New Daily Driver
 

Picked this up last week, 2003 Boxster S with 82k. Needs a few little things but is overall a very nice little car. I'm considering taking a sort of lightweight back to basics approach, call it the CS that Porsche never made. Simplify some things, remove some weight, etc. We'll see what happens.


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Nice find !!
The red and black looks great and the MY02 wheels suit the car.
Are the body colored grilles stock, or painted by a previous owner?

not a damn thing wrong with that right there

Great plan. Kind of a street legal Spec Boxster? That would be fun.

BTW...I'm partial to red convertibles.

I'm not sure what was standard on the 2003, painted grille is not listed as an option. I know the early S models had titanium front grilles but I think body colored intakes.

Sorta my thought. Simplify and add lightness without making it into something that's not usable. Door panels without door speakers, lightweight motorcycle amp driven directly by USB input, maybe a side airbag delete as technically they are expired anyway, GT3 console delete, strip the front and rear trunks, lightweight performance exhaust, RoW M030, lightweight manual seats, lightweight battery, etc. I think getting 200 lbs out would be a fun goal.

Does that red looks as good in person as it does in pictures?

Nice choice! My mother-in-law recently bought a 2004 Boxster S, and I was pretty impressed by how fun it is to drive. I could see adding one to the garage at some point.

Yeah, I'm not a red car guy but it looks damn good.

Needs an ipd plenum, 74mm throttle body and tune. ;).
Love it Matt! If I could get away with a 2 seat DD that would be at the top of a short list!

Full exhaust is top priority! I'm not 100% sold on the throttle body and plenum, I've seen dyno results indicating that they don't make a real measurable difference. Like most normally aspirated Porsches it's not easy to get more power without internal upgrades, even a full exhaust and tune are only good for 20-25 HP at least per what I've seen.

Very pretty..they've grown on me.

Yep. I think I have seen dyno results posted that after full exhaust, plenum and TB and chip/tune, you can get more HP. I think it was 30-50hp for the whole batch.

I've also seen some results that showed a bit more peak power, but the lower rpm range actually loses some power, which has folks saying that for the track it might be good, but for the street it actually hurts.

You could always throw a turbo on it. ;) But then I assume you're more concerned with keeping things simple, not complicating them, especially for a daily driver.

Honestly I think it's plenty quick as is. The exhaust is just to get some proper Porsche sound and lose some weight.

In my experience, the exhaust is the single best upgrade you can make to 986 and 987 cars. That being said, if you also upgrade the plenum and throttle body and then get an ECU tune done you will notice a sizeable bump in mid-range torque (which is clearly the naturally-aspirated flat-six's Achilles Heel).

You know my cell phone number, I've got deals, and even if its not on our site, I can probably get it! SmileWavy

What you did is about the max of the easy "bolt on" mods for these. Past that it starts getting spendy!

Perfect. After even a modest weight loss, boxsters are great handling cars.

Excellent! Effective use of parking space too. SmileWavy

Had an '02s with vodka exhaust in for a tune today. Really wanted to drop the top and take it for a spin! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1470971999.jpg



Yesterday was a 987
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The blue 981 belongs to one of our sales guys. Love the mid engined cars!

Spacers! And some new Hawk HPS pads up front.

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Great find!

I have fallen in love with my 2002 Boxster S. This is the current "under the RADAR" Porsche for the true enthusiast with more enthusiasm than money. They are in the price range of the long hoods when I first got into this hobby, and every bit as "expendable" as the long hoods were back then. By "expendable", I mean we can mod the bejeebers out of them and no one cares. Too bad long hoods didn't stay that way...

I've looked at exhaust for mine. Any full system, with headers and a muffler, approaches half of what I paid for the car. Just freakin' ridiculous. Have you seen anything, that provides worthwhile gains, that is even close to reasonably priced?

Honestly Jeff, much like an NA 911 you really don't get much HP for bolt ons. Fabspeed advertises +22 HP for headers, mufflers, and a tune, and for the low low price of $6195. My plans to do a full exhaust are really more because I think these cars are way too quiet in stock form, and it drops 30 lbs from the car. I also really like the character of these cars with a full exhaust, it brings back some of the air-cooled attitude and really enhances the experience. I'm talking with Sidney about maybe trying one of Vivid Racing's Agency Power exhausts, they seem to be reasonably priced and I like the sound clips on YouTube.

Otherwise I totally agree with you, they are a smoking deal and one hell of a lot of fun. I have always maintained that these are the funnest of the waterpumpers, I have enjoyed my Boxsters more than my 996s and Caymans. Btw, make sure you do the de-snorkel. 5 minutes and it makes a night and day difference in sound.

Yeah, I'm really just after more sound as well. Less weight would be a bonus. Mine has the factory "sport exhaust", but it just isn't rowdy enough. Granted, I don't want early 911 sport muffler loud, but it has to do better than this.

I have not heard of the "de-snorkel". I'll assume it involves removing some sort of snorkel like restriction on the air cleaner box, kinda like I did on my Ducati. Quite honestly, though, I have yet to even see the engine in this car. I'm a total neophyte. I'm told there is a "service position" for the top, about halfway up, where one gains access. I'll have to play with it. I have a lot to learn...

There is a flat plastic plate on the driver's side air intake behind the door that keeps cigarettes from getting sucked into the air filter and causing a fire. Folks remove that plastic plate, than many put some metal mesh in to keep the cigarettes out. You get more intake noise. I'm guessing/betting that you don't get any more power.

I'm surprised you don't like the sport exhaust in the sport position. Mine sounds pretty darn good, especially in a parking garage, tunnel, under an overpass or with the top down.

It's a bit embarassing, but I have had my car for a few days shy of 2 years, and I still haven't seen the motor. Yes, you put the top half-way up/down, then remove the access cover behind the seats.

I have a 2001 S and have removed the spare , tools ,floor mats, rear speakers ,scaped the thick heavy foam from the rear carpet, and added an aluminum 987 engine cover. and lighter 987 wheels.in an effort to drop a few pounds. Mine has US m030 option already.
I have 200 cell rear cats and run a ROW tune which allows delete of the sai system and ebay headers are next . The row tune also doesn,t monitor primary cats so some more pounds and hopefully a few hp. Unsure which muffler to use as almost all aftermarket are known to drone.
Also installed a 987 air box and 996 throttle body. The next 20 pounds will be hard to remove from the car so my wife says I should cut out beer and pizza instead and walk more to shed the next 20 lbs.

I've heard that the stock seats can be VERY heavy, so that 20# may not be that hard to lose.

Problem is I like the seats. I had factory sport seats in a 1986 911 years ago and the high bolsters were always a concern getting in and out. Aftermarket seats are lighter but all have high sides Today 30 yrs later I,m too old to bother climbing in. I might remove the seat motors though .Amp and CD stacker are next

I wonder how much extra stuff there is in the frunk. I know that my frunk is pretty neat and tidy with basically nothing being visible because it's all hidden behind doors and bits of sheet metal. I bet the bulk of that is for appearance's sake and could be removed.

I'd have loved to do the lightweight thing to my old '88 targa, but it was my daily driver, so pulling carpet, sound system and AC would have made the daily driver thing much less pleasant.

I'd love my Boxster to be a real lightweight, but it's too nice and also my DD and also a vehicle that my wife loves to ride in, so doing a major strip job is not really an option. Maybe someday I'll have enough extra money to have an extra car that can be just a toy. If I go that route, a boxster would be fun, but it seems like it would be smarter to just get a Caterham 7 or Beck 550 if you're going that route.

Matt, can you tell me more about the spacers? Width? Did you have to change out the studs for something longer or ?

Looks great by the way...for me nothing improves the overall look of a car more than the proper stance and wheels/tires that "fit" the car.

My car is a 2002, so as far as I know there is no "sport position" like in my buddy's '08 Cayman. The exhaust is what it is, with no means to alter it at the press of a button.

And, yeah, this car will forever have to remain "our" car. That means all of the creature comforts, not too much noise, and on and on. My hooligan track rat '72 is "my" car. Twin plugged, high compression 3.0 on MFI, 22/30 torsion bars, Tarrett adjustable sways, wide open 911R type "muffler", no sound deadening, no headliner, no carpet, leather straps for pulling windows up, leather straps for door releases, and on and on. My wife thinks I've "ruined" it. She won't let me do that to "our" Boxster... Even a "little" more exhaust note is going to have to be negotiated.

I am going to head down very much the same road. I haven't heard about the 987 engine panel, is it lighter? How do you feel about removing the engine carpet sound deadening, was it a huge difference in sound? Did you feel like you gained much from the 987 airbox and 996 throttle body?

This is a good thread for 986/996 weight loss. It is specific to the 996TT, but many of the parts are common: Official Turbo Weight Loss Thread/ Lightest Turbo List - 6SpeedOnline - Porsche Forum and Luxury Car Resource

I've actually had the trim panels out of both the front and rear at various points in the past, it is all painted and decently finished. I'll probably pull everything out of mine because it doesn't compromise the function of either trunk.

I'm very lucky that my wife likes fast and loud;), at least to a degree. My SC is on Bilstein Sports and RE11s, with a rebuilt 3.0 that has an open airbox, SSIs, and a Dansk Sport 1-out. It is stiff but not rough, and it is loud but not obnoxious. She adores that car. So her comments on the Boxster thus far are that it is too quiet and too soft. So I can't go full racecar, but it buys me some serious latitude. Despite her criticism she loves the Boxster and has been driving it for the last three days.

7mm front and 15mm rear from Otis in LA, it came with longer wheel bolts for front and rear. I've used them on several cars and been very happy, quality product that doesn't induce any vibration. You can also find similar spacers from a host of other companies.

The 986 engine cover is fiberglass and an aluminum inner liner(reflector) The 987 cover is just a simple sheet of aluminum and is several pounds lighter. It also provides a little more air space above the engine if contemplating a 996 engine or it,s intake (The 996 eng is taller because of it,s intake manifold so you need spacers to lower it if you install one,or add the 987 cover instead . The foam rubber bonded to the rear of a lot of the carpet around the engine seems very heavy too. Any increase in cabin noise would be similar to desnorkling

The cover by itself isn't light enough to notice any difference (what is?) but found one on ebay for $75 inc shipping.
The 996 throttle body and 987 airbox seemed more powerful with my butt dyno but who knows and it,s cheap for parts, although a pain to install with the engine in place.
Since these cars are so badly depreciated I doubt I will ever sell mine so resale is no longer a consideration but daily driver comfort is. I am keeping the AC and radio but anything else could go.
Also Altima red top battery probably dropped 10-12 lbs.
I also have an aluminum flywheel but the clutch required is fairly expensive and I likely won,t install until my existing clutch has seen more miles (I just did the IMS brg and clutch in Jan.2016) and an underdrive pulley. (wish the car came with a bag of $100 bills at this point, nothing huge stands out but seems never ending.
There are a variety of weight loss threads on 986 forum . The most extreme is a guy who chopped the windshield frame off and has a part spec cage in a dedicated slalom car he is around 2200 lb ( I think without looking it up)
Here is a great thread on a Spec build much of the weight loss is incremental but also can be applied to a street car.
http://www.renntrack.com/forums/showthread.php?1228-Guess-who-just-got-a-boxter
I am nowhere near needing titanium lug bolts yet but am eagerly awaiting the carbon fiber tach needle!

Playing around today, while removing the previous owner's big audio install I decided to do a little weight loss. Everything is 100% replaceable, but as of right now I don't see why. Starting weight on a certified truck scale was 3120 lbs with a full tank of gas. Here's the tally so far:

Component Weight Est Car Weight
Initial Weigh Full Gas 3120
Rear upper sound pad 6.4 3113.6
Rear shelf box and speakers 9.2 3104.4
Frunk upper plastics 1.2 3103.2
Spare and tools 30.6 3072.6
Amp 6.8 3065.8
Master cylinder trim 1.2 3064.6
Frunk rear carpet 1.4 3063.2
Frunk front carpet 2.3 3060.9
Stereo wiring and hardware 1.4 3059.5
Rear lower carpet 5 3054.5

It's a copy/paste from a spreadsheet but you get the idea, the second column is the weight reduction and the third column is calculated car weight. That's 65.5 lbs with minimal effort. The sound with the upper carpet removed is slightly louder but not offensive, I'm going to drive it like this for a while and see if my wife complains.;)

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You'll ha e to weigh the new exhaust on Monday and where that comes in.

Planning on it!

I've already been informed that no carpet is no bueno from the boss, so I'll probably strip the sound deadening off and reinstall just the carpet. She drives this car as much as I do, which makes her a little less resistant to parts purchases. Gotta maintain that symbiotic relationship.:cool:

Very nice. Will be interesting to see how much "lightness" you can squeeze out of it before Mrs. Puppy drops the hammer, lol.

If they are fitted with the sound mat under the rear seat area, those typically weigh a ton. Not sure how far you want to take it, but it would be interesting to see if you could retrofit some manual window regs/cranks and RS-ish door cards.
That would probably save a bit. I bet Sid could get you a good deal on some leather-covered Recaro Pole Positions as well. :cool:

Also, if there was a way to convert to a manual top, that might be an option. I know on my 3.2 Carrera Cab the power top assembly was a heavy beast with like 8 motors!

Matts too tall for a pole position, but I could get him some lighter seats for sure! ;)

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Darn it, they've been getting under my skin as well. I'd get a rough example and try and create something like the 124 thing pictured above.

Matt - Nice buy! I see a lot of cars there in that driveway / garage - haha. Do you still have your dealer's license?

You keep saying airbags expire - do they really? Do you have a reference that shows this? I would not remove side air bags out of a low slung car like this for sure. Weight savings or not ...

I was close to buying a 2003 S - phenomenal car for the money. Mine was priced too high and guy just wouldn't drop it, even though he had a band new boxster S in the garage ...

G

George, if you check the manual for most cars they will have a check and replacement interval for airbags, I think at about 10 years. I suspect that this is mostly for the sake of liability, though I doubt airbags are effective forever. I go back and forth on that one because I know there is an element of safety risk, but I'm also a little concerned about the now 14 year old explosive devices installed in my car. Though I also regularly drive my SC, which has no active safety equipment whatsoever.

No more dealer license for me, I gave that up in June. At the moment I have one more car than will fit in the garage, so the RX7 will be moving on pretty soon. It was fun, but I'm just too much of a Porsche guy.

I believe we call this compromise.

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I also picked up a hard top in KC this weekend. Need to install the spinlocks so I can properly fit it, but I think I'll keep the black.

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