[RandallNeighbour]

Alan, you seem to be more worried about the IMS than you should be. Remember, only unhappy Porsche owners blather on and on about stuff that breaks with their cars on forums for the most part. The IMS issue can be addressed on most any Boxster you find after purchase when you swap out your clutch plate. It's not the ticking time bomb you think it might be.

Purchase the youngest boxster you can find with a previous owner who took care of the car and did the maintenance and repaired things when they broke or wore out or got close to wearing out. He should be able to provide a thick folder with all his notes and receipts.

Additionally, I would pass on any boxster in the model years 1997-2002 because the build quality and the interior and the top's plastic window are really annoying. Get a 2003S with the bigger motor in it and a glass rear window. No one ever said "I wish I had bought a Porsche with the smaller motor in it" and trust me when I say that plastic window is a pain in the arse to chop in half every time you drop the top (to keep it from cracking or folding wrong).

If you find a car you like but it's 17,000 or more dollars, just save more. Don't do what I did and settle for something in your current price range. Save more money and buy a younger S model.

Now to your "low risk Porsche" comment. There are none unless you purchase a CPO car from a dealership with a maintenance contract. The car will cost you roughly $750 a year to operate if nothing goes wrong with it and you drive it daily. Boxsters eat rear tires in 10-12k miles. Oil changes are $150. And any 10-15 year old car you buy will need stuff repaired on it that will not be cheap. Parts are expensive.