[RandallNeighbour]

Last night I uttered this confession to my wife:

"As much as I wanted a convertible Porsche, I'm not buying another one new or used. My next Porsche will be a mid-engine hard top with the biggest motor I can get in it."

My reasoning for this is two important factors that when combined, made the decision easy.

1. I live in Houston Texas. It's hotter than hell here most of the year. And it's unbearably humid too... which means I bake AND steam with the top down and suffer a lot with the top up as well due to the lack of insulation in the canvas. I really do not enjoy driving the car from May to September during daylight hours.

What I loved most about the boxster was the way it looked with the top down, not the actual top-down experience living where I live. The Cayman looks great with the top up, and has all the handling benefits of the boxster plus more rigidity.

2. The top itself, the motor, the cables, the transmission, the electronics, and the switches are all maintenance items that seem to fail in older boxsters. It's like having two engines to look after when you look at the dollars involved. Granted, the top isn't nearly as expensive as a new Pcar motor, but it sure is the same price as the motor in my Toyota!

Since I buy used Porsches and keep them a long time, #2 is a really important issue to me. I must have the peace of mind knowing I don't have twice the repair bills and repair hassles ahead of me in the years to come.

So, when it's time to trade my old boxster in for a newer Porsche, it's gonna be something like a Cayman S.