I must say, that in the year and a half since I sold my Boxster because the SECOND engine needed replacing and I wasn't going to make that investment again, I have mixed feelings about the car.
There is no question that it is the best driving experience I've ever had, and certainly a pure sports-car experience. Nevertheless, with certified car prices approaching $50,000, I'm not sure its worth it -- particularly after having had two engines go bad on me (not to mention other repairs that were expensive).
I realize there are drivers on this board who can casually fork out that kind of money for a car, but I'm not one of them. I'm also not the kind of person who can spend big money on a car and then plan on spending a lot of time with my (trusted) indy mechanic. I mean, to be honest, if I'd had the kind of experience I had with the Porsche with a lesser "marque" -- if it had been a Toyota, without the cachet of Porsche -- I'd never go back to the car.
I haven't as yet replaced the 986, but hope to next year. If I fall into a pile of money, I'll consider another Boxster because of the driving experience. However, there are other cars that provide razorlike handling, such as the BMW 2 series, and probably some other, less expensive ones, that I'd also consider. And if I found myself in new-car financial territory, I'd look hard at the planned BMW Z-4 (or the Alpine A110 if they's put a manual in it and sell it in this country).
I have to add, that if Porsche is unhappy with sales levels, they have only themselves to blame. We all recall that a few years ago they were talking about putting out a "Baby Boxster" that would return to the company's roots in the 1950s. In addition to not being sure I want to spend the money on a new or certified Boxster, even if I won the lottery, I'd think twice about the boat that the once-svelte 911 has become. There's no question, though, that I would have looked hard at the erstwhile Baby Boxster.
As far as emissions standards, etc., they're here to stay and having come to grips with the loss of manual chokes on cars, I think I can handle future modifications in that direction.
2001 Base, purchased in 2004, replaced engine at 130K+, RIP 2017