Jalopnik article: used s2k vs used boxter
03-24-2013, 06:41 PM
#12
Originally Posted by twoski' timestamp='1364162326' post='22425402
.. ok I sat here for a good 10 minutes and still cant find one reason why I would take a boxter over an s2k.
03-24-2013, 07:20 PM
#13
Obviously this being posted on the s2k boards we will all be a little biased. However I did test drive a number of Boxters just for fun before getting the s2k right before I sold my Infiniti.
No. Just no.
The badging in my opinion is all it is, and that's all I can say. A 6 cyl that puts out just barely more power than our 4 cylinders. Sure, in my opinion neither of these cars are 'fast', but it's honest apples to oranges.
In MY opinion.
S2000 - mini f1 car/street legal go kart out of the box.. Simplistic.
Boxter(S) - viagra needing teenagers and midlife-crisis and older men who want a porsche but either cannot or do not want to buy a cayman, carrera, or equivalent.
I know I sound very biased but when I drove the boxter I was definitely not, after I got out of them- each time, I was just completely turned off.
No. Just no.
The badging in my opinion is all it is, and that's all I can say. A 6 cyl that puts out just barely more power than our 4 cylinders. Sure, in my opinion neither of these cars are 'fast', but it's honest apples to oranges.
In MY opinion.
S2000 - mini f1 car/street legal go kart out of the box.. Simplistic.
Boxter(S) - viagra needing teenagers and midlife-crisis and older men who want a porsche but either cannot or do not want to buy a cayman, carrera, or equivalent.
I know I sound very biased but when I drove the boxter I was definitely not, after I got out of them- each time, I was just completely turned off.
03-24-2013, 07:46 PM
#14
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Factors of why I chose an S2K.
Reliability - Honda
Handling - (Never drove a boxster, so will not comment)
Looks - subjective
Brand-prestige - Porsche (personally, I'd say Honda since I value reliability more than anything)
cost of ownership - Honda
Ease-to-work-on - Honda
The new Boxster are a beauty and the reviews are very good as well.
03-24-2013, 07:54 PM
#15
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The Boxter is handsome looking, IMO. If I had lots of money, I'd buy a new one, but I don't so I bought a used Honda instead.
As for comparing an 02 Boxter S vs 02 S2000, I'd take the S2000 based on price considerations (both up-front and maintenance) alone.
As for comparing an 02 Boxter S vs 02 S2000, I'd take the S2000 based on price considerations (both up-front and maintenance) alone.
03-24-2013, 07:59 PM
#16
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"Expensive parts"..... Hmmm....
A co-worker owns a Boxter - he has owned it since new. It has not aged very well. It has a plastic 'glass' on the soft top and for the last 4 months, it has been making its permanent residence at the local Porsche dealer. Numerous parts have been replaced: bearings, halfshafts, and still the root cause of its woes has not been found. To make things even more alarming, the car has only 105,000 miles on the clock. My friend says he has been "Five hundred dollared to death" every week...
From the pair, I say the S2K beats the Boxter hands down. I read of numerous S2K's on this forum with huge amounts of miles on the odometer - some surpassing the 200,000 mark and just like a certain watch, they just keep on ticking while taking a beating.... If you have the deep pockets to afford the Porsche and several cars to drive when it breaks down then I suppose the Boxter is your car.
However, I don't have to be Wernher von Braun to figure this one out... I'll stick to my S2K, thank you very much.
A co-worker owns a Boxter - he has owned it since new. It has not aged very well. It has a plastic 'glass' on the soft top and for the last 4 months, it has been making its permanent residence at the local Porsche dealer. Numerous parts have been replaced: bearings, halfshafts, and still the root cause of its woes has not been found. To make things even more alarming, the car has only 105,000 miles on the clock. My friend says he has been "Five hundred dollared to death" every week...
From the pair, I say the S2K beats the Boxter hands down. I read of numerous S2K's on this forum with huge amounts of miles on the odometer - some surpassing the 200,000 mark and just like a certain watch, they just keep on ticking while taking a beating.... If you have the deep pockets to afford the Porsche and several cars to drive when it breaks down then I suppose the Boxter is your car.
However, I don't have to be Wernher von Braun to figure this one out... I'll stick to my S2K, thank you very much.
03-24-2013, 07:59 PM
#17
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and the comment in the article where he mentioned that it is not very difficult to find an unmolested s2000 i completely disagree with. Finding a mint, unmolested s2k proved to be pretty difficult for me.
03-24-2013, 08:08 PM
#18
The boxster imo didnt get good until they dropped the egg yolk headlights. Porsche interiors arent anything to brag about especially given their price point. And owning one way out of warranty is just nuts imo. The early boxter cars for me really do not have any endearing features that makes it worth the headaches of ownership, so for this comparison s2000 all the way. The devaluation of the car further bolsters my position. I really dont get into the whole proper porsche thing (unless we're talking about the cayenne or panamerca, those are overpriced VW/Audis), I guess porsche afficianados prefer an inherently inferior layout, one that nowadays dont offer the same benefit its predecessors have- steering feel.
03-24-2013, 08:09 PM
#19
Comparing Honda's second best/most expensive sports car to Porsches slower more recent model is not a great match up in my opinon... I would say the BMW Z3/Z4 would be a better choice if this is the case. Just merely my opinion.
03-24-2013, 08:40 PM
#20
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I was actually considering purchasing a Boxster.
I ended up looking at any car that would qualify as a 2 seater sports car - Miata, 350Z/370Z, Cayman, Corvette, etc. I ruled out the Miata because I thought it was underpowered. I ruled out the 350Z/370Z because of looks. Cayman was too expensive. Corvette was too much car for me at this point.
So, it came down to the Boxster and S2000.
S2000
+ Easy to maintain/reliable
+ Easy to work on
+ Cheaper cost of ownership (relative to Boxster)
+ Short throw
- Higher insurance rates
- Top issues
- No PSM equivalent till 2006+
- No car alarm
Boxster
+ Brand appeal
+ Interior (Tilt wheel, seats)
+ Car alarm
+ PSM (although this was an optional feature, it was available)
- Expensive repairs/maintenance (greater cost of ownership)
- Hard to work on
Split
+ Looks (This is subjective, but I say they both look good stock. I'm liking the S2000's a bit more now though
)
+ Handling (As a layman, I did notice a great deal of difference)
I ended up buying an 07 S2000 which had traction control and a car alarm, so 2 of the negatives were mitigated. I leaned towards the S2000 primarily because of reliability and cost of ownership reasons.
I ended up looking at any car that would qualify as a 2 seater sports car - Miata, 350Z/370Z, Cayman, Corvette, etc. I ruled out the Miata because I thought it was underpowered. I ruled out the 350Z/370Z because of looks. Cayman was too expensive. Corvette was too much car for me at this point.
So, it came down to the Boxster and S2000.
S2000
+ Easy to maintain/reliable
+ Easy to work on
+ Cheaper cost of ownership (relative to Boxster)
+ Short throw
- Higher insurance rates
- Top issues
- No PSM equivalent till 2006+
- No car alarm
Boxster
+ Brand appeal
+ Interior (Tilt wheel, seats)
+ Car alarm
+ PSM (although this was an optional feature, it was available)
- Expensive repairs/maintenance (greater cost of ownership)
- Hard to work on
Split
+ Looks (This is subjective, but I say they both look good stock. I'm liking the S2000's a bit more now though
)+ Handling (As a layman, I did notice a great deal of difference)
I ended up buying an 07 S2000 which had traction control and a car alarm, so 2 of the negatives were mitigated. I leaned towards the S2000 primarily because of reliability and cost of ownership reasons.