C6 vert vs. Box S vs. S2000. Vs. Z43.0 vs. 350Z vert

Ragtop sportscar comparo time. These are the warped opinions of PD and alittle help from Motortrend and other mags LOL. Feel free to contribute!

1.Boxster S: Mid-engine balance, worldclass handling and brakes, decent power and top end at 165 mph, sound of the flat 6 at 5,000 to 7,200rpm, it's a Porsche! Speed activated spoiler and power top standard. Too much $$$$$?

2.Z4 in black looks real good. Nice quality in overall construction. A bit lacking in power, but plenty for most. Good overall balance.

3.C6 I could perhaps bump the C6 up to 2nd place but I need a test drive first. Plenty of HP! High level of handling ability esp with Z51. 186mph top end rules in bar room bragging rights. The price! Ooohhh, wait, the ragtop version costs well over 55K with a few options that are standard on the others. Fit and finish still not up to par with Germany. Uh, have you seen the steering wheel? Not enough feedback from the road. Pushrod technology, although powerful, is as old as the wheel.

4.S2000 Like high revs? This is it. Vtec baby lol! Handling is topnotch. Price is nice. Like torque? Look at #3. Styling may be too bland for some. May be too slow at the local drag strip for some. Push button starter is kinda cool. Trunk space? What's that?

5. 350Z Price is good. Decent power that is unfortunately negated by all the weight. Good handling and balance but nothing special. More of these on the road than the Maxima makes it kinda hard to get noticed even in a highschool parking lot. Not as good looking as the coup.

The C6 Convertible is the fastest one there but not my choice...I love the Z4 3.0 Liter...hopefully they make an M branch Z4 w/the M3 engine...

The Vette C6 is the best choice imo

I just went through the same decision process.

Loved the Boxster S for a long time UNTIL i reviewed the unending problems with the Rear Mains Seal. A $2,100 repair by itself and one that is sure to come up more than once.

Unless you have many dollars for repairs, the Boxster S will break your spirit and bank book over the long haul.

The C6 is very nice, lots of power but more of a muscle sports car feel. Just a little rough around the edges in overall fit and finish.

Same for the 350Z. Great muscle sports car, especially if you like the Mod scene with aftermarket support.

For me the most balanced, refined, reliable traditional roadster was the BMW Z4 3.0

5. BMW Z4 3.0i- Not a big fan on the Z4's styling. Even though it is my last pick, it's still a great car.

4. Nissan 350Z- The coupe looks a lot better in my opinion. Performance is probably the worst of the 5.

3. Porsche Boxster S- Looks almost as good as a 911. Even though it is the most expensive car here by a large margin, it looks and performs well.

2. Honda S2000- Excellent car that looks and handles great. The only thing this car lacks when compared to the others is straight line power (even then it is close to everything but the Vette).

1. Chevrolet Corvette C6 Conv.- Second most expensive but by far the fastest. Best looking Corvette in decades.

The Vette C6 is the best choice imo

:grinyes:

5. BMW Z4 3.0i- Not a big fan on the Z4's styling. Even though it is my last pick, it's still a great car.



3. Porsche Boxster S- Looks almost as good as a 911. Even though it is the most expensive car here by a large margin, it looks and performs well.




The boxster S is considerably more than than the BMW and japanesse offeringins, but not the corvette. The Box S starts at 52k and the vette is right in there. My box s stickered for 57k due to options but I got it for 52.5k in 2003 after some bargining with the dealer.

I just went through the same decision process.

Loved the Boxster S for a long time UNTIL i reviewed the unending problems with the Rear Mains Seal. A $2,100 repair by itself and one that is sure to come up more than once.


This is a viable issue but nothing that should sway buyers from the boxster s. The problem is fairly common, but still the majority of boxsters never suffer from RMS problems. This problem also occurs on 996's but no one ever seems to mention it. This issue has been overhyped on the car/boxster forums. Addionallly, it is covered by warranty if the car still has one. My car has a 7yr 70,000 mile warranty so I don't lose any sleep at night over RMS failures.

First of all, I think that the new Benz SLK350 has every right to be here. $46,000, ~270hp/260lb-ft, hard top convertable, C&D top-ten. Second, I want to say that if I were looking for a convertable, I'm not looking for a track car, I'm looking for something fun to drive on the roads.

5. 350z Roadster. I love the coupe, but hate this. Looks like a dilapidated TT Roadster from the side, too heavy. Never been a fan of the Z-Roadsters.

4. C6 Vette. Amazing performer, uncomfortable as hell. Best in a straight line, possibly the best on the track, but not a good road car.

3. BMW Z4 3.0. Its hard to believe that its already the oldest car on this list (small changes on the Honda, new Boxster this year). Its everything that the Z3 should have been. Great handling, good engine, amazing transmission. SMG II is a little silly on the 3.0L, completely unnecessary. Will become better when they put in the E90 3.0L w/ 255hp. I've also read rumors of a reincarnation of the M roadster, but I'm not sure if it will have the S54 3.2L or the upcoming 400hp V8.

1. (tied) Honda S2000. If ever there was a company capable of becoming a Japanese BMW, it would be Honda/Acura. 100+hp/L ratio, great handling, and the best manual transmission I've ever seen outside of an M3 or a M5. My only wish for this car would be more displacement. There is a reason this won C&D's comparo in this class, and was on the Top 10 cars list.

1. (tied) Porsche Boxster. Mid-engine, Porsche styling. I've never driven one, but I have been in one. Very comfortable (I thought), great handling. I know people that call it "The Porsche Miata," but personally I like it.

incidentally, if the Z4 is a little tame, there's an alpina version with the old M5 V8 in it.

This is a viable issue but nothing that should sway buyers from the boxster s. The problem is fairly common, but still the majority of boxsters never suffer from RMS problems. This problem also occurs on 996's but no one ever seems to mention it. This issue has been overhyped on the car/boxster forums. Addionallly, it is covered by warranty if the car still has one. My car has a 7yr 70,000 mile warranty so I don't lose any sleep at night over RMS failures.


I agree. If buying a new vehicle I think any reliabliltiy issues can be addressed by strong warranties.

Unfortunately, if buying used and not living near (less than an hour away) a competent porsche mechanic the RMS issue may play a bigger role.

Ultimately, all the cars in this discussion are very capable and probably depend on the personality, desires of the buyer. They were all on my list of test drives before I went with the BMW Z4 so I can't go against any of them :-)

BMW would do well to offer the 3.2L engine in an M version of the Z4 just like they did in the Z3. I test drove a 02 M roadster and although a nice car, I wasn't very impressed with anything other than the acceleration and power. The engine was like a jewel in the rough. The 5 speed felt like I was stirring a bowl of rocks which is uncommon for BMW's usually great gear boxes. The cockpit was cramped and the truck space was nill. The Z4 3.0 I drove was much improved in every every area except power. It felt anemic after driving the M roadster. If they had a 3.2L 315hp Z4 I probably woud've have forgone the boxster s in favor of the Z4. I hope BMW does something about this before the Z4 dies. Especially since the new 987 boxster S has 280hp.

After test driving both the 2003 Boxster S and the 2003 BMW Z4 I found their performance to be almost Identical.

The Z4 3.0 was only 15 ft lbs of torque less than the Boxster S engine but the torque comes at 3500 rpm versus peak torque for the Boxster S at 4500 rpm. The Z4 felt much livelier off the line while both felt equal on the 0 to 60-100 mph runs.

Even with 225 hp and 214 of torque you can light the tires of the BMW Z4 and anything losser than a few pea gravels will surely test the buttocks of most. With 315 hp I would imagine the BMW Z4 might be just a bit more than a handful.

I would agree, if BMW were to go to a M roadster for the Z4 it certainly would set a tough mark for all roadsters in this weight class.

Compared to the Nissan 350Z's heavier and more lethargic manners, both the Porsche and BMW were much much livelier and fun to drive.

The S2000 was wonderful when driven hard but anything less made it feel like an economy version of the german vehicles. The lack of low end really hurt the enjoyment on back country roads at lower revs.

I'm suprised you couldn't feel the extra hp on the boxsters S from 5-7,200 rpm. That's when the vario cam(Porsche's version of Vtec) kicks in and there is a very noticable increase in thrust. Off the line the Z4 and Box s were nearly identical due the the flexibility of BMW's inline 6 but as the speeds increase the 35 extra hp and vario cam in the boxster was certainly noticable. My butt dyno proved correct when I saw an issue of motor trend when they compared the two cars. They hit 100mph in 13.5 sec in the boxster compared to 14.5 sec to 100mph for the BMW. In that same issue they clocked the boxster S in the 1/4 at 13.7 sec at almost 103mph. The BMW did 14.1 sec at 99mph. That's a significant difference. After 60mph the boxster S should start pulling on the bimmer. If I ever get lucky enough to come accross a Z4 3.0 that will race me on the highways I will be able to have a good objective comparison of both cars' acceleration

vettes the best performer (in some areas considerably more than others) but the porche is a porche... it depends on wut u want, handling should be no prolem for either, the vette will be faster, the porche will prolly be a little more comfortable (and its a porche)... id take the vette but not before SERIOUS consideration. the z4 (identical performance) is nice but its NOT a porche. 350 z is sweet but not on par with vette and porche.

1. C6 vette - easy choice for me, always loved the vette, the C6's are no exception
2. S2000 - lack of low end and interior/cargo room are annoying, but probably the funnest car i've driven.
3. boxter s - if it were the 911 cab, this would be a tie for 1st, but because it's the boxter, it loses points. :D it's a porche 100%, but not my 1st choice for a ragtop
4. Z4 - looks are starting to grow on me, but nothing else about the car impresses me as much as # 1, 2 or 3 IMO.
5. 350z. - nothign really bad about it but i'd rather have any of the top 4 before this.

and yeah, where's the new SLK? i'd rank it either #3 or #4 easy. i like the new ones much better

In the next comparo I'll include the benz. Do they offer a 6 speed on it? A real sports car can't have an auto.

New update. Car & Driver just had a comparo with the new boxster S, the C6 vert, the new SLK and the SRT-6 crossfire. Here's the ranking they gave the cars

4th. crossfire
3rd. SLK
2nd. C6
1st. Boxster S

Looks like I'm not the only one that thinks the boxster s is the best car in the bunch. BTW, the vette had an as tested price of 62k. The boxster's was 58k. I guess the vette is gettin alittle too pricey for C&D. The merc was actually the cheapest at 50k.

5) 350z - Not my idea of a sports car. Big and goofy.

4) Z4 - BMW looks are much to be desired.

3) Boxster S - I had one of these and owned it less than 6 months, enough said.

2) S2000 - It's like a go kart on steroids, fun to drive and loved mine, just a little cramped. I broke the rear end loose in a turn on this car and did three 360 spins, but with the make up of this car, getting it back under control without making contact with anything was easy. Great solid car.

1) C6 - I have a bias towords the Vette, they finally built a great looking car inside and out. The total keyless entry and start up is great(never need to take the key out of your pocket). The power and handling of this car is great for the size, I like that they slimed down the entire car, with lighter doors. The only down side is the 1 to 4 mandatory skip shift at low speeds, but with an eliminator kit for twenty bucks it takes care of it.

Performance for these three cars is not even worth getting into. The Gallardo is a better comparison against the Vette. But bang for buck the vette has these others hands down.

No one considering a Gallardo would be thinking about a vette IMO. The Gallardo, while having performance that is similar to the vettes costs more than 3x as much. I doubt many people would go test drive a gallardo at the Lamboghini dealership and then drive over to the Chevy dealership to test drive a C6. These cars are directed at different types of consumers and are in different market segments. Why didn't you like the boxster S?

Here's a nifty little comparo I found on these 4 cars from Motor Trend. Two of the cars are the 350Z vert and also the Z4 3.0 so I figured I'd add it in here. Worth a look if you're interested in how the boxster compares to it's competition. The boxster is the old style S however, not the new 987.
http://motortrend.com/roadtests/cou...0408_sportconv/

Here are the objective test results:
http://motortrend.com/roadtests/cou...nv/index13.html

I'm wondering what the Corvette has to do to get any respect around here. Does it have to start humping some legs? Its not only better looking than any of the other cars, it out performs them all without much of an effort.

The corvette is the clear cut winner in the power dep which makes it fastest at the strip and on the circuit. It just doesn't appeal to badge snobs like C&D the way the Porsche does! :)

Damn them badge snobs.. I will hump their legs! ;) I will admit, I love Porsches.. I just hate the way that no matter what a Corvette does, its impossible to be better than a Porsche.. Even if you out perform it. I will admit, driving a GT3 was one of the best car experiences I have ever had. (Second to flying through the mountains in a Z06.)

Bang for the buck, the C6 takes the cake easily. That said, if I could choose any of the five, I'd take the S2000. Classic roadster styling that ages well, cheap parts and reliability (it's a Honda), excellent build quality and an interior that fits you like a glove, decent price, an 8200 rpm redline and surgically-precise handling make this one FUN car. Below 6000, this car drives like an expensive Civic, but it begs to be wound out. Obey, and it morphs into a completely different beast. My only complaint is that the stock clutch and stock tires wear quickly. If you want a sport bike on four wheels, get the S2000.