Thanks guys for your comments. I appreciate the info.
I drove 3 hours yesterday to Dallas to look at the white/blue car below. It's sitting on a little out of the way used car lot. Super nice owner. Very much the gentleman.
It would have be the perfect project car for what I want to do at $5500. Maybe even $6k. Unfortunately he was asking $8650. Top dollar for a '98 that was at best a 20 footer. It is one of the nicer optioned early cars I've seen though. Full leather, lots of interior trim update, Sport Classic wheels, power seats both sides, 4-stalk cruise and computer. It even had the foot well lights - first time I've seen that option on an early Boxster. Unfortunately it was just kind of worn out. 12 year old tires. Seats worn. Top inop. Paint kinda tired. Wheels curbed. Even all 4 center caps were missing the Porsche emblem. And you know it'll need fluids changed, plugs, coil packs, motor mount, belt, etc. Lots of little things that didn't really matter, since I would have been re-doing/replacing a lot of it, but I couldn't justify top dollar and I didn't want to low ball what he was asking by $3k. I almost felt guilty going through everything it needed. But I did find the radio code and reset it for him so the radio now works.
I tried to talk myself into the car all the way back home. I just couldn't do it. But it sure looks nice in the picture below.
Bummer.
But finding the right project car is half the fun. And I did get to get out on the road for six hours in one of my '99s.
What I'm looking for is out there though. This was just the first one I looked at. The hunt continues...