TRIED&TESTED TRIED & TESTED: BOXSTER S 987 * 2005 ‘05’ * 74,046 MILES £10,995
The 987 was a significant advance over the 986, the new model’s revisions to chassis and suspension sharpening the Boxster’s already much praised handling as well as introducing the better cabin first seen on the 997. Among exterior styling changes were new headlights and a deeper grille, while work on the induction system once again raised output, the S’s now rated at 280ps. This Basalt Black Boxster S is one of the last of the 3.2s: the following year it would be replaced by a 3.4 (effectively an updated version of the original 996 design) which it would share with the newly launched Cayman S.
At first sight it is hard to believe this is a thirteenyear-old: the paint is positively lustrous and the hood has also received attention from JR Motor Company’s tireless detailer. Externally there is barely a mark to be seen and the cabin is almost as good: leather interiors always seem to wear better than other materials and both this car’s owners appear to have looked after it. Supplied by Porsche Chiswick in 2005, the service record shows two services carried out by Chiswick then under a second owner, three services by Hatfield and two by servicingstop.co.uk, an operator who collects the car and returns it the same day. The most recent attention was by Hatfield in October 2017 and 72,549 miles. The records show five brake fluid changes and the brakes themselves have ample disc material. Tyres are Michelin Sport Pilots which look fairly recent. 19 inch Carrera S slotted wheels are both eye catching and spotless.
The beautifully ergonomic yet intimate 987 cabin is enhanced here by Porsche’s tasteful deployment of leather fittings and a full specification which includes a Bose sound system and automatic a/c. Turning the key produces a distinctly rorty note from the exhaust, quite exhilarating with the roof down and leaving no one in any doubt that this is a proper Porsche. Underway everything suggests a correctly maintained car: steering and suspension are taut, the gearshift has little of the slack that often betrays high-mileage and the 3.2 is responsive, revving eagerly when asked, but also displaying noticeably more torque than the smaller engined 987s, making the Boxster a car honed for driving also a relaxing boulevard cruiser. Vendor Ian Robertson says he always asks his customers for first refusal when they come to sell: “I might not make huge money by the time I’ve prepped a car to my standards, but if it’s one I’ve sold before, I knew the car and I can often get a better margin.” He will then be looking out for this handsome black S some time in the future as it found a taker the day after our visit. PW