1. The brakes on these cars are awesome. That doesn't sound right.
2. When I spoke with my mechanic when I was looking, he advised against the Tiptronic because when they go, it can be expensive. Some one on here just had his tip go and it wasn't cheap. Do a search on here and you should find it. Me personally, I like the manual. I gave the tip some thought, but this car just begs for manual IMO.
I am no expert, just my .02 cents. Keep in mind, there are lots of these cars out there. Make sure you get a PPI.
Edit: here's the Tiptronic post:
http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-parts-sale-wanted/41699-tiptronic-toast.html