The first generation car had massively exceeded even their most optimistic sales projections and was the car responsible for taking Porsche from the edge of financial meltdown to a position where it could afford to buy 20 per cent of the Volkswagen Group. The second generation Boxster was a surprisingly restrained item, nudging the car in the right direction in myriad ways without significantly altering the basic proposition. A used example won't be cheap but it will definitely be enjoyable.

These cars cling onto their value tenaciously and even the first of the 2004, 54-plated cars is going to run you around £28,500 if you go for one (as you should) with the metallic paint, climate control and full leather that most buyers opted for. Opt for the Boxster S 3.2 and you'll need £32,500 for the first of the 54-plated cars, with the Tiptronic S automatic gearbox adding only about £200 at resale, the definitive Boxster definitely having a manual gearshift.

The Boxster is an astonishingly capable car. Traditional Porsche design cues are everywhere, belying the car's position in the range. The dashboard is now 911-style as is the breathy wheeze of the flat-six engine behind you.

Whichever Boxster model you choose, it's a car that makes you feel a million dollars, especially with the hood down and the engine at full chat. The hood mechanism is almost worth the price of admission by itself.

Pressing a single button will electrically raise the rear deck and unfold the hood until it tautens before it can then be latched onto the windscreen header rail. In all it takes just 12 seconds and although rivals such as the Mercedes SLK have taken this trick and refined it still further, the Boxster's hood still draws admiring glances.

The Porsche is also surprisingly practical. The front and rear boots can actually swallow a surprising amount of bags, and the Tiptronic cars make town driving painless. This sort of car, often having lived its life gently perambulating suburban high streets, makes the best used buy. Watch out however, for the example you come across every so often that has been treated far harder.

The Boxster's engine is a reliable and charismatic unit which has yet to show up any significant problems. Check the tyres for wear and also have the rear axle and suspension inspected as heavy acceleration from a standstill on a dry surface leads not to wheelspin, but to quite severe 'axle-tramp'. This is a condition where the rear of the car judders under the torque of the drive going to the grippy rear tyres and is a potentially damaging and uncomfortable sensation. A whining axle or drive shaft will bear testament to this.

Spend a few months without driving a Boxster and it's possible to forget just how good this car is. Then you put it back to back with rivals and it makes them appear clumsy and unresolved. If you can afford one, buy one.