I've driven a brand new Boxster S and we own a 2007 hard top Boxster, (er...I mean Cayman
) and can tell you that these are simply awesome cars. The handling and balance of these cars are simply in another world. I was never really a fan of these cars until I saw one in action during one of the big annual fun runs up in the Santa Monica mountains. I was in my '84 (new suspension and S03's) and about number eight in a line of cars up near the front. Two cars ahead was a guy in his Boxster. Those of us who were behind that guy were working our a$$es off trying to stay with him and he was making it look easy. I think he could've dropped us at will if he had really been trying. His car looked like it was on rails - and it was stock. I came away very impressed by that car. It is certainly no pretender's car. It's the real deal.
Our Cayman takes the game on even further.