Not another novice kicking the tires!

[thstone]

Find a local independent Porsche shop and make arrangements to have them do a Pre-Purchcase Inspection on the car. They will know what to look for and will give you a list of issues with the car and items that need repair/replacement. They will also check the computer and see if there are any error codes stored in the memory. Expect to pay about $200-$300 for this service but it will be the best investment you could make.

The top cables are easy to replace yourself using a book or an online guide.

Tires have been discussed on this forum many, many times. Do some searches and you'll read some wide ranges of opinion but it should be easy for you to find a tire that is quiet and somewhat affordable. I have Michelin Pilot Sport 2's (PS2's) on my car that handle extremely well and are very quiet - however they aren't exactly cheap.

Remember that there are no cheap Porsche's. A 10-yr old car with a top that doesn't work and that hasn't had the 60K service probably needs a few other things as well (and thus the need for the PPI so you know what you're getting into). If you can do the 60K service yourself, expect to pay ~$300-$400 for the parts alone. This is why shops will charge $800 and up.

Just don't be surprised if you need to put $2K into the car in the first 6-months to get things working and catch up all of the maintanence.

But in the end, you will absolutely love the car as much as the rest of us do.