[dghii]

"If the "911" series of cars were the only offering from porsche, I would still be a porsche-hater. "

I would have agreed with you years ago but the 911 kind of grew on me over the last 5 years or so. the 911 was never the car I hoped to own one day...wasn't even that much of a fan of the style. After owning the Boxster for 10 years and finding out that I could maintain it myself, I begin to look at 911's as a viable alternative as I found the 996 variant was as much a 'red headed step child' as the Boxster.
Given the 'unlove' the 996 has endured, it seemed to be worth considering, knowing it would be very Boxster like in terms of feel and maintenance. Why not give one a try?

I am not disappointed.

That being said, a well loved and cared for Box in the ~$10K range cannot be beat. Hands down the most bang for the buck one can find. The Box owes no apologies. I look at used ones every night and would buy one to replace the 911 in a heartbeat if the right opportunity came up. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the heck out of my 'real' Porsche!