Okay, first, I'm 66 years old and retired. So color your opinion with that. I am in the latter stages of putting a newer, better 2.7 in my 01 Box/base. So I'm not your average old codger. Hurts when I get up in the morning, but I'm out there working on it by 9 am.
As I understand it, time and money are constraints that are keeping you from fixing your Boxster. You are in college & that should be your first (probably only) priority.
Depending on how close you are to graduating, you should either walk away and sell it as a project car, or get a car cover and put it away for later. In the meantime, there are lots of older cars to choose from. As you can see from my signature, I have a couple of 1st gen Prius's and a 96 Dakota 4x4 (250,000 mi. and going strong.) The Pri's have the distinction of not looking like 04 and later Prius, but are more a sporty 4 door sedan. Look nice, and the Prius is more stealthy than the later ones (which I'll agree are butt ugly.)
I guess, in a father's tone, I'd suggest you get something that's fairly reliable, easy to fix, and affordable. I worked on a neighbor's 2000 Camry yesterday and it would fill the bill and doesn't scream inexpensive or old. Don't know your finances but something under $3K would be worth looking for--good maintenance helps, but look for something that looks nice and then have it inspected by someone you trust. I probably would default to Toyota, their build quality is quite impressive.
