WDRiley

I am getting ready to order and I am still considering two cars; the Boxster S and the SLK 350
I need some input, and if you've owned a Boxster, so much the better.

TIA

bigciti

Don't know about the Boxster 'S'..but a friend of mine sold his year old 911 for an SLK350 after a test drive. He believes the 350 is an all around better engineered car than the Porsche. BTW he's owned several Porches incuding a Boxster in the past few years.

cjmegha

SLK55 all the way.....

alex_123

Practically every car magazine rates the Boxster S as the top sports car in its category. That being said, I bought the SLK350 because the Boxster S is too expensive, and I didnt want to settle for the base boxster. Boxster S has perfect handling. And, although this is subjective, I think the Boxster has better looks. So, what I'm saying is if I had the extra cash I'd buy the Boxster S over the SLK350. Also, the exhaust note.....wow....now I feel like buying the car just to hear that engine sound every day of the week.

bigciti

You're right Alex, looks are subjective....I'm on the other side.(w/AMG pkg.) Concerning exhaust note, for about 2K you can upgrade to a Brabus quad....which will also boost HP.

04E55 AMG

If you are looking for performance Boxster S is the "No-Brainer" winner. If you are looking for a drop top that feels like a sedan than the new SLK. Even the SLK55 will not touch the handling of the mid-engine Porsche. Having owned a Boxster S, I can say that the car is so balanced.

Both great cars, it depends on your budget since the Boxster S is more $$$$ then the base SLK350.

steve-p

Hmmmmm. That's a very strange conclusion. There's just no comparison between a 911 chassis and the SLK 350's relatively softly sprung one (even with the sports suspension). The engine, gearbox, transmission, brakes etc are the serious engineering that you are paying for with the Porsche, not the fancy heated headrests or elaborate cupholders. He obviously isn't a keen driver. I've owned several Porsches, a few BMWs, three Jags, three TVRs and a few other performance cars. I'm looking forward to getting my SLK55, but it sure isn't going to be a 911 as far as the driving experience goes.

jono_2000

i got rid of a facelift 996 and got a slk350.

partly because of the cost and unreliability of the 996 - its engine blew up after 15k miles, but just out of warranty. it was squeaky, rattley and generally shabby for a £60k car.

a quick word on steering "feel". its a subject which makes motoring journalists weak at the knees so high is it exalted. yet i for one welcome the reduction in feel of the slk. the 911 had so much "feel" that it was impossible to drive for any distance without my hands feeling numb. the ride was rock solid and the crashing into potholes was something to be felt to be believed. i couldn't really relax whilst driving it, it was far too "jumpy". in reality there was almost no "sneeze" factor, built in. good for the track, not so good for the real world.

well one of the best feelings is getting out of the slk after a 300 mile journey comfortable and relaxed. something that was impossible in the 996. strangely no one has made these real world observations in any reviews i've seen.

the reliability of the 996 sucked too, yet everywhere i see people saying its the most reliable sports car on the market etc etc.

i can only go by my experience and my experience tells me the slk is a better bet than a porsche.

just my opinion....

MersAMG

Boxter S of course! It does look good! Better than SLK...and its Porshce, and it has completely new remodeled interior! Porsche is the way to go!

SLK55AMG

If you need more help deciding heres a recent review from Car and Driver:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=1

miroj

Lets say you want to change the oil for some reason and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere ..... im thinking that you wont have the tools to jack up the chassis and remove the carriage from the rails. The boxster is a sissy car. IT can only be driven in a city near some workshop, otherwise it is purely scrap metal.

alex_123

Only Boxster S > SLK350