Pure Motoring Joy

HAVING BEEN A PROFESSIONAL AUTO JOURNALIST for many years, I’ve had the pleasure of driving pretty much all the new Porsches. But it was only about three years ago when I decided I really needed to have one of my own. I’ve always loved the Boxster S, and my budget restraints had me looking at the first-gen 986. Still crazy good value.

I cast a pretty wide net, and after a few of months of searching I saw a white-over-red S listed in Vancouver for $14,500. The rare colour combo piqued my interest, and after having a west-coast colleague check the car out for me, I flew out to have a look. Okay, I flew out to buy it, assuming it ran okay and wasn’t full of holes. It did run okay, and it wasn’t full of holes, but the suspension felt tired, and the owner hadn’t even heard of an IMS bearing, let alone replaced it. Nonetheless, my right brain (“I want it, it’s got a red interior!”) beat my left brain into submission (“But what about the IMS? And, oh, never mind.”). I shipped it home by rail and my good friend and fellow journalist Dan Proudfoot drove me to the rail yard in his 911 SC to pick it up.

Yes, I’ve put a few dollars into my special 2001 Boxster S — some necessary (IMS, all new suspension bits) and some just for fun (Fabspeed exhaust, 987 shift box, 18-inch Cayman S wheels), but through it all this little white Porsche has been nothing but pure motoring joy. —Peter Bleakney

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