2002 PORSCHE BOXSTER

I’m a huge petrolhead and have owned this car twice. Initially from 2021 to 2022, during which time I commissioned renowned performance specialist Litchfield to carry out a complete suspension refresh, replacement of other parts and a major service at a total cost of £8K. Litchfield described this work as one of the most comprehensive refreshes they have ever carried out.

I subsequently sold the Boxster as I had the opportunity to acquire a 981 Cayman GT4. After selling the GT4 to help fund a house refurbishment, I missed both cars and, having had an agreement with the then owner (a close friend’s father) to be offered first refusal on the 986S as and when it might come up for sale, I jumped at the opportunity earlier this year.

Extremely comprehensive full Porsche/performance specialist and OPC service history.

RMS replaced and IMS upgrade also previously undertaken.

In the past 4 months alone: 2K spent comprising a service at Litchfield (further details below), 4 x Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric tyres and 4 x alloy wheel refurbishment.

‘Why are you selling again?’ would be a natural question. I have too many cars (a thoroughly first world problem I recognise) and a career change next year is encouraging a downsizing of the fleet. I would be happy for any inspection of the car.

Enhancements and refresh undertaken at Litchfield, October 2021 at 84K miles (8K miles ago):

- Powerflex (road series) suspension bushes all round including on the coffin arms, creating a better but still compliant platform for the refreshed suspension to work from.

- Replace springs front and rear with OEM.

- Replace dampers front and rear with OEM (Bilstein).

- Replace bump stops with OEM.

- Replace TREs with OEM.

- Replace drop links with OEM.

- Replace top mounts with OEM.

- IPD competition intake plenum and larger 74mm throttle body.

- Gravity stainless steel exhaust headers.

- GAN plug in (to the OPD) mapping supplied by Design911 (the option to choose between 3 different maps).

- 4-wheel alignment.

- Momo 07 non-airbag steering wheel in leather. OEM airbag wheel included in the sale too.

- B&M short shift / uprated gear linkage.

- Rennlist silver gear knob.

- Replace oil / air separator.

- Replace exhaust mounts.

- Major fluids/filters service.

I wanted to create a driving experience that was more tactile, with greater feel and response than the car would of been as new. I recall going in a colleague’s 986S back in the day when they were relatively new to the market and thought ‘this is a properly sorted car, but what if it could be made even better?’ That is what we have here. Having covered only 8K miles since the refresh and with further expenditure since, the car drives incredibly well.

The steering is beautifully weighted with brilliant ‘analogue’ feel, helped by the thin Momo wheel (why can’t all steering wheels feel so tactile?) and the Powerflex bushes. There is no harshness at all and the firmer bushes dovetail really well with the replacement oem dampers and springs to create a cohesive whole in both ride and handling. I deliberately went for the softer of the two options regarding the OEM Bilstein replacement dampers to retain maximum compliance on the road. I have not tracked the car as I am fortunate enough to have another car for the track.

The combination of the B&M short shift / uprated gear linkage (original also supplied with the car) and the Rennlist gear knob make for a really engaging gear change. It is weighty and very precise.

The IPD competition intake, the larger 74mm throttle body (up from 68mm), switchable engine mapping, Gravity headers and a refined but characterful Hayward and Scott exhaust mod to bypass the rear silencers have come together to create a sharper and more focused drivetrain. Is it significantly quicker than standard? No, but it is noticeably more responsive and sounds absolutely brilliant.

At the time, I was concerned that the modifications, in particular the Gravity headers might create droning, but there is none. The engine is quiet at a cruise and sounds absolutely fantastic under load with a constantly changing organic note. Driven in a sympathetic (including waiting until the oil has fully warmed up) but enthusiastic manner, it is so engaging to drive and the added response make heal and toe changes so intuitive, helped by the brilliant pedal spacing and weighting.

Other specification and history points worthy of note:

- Date of first registration: July 2002.

- 92,250 miles (I sold the car originally at 86,500 miles in 2022).

- Lever arch file full of invoices and receipts including the original invoice of sale. There have been 11 owners (custodians enjoying the car on average for over 2 years). I recognise that this is not a small number of owners, although it is clear from the huge invoice and history file that, unusually, the car has had love lavished on it by every owner throughout its lifetime.

- Full and hugely comprehensive service history at a combination of OPC (mainly in its early years) and then at Porsche and performance specialists since, including Litchfield (most recently, June 2025), Karline and Rennspeed.

- The most recent service at Litchfield in June 2025 included an engine oil and filter change (Porsche spec Quantum 5W40 fully synthetic), brake fluid change and Ferodo DS2500 front brake pads that replaced oem spec Brembo pads which I felt lacked bite. The rear boot struts were also replaced for new OEM as they were starting to lose strength.

- MOT until 20 March 2026. Passed with no advisories in March 2025.

- 4 x Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 fitted May 2025 at 90K miles. Approx 7.5mm of tread remaining all round.

- 4 x alloy refurbishment in at Reinventing The Wheel, July 2025, in gunmetal grey on the optioned from the factory ‘Turbo twist’ wheels.

- Air con regas: July 2025 (I have a Snap-on regas unit at home).

- Air con pipes replaced: May 2021 at 81K miles.

- Clutch replaced: April 2021 at 81K miles.

- O/S and N/S front brake pipes replaced: March 2020 at 80K miles. N.b. The subsequent MOT advisory in 2024 for ‘brake pipes corroded, or covered in grease or other material’ was due to the pipes having been greased, not because of corrosion.

- Brembo front brake discs: March 2020 at 80K miles. There is currently almost no lipping on these discs.

- Coil packs replaced: April 2018, mileage unknown.

- Brembo rear brake discs and pads: March 2018, mileage unknown. There is only very slight lipping on these discs now.

- IMS upgrade by Rennspeed Porsche specialist: March 2017 at 65K miles.

- Hayward and Scott exhaust modification to bypass the rear silencers, making it akin to a Porsche Sports Exhaust (albeit it is not switchable). The quality of the work is high. Date and mileage unknown.

- Philips WhiteVision Ultra H7 headlights - dipped and main beam, fitted by me in 2022.

- Subtle LED sidelights and rear numberplate light, fitted by me in 2022.

- Specified from the factory with cobalt blue metallic paint.

- Heated graphite grey full leather seats, with Porsche Crest embossed in head restraints.

- Blue seat belts.

- Rear parking sensors.

- Electric roof, which I have deep-cleaned and weather proofed. Slight fold lines present.

- Body coloured side skirts. These are not a full aero pack.

- Body coloured roll bar.

- Aftermarket Alpine CD headunit with USB and bluetooth. No Apple CarPlay nor Android Auto.

- Upgraded speakers which sound surprisingly good.

- Personalised plate included as part of the sale if the asking price is met: R50 BXT.

- HPI clear.

Bodywork and Interior Condition:

The overall exterior bodywork and interior condition is really excellent although not concours (easily in the top 20% of Boxsters of this era I have seen).

There are some minor stone chips on the front of the car and very minor perfections on the rear bumper (akin to very minor stone chips in a few places).

The rear plastic screen is slightly milky.

Both original key fobs are increasingly failing to remotely unlock/lock the car, which means the physical key needs to be used instead.

I had all the trolley dings removed shortly after I originally purchased the car in July 2021.

The interior leather has been regularly treated under both periods of my tenure and is in very good condition showing a lovely patina of age.

I have priced sensibly taking into account the exceptional provenance, specification, comprehensive service history, the substantial refresh work undertaken in recent years, as well as the minor areas that could be attended to in order to make the car perfect.

I look forward to meeting whoever is the Boxster’s next custodian: I am confident that you will not be disappointed with the car.