[husker boxster]

Let me take a swing at a couple of your questions.

Yes, it's possible to get a Porsche warranty (called CPO) on a 986S (the name of an "old 3.2"). It's getting harder to find 986S CPO cars because the newest 986s are now 4 yrs old. But they do exist. I traded an 01S in on my LE and the dealer CPO'd it. However, the warranty genereally adds a $2K premium vs a non-CPO car in the same condition.

The CPO warranty is not bumper to bumper coverage. It covers most mechanical things, but not all. Wear and tear items are not covered (tires, brakes, wheel bearings, etc). The dreaded RMS and IMS problems are covered. Based on your admission that you don't keep cars very long, it may not be worth $2k for the CPO. But if it brings you peace of mind, it sounds like you can afford it. If you buy a CPO car and decide to sell it in under 2 yrs, the warranty can transfer (which makes for a nice selling pt).

A 986S has approximately 10HP more than a 987 (the "newer 2.7"), so you probably won't notice much difference in overall performance. However, with an S version you get a 6spd trans instead of a 5spd, bigger disk brakes with slots (and red calipers), an extra oil cooler, dual exhaust tips, and possibly larger wheels. Based on your explanation of needs, the extra equipment on an S is probably not a big deal to you.

Finally, Boxster prices depend a lot on the equipment / options and the mileage. A loaded, very low mileage 03S may be more valuable than a stripper base 05 with normal mileage. It's hard to say all 03s are worth X and all 05s are worth Y. It depends.

Hope that helps and good luck.