2000 Porsche Boxster

Convertible

Automatic

Automatic

WP0CA298XYU620146

Clear

Gasoline

For those who were oblivious to sports cars until last week when the midlife-crisis symptoms kicked in, a little background on the Boxster might be helpful. It debuted in model-year 1997 with the promise of being an "affordable" Porsche. Uh-oh, doesn't "affordable" imply giving up something you really want? The Boxster opened with only 201 horsepower from its 2.5-liter water-cooled six-cylinder engine, making for a 14.2 power-to-weight ratio, a bit feeble for a Porsche. But we loved it right off the boat, awarding it the top rating in its first comparison test ("Spring Fancies," April 1997) against the BMW Z3 2.8 and the Mercedes-Benz SLK. Weak for a Porsche maybe, but that first Boxster outran the others in almost every test of speed and absolutely delighted us with the accommodations that come free with this car's clever packaging. Porsche seems to have wrung every possible benefit from the mid-engine layout. The flat-six lies low, between the back of the cockpit and the rear wheels. That opens trunk spaces both front and rear for cargo. And leaves room for the power top to stow itself over the low engine with only modest intrusion into the rear trunk.You have all this useful space because, from above, the Boxster seems to have no engine. The fluids can all be checked and replenished through a small service corner under the rear trunklid, but to actually see the engine, or work on it, you must come up from the bottom.The Boxster's accommodating nature continues into the cockpit, too, which is exceptionally broad of beam, no doubt because the car itself is about two inches wider, more or less, than its imported competitors. The result is wonderful elbowroom. Few will feel confined in this sportster. Six-footers slide easily into the driver's space. Taller pilots will find a bit of extra legroom by sliding the seatback tight against the roll bar, at a cost of having to listen to the upholstery scritch-scritch against metal when the structure shakes slightly over bumps.