5 Reasons to Buy a Used S2000 Instead of a Porsche Boxster
The S2000 is a great car but would you choose one over a Porsche Boxer now that they are both common on the used market? If for some reason you are on the fence, here's five to tip you over to the Honda side.
Porsche vs. Honda - The Winner May Surprise You
Kids grow up with poster of exotic high end cars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche on their walls, and nobody dreams of owning a Honda over a car from one of these legendary sports car manufacturers. When Porsche came out with the Boxster in the 90's, it provided a cheaper entree into Porsche ownership and won a lot of customers. But the Honda S2000 came out a handful of years later and provided similar performance to the Boxster an affordable price. With the wonders of depreciation, you can now get either car with similar mileage and condition for about the same price. So which do you get? The Porsche built in an era when they were not building their best cars, or the best Honda from the pinnacle of what many consider their golden age? Here five reasons to go for the S2000 over the Boxster.
1. The S2000 is More Reliable
This one comes as no surprise. The first generation Boxster was plagued by reliability issues, most notoriously the intermediate shaft (IMS) bearing issue which cripples many Boxsters if not fixed before it fails. The driving force behind the low prices you can find today on Boxers is spotty maintenance and the time bomb that is the IMS failure. The Honda S2000, however, is built as reliable as any Honda of the era, Civic, Accord, or CR-V. Several owners on the forum have eclipsed 200,000 miles on the high revving motor, with no more than minimal work.
2. The S2000 Holds its Value Better
When it was new, the S2000 sold in the mid $30,000 range where the Boxster was easily $15,000 to $20,000 more than that. The S2000 and the Boxster boasted similar performance, and today you can find both cars for more or less the same price. The S2000 has definitely held its value better over the last 17 years and many enthusiasts feel the S2000 will actually begin to appreciate in the near future.
3. The S2000 Aged Better
Like many early 21st century German cars, the Boxster interior is covered in dark plastics that never really looked great. The Boxster's interior materials aged poorly, and the design is from when Porsche experimented, albeit barely, with their style. The experiment was not successful. The S2000 maintains a relatively simple, clean, wedge shaped design. It didn't have many trendy design elements, so it is timeless; it looked great then and it looks great now. The S2000 was also made in the era when Honda used great materials and didn't cut corners or costs, the plastics have aged well and the style still looks right.
4. The S2000 is Cheaper and Easier to Repair
Unlike most cars, the Boxster is a mid-engined car with the motor right behind the driver. While this is beneficial for performance, this makes working on the car a chore. Once you get to what needs to be replaced, parts for a Porsche aren't cheap, making repair bills a small fortune. The S2000 benefits from readily available and inexpensive parts that rarely go wrong. Pop the hood on the Honda and the motor is right there, easily accessible.
5. The S2000 Looks Better
As mentioned, the Boxster came out in an era when Porsche was just finding their way again with the switch to water cooled motors. The front ends of their cars were adorned with headlights that resembled sunny-side-up eggs, a design element that didn't look great then and looks worse now. Even Porsche realized this and reverted back to traditional front end design with the second generation Boxster. Honda designed the S2000 with a taut, minimal look, it maintains a simple design yet manages to look great even after all these years.