Click here for more on Porsche

Buying a sports car is a compromise. You sacrifice cabin space for beauty. You give up luxury to reduce weight. And squeezing high performance from the engine can affect reliability.

But there is one model that demands fewer concessions than most: the Porsche Boxster. It can commute Monday to Friday but sprint race at the weekend. Take it on a long journey and it won’t dislodge your fillings. And a visit to the dealer between services is rarer than a frog with feathers. The Boxster is the nearest thing we have to sports car perfection.

When it was introduced in 1996 the Boxster was a gamble. Make it too good and sales of the iconic 911 would dry up. Get it wrong and the company’s reputation would suffer.

But Porsche got it spot on. Launched with a 204bhp 2.5 litre engine, early cars were brisk but not ferocious. Instead, the point-to-point speed and satisfaction came from superb handling. Safe and predictable yet immensely rewarding, the Boxster had none of the vices for which earlier 911s were notorious.

Mechanically the cars are virtually bulletproof, provided they are maintained by an approved dealer. Nor will visits every 12,000 miles or 12 months strain the pocket unduly at about £300 for a minor service and £550 for more thorough attention.

It’s also worth having the suspension geometry checked every year. It takes two hours and costs about £150 but can save you much more in replacement tyres as they wear quickly on the inside edge if the wheels are knocked out of alignment.

Inside, a Boxster is well made if austere. Equipment is sparse, too: no air-conditioning, metallic paint, CD player or electric seats as standard. Fortunately for used-car buyers few Boxsters leave the factory without some option boxes being ticked. The most sought-after cars are those with air-con, leather upholstery, metallic paint and upgraded stereos.

There is a choice of five-speed manual or five-speed tiptronic gearboxes, the latter offering the driver the option of fully automatic changes or manual gear selection. Although a £1,700 option when new, tiptronic cars maintain almost all this price differential second-hand.

In September 1999 Porsche revised the line-up. Looks remained unchanged but the entry model’s engine grew from 2.5 to 2.7 litres. The increased capacity boosted torque and power, up from 204 to 220bhp and enough to make the car noticeably quicker. In addition, a new 3.2 litre flat-six power plant joined the range. With 252bhp in a car weighing just 2,866lb, it meant that the Boxster could claim “proper” Porsche performance, with a 0 to 60 time of 5.5sec and 164mph flat out.

Seven years on the Boxster remains highly sought-after. Even early 2.5s with a highish mileage and lowish spec rarely come on the market for less than £15,000. But dig a bit deeper and £20,000 will buy some really decent cars.

The best news is that when you sell your Boxster it will have depreciated less than almost any other car of the same price. Sports car ownership has never been such good value.

CHECK IT OUT
Plastic rear window Easily damaged if folded incorrectly, replacement costs £300
Optional hard top Costs £2,000 but adds only £750 to second-hand value
Upgraded stereo Popular option improves sound quality with roof down
Upholstery Early 2.5s come with nasty cloth interior, hunt down a car with leather option
Steering Geometry easy to knock out; spend two hours and £150 with Porsche dealer to correct
Digital climate control Standard only on the 3.2 but an essential option
Cabin Optional full leather interior includes dashboard and door inserts
Colours Non-metallic finish less desirable; pay less for cars in yellow or white
Security Remote control alarm and immobiliser standard
History Service records must be complete and accompanied by original invoices
Wheels 17in alloys most desirable

VITAL STATISTICS
Model Porsche Boxster 2.7
Engine Flat six, 2687cc
Power 220bhp @ 6300rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Fuel 29.1mpg (combined)
Acceleration 0 to 62mph: 6.4sec
Top speed 157mph

THE ONE TO BUY
Porsche Boxster 2.7 manual, 2000 V-plate with 40,000 miles. Pay £24,250 at a dealer or £22,000 privately

OR FOR SIMILAR MONEY ...
2002 52-reg Honda S2000
2002 52-reg Audi TT Roadster (225)
2001 X-reg BMW Z3 M
2000 V-reg TVR Griffith 5.0
1998 S-reg Mercedes-Benz SL 500

VALUES: Porsche Boxster 2.7
Mileage 10,000
2000 V Trade £24,400; Retail £27,000
2001 W Trade £26,650; Retail £29,250
2002 51 Trade £29,100; Retail £31,750

Mileage 20,000
2000 V Trade £23,500; Retail £26,250
2001 W Trade £25,650; Retail £28,250
2002 51 Trade £27,900; Retail £30,500

Mileage 40,000
2000 V Trade £21,650; Retail £24,250
2001 W Trade £23,650; Retail £26,250
2002 51 Trade £26,000; Retail £28,750

Tiptronic (auto) models fetch about £1,500 more than manual variants; 3.2 costs about £2,500 more than 2.7

Source: estimates based on confidential CAP black book prices. 'Trade' is what a dealer would pay to buy your car; 'retail' is what you would pay a dealer