Getting Back in the Boxster After a Long Time

My husband recently said,

“I’ll watch the kids, so go drive the car. It’ll be good for a change of pace.”

He says things like this as if he were a godsend.

Of course, he often goes out driving alone on his days off, but now when he comes home, even without me saying anything, he’ll say, “Why don’t you go drive the car?” I’m truly grateful.

So, the other day, I got to drive the Boxster GTS (981, MT) again after a long time. I hadn’t driven it during the period I was staying at my parents’ house before and after giving birth, and when I counted, it had been two months.

Driving the Boxster for the first time in two months also meant driving a manual transmission car for the first time in two months. I was a bit anxious, thinking, “Can I really still drive it? I finally learned how to drive a manual, but what if I forget how to operate it and stall repeatedly…”

When I asked my husband, “Do you really think I’ll be okay?”

“It’s like riding a bike. Once you learn, your body remembers, even if you haven’t driven in a while. If you can’t drive it anymore, you can always buy back a 320i and practice again yourself,”

he said with a laugh.

No way, that’s a bit much… (LOL)

The Boxster and the 992

Getting back in the Boxster after a while, I noticed that familiar Boxster scent. It’s strange—when I drive the GT3, it smells like a GT3, and when I drive the air-cooled 911 (964), there’s an unmistakable “Wow, this is air-cooled!” scent.

I’m not exactly sure if this scent comes from the seats or something else, but (I once wrote an article about the smell of air-cooled Porsches and received many comments), I love all these scents because they’re nostalgic and comforting.

I sat in the driver’s seat, gripped the steering wheel, carefully adjusted the seat position, and started the engine.

Vroooom!!

I love this engine start sound. It’s like the car is waking up from a deep sleep, saying, “Alright, let’s go for a drive now!” with a thrilling roar. Then, without overthinking, I operated the car by feel—and I drove just fine.

Once you learn something, your body really does remember. I didn’t need to worry so much after all.

That said, this made me want to try driving older manual Porsches or other brands’ manual cars with heavier clutches and more challenging operation. (I admit I get carried away easily.)

What I felt driving the Boxster after a long time was a bit different from before. The day before, I had driven a just-delivered 911 Cabriolet (992 model), and that experience left a strong impression.

Before, I thought, “The 981 Boxster GTS has great road contact. The suspension is supple yet firm.” But after driving the 911 Cabriolet (992), the Boxster felt a bit less planted.

The 992 gives a strong sensation of the tires gripping the road firmly—it feels solid and robust. At the same time, it’s supple, so it leaves an impression of being “firm yet flexible,” (I can’t think of a better way to describe it). Compared to that, the Boxster’s ride felt much softer.

Regarding handling, the Boxster’s handling is by no means bad—it turns exactly as you want and feels very satisfying. But the 992’s handling is even more precise, holding steady through tight corners without any slip. Compared to that, the Boxster felt like it had a slight tendency to drift outward.

Well… I think my driving skills have a lot to do with that…

Still, when I was able to rhythmically steer through gentle curves, it felt as exhilarating as skiing down a slope, and driving was definitely fun. I thought, “Ah… it would be amazing to drive the Boxster on all kinds of roads across Japan.” (So far, I’ve only driven on the Royu Driveway and Thunder Bull Crink.)

After a while, I opened the top and drove on the Royu Driveway, and once again, the sound of this 981 was absolutely thrilling. Compared to older Porsches, it’s less mechanical-sounding and more of a crafted performance sound, which I personally love.

My senses were stimulated, adrenaline pumping. Being able to control this open-top manual car producing such a thrilling sound is so much fun that I can’t even find the words to express it.

Simply put, it’s fun.

Of course, the PDK is definitely smoother and easier to drive. My manual skills are still rough, and I’m sure the fuel economy isn’t as good as the PDK. But still, it’s fun.

I was enjoying the drive when I started getting a series of messages from my eldest daughter, who usually sends me multiple texts when I’m out:

“The baby just woke up.” “I’m holding him but he’s crying.” “Looks like he’s hungry.” “Mom, come home soon!”

So I headed back home early.

Even a short drive of just a few dozen minutes was so enjoyable and refreshing that it reminded me once again how great sports cars are.

Cars change as you drive them more, and drivers’ impressions also change after experiencing other cars and then returning to the same one. Cars are industrial products, but they change almost like living creatures, which is fascinating and profound.

And while it might seem unusual for a mom just one month postpartum to be driving a manual convertible, it’s precisely because I have this time that I can enjoy family moments and appreciate them even more.

Now that I have more important things in my life, I hope to continue enjoying our own style of car life while keeping that balance in mind.