Quote:
Originally Posted by Seahawk
I am looking at:
- Miata. I think they are great and a complete no-brainier. There are some Grand touring Miatas's that look amazing.
- Z3. I know nothing about them. Good years, bad years?
- Boxsters. Same as the Z3.
- Also, any websites for the above three?
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I’ve owned the Z3, Z4 roadster, Z4 M Coupe, Pontiac Solstice GXP and 987 Boxster S. I’ve driven a friend’s Miata. The Z3 and 986 are much less stiff than the 987 and Z4, and the Z3 has issues with the E30 rear subframe. The Miata has a better chassis than the 986/Z3, but not as stiff as the 987/Z4.
Personally, in terms of performance the Boxster had better brakes than the Z4, and that was pretty much it. The Z4 has an issue with the drain plugs for the roof clogging and killing the motor for the top, but otherwise is no worse off than an E46 3-series in terms of maintenance.
I’m 6’2” with a 34” inseam, weight under 200 lbs and I’ve yet to fit properly in a Miata.
The Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky Red Line have great looks and performance (with manual) and are cheap to maintain, but the interior of my Solstice was a let-down, and the trunk space is small even for the class.
Of all of them, my top “would buy again” pick would be the 987 Boxster. In Silver over black with Chrono package… not that I’ve thought about it. ;-)