2001 Boxster S

[ATM]

Choices are simple. Need to be 17 from the Porsche family and not too wide.

[ATM]

It sounds OK with the roof down but it's still very loud. With the hard top on it was very droney on the motorway.

[ATM]

ATM said:

They come in bags. When I bought it I had the spare in the frunk and came home with one hump up front and one in the boot.

[ATM]

[ATM]

Pope said:

Silly question re: seat position.....it just looks a bit high from the pics.

Is the base fully lowered?

I had a few questions from owners BITD after they had inadvertently raised the seat base and not pushed it back down fully.

If yours is fully down - sucks to not fit, but, if not, put the seat forward, pull the release lever up and push your weight back, compressing the pneumatic spring.......

It was fully down but I've just been out trying it slightly raised which feels bit better. I think because I'm actually getting the bottom of my thigh loaded up the cushion now rather than before where they were completely in the air.

[ATM]

I didn't do the Boxster chop today and regretted it. I thought I saw some unpleasant creasing going on. Checked when I put the roof back up and there were some marks in the plastic window. Treid to get a pic but not sure it works very well.

[ATM]

OvalOwl said:

I used to get back pain on long drives with those seats until I modified them by unhooking some of the springs behind the inner back cushion to lessen the lumbar bulge.

Also I think you can get the seat further back by raising it a little.

Yes I am now driving the car with the seat base raised slightly. I think this helps my back as my hips are not as low.

I drove the 981 today and the seat in that car now feels too far back. Simple comparison is that I cant quite touch the base of throttle pedal with my heel. So it feels like I am driving the 981 on tippy toes now.

[ATM]

Medic-one said:

They do look good in red, and must admit I secretly look the speedster humps...

Thanks

How can you not like them.

Medic-one said:

Though I have to ask, why buy a 986 if you own a 981... I'm just curious.

When would say, 'ow look the weather is nice, i'll leave my 981 on the drive and take the 986', surely the 981 is gonna be more fun and a nicer experience every time ?

And here in lies the problem of enjoying Porsches. Why have 1 when you can have 2?

To be honest the 981 kind of got forced onto me. I bought it and enjoyed it for a couple of years. Then one rainy day I had a little trip across the grass beside the motorway. The insurance wrote the car off and paid me an amount I wasn't particularly happy with. The sweetener to the deal which I could not say no to was to buy back the wreck. And so right now its still a rolling repair project which is taking far too long to sort out due to a bit of a lack of enthusiasm on my part. More info here - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=17...

In the meantime I had bought myself an earlier 996. And the feel of this car was a real joy. It reminded me of my first Porsche which was a 2003 Boxster S. More info here - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=16...

So for the last couple of years - possibly more - I have been searching and searching for a nice original Boxster. Initially I wanted one in the same colours as my first one. But then gradually I realised that is possibly too big an ask. So I relaxed the required spec a bit and just focused on looking for a car which would make me happy. Requirements were simple

3.2
Manual
Early car with the simpler bumpers

Then I saw this one and jumped. It was an auction and I didnt know if I would win. I didnt want to go mad and I think I got a good deal. I still find myself perusing the classifieds, I dont think that will ever stop. But unless I see a really really REALLY nice Boxster for sale I think I have my bases covered. Or maybe not. I have never driven a 987. So perhaps I should try one of those.

I really like this little Red Boxster. It feels smaller than the 981. Yes the 981 is probably a better car. Its newer. It is more comfy. It is smoother. It is quieter. Etc Etc Etc

But the little Red Boxster makes me happy.

[ATM]

ATM said:

I didn't do the Boxster chop today and regretted it. I thought I saw some unpleasant creasing going on. Checked when I put the roof back up and there were some marks in the plastic window. Treid to get a pic but not sure it works very well.

Added some very professional markings to help show rhe areas of concern

[ATM]

CoolHands said:

What do you mean by boxster chop?

It's a special method of chopping your nose off to spite your face

[ATM]

Medic-one said:

Thanks for that, that actually makes sense.

I'm still new to Boxsters, I tried a 986 S but that felt a bit slow (driving there in my supercharged V8 daily probably also didn't help) and ended up buying a 987.2 S a few months ago, which is my first Porsche, and absolutely love it, which is why I was a bit confused thinking I wouldn't get in a 986 if I have a 987, let alone a 981, but reading your story I can see your point now.

The 986 is a bit slower than my other cars. But my driving most days is just urban crawl so it hardly matters. The 986 will pick up a bit over about 4 or 5000 revs. It did feel a bit lacking on country lanes when I went for overtakes in say 3rd instead of dropping down to 2nd. So I guess the car has its limitations in that sense but for just pottering around its fine. I could go mad making it quicker and whatever else but for now I'm just enjoying it as is.

[ATM]

[ATM]

Just looking at Momo steering wheels. I have one on my 996 but it's got a serious dish. I'm tempted to try one on the Boxster without a dish but add an eccentric spacer.

[ATM]

snotrag said:

Facelift roof with a glass window was a very worthwhile upgrade on my 2002. Maybe see if you can get a used one?

Its one of those not very 'sexy' things (like loud exhausts or new wheels) but actually makes a big difference to the car - IE being able to put the roof down without getting out (or stopping, if you do the pin mod on the roof relay!).

Yes the gen 2 glass rear window soft top seems like a no brainer. And don't get me started on cup holders and a glove box. The gen 2 wins all round and I could have bought one but I didn't want the fussy bumpers of the gen 2.

I've promised myself no more spending until the seating arrangement is fixed. That's priority number 1.

I've ordered some Millers 10w50 engine oil and some Millers 75w90 gearbox oil. Those jobs are next and obviously are not classed as spending.

[ATM]

17 inch alert

So I decided to try some 17 inch wheels off my 996 on Red. Being the trail blazer that I am I decided to use 4 x fronts. So this means 205 50 on all 4 corners. First impressions are it's like a totally different car now. Feels wonderful. No crashing, much smoother and more compliant. Steering feel is so much better now. Its lighter and the wheel moves around more by itself. Very pleased.




Adding this pic of me here out with someone from the internet in his 986 up in t'Hills

You can really see how inboard the rear looks wearing 4 x fronts

Edited by ATM on Tuesday 2nd April 16:19

[ATM]

[ATM]

Picked up some 987 seats tonight. If anyone has any tips about wiring these into a 986 please let me know.

[ATM]

[ATM]

Best advice I have found online seems to be to remove the belt buckle from the 986 seat and bolt it on in place of the 987 buckle. Then it just plugs into the standard loom and deals with the air bag safety systems accordingly.

[ATM]

Changed the gearbox oil today and the engine oil. The gearbox oil which came out looked brand new. The engine oil wasn't far off too. I think the gear change feels.a bit slicker but that's probably just placebo. The real test will be when it's stone cold. It's still not perfect. There is still a bit of no man's land between 3rd and 4th.