They are nice to drive, handle great, and are even decent to work on, if you have a lift to get underneath, since that’s where most of the service items are accessed.
The problem is that they had an un-oiled bearing supporting an intermediate counter shaft that can(will) fail and often kills the motor (also a problem on the IMS bearing of similar aged 911s). If it’s had the bearing replaced, and especially if it’s been upgraded with a solution to oil it, it’s usually a great deal too.
I honestly really like the Boxster, and I think the hatred for it is heavily undeserved and also heavily fueled by toxic bravado and insecurity.
It's an affordable (for a Porsche, at least) and fun-to-drive roadster that looks sleek and nice, but just because it's cheaper than and not as powerful as the 911, that apparently makes it "a girl's car" and therefore "bad"...
As a Miata enjoyer, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Boxster. It’s probably my favorite Porsche other than the ones that are impossible to buy (speedster, Carrera GT, 550 spyder, 918 spyder)