Having driven many many Porsches, including GT3's, turbos, air cooled, water cooled etc..... I honestly think the original 2.5 boxster is possibly the most pure and enjoyable sports cars of modern times.
It's light, its direct, it's analogue it's not full of nanny electronic trickery and it's pure.
It's not so fast it will have you worried about your licence and yet it's fast enough to be able to push on and enjoy the perfect balanced handling at sensible speeds. Top down, the howl of a flat six engine behind you and all for around £5k.

One of my all time favourites.

This 22 year old 986 looks and sounds  better than the actual base flat 4  718

People need to remember what Porsche was about in the first place. This car is more of a Porsche than any GT2 RS, or even a 'normal' modern 911.

Finally someone who speaks sense- my rather simple view is— it’s still a Porsche and I’d rather drive that than a fiesta 🤣

It is a stone cold classic, no bells or whistles, flat 6 engine, the pragmatic interior is all 90’s style. If you know anything about cars and you have driven a nice example of these 2.5, you come to the conclusion that you came to. I have one, and when I want a chipper cruise about I take the keys over my faster 911... today the sun is shining and mines going for a spin and I will enjoy every inch of the journey. You cannot buy a better car for the money #fact.

anyone else remember the boxster ps1 game? 😁

I have a pristine 1997 986 2.5.
For reference, I've previously owned more sought after Porsches, including 997.1 GT3, 997.2 GT3 RS, 987 Spyder, 996 Turbo S, 993 RS, 964 Cup, 911 RS 3.0 recreation...
So, why do I own a base 2.5 despite having the means to afford more "prestigious" cars ?
Because it's quite possibly the most engaging, endearing and rewarding sports car I've ever driven.
The back-to-basics nature of the car is a breath of fresh air, because the basics in question are so well judged.
Everything important is as good as any other Porsche : steering, gear change, throttle, brake, driving position, width, rigidity, ride, agility, adjustability.
The relatively low grip and viceless chassis make the car so approachable, and the low power and torque are a positive feature, making it possible to indulge in the car with abandon.
The thrill of a 986 2.5 resides in making the most of the available go, having to keep the eager engine on the boil and working to maintain through corners the speed gained on the straights.
The gears are nice and short (that is so important in a sports car), shorter than on the 2.7, and the engine eager to rev and tuneful (especially with the de snorkel induction mod and Crios exhaust mod).
The genius of the base 986 resides in offering engagement and driving thrill that can be totally accessed any time any place, without scaring other road users or risking one's licence. Buying this car was a revelation.
For all these reasons it's a car that I'd still have in my stable (and drive very often) even if I were a billionaire.
If you love driving, please go try one ! You're welcome :)

I have a Porsche Boxster s love driving it, wouldn’t change it

I admit I was always something of a 911 snob and could never see myself owning a Boxster.  Don't get me wrong, I was never part of the "it's not a real Porsche" crowd and am always happy when others are happy.  I just wouldn't own one, just not for me.

Life intervenes, kids come along, and the reality is I am never going to be able to own another 911.

A friend who happens to sell cars called me up and said I needed to come drive this Porsche they had just taken in before it hit the lot. It hadn't been cleaned up or prepped for sale yet.  Driving it reminded me a bit of my r53 GP and r53 JCW cars.  Just fun to drive.  They never fail to make me smile when I am driving them and every ride is an adventure - even to the grocery store.

That '99 Boxster never hit the lot.

how can anyone say this is the worst porsche when the cayenne, macan and taycan exist.

986’s are so underrated. I drove my buddy’s 986 base and almost regretted my 996.

Nothing wrong with a 2.5 986 Boxster. Good looking car in my mind, sounds great & enough power to have fun. It’s a Porsche it doesn’t matter if it’s old or new it’s still a Porsche.

These are actually brilliant to drive and the 2.5 is quite reliable and the lack of torque actually makes it feel asif it's rev happy.
Not the fastest or best build, but feels soooo sweet to drive.

It's a little sad that the 986 is so overlooked.  It basically saved the company back in the 90s

Nice review: just shows you should never listen to bar-room "experts" and key-board warriors who've never driven the bloody thing!

It’s still quicker than the majority of cars on the road aswell from 0-60

I got myself a 2000 2.7 and I love the car. It's timeless!

As a hobby mechanic, this is how I tackle engine reliability issues. I owned one of these 986 boxsters. After buying the car, I then bought a second engine from a wrecking yard. Now while I'm driving the boxster as absolutely as hard as I can, I'm also tearing apart, rebuilding, sometimes upgrading the second engine. Then once the engine in the car goes, or I become impatient, I'll swap engines. Now I'll have a fully rebuilt engine to use, and a second engine I can now rebuild, then sell. This isn't the cheapest thing to do, but with the sale of original rebuilt engine, it covers alot of the cost of doing this. I also never once worry about something like a IMS bearing,etc. I've done this sort of thing with a E36 M3, C4 Corvette, Z32 300zx, Z32 300zx, etc, etc.

Love my 2.5 boxster it's a great sound above 4.500 rpm and fantastic to drive with roof down or up never seen a yellow 2.5 before thought they were on the 2.7 or the s and mine only has 16" alloys

Have owned an 04 Boxster for a year now and am delighted with it. Always a pleasure to drive without all the electronic aids of more recent cars.