| REVIEW
Porsche Boxster 986 Mark II [2002-2004] Retroview - Part 2
Exterior
Finish
As you’d like to expect from a car at its price point, the Porsche Boxster has managed to weather reasonably well for a vehicle that’s 16 years old. Though it really depends how well the car has been kept over the years, the paint finish still holds good depth of colour and I’m always surprised how well it comes up after a wash, even with just the run-of-the-mill cleaning products. Of course it has plenty of light scratching, road rash and the odd mark here and there but nothing of any major note and nothing that has gone down to the metal. This car also has some spidering/crackling of the paintwork on the rear bumper from what I assume was a small rear impact, but nothing that you can see from a standing position at the rear of the car (see buyers tip).
Buyers Tip
- It's well worth getting on the down low when you are looking for your Boxster as it's not easy to tell if there have been any front or rear impacts from a standing position, especially if they are only minor.
Colour-coded bumpers, side mirrors and door handles all add to the Boxster, something that wasn’t that standard back in 2004, with only minimal evil black plastic on the side mirrors. Probably the only odd thing is the plastic under the windscreen where the mount for the wipers are located. As it forms part of the covering under the front boot where the battery is housed, it seems to be made from an different grade of plastic which means it seems to weather a lot quicker than the other black plastic parts. It’s also mostly flat with a strange non-slip grip texture (like you’d find on a table tennis paddle), meaning it holds standing water which certainly doesn’t help with the weathering.
Roof
To be honest, I am still amazed that in around a minute or so I can have the roof of the Boxster completely down… gone… vanished. The whole idea that the entire top of the car can fold into its own space without compromising the boot at the back, as though it had never even existed, is nothing short of a marvel and it’s one of those things that stimulates the child within - to the point that you could literally spend all day playing the ‘roof goes up… roof goes down’ game.
As mentioned in our ‘Budget Boxster’ series the roof is surprisingly sturdy, made from what seems to be a dual layer man-made weaved material and for a 16 year old car it has weathered pretty well. It’s probably not as black as it was originally and though I have not attempted it yet myself there seems to be plenty of products that claim to be able to re-condition a tired covering.
No matter whether it’s a Boxster or a 996 cabriolet, with a car of this age you will find some scuffing on the rear quarters, which I assume is caused by the outer lining rubbing against a part of the bodywork while either going up and down or due to movement of the roof while driving. Some will be worse than others obviously, so it’s worth looking out for the tell-tale darker patches and inspecting them a little closer to assess how bad the wear actually is.
Wheels and undercarriage
The closer to the road we get, the more we can expect things to wear and with the wheels and undercarriage of the Boxster only inches from the ground this is where we find the worst of it, particularly in the colder regions, as the addition of year on year exposure to salt grit certainly doesn’t help.
Though it will vary, you can certainly expect some corrosion on the alloy wheels due to loss of the coating, plus the usual kerb grinder marks. There isn’t going to be much you can do about it other than have the wheels professionally restored if you have the budget for that kind of thing.
Like any vehicle this old, rust becomes a killer and is something you definitely need to look out for and seems to be worst on the exhaust, metal brake pipes and particularly the exhaust brackets and retaining bolts which inevitably will need replacing.
Underneath view of the Porsche Boxster 986.
Styling
I may be biased, but I still think the Porsche Boxster is a good looking car and has certainly stood the test of time image-wise. On the street or in a car park, it doesn’t look out of place even with modern cars (though it can be hard to see in a car park full of SUVs due to its low profile) and always gets a sidewise glance as people pass by. To a degree you get the best of two cars -- the styling of the modern era 911, mixed with the classic style of the original 356 roadster and its abundant sleek curves are something that wasn’t that common back in 2004. I spent a bit of time looking at similar era cars prior to writing this and was a little surprised at the number of them that were pretty much just bricks with wheels attached.
Possibly the most contentious element of the 986 (and 996 model 911) are what have come to be known as the ‘fried-egg’ headlights. Though in hindsight, what was then a rather ‘futuristic’ approach with the headlamps, fog lights and indicators fully encased and wrapping around the curves of the front quarter-panels now seems to be a fairly standard design that can be found on most cars. It may be less noticable on the later models with the clear indicators as this at least gets rid of the yolk.
Clockwise from top left: Side profile of the Boxster, the infamous 'fried egg'
headlight, curvaceous rear brakelight view and the jet figther exhaust.
Probably my favourite design element is the central single exhaust tip. Having a 6-cylinder engine means it has two exhaust banks, but rather than have one at either side of the rear of the cay, they fold back into a central exhaust unit and then exit the centre of that. There are still two separate exhaust pipes, but they are covered by a single exhaust tip that gives it that jet fighter engine look - which I think is pretty cool.
Buyers Tip
- You may want to have a look at your wheel bolts and check them for corrosion. Though the bolts themselves should be fine, the hemispherical seats that bed them into the wheels are some kind of alloy that corrodes and becomes brittle over time. Replacing them with some new shiny chrome aftermarket ones not only might save you from some kind of wheel failure - they look good too!