I Bought A Yellow First-Gen Porsche Boxster Because Sometimes We Make Good Decisions Around Here

Holy Crap Bought Porsche
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This article is overdue. After all, I’ve picked up a new-to-me car, driven it enough to use half a tank of 93 octane, got it in a member post and mentioned it on Discord. Some of my friends will have seen it on my Facebook wall, or Instagram stories, or even in real life. The truth is, I’m a bad writer when it comes to my own cars because they aren’t basketcases, they aren’t typically that interesting, and most of the time, they just work. My 1999 Porsche Boxster is no exception.

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If you were to ask my parents, I had a thing for German cars from a very young age. Well, cars in general, but particularly the sorts you might find hauling ass down an unrestricted stretch of autobahn, or camped out for the Nürburgring 24 hour race. Eurovan MVs, Hebmüller Cabriolets, Luthe-penned BMWs, brick outhouse Benzes — all that sort of stuff. While other kids my age had Mustangs and Corvettes on their bedroom walls, I had a Flachbau 930 cabriolet. Yep, that’s me next to the Mk3.5 Volkswagen Cabriolet.

After experiencing American and Japanese machinery, I ended up returning back to my roots. I’ve done the BMW thing and love it. I’ve sampled Mercedes and Volkswagens, and finding a good manual Audi 5000 Turbo Quattro with the multiple diff locks is about as likely as finding a piece of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in a box of Lucky Charms. Besides, I’d driven enough Porsches at this point to know exactly what I wanted. That was in 2021, and I ended up looking for the right 986 for so long that it eventually found me.

Joining The Club

1999 Porsche Boxster

The saga of this particular Boxster starts with a tale of office space and community. While I’m usually content to work from home, it’s nice to have a change once in a while. In addition, I’ve sort-of drifted into a largely new sphere over the course of the pandemic, and while I’ve kept touch with many friends, greater local community interaction was on the list of desires. Then I learned about a place called RCLUB. It’s a private automotive social club in Toronto where members can wrench, hang out, develop their driving technique on some really nice Simucube racing simulator setups, wash their cars, and just do stuff that would otherwise be impossible in most apartments. David’s probably going to accuse me of being posh for being a member, which is fair enough, but it’s also where this Boxster found me, and where I ended up shooting it. [I’ve gone Hollywood, you may recall. -DT]. 

It turns out that another member’s mum was ready to let go of her Boxster, a 2.5-liter five-speed car with an incredible story. She actually ordered it while her husband was out of town on a business trip and just didn’t tell him until it showed up. How’s that for girl power? Needless to say, this car was loved from the start, and I’m a sucker for a car with great history. A deal was done, and I ended up taking home the perfect Boxster for a very reasonable price.

What A Spec

1999 Porsche Boxster

I’m hugely picky when it comes to the colors and options on my cars. [Ed Note: Thomas isn’t kidding. When I shopped for my i3, he made it clear: You gotta get the Giga World interior. I drove a nice 2020 model that was cheap and had the big battery, but the interior was black. “Get the right spec” he advised me. I’m glad I listened. -DT]. For example, my 325i had to be one of three specific colors, made before September of 2005, have a single-hump dashboard (no iDrive), no wood trim, the sport package, the Logic7 audio system, and heated seats but not the cold weather package. Oh, and it had to be a rear-wheel-drive manual car in a place that gets snow. Remember that scene in Spaceballs where they literally combed the desert? Yeah.

Unsurprisingly, my Boxster is also a bit of a rarity. It’s Pastel Yellow over Metropol Blue with a Metropol Blue top, a particularly uncommon color combination that’s a joy to behold. In addition, it came with the wind deflector, the amplified premium audio system, the storage box, embossed headrests, heated seats, colored wheel crests, an upgraded exhaust finisher, and 17-inch wheels. It’s a wonderful touring spec, with enough creature comforts for serious mileage.

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Oh, and that’s before I get to the documentation. This is a never-wintered car with one previous owner, purchased new in 1999 and kept until September of 2023. It has extensive dealer and specialist maintenance records, a copy of the original order invoice, the original radio code card, and even period-correct license plate frames.

Bring Out The Glass Tables

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A good sports car is a party drug, enveloping, intoxicating, and highly addictive. The rush of combustion, the snick of a shifter, the peak of cornering forces telegraphed through the steering wheel. By numbers alone, some of the best sports cars on the planet can be outrun and out-cornered by certain crossover SUVs, but that doesn’t matter. It’s all about sensation. So, what’s an early Boxster like to drive in 2023? In a word, profound.

It all starts with an unmistakable driving position. Slide past the reasonably narrow sills, drop down into the driver’s seat, and it feels like you’re almost skimming the asphalt. The enormous four-spoke telescoping but non-tilting wheel feels at odds with the shrink-wrapped three-pod gauge cluster with the slit in the hood like a red carpet dress, and you catch a glimpse of the left front fender in the corner of the windscreen. The 986’s cabin is tight in the inseam, but the litany of organic shapes transport you back to a different time as you slide the light yet precise cable shifter into first.

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These early 201-horsepower 2.5-liter cars got a final drive 9.4 percent shorter than on later 2.7-liter cars, and slightly longer ratios in fourth and fifth. While that doesn’t sound like much, it makes all the difference in the world. Combined with a 6,600 rpm redline, this all means that second gear tops out at just under 60 mph, and third just below 89 mph. Since you’re rarely running to the ragged edge of the tach in everyday driving, this gearset imbues the Boxster with a lively character that easily keeps you in the meat of the power band at properly sane speeds. You’ll want to be there because above 4,000 rpm, the flat-six belts out an exotic elixir of induction and exhaust noise, a wailing reminder of what we’re losing soon.

After reveling in the mellifluous notes of Stuttgart’s six-pipe organ, the true test of a sports car arrives — a corner. Brushing the ball of your right foot on the middle pedal conjures up immediate bite and a firm yet easy to modulate pedal. The steering feels like reading braille when going in a straight line — keep a gentle enough fingertip grip on the wheel and you’ll swear you’d be able to feel imperfections in the earth’s tectonic plates while driving on a billiard table — so it shouldn’t be surprise that weighting builds in a gloriously linear manner as angle and tire forces rise. Despite the low polar moment of inertia inherent in mid-engined cars, this thing’s absolutely intuitive to drive for everyone from beginners to seasoned pros, communicating far before the limits of grip are ever breached. Set the front end up right and you’ll be able to get on the power early, surging out of the corner on a wave of smooth internal combustion jazz.

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Yep, the Boxster does the sports car stuff alright. However, the really shocking things about a 986 Boxster are the ride quality and the cabin noise with the top down. Call it the presence of meaningful sidewall, suspension tuning by German wizards, or just a reasonable curb weight, this thing glides over Toronto bumps that my 325i would be crashing over. It’s uncanny how comfortable this sports car is, and that’s before we get into top-down volume. Thanks to enormous side windows and an adorkable wind deflector, you can hold a proper conversation with the top down at 60 mph without having to raise your voice. I’ve tested many newer cars that are absolutely deafening with just their sunroofs open on the highway, so this attention to noise is an unexpected joy. Perhaps because of its comfort, the 986 feels less serious than its successor, a more jovial roadster up for coffee runs and backroad jaunts alike. How wonderfully joyous.

Nobody’s Perfect

1999 Porsche Boxster

While my Boxster has been well-kept, it does have a few cosmetic considerations after 24 years of life. The odd scar, the occasional bit of wear, that sort of stuff. I’ve already replaced the worn shift boot and knob with a brand new part, and replaced a frail trim piece covering the alarm system’s ultrasonic interior sensor, but I’ll have to pop new lenses into the headlamps at some point and send it out for some light paintless dent repair.

This car’s definitely received paintwork in its past, and huge regard hasn’t been given to avoiding swirl marks so a full paint correction is planned for the spring. Speaking of springtime maintenance, it makes sense to replace the tires with fresh units in the spring, given the car’s very occasional use over just the next few weeks before winter storage. Continental has released its ExtremeContact Sport 02 300-treadwear summer tires in Boxster fitment, so I have my eye on a set.

The top is wonderfully water-tight, although it’s a touch fuzzy in spots and will need replacement eventually. In addition, the infamous IMS bearing, rear main seal, and clutch were done several years back but will need re-fettling in the future. While my car features the tougher dual-row IMS bearing and is well within the acceptable mileage limit for a replacement IMS bearing, I know better than to turn a blind eye.

A Certain Romance

1999 Porsche Boxster

This certainly isn’t the last you’ll see of the Boxster, but it’s probably best not to expect frequent content. See, we have this thing called “blogging the misery,” a premise where if the going gets bad, the blogs get good. Normally, this is the result of buying cheap and neglected cars, but this Boxster is in pretty good shape. It needs a few odds and ends, but we aren’t talking about rust repair, battery pack replacement, or anything of that magnitude.

Besides, joy isn’t meant to be overshared. It isn’t performative. It’s in the backs of cupboards, the sodium lights, the 6,000 rpm mark on a tachometer, and the 3,500 K glow of golden hour. A quiet shared giggle, barely audible from down the hall, drowning under the waves of the bathroom fan. A little secret that’s pacifist, benign, innocent. It’s in the stories we keep from childhood, the ones we laugh over yet are still wary to tell our parents about. Most of my Boxster tales will likely end up confined to group chats and asphalt. It’s a big wide world out there, and we choose what we want to keep. Let this be our little secret.

(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal, probably Thomas’ dad)

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74 thoughts on “I Bought A Yellow First-Gen Porsche Boxster Because Sometimes We Make Good Decisions Around Here

  1. I would care about the specs of my BMW’s too if I wasn’t simply buying the cheapest cars that I can barely afford. My last few car were BMW E34’s for $1500 or less, and most of them were boring specs like white on tan, black on black, or dark blue on gray. Most recently I “splurged” on a $3200 E34 540i/6, which is… black on black with bad paint, yay.

  2. Good on you! Wise choice that will give you miles of joy. Up until two years ago I was a 35 year member of the Porsche marque and loved every minute of it

    Again, great car although I’m not so sure about the blue interior and top.

  3. I had 2. Black on black. Then it got hit. And not repaired correctly. So the manager of the dealership gave “his”, the in classic silver with blue top. And it had a glass rear window and glove box! Took to some shop in Torrance that I had read about on some forum for the pro alignment. It worked. I need to get another one.

    1. Oh, I always liked the yellow. With blue? Even more, never saw of even thought about that combo. Sick. Might be that special order porsche, but that program may not have been in operation then cause they were not making much $.

  4. I bought an ’06 Boxster S six years ago for 19K. Triple black, most factory options, six speed, and only 14K miles. I’ve driven it 36K miles, and every mile has been pure gearhead joy. Less than 2K spent on things other than tires and regular maintenance. Comfortable with room for luggage, top down conversations at speed, and head turning looks. From the glorious howl of a Porsche flat 6 at redline, to the impeccable handling and brakes, this car does it all for me. Easily the best car buying decision of my life.

  5. That last paragraph was damn near art. You are going to have to throw some middle school humor in future articles or people may think they have wandered into the literary section!

    All jokes aside, great article.

  6. I’m hugely picky when it comes to the colors and options on my cars.”
    “…license plate frames.”

    Ew, license plate frames? You actually like those things?

        1. Why would you barely tolerate licence plates? Are you a bank robber?

          If you need a focus for your ire how about asshole dealers who mutilate your car to install their shitty advertising without your permission? I’ve never understood why anyone puts up with that.

  7. That last paragraph is beautifully written and goes well with how well the car was photographed. I love the story too; it’s a nice benefit to get a car with a story behind it. My RX-8 was also bought from the original owner, the proverbial older lady, who was a retired school teacher and due to a broken hip and broken leg both within a one year span, started driving the car less and less. She was excited that I was excited to buy the car. It made for a good exchange as I bought the car and we took a picture together before we parted.

  8. I have been casually looking for a 996 (I need a backseat, even if it is legally classified as a torture device) cabrio. This article is not helping my bank balance

  9. “and heated seats but not the cold weather package. Oh, and it had to be a rear-wheel-drive manual car in a place that gets snow.”
    I just squint at this a bit, but then remember you obviousy have something to drive when the snow is flying.

    1. Haha, yes and no. While I’ve never daily-driven anything but a rear-wheel-drive car, working from home usually means taking the subway if I want to go out with friends in the winter. The 325i was fabulous the one winter I drove it in the snow, though. Not quite as good as my old six-speed G35 with the viscous rear diff, but overall balance was excellent. Still, that G35 on X-Ices could get through damn near anything.

      1. We get snow in the UK. For about a decade my winter car was either my S12 Nissan Silvia (welded diff), my MX5 (welded diff and snow tyres) or my S1 Elise (snow tyres and terrible screen demisting). The only time this was anything other than sensible and hilarious was when I’d run out of ground clearance or when the Elise would take 10 minutes to demist the screen.

        My winter car is now my GT86.

  10. Ooo, I’ve got a ’98 with the metropol blue top and interior, but with silver paint. I’ve considered a wrap to bring some color to the exterior and this is giving me ideas.

    Mine’s a well cared for but high mileage (149K) multiple owner car and it’s my daily as long as there’s no salt on the roads.

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