by Mathieu Yuill

Created on: July 15, 2009   Last Updated: July 19, 2009

There's something comforting about the low-end of the Porsche lineup being a convertible.

Growing up there was a neighbour down the street whose son owned a Porsche 911. It was unthinkable that one day some poor schmuck like me might be able to afford one. But with the introduction of the Boxster in late 1990's, road-hugging luxury began to reach the everyman.

Priced at $58,100, the Porsche Boxster's convertible top allows those who want to enter the luxury sportscar market the ability to kick it up one extra level in nice weather and drop the top. The effortless one-button operation takes less than a minute; I was even able to put the top down while stopped at a red light with enough time to return the smiles I got before the light turned green.

Its 245-hp is plenty to be sure, but the engine is still tame enough for drivers who don't want or need to accelerate to twice the posted limit in under five seconds. I had plenty of fun the week I had it without making passengers nervous. Besides, the strong point with the Boxster is its insane ability to keep glued to the road. There was more than one occasion on an on-ramp where I was saying out loud Can you believe it? to myself as the Boxster held its line and accelerated up to speed.

That being said, those of you who might now be empty nesters and are finally giving up the four-door sedan for something you really want should be cautioned that like any rear-wheel drive car, the back end will want to kick out on you if you push it too hard.

The Boxster's interior is understated to the point of being downright simple. Its operation is simple too but I found it a little bit slow. Pushing a button to change the radio station often resulted in a small delay.

Not that I had the radio on too often the engine in the Boxster sounds great. It has that low rumble and surge to life you want to hear from a sports car. It was great in the morning, turning on the ignition and putting the roof down; it felt like it was time to drive. Unfortunately I was mostly driving to work, but on the weekend when I had the chance to take it for a jaunt through the country was some of the most enjoyable moments I've spent behind the wheel of a car.

Pros:

1. You can get into a Porsche for a reasonable amount of money

2. It's a lot of fun to drive

Cons:

1. It's certainly not practical

2. It's just for driving, expect no other creature comforts

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