Ok - Did a first drive today and looked at 3 different cars. 2 were duds, bad shape....like really bad, neglected, previous owners had zero spare cash (but some ingenuity) bad shape. The 3rd car was drivable, but did have a CEL (not a deal breaker if the price can be worked out properly). All in all, I did enjoy the driving experience of the third car. Smooth, ran well, really nice car. If that car represents what I should expect from a 2000+ Boxster Base, I was rather happy with it.
Now on to find the car that I'll buy. Have been in contact with two individuals who have what look like nicely taken care of examples of early 2000-20002 cars...2 base, and one S. Hopefully I'll really fall in love with one of those three, and can make something happen in the near future!
but so far, I'm liking these little cars.