The Boxster mystique

The Rolling Stones have a song that goes: “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you might find, you get what you need.”

This definitely rings true when it comes to the 2001 Porsche Boxster S Tiptronic S I bought six months ago.

I wanted a 987 Cayman S, but their prices have spiked after Covid-19, which pushed it out of my price range and very few are actually available in the market. I then started looking for a 987 Boxster S, which shares the same mechanicals (depending on year) and chassis as the Cayman, but with the convertible body style. I drove one and it was great, but the price was still a bit of a stretch for me.

That’s when the first generation Boxster, designated model number 986, became a consideration. They're priced more modestly, at upwards of R220,000 for a clean one, but finding that specimen can be tricky.

The car I ended up with is a 2001 model Boxster S with an automatic Tiptronic S gearbox finished in Biarritz White. It only had 74,000km on the odometer when I picked it up, and features a full service history with Porsche. The general condition for a 22-year old car is excellent. I could not pass up on the deal, though the automatic gearbox is not my first choice.

Looks wise, the first generation 986 still features the “fried-egg” headlights with amber indicators. This has always been a point of contention, but along with the white paint, I feel it presents well and gives a real old-school Euro cool look. The turbine inspired 17-inch wheels are typical Porsche. The interior is shared with the 996, but it’s not Porsche’s finest hour, though everything works and makes ergonomic sense. The plastics are just a bit too hard and feel a tad cheap.

Driving is where the Boxster really excels. Fitted with a 3.2l flat-six engine producing 185kW and 305Nm, it’s not earth-shattering power, but the character of the flat-six means there are oodles of torque and the cams give a very decent kick from 4,500rpm to the redline of 7,000rpm. Couple this with the smoothness of the engine and the satisfying noise that comes out of the exhaust, and you find yourself looking for an excuse to lean on the throttle.

The handling of the Boxster is magnificent. There is no other way to put it. The mid-mounted layout sending power to the rear wheels is just so well balanced and the nose goes where pointed and corner speeds are high. It’s just so solid on the road. There is no traction control or stability control either. It’s an extremely satisfying car to carve through some corners with and Porsche’s engineering shines in these situations. The steering has very little assistance, so you can feel the road extremely well. The Brembo four-pot brakes are extremely powerful and are also standard issue on the faster and heavier 996 Carrera of the time. The suspension does a great job of being compliant (even on bumpy roads) yet firm and sporty.

The Tiptronic S gearbox is not my first choice, but after living with it for some time, I’ve come to appreciate the ease it brings into the drive when just cruising, and when the need arises, using manual mode is really adequate enough to manage revs. It’s no PDK, but it’s smooth and very reliable. The 986 and 996 Porsches are known to have suffered from IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing failure, though in smaller numbers than the naysayers would make one believe. After more than 20 years, every Porsche independent specialist is aware of the problem and how to remedy it.