[husker boxster]

All 2009 and newer Porsches have engine without an IMS. I think you have the MIF confused with DFI - direct fuel injection. S models have DFI, base models do not.

Base models do not have a cheaper interior, just different queues to identify it vs an S interior. The main difference between an S and base interior is the gauge faces are silver on an S and black on a base. The rest of the interior is subject to how the purchaser ordered the car, so you could have a Spartan S interior and an opulent base interior - it just depends how it was optioned.

You don't state where you're located, so it's hard to recommend a place to buy. If you're in SoCal, you could find many options on Craigslist. If you're in Montana, you may have to look on AutoTrader and have a wide search sphere. Since you are not a car guru (nothing wrong with that), when you find a car that you're interested in, have a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) done. This will cost $300-$500, but will allow an expert to look over the car and determine if it's in good shape. Since a PPI is not cheap, you only want to do them on serious candidates.

2009 and 2010 Boxsters are starting to hit the mid-$20K mark. They'll have a few miles on them, but these particular years are fairly low maintenance and should last well over 100K mi.

I hope your dreams come true and you're able to purchase a Boxster. They make an excellent reward.