In the Boxster, Porsche returned to building a relatively small and simple roadster. It was and is a less complex, easier to live with car than a 911, while still rewarding its owners with probably almost all of the real-world driving pleasure - and handling. 

It’s a car that can be a tourer, a point-to-point sprinter or simply a boulevardier all in one

day. Dress it up and go to the theatre, dress down and go for coffee. Or dress how you like and go for a blast on the B-roads. It fits into your life wherever you want it. Your call.

The Boxter’s service record and paperwork displays the kind of conscientiousness and vigilance that any Porsche collector or enthusiast longs to see. The car has a fully stamped service book (18 stamps) from some proper addresses; West London Porsche Centre and more latterly Porsche specialist Strasse of Leeds. 

Together with a sheaf of invoices, they corroborate the low mileage and show that no corners have been cut either in terms of expense or in spares used in making sure the car has been running on top form. It’s worth noting that the front radiators were replaced in 2017 (sometimes an issue with these) and that the Boxter had a new timing belt in November 2020 at 30,659 miles. The Porsche has covered fewer than 500 miles since its fluids service at the end of last year.

Still wearing its original colour of Arctic Silver, the Boxter remains a very smart car. The finish is consistent across the car on both metal and plastic parts, and maintains a good gloss across all. The only real blemishes are two small touched-up chips at the bottoms of the doors – one on each side. 

The lacquer shows no polishing swirls. Shut lines and panel gaps are consistently narrow, while bumpers, air scoops, lights and door handles all remain flush to the bodywork, maintaining the overall smoothness of the contours and maintaining the integrity of the shape.

Much the same can be said of the (original) hood, finished in contrasting black. It is in very good condition, retaining a good deep colour with no signs of fading, and with no tears or worn patches. Its rear window is clear and smooth.

Badges show no scuffs or corrosion and the Porsche crest on the nose remains well defined and vivid in colour. It’s worth noting that the headlights are of the self-adjusting Lintronic type and a would have been a cost extra.

The black leather sports interior complements the silver bodywork very well. Successive owners have obviously looked after the cabin and the leather remains in an excellent condition. Black hides have not faded, there is a little creasing, more so understandably on the driver’s seat, but bolsters and cushions are firm, well defined and retain all of their shape. 

This is also true of the leather-covered items - gear knob and steering wheel - which remain almost free of scratches and handling marks and a great feature of the car. There is a small amount of scuffing to the edge of the centre console, but this (apart from the gentle patina of the seats) is more or less the extent of the wear to the cabin.
 
Its worth looking in storage compartments and Carpets are stain-free and clean, and the logo’d mats have straight, nicely bound edges and show no holes or stains. The rubber seals around the cabin appear very healthy, and the silver roll bar with glass wind shield is a nice touch. The soft top sits neatly in place when folded and raises and lowers smoothly. The car is the sophisticated roadster it ever was.

in the front apron and rear side vents is clean and the light cluster lenses bright. You’ll notice that all

the badging around the car - nose, wheels and boot script - is new. Understandably, the lower nose

shows a few stone chips, and the rear edges of the front wheel arches show a couple of grazes.

The hood is only a year old - the owner wanted a glass rear window - though the lower edge could do with cleaning. Its mechanism is easy to operate and the

The paintwork is in very good condition, maintaining a good deep gloss across the whole of the car. Colour is uniform across all materials and the beltline protection mouldings are straight and firmly mounted. This goes for the large rear spoiler, which, like the rubber door seals, remains supple, free if cracks and a deep shade of black. There is no chrome on the Porsche, but the metal window frames – yes, black again and very neat – are all rust-free.

The panels of the bodywork itself appear corrosion and dent free. Shut lines are narrpw and the flanks and bonnet smooth. When shut, the big sunroof fits totally flush to the bodywork, as do the headlights, which pop up and down smoothly and quickly.

The Porsche looks solid very solid underneath. There is a degree of light weathering to the underside of the Boxter and on suspension and steering parts, but all components appear solid, very much intact and very capable of doing their job. The underside of the body appears strong, and there don’t appear to be any stains from leaks on the subframe supporting the engine. This structure too looks very robust. The 18in Sport Design split-rim alloy wheels are in very good shape, with the red brake callipers behind (also in good shape) a nice touch. It’s worth noticing that the Boxter is wearing a completeset of recommended issue Pirelli P Zeros all round with minimal wear.

So many Boxters have been mucked about with – modified for better or worse – or titivated within an inch of their lives. Its always refreshing to find an original, low mileage example whose condition and paperwork testify undeniably to its authenticity. It wears its 20 years on the road very well.

It’s a car you can buy with confidence, knowing it is going to perform to Porsche’s high standards in every respect, and also knowing that, with sensible use and diligent servicing, its value will remain strong.