It went something like…” I want a convertible, I’ve always wanted one and as this is my choice of car, so that’s what I’m going to have”. It was a stupid thing for me to do, agreeing to alternating “good” cars with my nearest and dearest.
So there I was, the HSV which had been my decent car was to be sold and a convertible bought in its place. You may remember the big Holden had been a bit of a love hate relationship for me, so in some ways it was a bit of a blessing, but being stuck with a 1.25 Fiesta Zetec, whilst not the worst thing in the world, was hardly on the top of my priority list of cars to drive daily.
There was one stipulation though; I wanted to be able to drive the new car, what ever it was. So the search began. We both tested various drop top machinery from Renault Megane’s to Mercedes SLK’s but the one thing in common (for me at least) was the inability to fit in the cabin with the roof up. You see, I have a rather long upper body. Fine in a people carrier but so it would seem, not in a drop top.
When we’d exhausted the list of main stream cars, my thoughts turned to the more specialist machinery. Now, you may not think these days considering the how common they are, but on the list was a Porsche Boxster. A decent 2.7 was the car of choice and a quick search picked up a nice looking car fitted with the obligatory climate control and 18” Turbo design wheels all riding on the sports pack suspension set up.
The test drive went well, I fitted with room to spare and the car felt how it should do, taught and punchy, in fact how I’d perceived a Boxster to feel. So the deal was done and my good lady was now the proud owner of a silver Porsche. At first I wasn’t too keen. There was nothing wrong with the car it was more the image it purveyed. Couple that with feeling quite exposed when the roof was down, I did my best to avoid driving the car too regularly.
Then early one Sunday, I got the chance to use the car for its intended purpose - a good hard blat around some deserted country lanes. I was sold! The steering was beautifully weighted with a stream of information fed back through the leather covered wheel rim. It was no Elise, but as a package it asked for a lot less of a compromise than the little Lotus. The engine was punchy, smooth and tuneful and had just enough grunt to do the chassis justice despite being the lowly 2.7 model.
It was addictive though and it wasn’t just the car, it was the whole Porsche experience. Anyone who is enthusiastic about their cars and has owned one will know. It doesn’t just stop with the four wheels you’ve just purchased; it’s the books, dedicated magazines and the oodles of tasteful accessories that you can buy. There is something about the Porsche company and its rich history that give you a thirst for knowledge. For anyone that thinks this sounds over the top and in the realms of being a bit stato, before I owned the car I felt exactly the same and I know I’m not the only Porsche owner that has experienced this strange phenomenon.
Then eighteen months later it happened and for once it didn’t come from me. The Porsche you own suddenly isn’t good enough and you want better, faster, more. I guess this is why there are so many tuning and aftermarket companies because there is only so far you can go with the “standard” range. Admittedly, the 2.7 was the base model of Porsche’s entire range at the time, so there was room for manoeuvre, but I wasn’t entirely sure considering how sweet this car was. Anyone who is married knows, sometimes you just have to sit there and say – “Yes dear!”
Geed up by various other enthusiastic members on the Boxster internet forum……... “I want a 3.2S, in Cobalt Blue with the PASM pack, leather interior and sports seats”. Sigh……..
Tempering her enthusiasm with a little bit of sanity, I suggested that we have a look round at what was available and ideally find a decent 3.2S in 986 facelift form, which did away with the most annoying part of the original car, the plastic rear screen. Whilst it would have be nice to find one in Cobalt Blue (a special order colour when new), I suggested it may be worth keeping an open mind preferring to buy on condition.
Fortunately the search didn’t take long and quite quickly we’d managed to find a clean looking second generation 3.2S in Polar Silver (another special order colour that suited the car far better than the proposed dark blue), not far from us. With full leather seat, Bose stereo, Turbo 2 wheels, and climate, the spec was better than the previous car but it was missing the sports pack suspension, which as we would find out was a blessing.
It was the drive home that highlighted how much better the standard set up was. Bumps and lumps that would have previously jarred both driver and passenger were now smothered and along the bumpy back lanes of Essex the car covered ground with a fluidity previously missing. Coupled with the extra power, this Boxster was a completely different animal, more aggressive, harder charging, more involving. It was an even more addictive machine.
Together my good lady and I had eighteen great months with this car, during which time it saw many adventures which included ending up on Top Gear (the US edit version) where it was used as a studio car to trekking the length and breadth of the UK. Oh and yes, I did get to thrap it round the TG test track a couple of times as part of the deal.
It was a sad day when it departed our tenureship, but it was for the best. The whole “Porsche experience” had got to my good lady and she was becoming neurotic about the car, parking miles from anywhere so to prevent it getting door dents and spending complete weekends polishing and detailing the exterior. That’s not what a car is all about, especially one as good as the Boxster S. They’re for driving and enjoying, not for sending people nearly ga ga. I would have loved to have kept it, but by this time I had accumulated some other cars to my ever increasing collection, and enough was enough.
Would I have another one? Definitely and a quick look at the classifieds show they’re a bit of a bargain now. Still need to make a bit of space though……