waltk88

I'm a fan of the Z3 M Coupe for its unique and quirky styling. The MY01 and MY02 cars with the S54 motor are especially cool due to their rarity. I think there were fewer than 700 S54 M Coupes available for North America.

white98ls

I love those. They look so awesome! S54 ones fetch a pretty penny. However, the handling is very old school and doesn't compare at all to an S2k. I remember a Car and Driver comparison when the S2k came out... S2k was 1st, S54 M Roadster was dead last out of four despite running like a 13.1 1/4 mile.

GSteg

S2000 win in terms of simplicity and ease of repairing.

Never driven the Z3/4M so I can't really tell you whether they're the 'best' roadsters or should my opinion matter lol.

The Porsche Boxster S (987) is fantastic. Cost to maintain isn't that much more than the Honda and it's reliable as hell. So far nothing out of the ordinary other than changing one of the oxygen sensors. I got the factory short shifter and while it's good, it still falls short of the Honda. You can find a used 987 S 6spd for low 20s, high 10s and to me that's one heck of a bargain. If I had to choose between the two, it would be the Porsche. It's more practical (trunk + frunk!), more comfortable for long drives, more power, has good fuel economy and it handles beautifully. I personally like the way the flat-6 sounds when coupled with a Remus exhaust. Can't stand aftermarket exhausts on the Honda. =/

CosmosMpower

Show me a clean title sub 100K miles 987.1 CS for high teens, I'll buy them all.

GSteg

I was referring to the Boxster S, not Cayman S.

LT1

handling is definitely is a big factor in my decision, thanks

LT1

I would like all those features of the Porche, surprised to see the less favorable shifter but not a deal breaker, thanks

yakswak

I owned a Z4M coupe for about 5yrs (sold 2yrs ago). I would not consider that car to be "so much better". The power and interior was a much nicer place I drove from the Bay Area to Portland with one stop and was not fatigued at all. You know how it is in the S2000...long distance cruising is not where it's at. But take it on the back roads and both are fun with the S2000 being a bit sharper than the Z4M.

My S2000 is not my DD and the Z4M was. I enjoy the peaky nature of the S2000 as an occasional car. I had to push the Z4M to get the same feelings I get in the S2000. Reliability and low cost of maintenance is a big plus as well!

Cost wise both are holding steady in value so I wouldn't worry about the small difference of entry price ($5-$10k depending on condition). Maintenance and repair costs are the biggest difference.

JamesD89

I was planning on replacing my E36 M3 (S50 engine) with either a Z3 M coupe or roadster (S52 engine, S54 is a different animal) or a S2000, so I got quite a bit of seat time in both cars. The Z3M coupe is a really, really cool car. Quirky styling, practical, very old school driving feel, but in the end it felt a lot like my E36 M3-way too similar of a driving experience to justify the price difference for a clean version. The AP2s I drove just felt more exciting and "racecar," which is what I was looking for. The Z3Ms are apparently more snappy than S2000s due to the fairly dated rear suspension (shared with E30 BMWs).

The S54 cars (later Z3Ms and all Z4Ms) are not that comparable to the S2000 from a performance standpoint, but an extra 100hp tends to do that.

white98ls

I've always read this but never understood it. Everyone says the handling is snappy and not so great because it has dated rear suspension from the E30... which is considered by those same journalists and enthusiasts as the epitome of a balanced, great-handling car...?