[tboyer]

Hey Jennifer,

Welcome to the forum, personally, I would only consider an "S" no matter the year ('00 and on), just a personal choice and not a knock against a base. The 03 S has some nice improvements over the 00-02 S including body updates, tail, and of course a glass top.

25K for an '03 S is a fair deal, not great, you may be able to knock a few bucks off IF you show up with some basic knowledge. The rule of thumb around hear is buy the best you can afford. I like mid mileage Boxsters, if they make it into the 60+K range, chances are, many of the common issues were already taken care of. With that said, having service history for the car that shows maintenance performed by a Porsche dealership is worth it's weight in gold. Service history is key!

Normal to have a bit of smoke during startup, not so normal if it's heavy and persists. Common smoking issues is normally related to the air oil separator (AOS)

If the car comes with a CPO (you'll pay for it up front, they always get you) or independent warranty, great, if not, have a PPI inspection. Save your money on the extended warranty, put those funds in a high-interest savings account like ones provided by ING. However, you need to have some reserves ready to dish out for the common issues that WILL creep up sooner or later. You should expect to spend 2 - 3K over the first few months of ownership, pretty normal to get your lot-sitting 986 back in business. Common sense is important, do not ignore what your eyes, ears, and gut are telling you, I think I read an article in Car and Driver regarding older Boxster purchases turning in PPB (Personal Porsche Bankruptcy) if you're not careful.

With that said, nothing better than dropping the top on a Boxster and just going for a drive for absolutly no reason whatsoever! Good Luck and keep us up to date!