Big thank you and welcome!

Hey there—thanks for joining bright and early. If you're here searching for your first, second (or fifth!) affordable-to-mere-mortals Porsche, you're in the right place.

Last week, Porsche bumped prices on new cars again. A 2025 base Cayman now starts at an eye-watering $77,395—before options.

I'm a fan of the idea that we can do better. That there are Porsches out there that deliver the thrill of a new one, for a fraction of the price. (And with more real buttons and fewer touchscreens, if you don’t mind me saying.)

So let’s go find those. Each week, I’ll send you the best deals I can find on Boxsters, Caymans, 996s, 997s, and more. I’ll call out what makes them interesting—and the gotchas and red flags 🚩 so you don’t step into a minefield.

This week in the newsletter:

• ✅ A 2006 Cayman S, fully optioned and priced right

• 🤔 A sharp-looking cheap 987.1 Boxster that might need a PPI

• 📉 A seller who clearly doesn’t really want to sell his Porsche

Hope you have as much fun reading this as I’m having putting it together.

Now, let’s get rolling.

—RF

Looks sweet—but take a peak underneath

🚗 987.1 Boxster | 🍑 Tiptronic | 🌎 Colorado Springs, CO

🟢 Uncommon color (Macadamia Metallic) and rims 🟢 Books and records mentioned 🟢 IMS/bore scoring rare on the 2.7L M97 engine

🔴 Still worth checking for IMS or scoring 🔴 Has it seen harsh winters?

The color/interior/rims combo is chef’s kiss (if you’re into brown). Looks like a well-loved, well-driven car. But Colorado Springs gets winter, and they use salt-like stuff on the roads—I'd want a look underneath for rust.

Seller sounds transparent. Mentions PPI up front, which usually means enthusiast. Also open to offers. Give ’em a ring?

👉 Best budget 987.1 Boxster this week? (link)

Great options, fair deal?

🚗 987.1 Cayman S | 🍑 6-speed manual | 🌎 Raleigh, NC

🟢 All the best options for a 987 S 🟢 Two owners with detailed history 🟢 Recent maintenance

🔴 Bore scoring is a known issue on Ss—get it checked 🔴 Silver on black color combo is a snooze

If you're searching an early 987 Cayman S, this one’s worth a look. Two owners from new. Service history. Looks loved, with light wear for its 123K miles. Six-speed. Clean title. Recent maintenance shows it's been cared for.

Could you find one with lower mileage? Probably. For 2-3K less? Maybe. But this clean, this well-optioned, and this sorted? Unlikely.

👉 Thoughts on a best-optioned Cayman S at this price? (link)

👉 Alternative: fewer miles, fewer options (link)

Loved hard, priced harder

🚗 987.1 Cayman S | 🍑 Tiptronic | 🌎 Los Angeles, CA

🟢 Full history, 1 owner 🟢 Clearly loved and babied

🔴 Yawn-on-yawn color combo 🔴 Hard to take the price seriously

How much over market would you pay for a 2007 Cayman S, automatic, in a basic-as-it-gets spec—with no options to write home about?

Even with low miles and clear signs of care, this one’s been priced to not sell. We Porsche folks do tend to overvalue our cars... but this takes it a bit too far.

👉 *chokes on coffee reading the price* (link)

Porsche Problems (aka meme of the week)

That’s a wrap for Week 1 of Pepita Picks.

Likes? Dislikes? Want more of something? Hit reply and let me know. Roast kindly.

Also—if you’ve got a specific model or spec in mind, I made a quick 1-minute form. Fill it out and I’ll keep an eye out in future issues.

We’ll be back next week.

Take care,

—RF

P.S. Thank you for forwarding this to anyone who might enjoy it.