2002 Porsche Boxster 986 S

I'm reluctantly putting my lovely Boxster up for sale. I've really had a lot of fun owning her for 10 years but it's time for a change to something older and with room for the dog in the back. This is the 986 S pre-facelift model, so whilst you don't get a glovebox, you do get the prettier bumpers and side intakes. And my car has the "triple black" combination of basalt black metallic paint, black interior and black hood, which has to be the best combination! As you'd expect after 23 years and 85000 miles there are a few very minor blemishes in the paint. The main ones (which I've tried to show) are two little car park/ trolley dings on the driver's door and a tiny crack in the rear bumper under the nearside rear light. I don't know what caused it as it was there when I bought the car and I've seen a couple of other 986s with a similar crack. I also had some paintwork done in 2023 to tidy up the sills and bonnet. I would describe the paintwork as excellent, and she really polishes up beautifully as I hope you can see. The hood is the original one as far as I can tell and is in great shape. The fabric is a little scuffed where it folds as they all do, but it has no rips or tears and is water tight. The plastic rear window was replaced at some point in the past and is as good as a plastic window needs to be! I also replaced the hood drive cables last year, so the hood works exactly as it should.
The interior is in great shape. The only points to note are some minor marks on the silver-finished pull handles on the inside of the doors. The carpets are excellent, as are the seats, which are the very desirable "hardback" sports seats. The standard stereo is still there and works fine along with the optional factory fit amplifier. The only other point to note is that the air-con doesn't work. I suspect that it is due to the two condensers in front of the side radiators needing to be replaced. Let's be honest, if it's warm enough to think about putting the air con on, the hood will be down anyway, so it's never been a priority to replace the condensers and get it re-gassed.
The car comes with a part-service history and a stack of history and receipts from myself and previous owners (of which there have been 7). I have done a lot of my own maintenance as my main hobby is messing about with cars and bikes. I have the excellent Bentley service manual which will come with the car. Since I've had the car I've only ever used Mobil Super 3000 5w-40 oil. I trust this oil more than the rather thin Mobil 1 that was used from the factory.
Other work done on the car in my ownership includes: Lower temp thermostat, water pump and front engine mount. Injectors cleaned (just something I like to do as a precaution). Front discs and pads (rears are still fine). Design 911 induction kit and replacement air box. Both cats and all 4 lambda sensors replaced last year (using genuine OEM Bosch sensors), crank angle sensor and air-flow sensor. Fuel pump and fuel filler cap. I also fitted a spin-on oil filter conversion. Last year I fitted a full set of Koni sport dampers and H&R springs along with OEM top mounts and ARB links. The Konis and springs are basically the same spec as the Porsche M030 factory option, which means the car sits slightly lower but the ride is still comfortable and still happily clears speed bumps etc. The last major work I had done on the car was to replace the clutch, dual mass flywheel, clutch slave cylinder, RMS and the dreaded IMS bearing. This work was done by a local Porsche specialist. The clutch needed replacing so it made sense to do the IMS bearing at the same time. At my request they used the EPS cylindrical bearing upgrade. I've probably forgotten a few bits and bobs, but the only other thing I can think to mention is that the car had a PSE exhaust fitted by one of the previous owners. It doesn't have the electronics to actuate the valves so they are set in the open position. It sounds amazing when you open the throttle, but sounds perfectly civilised when cruising (unlike some of the eBay specials some people fit and end up removing because they boom and drone...)I really love this little car. It's a brilliant driver's car and it seems like the 986 has really come of age recently with glowing praise heaped on it from a number of respected motoring journalists and professional drivers. If you think you'd be happy with a 2. 5 or 2. 7, and that tiptronic transmission would be fine, you'll kick yourself for not getting the full fat 3. 2 manual. This car can lift up her skirts and get down the road very rapidly indeed if called for. And the sound from the PSE exhaust and induction kit when the tacho winds past 4500 revs is addictive! It goes without saying that the handling is superb. Ignore anyone who says the Boxster isn't a proper Porsche, or that people only buy Boxsters because they can't afford a 911. In my view the 986 is basically a 996 with the engine in the right place! And you have the ability to drop the roof at the press of a button in 10 seconds. That said, with the roof up, it's as a good as a hard top. It's quiet, warm and at 6'1" I still have plenty of headroom with the hood up. I've done some proper road trips in this little car. In last two years we've been to Goodwood, Yorkshire and Northumberland/ Scotland. If she doesn't sell I'll be taking her to Le Mans this summer too.
I will genuinely be sad to see my little Boxster go but as I said, after 10 very happy years, it's time for change.