There aren't many quicker ways to carve through SoCal traffic than in a Miata with the top down for 360 visibility. You can fit through almost any gap, and spend most of your time hard on the gas!

I moved from an '03 Boxster to an '01 Z3 2.5. In my experience, the BMW was more fun to drive. This is not to say that it was a better car; rather, I found it to be more fun to drive.

It seemed less loaded down with technology, the suspension was firm but compliant (making it a good commuting car), it's overall handling, braking, and steering were real strengths, and the visceral aspects of driving were there, not filtered out like some of today's cars. The driving position was spot on (it seemed to fit like a comfortable old glove), and the car was very responsive in its handling (some would say like a go-kart). As for the engine....BMW makes wonderful in-line 6-cylinder engines. They're smooth, they're torquey, and they sing when you get on it.

The car lacks trunk space, so if that's important to you, look at something else. Otherwise, as a former owner of both the Boxster and Z3, I have no hesitancy in recommending the latter.

Good luck.

At 150 miles a day cabriolet added road noise can realy were on you. As much as I like our Boxster I find my track prepped 996 easier to take on long drives. One word "Cayman".

+1 on the Miata idea. Heck, I believe that Bimmer magazine all but called the Miata a better car in its first Z3 review.

Anyway, I'm surprised to see such positive Miata talk here...just last week I was wildly laughed at for even calling the Miata a sports car, much less admitting to enjoying driving one...and I really enjoy driving lightweight cars, which is why I still keep my '95 Miata around.

I was surprised by the anti-Miata bias on the thread you mentioned. I didn't dare say anything there because I don't own a 996 Cab ;) but I dearly loved my '96 Miata. If I'm ever short of the cash to run a Pcar, I'll revert straight to the Miata life (maybe with a '94, to get probably the best model year).

i am not kidding, miata is a great car with a very reasonable price.

the only thing is i am not sure not using it as daily commute, as far as safity goes.
it's too small.

if the miata isn't a sports car, then the porsche cab is a freakin' pudding van

I've recently said that my Miata is more of a sports car than my GT-esque 996 C4 coupe and a couple of P-car owners seemed offended. I'd venture that anyone that knows anything about sports cars wouldn't laugh at a Miata.

One person actually claimed in a private message to me that the Lotus Elan that essentially inspired the Miata "barely qualified as a sports car".

Ohhhhh-kayyyyyy.

Hi,
I have also owned a MY99 Z3 2.8 and I currently have a Boxster 2.7. Both are great in their own ways of course but as VGM911 says the BMW engines are great and the Z3 is an "involving" drive

The Boxster has more "image" if that is important - it wasn't for me

Regards

If I was going to say something like that, I think I'd want it to be private :roflmao:

For what it's worth, the Boxster won every head to head competition with the Z3 that I read over the years. As a matter of fact the Boxster, particularly the 987 version, has been highly praised by almost every automobile journalist as being one of the best "street sports cars" on the market. In other words just because a car turns in fast lap times on the nurburgring doesn't necessarily mean that the same car will perform well on the street, but the Boxster does perform well on the track as well as on the street. Personally I like the looks of the Z3, but BMW's forte is building high performance coupes and not verts.

Really? I've not seen any Porsche Cab with >500hp or Roadster with >300hp but BMW makes them.

Your post suggests that a sports car should be judged simply by its HP output. By that criterion the Z4 M roadster with its 330 HP is far superior to the Boxster S with 295 HP. IMO the Boxster S is superior to the Z4 M in virtually every category other than HP. This is also the view of every magazine that I have read comparing the two cars, and it's the view of the general public based on the disappointing sales of the Z4 M.

No, I don't suggest that hp is the rule but you said: "...BMW's forte is building high performance coupes and not verts." and I just showed two high performance convertibles that are not too different from BMW's high performance Coupes.

It's correct that most magazines say that the Boxster S outperforms the Z4M on the track and it's also a fact that the M6 convertible is a heavy pig compared to the 997 turbo Cab.