While I'm on the subject of searching for a car - can I get some opinions on something I'm finding frequently with cars in the '00-'04 range? It seems a lot of these cars have been owned by 2 or in many case 3 different owners. That seems a bit odd to me. Can anyone provide some insight into why Boxsters change hands so frequently? And more importantly should this raise concerns about a car?

Something else I find a bit odd is that a majority of the cars I'm finding are being sold by (non-Porsche) dealers - who coincidently are asking several thousand more than individual sellers. None of them have service histories on the car and based on the descriptions they list (e.g. 'V6 engine') know little to nothing about what they're selling. What's the general consensus in situations like this? Is there a recommended method of dealing with Dodge dealer that took a Boxster in on trade? Is there a 'safe' way to buy a car from these guys?

I think 2 owners is about right. For a lot of people if not most this is a luxury buy. The car may not be used as much as they thought and then of course things change over a 10 to 12 year period. Kids, jobs marriages etc. a two seater gets traded in for a 4 seater so thus a non Porsche dealer. Which leads me to my story. I just got the car that I wanted! Not to hijack your thread, but I found a 2001 S in mint condition with 64K miles at a Cadillac dealer in Atlanta. It was traded in on a 2005 Boxster by a guy who has owned 10 previous Porsches. The car was the right color both in and out, an S and had a documented service history. It is obvious that this was a well cared for car. He even did the 60K mile service right before trading it in. The icing on the cake though was the price. It was advertised at $18K but I negotiated it down to $13,750! Dealers have more room to play. Look at the KBB trade in values to get an idea. Keep looking, you will find the right one and good luck! I am currently taking my time driving it back to Texas and loving every minute!

BruceH - thanks for your input. Your find gives me hope but makes me insanely jealous at the same time! How did you find the car? I'm checking eBay, Cars.com, Autotrader, CarGurus and a site that allows me to search all the individual Craigslist sites on a daily basis. Do you know of other sites?

I found it on both eBay and cars.com. I was checking Craigs List in about 10 cities. I was also checking autotrader and then Porsche dealer sites. I looked at a lot of cars and drove many. None compared to what I found. I am not always that patient so it was tough to pass on cars that were close, and tempting to call on nice cars that didn't meet my color/equipment/miles wants. I would have liked a little less milage but that cuts both ways. I think 50K to 70K mile for that age range is a good number. It all depends though and you will know when you find it. I have to tell you though that it was well worth the wait! I have been casually looking for a long time and more serious in the last three months. Time to head to New Orleans! We're spending the night there, find some good food and then the final push to Dallas/FT Worth tomorrow.

You may want to keep an eye on Classic Cadillac of Atlanta as well. They told me they sold 4 Porsches in the last few months. They were excellent to deal with, very transparent. Stephen Pealer is the salesman responsible for Internet sales. He picked us up from the airport and had everything ready to go. You never know, they may get another Boxster on trade.

On the matter of back windows:

I've had four (4) Boxsters.... 2 with glass back windows, and 2 with plastic back windows. I admit that the glass windows are superior for visibility; however, the plastic windows do have the advantage of being larger in size and if you treat them right, they allow good vision to the rear of the car. All in all, I think it's a toss-up.

I'm easily seduced by low mileage cars; however, there will likely be no CPO warranty on either car, so the IMS/RMS work already done becomes more valuable. And...silver beats black any day in my book.

So I agree that #1 is the better car.