Was wonderful to rejoin the Porsche community with the purchase of my 2004 Boxster S Anniversary Edition, my third. My journey began with a red 1995 968 which was a perfect entry point both cost-wise and from a driver perspective with just the right amount of manual effort required and go-kart-like handling. I found it in North Carolina and flew down to make the purchase and drive home, staying at a hotel in Buffalo and driving home the next morning. I took my in-laws out for a blast around the neighborhood and then left them with the kids and took my wife up to a friend’s cottage at Lake Baptiste.
The five years of enjoyment didn’t change my childhood dreams and I continued to pine for my real love, the iconic 911. That came to pass after much research and a few lost auctions, I found a reasonable-mileage 2003 996 C4S in 2008 in Dallas, Texas. The strong Canadian dollar helped and I put in my best offer. The auction closed without meeting the reserve and I contacted the seller and negotiated the purchase. I got all the paperwork ready, booked a one-way flight to Dallas, and hotels in Nashville and Buffalo.
With the kids growing and the start to my minor-hockey coaching career, I needed a larger vehicle and, after much hand wringing, sold the C4S for the same I had paid four years earlier. Fast forward seven years, my daughter was in university and my twin sons were on their way, which brought my coaching career to an end and left me wondering, “What next?” I have always known I would own a convertible at some point and why not know. After a six-month search, a very busy spreadsheet of brands, models and options, I settled on Gisele in May of 2018, a 2004 Boxster Spyder. This time the purchase was local and the story much simpler.
Fun fact: The previous owner put 3,000 kilometres on it in four years and I put 6,000 on from May to early December of 2018, including drives from Toronto to Ottawa twice for work, Pittsburgh for the Vintage Grand Prix and to visit friends, and then Prince Edward County for vacation.
I am often asked which Porsche has been my favourite, however, like my three children, I cannot choose between them. They all provide thrilling driving pleasure and a camaraderie with other owners that satisfies my passion. Not sure I will ever be in a position to buy a new Porsche, I am grateful for the blessing I have had, and choices I have made. Life is too short to drive boring cars! — Paul Magrath
