[onewhippedpuppy]

I have never, in my entire life, heard of someone being injured by lightning because they were in a convertible. The odds of that are probably right up there with being attacked my sharks flying out of a tornado.

Steve, all I have to say is I TOLD YOU SO! Boxster/Cayman are great cars. I would definitely encourage you to drive a Boxster as well, the top is very well fit and insulated, I suspect that you will be pleasantly surprised at the low noise level. My previous '99 and current '97 are both quiet enough that regular conversation at highway speeds is no issue, and I believe they further improved the top for the 987. You can also get more Boxster for your money (as compared to the Cayman).

Regarding the 996TT, it is definitely a GT car, even more so than a standard 996. The GT2 was the true 996 turbo sports car. I think they are definitely fast stock, and a few bolt on mods make them into the hand of God. You can also easily remove the front driveshafts and differential to make it into a 2wd, losing weight and making it much more frisky.

I don't have any experience with PASM, but a sport muffler is essential on the newer water cooled cars. My single biggest knock on all of them is the noise, or lack thereof. I would personally put finding a car with PSE as a high priority, or plan on swapping mufflers shortly after the purchase. A good sport muffler makes any of the water pumpers sound like a proper Porsche.