[TimAustinW]

the next time you hear someone saying the 986 is not a real Porsche or "the poor man's Porsche" here's some ammo from Wikipedia....

Within a year of marketplace acceptance in the United States, the original Boxster was the recipient of many awards, including those listed:

* Car & Driver – One of the 10 Best Cars of 1997
* Automobile – Automobile of the Year
* Motor – 1997 Performance Car of the Year
* Autocar – Best Roadster in the World
* Motorweek – 1997 Drivers Choice for Best Sports Car
* The Philadelphia Inquirer – Best Sports Car of the Decade
* Newsweek – One of the Best New Products of 1997
* BusinessWeek – One of the Best New Products of 1997
* American Marketing Association – Best New Product of 1997
* Automobile Journalists of Canada – 1997 Car of the Year
* Automobile Journalists of Canada – Best Design of 1997

The Boxster has been on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list eight times, from 1998 through 2003 and 2006 through 2008.

The Boxster S (986s) was rated as one of the top ten Porsches of all time by Excellence magazine.

The Boxster (in both 986 and 987 guise) is evo magazine's recommended buy in the 'Sports Car' category and has been ever since the model's introduction.