Dead Boxster?

[Surfncpa]

Yesterday while driving on the freeway my engine light started flashing. I was just a few miles away from the Porsche dealer at the time and was actually headed there for my 90K maintenance. About 30 seconds after the engine light started blinking the oil light started blinking. I quickly got off the freeway and as I did so the engine shut off. I didn't hear any strange noises from the engine and saw no oil leaking when I looked under the car.

I got a tow to the Porsche dealer and then caught a ride a to my office a few miles away. The Porsche service guy called later and said they didn't see anything wrong with the electronics so they suspect the motor was history. Since it is an old car and not worth a lot, the service guy asked if I wanted to pay them to go ahead and look further. Of course I said yes.

He called me back later to say the mechanic found metal pieces from the engine in the oil filter, which he said meant the engine was ruined. The options he gave were for me to tow it away or get a new engine for $19K. That seems like a bad investment since the car is a 2000.

So now what? I am thinking I should get it towed to an independent mechanic and have them actually get inside the engine and look around. Or is that just a waste of money? If nothing else, I'd like to satisfy my curiosity of wth happened. And if I do that, and assuming they also say that the engine is damaged beyond repair, should I consider a rebuilt engine or just forget about the car?