Porsche Boxster S (986) | PH Fleet

Almost three decades after the launch of the 986-era Porsche Boxster, they’re under secondhand scrutiny like never before. There’s the looming arrival of an electric Boxster for one thing, the thought of it inevitably shining a spotlight on the most affordable examples that feature a naturally aspirated flat-six – as well as the delayed appreciation of its 911 contemporary, the 996. 

Where a rear-engined Porsche with fried egg headlights, a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive will be a good deal more than £15k for a sub-100,000-mile one, there are equivalent Boxsters – 3.2s, of course – for less than £10,000. And that’s actually up from where they used to be. Forget 924s and 968s – these are the classic Porsche sports cars that are really interesting right now. Affordable, plentiful, great to drive, and with the ‘90s (allegedly) sort of cool again, a 986 must be on quite a few radars. 

So consider this investigative journalism, PH style. We have this 2001 Boxster S, some bits to sort, and a few (hopefully) sunny summer months to discover whether a 986 really is as good in reality as the breezy daydream seems. Because we’ve all been tempted by a cheap Porsche at some point or another, right?

A bit of context, for starters. This Lapis Blue example hasn’t been bought at a knockdown price in an auction or grabbed from the classifieds for a song; it’s actually the property of my future father-in-law. He’s been the sole owner of this one since specifying it new in 2001, covering a little under 60,000 miles in that time. By all accounts, it’s been a fairly trusty old steed in almost a quarter of a century, but that’s a long time for any car to live; now a little love is required to get the Boxster back to its best.

Russell deserves it, too (my in-law, not the car). What with a cancer battle, bereavements, a written-off M5, and facing the prospect of me marrying his daughter, it’s not been the easiest few years. And keeping a Porsche in fine fettle, quite understandably, hasn’t been priority number one. So as well as hopefully discovering a bit about the best ways to maintain, upgrade, and enjoy a 986, we can help a chap out who’s long overdue some good fortune.

Having raced one a few years back, the temptation to go full road racer is enormous. But I’ve also got to remember that I’m lending a hand here, not building a dream Boxster, so most changes will be to factory spec. Though not all, if my crossed fingers pay off. The main priorities for right now are bringing some flat paintwork back to life, replacing a manky roof, modernising the audio and sorting a couple of electrical gremlins. The spoiler’s stuck up, for one thing, and we can only get Radio 2, for another. Fundamentally though, it seems like a decent car, having covered 150 miles or so already – roof down and flat-six howling is a real treat – albeit with the room for improvement obvious. 

And no time like the present. It’ll be in the garage over the next few days to sort a couple of more mundane issues like struts and wheel bearings (or whatever’s causing the wobble), then we can get into the fun stuff that’ll really work some magic on this much-loved Porsche. Any advice, input, or pointers are very much appreciated; there’s a bit of budget to work with, and I’m keen to make this as good as it can possibly be. Even if it means driving around with that numberplate on…

Car: 2001 Porsche Boxster S (986)
Run by: Matt Bird
On fleet since: April 2025
Mileage: 58,900
Last month at a glance: The Boxster is the cheapest way into a classic Porsche sports car – is it the best?