Boxster Question: Is the Boxster Add-On Hard Top Advisable?

[I Wanna 911]

Hi, Everyone. As my screenname says, I eventually want to own an aircooled 911, but my budget says for right now either 996, Boxster or Cayman. Plus, I'm just not a convertible guy.

There appear to be some good Boxsters out there w low miles and attractive pricing. This might need to be my entry into the Porsche family.

Is the available hardtop conversion pretty solid, no wind noise or leakage, etc? And BTW (excuse my ignorance), is that hardtop kit available only in the aftermarket, or does Porsche sell an OE factory version?

Thanks Very Much,
IW911

[mikefocke]

Nothing wrong with the hardtop though the seals are 20 years old. Some keep them on all year round.

They do require a mounting kit called spinlocks which were OEM available 10 years ago. Haven't heard of anyone buying a new hardtop in years.

Popular with track-used cars and for winter use and go for $750-$2000 depending on season, location, condition, color, etc. Most sellers are reluctant to ship them so they are mostly a local pick-up item so have the spinlocks installed before pickup.

[I Wanna 911]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

Nothing wrong with the hardtop though the seals are 20 years old. Some keep them on all year round.

They do require a mounting kit called spinlocks which were OEM available 10 years ago. Haven't heard of anyone buying a new hardtop in years.

Popular with track-used cars and for winter use and go for $750-$2000 depending on season, location, condition, color, etc. Most sellers are reluctant to ship them so they are mostly a local pick-up item so have the spinlocks installed before pickup.

Mike, thank you. When you say "the seals are 20 years old," are you saying Porsche stopped making these Boxster hard tops two decades ago and never made any more? Or are you saying the hard top for your Boxster is 20 years old?

Thanks for your response, and thanks in advance for clarifying.

Be Well,
Scott

[latunabernie]

I have a 987.1 with a hardtop.
Does not rattle, no wind noise, water tight, makes the A/C and heater work better.
The rear window is larger than the soft top giving better visibility.
Also has a great window defogger.
The top is made out of aluminum and pretty light but bulky to put on.
The biggest downside to me is, you need to take the top off to gain access to the engine compartment. You need 2 people or a lift set up to remove it.
The 986 and 987 top are different. The 986's are easier to find.
I get a lot of comments about it all the time.
I like the way it is different from the other 987s.
I have only seen one other 987 hardtop but lots of 986s.
Prices are all over the place, try to find one that matches your color may be challenging.
Bernie

[I Wanna 911]

Originally Posted by latunabernie

I have a 987.1 with a hardtop.
Does not rattle, no wind noise, water tight, makes the A/C and heater work better.
The rear window is larger than the soft top giving better visibility.
Also has a great window defogger.
The top is made out of aluminum and pretty light but bulky to put on.
The biggest downside to me is, you need to take the top off to gain access to the engine compartment. You need 2 people or a lift set up to remove it.
The 986 and 987 top are different. The 986's are easier to find.
I get a lot of comments about it all the time.
I like the way it is different from the other 987s.
I have only seen one other 987 hardtop but lots of 986s.
Prices are all over the place, try to find one that matches your color may be challenging.
Bernie

Bernie, thanks so much for your post and info. And apologies for my delay: I'm looking around and can't figure out how to set Notifications in this forum, so I did not get notified.

I did have a question or two:

1) Are these hard tops made by the factory, or aftermarket, or both?
2) Are they still being made for the newer Boxster vehicles?

As far as blocking access to the engine, thanks for letting me know. I'm pretty comfortable doing basic service stuff, but in the beginning I'll be easing into it, as I'm still working full-time and quite busy.

Thanks Very Much,
Scott

I wanna 911, IMO I like the look of a hard top when equipped. At the track I have seen several running around equipped and they were RUNNING.

As to best answer your questions:
1) Porsche Factory made the hard tops and many many available as Porsche made many many Boxsters. Search up online and there are many used hard tops. If you have a local Porsche dismantler, check with them first because typically they have them in abundance at low prices. Expect to pay $180-225

2)Yes, can be bought OEM or aftermarket design. Aftermarket typically fiberglass and a lot lighter than OEM.

[mikefocke]

I wanna:

The rubber seals that seal the hardtop to the windshield and to the cover over the softtop are probably 18 to 20 years old and unless cared for by inside storage when the top isn't used and with a rubber preserver (gummi pflege) rubber deteriorates. So ask about their condition.

I doubt Porsche made many hardtops after the 986 was discontinued in 2004-2005. They were more popular in the '97-'99 time frame and there were two slightly different designs but either would fit any 986.

I haven't seen a hardtop advertised in the last 15 years at the prices David cites. The prices I gave are ones I've seen in online ads over the last 15 years. Given that I see more people asking for one than selling, and what they are asking on eBay today (several almost $3k) ....

[patcurd90@bells]

I'm purchasing a 2012 boxster convertible and would like to replace the soft top with a hard top. Where can i purchase a hard top.
Thanks for any input.
Merry christmas & happy new year.
Semper fidelis,
gunner pat
cwo-3 usmc(ret)

[Marine Blue]

Pat, I’m betting Pelican can get one for you or alternatively you can go to any Porsche dealer. Here’s a link to the top: https://www.******************.com/oem-parts/porsche-hardtop-98756391100grv

And here’s a link to some instructions although it appears to be geared more towards the 986 rather than 987: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/69-BODY-Hardtop_Installation/69-BODY-Hardtop_Installation.htm

[mikefocke]

So $2700 or so new for a 2012 !

[Marine Blue]

Looks like Pelican killed my link which is understandable. Here’s the 987 part number: 987-563-911-00-GRV, Price is around $2,800

[mikefocke]

Plus shipping and tax and ....

[jluetjen]

The hardtop is a very desirable option if you can get one. With it on the car, a Boxster is just like a coupe as far as wind-noise and road noise. It is noticeably quieter than with the soft-top up. I have the hard-top on my 986 from November until about March or April depending on temperatures. Since the hard-tops are often stored over the summers, the seals may be better than you expected.

Surprisingly with a little bit searching you can sometimes find them included with a car for no extra dollars compared to a Boxster selling at the market price without the hardtop. In some respects I think that they are kind of like houses with swimming pools. If you want one with that feature they are very desirable. But if a buyer is looking to park the car over the winter, the hard-top doesn't really provide much additional value, and is a bit of a pain in the neck since you have to store the hard-top, which takes up a bunch of space and is awkward when not installed on the car. So they're not really going to pay extra for one. The net result is that you can often get a Boxster with a hard-top for the same price as a Boxster without one.

When I bought my car a few years ago, I was looking at cars in the $8000 range -- which was really the floor for Boxsters at that time. One of them was nice and had the hard-top, and that's the one that I bought!

By the way, I bought a trolley that was pitched to Jeep CJ owners for storing their hard-tops, and it works perfect for the Boxster hardtop. It holds the hard-top vertically, and came with a cover. It's easy to roll around the garage to wherever it's out of the way.

[jluetjen]

Originally Posted by patcurd90@bells

I'm purchasing a 2012 boxster convertible and would like to replace the soft top with a hard top. Where can i purchase a hard top.

It's not an either-or thing. The hard-top goes directly on top of the cover for the retracted roof. The soft-top ends up looking like a parcel tray between the roll hoops and the rear window.

Putting the hard-top on or taking it off takes just 2 or 3 minutes for two people. As soon as you take the hard-top off, the soft-top is ready to use.

[jmcn3rd]

I like it on my 986. It creaks a little since there is some flex but it doesn't leak air or water so it is pretty nice to have. Its heavy but easy to move around with 2 people as said above.

[Jim deCordova]

You want a hard top buy a Cayman! Porsche designed a beautiful car, and now you want to change it with after market design mods. I am only speaking of the Boxster cars from 2012 forward.
I owned 911 cars (7) since the 70's, great cars. I bought and love the 2016 Boxster S because of the convertible including PDK!!
I think your making a mistake. I bought a 78 Targa brand new and it leaked air and squeaked the first day I brought it home.

[DarrenD]

I love having my hardtop for the track, and I love the look. I was lucky that my car came with it.
It does creak and groan a little but that's a small price to pay. I absolutely love having a convertible,
a Cayman doesn't interest me so the hardtop is SO nice to have. Good luck with your search.

and jmcn3rd, your car looks awesome.

My '99 with the hardtop:

[VWLoosenuts]

if money is the issue you could always just get a boxster on the cheap and add the Cayman top conversion?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/184907500925

[CarGuyNeil]

Originally Posted by VWLoosenuts

if money is the issue you could always just get a boxster on the cheap and add the Cayman top conversion?


https://www.ebay.com/itm/184907500925

That's pretty cool!!!

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[ASD]

love that arena red hardtop, my car is that color as well.