personally having test driven a 2013 Z i can tell you for sure both the suspension and the transmission have been redone completely, the midnight blue one i test drove went through the gears like butter and going over the same bumps in the freeway that i used to do with my 2011 was worlds different, the new european spec suspension definitely soaks up the bumps alot better than the previous model years suspension setup and also on top of that the 13 interior has become nitceably quieter compared with previous years.

Great review! I got the chance to sit in the base model boxster at the 2012 LA auto show and have to say the quality and feel of the interior was unexpected especially coming from a base model with minimal options. It felt right on par with some of the more expensive Porsches I've been in. I am a Porsche enthusiast myself and was contemplating a preowned boxter s /cayman s for my new DD but have come to my senses that in this point in my life, I'm looking for a car with minimal owning expense while still having that sporty look and power which as you mentioned the 370z meets as far as bang for buck goes.

Haha seriously I know! Reading the long repair list and I'm like, uh what? Why?? But it makes me happy knowing that the body shop is really putting the full 100% job in to make the car as good as new. I'm going to get a walk around the car to show exactly what they're replacing just because I'm curious, so we'll see what I learn from that.

YES! Ugh I hate it. Anyone who leaves their exhaust like that has to have some sort of fetishes..

That's good to hear! Honestly if they spruced up the '13 Nismo interior a bit, I would have a hard time choosing between that and a cayman if they were the same price.



Oh I am with Chartis. I love them. They REALLY make sure the body shop you go to takes good care of you and your car. But I'm a private client with them so its a bit different than the regular policies.

The 981 has different steering, which some say has slightly less feel (I have yet to drive a 981). The 987 Boxster/Cayman is phenomenal in steering feel. Doesn't imply the Z is bad: just the Porsche is a notch above and you would expect it to be given the price delta.

What the 981 does have is a more modern interior: porsche has kept the same basic car for over 30 years: they are not interior trend setters :)

I appreciate both cars for what they are but put a gun to my head and say you can only keep one...the Z goes, the base 987 Cayman stays.

- b

Great review, my father-in-law would hate it. It doesn't sound enough like a base boxster will kick Z azz. lol He bought a decade old Boxster and comes at me like his car is so amazingly fast. (insinuating my car can't compete) I just don't say anything. But he always seems to find a way to make some indirect comment about his 2003 porsche boxster automatic (pre-PDK).

Car and Driver have zero issues with the base Boxster or its suspension. Ive driven them here at speed and one of my best German friends has one. Its not known here as in-capable at speeds over 100kmph or 65mph. Strange you had such an issue...

2013 Porsche Boxster Manual Test - Review - Car and Driver

---To see if our price/value thesis holds up, we tested the cheapest Boxster that Porsche had in its press fleet, a fairly stripped unit with the six-speed manual gearbox and the 2.7-liter horizontally opposed six making 265 horsepower and 206 pound-feet of torque. We did in no way miss the Yachting Blue seatbelts ($340), contrasting stitching on the steering wheel ($1025), or leather air vents ($1190) that can drive even the base Boxster deep into the pricing gap left open by the newly six-figure 911. From a starting price of $50,450, our car had only the barest of essentials—Agate/Amber two-tone leather ($640), nearly as attractive and upscale as the full-leather interior; the Premium package ($4360), including bixenon headlamps, a wind deflector, and heated and perfectly bolstered sports seats; the Infotainment package ($3860); plus some other junk like Porsche Torque Vectoring ($1320), which does something or other to brake the inside rear wheel to help the car knife through corners, and just might be more valuable than leather air vents. Grand total: $66,100. As we said, cheap.

*****The price is in no way justified by the numbers, except for two: ****1.01 g of cornering ability and a 70-to-0 stopping distance of just 145 feet. Those capabilities are GT3-esque. Otherwise, the critical performance figures are unimpressive: 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds, the quarter-mile in 14.0 seconds at 103 mph. Since the purpose of this story is to provide you with an instrumented test of the Boxster, we should act as if those numbers matter. But rarely have acceleration times been such a poor indicator of total performance. A last-generation Accord V-6 coupe will do the sprint nearly as quickly, and run the quarter in the same ballpark. But, good as it is, does an Accord coupe’s body right itself so instantaneously out of turns? Does its clutch pedal tell you exactly how and when to release its pressure? Is its engine’s torque this insistent? Do its brakes feel five times as powerful as its engine? Does it barely shrug its shoulders over imperfect pavement? Does it steer this well? These are rhetorical questions.

If there is a Porsche “thing,” what’s above are its core attributes. That this Porsche thing is now more completely palpable in the Boxster than almost anywhere else in the range, well, that’s a victory for the little guy—provided he has the cash. Whatever price you may put on joy, this car is cheaper than that. The Boxster is pure joy.----

The Boxster that they reviewed was equipped with the essential PASM suspension system, so the feeling I had with the non adaptive / no air suspension was very different from their better equipped car. If I could only choose one option it would be PASM, and its not even that expensive in the grand scheme of things.

And I agree, the steering feel is amazing, even with the new electric setup. It is every bit as good as the hydraulic one they had on previous generations.

The car will not cease to make me smile when I drive it, it is a world of fun and is driven by quality parts. Pretty much the only complaints I have is the non-PASM equipped suspension, and the price. Brakes are great, the engine is so enjoyable even though its not the fastest thing, sounds pretty cool, the transmission (even the MT) is to die for, and I love the nimbleness of the car.
I did observe this weird combination of understeer / oversteer closer to the limit, which was a cool, controllable feeling. Hard to explain but it was like the center was being pulled outside of the turn but you could still steer it 100%.

Oh and it's very easy to get to the limit of this car. And I'm saying that in a VERY good way because its controllable at the limit.

Edit: oh and that car and driver Boxster, doesn't seem to mention it has PASM, but it does (I see the button for it on the center counsel) as well as PTV. Both of those systems help out a lot!

And and I think it might be worth to say that I am seriously considering trading in my Z for a Boxster spyder or cayman r (maybe lightly used) when they come out. But that will be far down the road. Damnit come to think of it I will need an SUV at that point in my life.. :mad:

:icon18: I like how your thread has come full circle!
Life's a bitch and then you marry one.............:rofl2:

Thanks for the review. I'm actually planning on trading the Z for a base Boxster in a few months. I have to agree with you, although its a less powerful car, its such a blast to drive. The PASM option is nice, but I'm considering the sport suspension, and coupled with the sport exhaust, it should make one heck of a fun car to drive.

Oh yes yes I saw that option! That coupled with the PSE will make for one hell of a car. I put my jacket and gloves on and went for a long drive today with the top down. Wow I'm seriously starting to fall in love with this car and really appreciate what it can do.

That one part in my review saying I don't think ppl should trade in their Z for a base Boxster, well I seriously take that back. There is something about a mid engine roadster that makes for a magnificent car.

Are you getting the MT?

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Being slowed down by a Prius gave me a chance to take a driving pic. Scenic twisty roads in a roadster is what driving is all about.

i dont know, i'd still probably take the Z over the boxster just for the fact that maintenance is relatively cheap compared to the boxster. one other option im considering also is a used corvette C6 Z06 which are also becoming pretty cheap these days.

You know you're going to get it, don't pretend you're thinking about it still; Mulholland Drive?

That was the initial plan, but I'm seriously considering the PDK.

That Prius is STOMPING you! j/k. nice car!

Ah I wish it was Mulholland drive. This was around northern San Diego. I'm going to so a road trip up there when my 911 gets fixed.
And Porsche over GM!

op- i dont know why you are coming back to tell us comparisons about a boxster and 370Z.

i have a 370Z cause i wanted the Z. i dont really care about a boxster (or a cayman) or m3.

Lol! They really have becoming a problem lately!

And elmz, you won't be disappointed. Gone are the days that MT is the only fun way to drive. These new DCT's (especially Porsche) are the best thing since sliced bread. Oh and at least for the new 911's, they have a synchro rev match system like on our Z's.

The cost of maintenance isn't that much more. If we follow the factory recommended oil changes, the Z is every 3,750 miles and the Boxster is 10k/1 yr. Nissan charges around $100 for oil changes and Porsche around $300, so its pretty comparable. And both use sticky summer tires and I'm sure pads and rotors are comparable as well, so really, it's not much of a difference.

Sorry to offend you?
A large part of this post was reaffirming that the Z is an amazing car as well as being better than the Boxster in many ways, and provides a feel that you pay for, much like how you pay for the feel of a Boxster. Idk about you but I like reading positive things like that about my car, especially when being compared to more expensive cars. If you don't care about the Boxster then there is no need to click on this thread.

But to answer your question kenchan I posted this thread because I felt like comparing the two similar cars. Either read it or leave it.

"Maintenance" really isnt an issue with Porsches. Much of which can be done yourself. When it really hits you is when it comes to repair. That was another factor that kept me from choosing a preowned cayman/boxster as my dd. Despite a few minor electrical gremlins, many had been reported to have weak crank shaft bearings and what a mess can be made when one fails. I've owned a few Porsches and have dropped tens of thousands of dollars on a single car alone just on repair. Little things go wrong here and there and end up costing you an arm and a leg at $150+/hr in labor not to mention the price of parts. Dont get me wrong, what a joy they are to drive! As far as I'm concerned, pull out the steering lock fuse and the Z is bullet proof. Ultimately, the Z will have a much lower cost to own than most all Porsches.

^True. I've read up on the IMS issues on earlier Boxsters and the cost of a Prosche engine isn't cheap.

:ohsnap1:

These days being slowed by a Prius is just about a daily occurrence.

Nice write up.

370z > Boxster :rock:

np. hope you get your car back and enjoy it soon.

i read it and that's why i posted my comments. dont you want feedback from someone that actually owns a 370Z?

anyway, GL to you.

Thanks for the feedback. I will have one of these in the spring for a few days. I will report back on my experiences!