Automobile Magazine, March 1999, Volume 13, Number 12
to subscribe: 800-289-2886 or 303-604-1465

Four Seasons Test, Porsche Boxster.
Twelve months: A love enduring, although sometimes unrequited.
by Joe Lorio
photography by Glenn Paulina

Excerpts:

Ann Arbor-

Sometimes it's easy to fall in love. It was particularly easy in the Indian summer of 1997 to fall in love with the Porsche Boxster that showed up at our door (okay, it was our parking garage) for a one-year stay. The first words in the logbook summed up our feelings: "The Boxster is here and life is good."

...Beautiful it was, and we could have fallen for it on looks alone. But our Porsche roadster proved most seductive when one was behind the wheel. Credit the near-perfect steering, the unflappably balanced chassis, the strong brakes, and of course, the lively and resonant flat-six engine.

...On our annual All-Start drive through Kentucky and Tennessee, the Boxster walked away with Automobile of the Year honors for 1998. "As far as I'm concerned, the world needs more cars like this," opined contributor Jamie Kitman.

...Happily, the exquisite noise emanating from behind your ears makes you want to send the needle into the tach's upper ranges again and again. The Boxster's water-cooled, horizontally opposed six sounds every bit as characterful as the air-cooled flat-sixes that powered 911s for so long. "It's a joy to drive a sports car that sounds like a sports car." observed executive editor Mark Gillies. "Who needs music or the radio when you've got that flat-six behind you?"

...Just because we loved our Boxster doesn't mean we shielded it from the elements. For winter driving we outfitted it with Pirelli Winter 210 snow tires on seventeen-inch aftermarket wheels. Not only did the Pirellis keep the Boxster tracking true through winter weather, but they did not dull the steering precision one bit and they also tipped the handling balance slightly toward oversteer, which some drivers found entertaining.

...At 17,661 miles, the Porsche went back to the dealer to address a pinhole leak in the engine oil pipe, a stress crack in the windshield, and a broken cup holder. But of what consequence were these things in a relationship such as ours? Even David E. Davis, Jr., after complaining about the lack of interior storage space, the low-rent stereo, and the air bag warning stickers that littered the interior, admitted, "It's still an near-perfect sports car."

...In its final weeks, the Boxster was as agreeable, and as alluring, as when it first arrived. And then it was gone, its year complete.

Can we have it back?

reader reactions

Berkeley Johnston, 33
San Luis Obispo, California
Software programmer [not really, but close enough for most non-computer people]
Price as delivered: $48,000
Months owned: 7
Previous car: 1961 Mercedes Benz 190b
    Likes: My dad introduced me to Porsches, and their mystique as captivated me ever since. My Boxster ravings quickly weary family and friends, but other owners never tire of them. Like beautiful art [I was a little over the top here], the Boxster's styling attracts second and third looks everywhere. It launches modestly, but it quickly accelerates with fantastic power and sound, especially above 450 rpm. It tracks perfectly on highways yet has razor-sharp roadholding in turns, and it has enormous braking power.
    Dislikes: The limited low-end torque leaves me playing catch-up with the big-bore racers. I've had three initial-quality problems: the awkward cup holders, a broken vanity mirror cover, and a faulty wind-stop latch. All were fixed under warranty. I'm really reaching for these dislikes -- only BMW Z3 drivers can find fault with this incredible car.

Automobile Magazine reports: 6/96, 3/97, 2/98, 4/98, 8/98, 9/98

Berkeley | Boxster | Mags