Despite the fact that I've been posting on this board for a while now, the fact that the majority of my contributions are dodgy photoshops is probably enough of a clue that I'm not a Porsche owner (yet). I like to think of myself as more of an aesthete - appreciating the marque for their design qualities. In truth, I'm "into Porsches" in the same way that many a fat, beer-drinking middle-aged man would list football / soccer / baseball / rugby among his interests. "TV, food & drink, socialising, football (watching)". An armchair enthusiast.
I don't have a bad job and could probably afford one were it not for the second mortgage we shell out in nursery fees and my wife's desire to spend money on appreciating assets rather than depreciating toys (although I think we may have winessed a sea-change in attitudes today - of that more anon).
For now, I just use sites like this (and my jogs past the local OPC) as the carrot to see me through to the end of my MBA (bring on August!).

Anyway, wife says a friend has her father's Boxster and "would I like to go for a spin?". Sure, yeah, why not.
Friend turns up in an immaculate silver 987S on 18's. Looks like Arctic, with full teracotta interior. The latter, incidentally, looks fantastic up close and has just closed off one of the plethora of spec hypotheticals that help fill slow days in the office. Wife goes for a passenger spin for 10 minutes and comes back awestruck. I can almost hear the home improvement plans being mentally shelved.
I duly hop into the passenger side - trying not to look half as impressed or interested as I am. All that studied indifference goes straight out the window before my bum hits the teracotta, though - as I'm asked if I wouldn't really rather take the wheel. Wife must have spent her entire ride extolling my virtues as a driver, I guess. Good wife.

Swap seats, get comfy, dick about with the mirrors and scan the cabin for buttons I might recognise. No PASM, no sport chrono, no nav, speedo incremented at 75MPH. Transpires the car is a RHD import from Germany (a la Easy).
Foot on clutch, fire it up. Sounds great. Take it easy out of our street, ostensibly out of safety-minded respect for the neighbours kids - but in all honesty just hoping my ex-boss (and current neighbour) is about. No joy, dammit.
Meander out of town, getting used to the feel of the controls. Cannot believe how easy and unintimidating the thing is, for a pretty powerful (by my standards, anyway) mid-engined, rear-drive sportscar on rain-soaked roads. Only major control that requires a surprising amount of heft is the brake pedal, which also seemed to sit pretty high.
Out of town, heading up a sliproad onto the A1 and being encouraged from the passenger seat to open the taps, I let rip, up through the gears. Probably shifting way short but focusing on the road, other cars, puddles and the bridges ahead, trying desperately to remember which ones hide the speed cameras in their shadows.
Now - as a non-owner, and therefore someone who's Porsche "choice" is currently purely hypothetical - it's easy to get carried away with the desire for power and speed.
"I want a Carrera."
"Actually, no - make that a Carrera S."
"With a Powerkit... nah a Turbo!"
Having driven the Boxster S, though, I can't see the need for anything quicker on these roads. Fantastic machine. On the way back to the house is a left hand turn at a roundabout with good visibility that can be approached at pace. Slight dip in the road, and the road off is slightly uphill. If there's nothing coming from the right, you can be quick onto the roundabout and then - if there's nothing coming towards you from the road you're exiting onto - power off the turn. Decent fun in an everyday hatch.
But in a Boxster, in the wet? Ruddy marvellous. Give it the beans in second, very wet road. Car oversteers enough to prompt a reactionary smidgeon of opposite lock, but it all felt deliciously natural and easy. No idea if PSM was invoked but if it was it's very flattering to the (distinctly average) driver.

So do I crave a Boxster, after years (dating back to the launch of the 964, as far as I can remember) of wanting a 911? Probably not, if I'm spending my own money. It'd be far easier to swing a toddler-toting 911 as an almost sensible second car. But if it's on a car allowance with a job? As long as it's got a six cylinder Porsche motor behind my bum I couldn't care less which model it is or what options it's got.
As long as the leather is terracotta, obviously.