ACSGP

First post, and am wanting to scratching a P-car itch since I sold my 964 in Aug 2011. Looked at a 944 turbo, but car was too tired.

A Boxster S 50 Jarre in silver and cocoa brown has come up for sale. They call it a 550 Spyder Anniversary model.

I would like to bring it closer to the 2011 Spyder by doing the following:

1. Hood to manual, removal of motors (is this possible?)
2. Seats to manual, removal of motors, but want to preserve the Cocoa brown leather
3. Windows to manual, Spyder door pulls
4. Quaife LSD in the differential (car's a tip)
5. 2011 Spyder rims
6. Lighter brake discs/calipers/stainless steel lines
7. ECU upgrade via a chip (like Steve Wong equivalent)
8. KW V3 suspension.

What do you guys think, and will it enhance or detract from the value of the 50 Jarre?

Haven't pulled the trigger yet, will have to get the car PPIed.

ZAPmobile

Why not just buy a Spyder, sounds like that's the car you want?

perfectlap

Interesting concept. Taking the 550 Boxster closer to what it should have been: a car geared towards a purist who appreciates the original Porsche as a car born of racing unlike other Porshces born of marketing/sales. I don't think weight was a consideration at all when the 550 Boxster was sold, somewhat ironic. But now that you mention it backdating a 550 Boxster would be pretty cool. Check out the Singer Porsche website, they do this really well ($$$$$) for air-cooled Carreras. Either way you definitely want to update the single row IMS if you're going to put considerable investment into this car. But I have to agree with ZAPmobile, for the investment you're going to make you are better off buying a 987 Boxster Spyder. The prices on those will start to drop fairly soon when their current owners start getting bored and find that there aren't as many buyers for a niche car with non-traditonal top operation.

I don't think the 550 Boxster will be a collector car at all so a drop in value is hardly a consideration. You were there with the 964 before you sold it.
The 550 is the premium version of a the regular Boxster S. But since its not really an RS or something along those lines with a completely different engine, it's simply not different enough from the thousands of Boxster S's that are widely availble to command much of a premium. It will depreciate largely the same as all the other 986/987/996/997.

terbiumactivated

If you are planning those mods to make yourself content and plan on long term ownership than you already know the answer. If you are hoping they will add some sort of value or resale, IMO they will not.

Marine Blue

I doubt a Spyder owner gets bored with the car, they simply want to try something new/different. Having said that, I know many Spyder owners which have sold, regretted and bought another.

Marine Blue

Some of the modifications you mention may be difficult. For example the actual Spyder wheels may not fit and the door pulls may need a custom housing.

I have seen a couple of kids online which change the roof but I'm not sure how much weight it will reduce which is ultimately the goal.

Personally I would try to find a very good example of a Boxster you can afford and spend the money to properly maintain it.

terbiumactivated

I've read a lot of comments about the spyder, many negative, MANY from people who have never turned the key or drove the car except for maybe five miles on a test run. I guess that is human nature to some degree. I always laugh at the whiners who complain about the top and make claims the car is not worth buying just for that, how many tops you ever seen on a motorcycle? They still sell like hotcakes.

ACSGP

Thanks for responses all.

I get a great kick from restoring an old car, and creating an OE+ style porsche.

So while the 2011 Spyder is great, I don't get to fool around with it to make improvements. Maybe carbon hood & doors, at best. For the same money, I could buy an Audi TT-RS, and really strip it out to a porsche-style RS model.

My question was would it enhance or detract from the value of the 50 Jarre.

So the opinions seem to be that even though this is a special edition, not enough was done to it to distinguish it from the rest of the 986s. Thanks for that.

Another question - if I actually do buy the car first, and nothings been done to the engine re the IMS, and its fine, should I still upgrade the bearing? A "must-do"?

perfectlap

Well I would never get bored with the lightest, last non-electronic steering roadster with at least 300 HP. But then again I'm someone that has no problem driving in fixed GT3 seats year round. There are many buyers of stripped down and track-oriented cars who really shouldn't have bought those types of cars to begin with and they will certainly get bored with the car. Or maybe the car got bored with them... Given how few Porsches ever make it to a DE/AX, I have to think that there will be many Spyder owners who miscalculated/bought on impulse. And an impulsive buyer can also be the type to be impatient about selling cars: won't ever hold out for best offer, they take quick cash to clear the garage for their latest infatuation.


Do you consider all buyers who consider the top to be a deal breaker to be whiners? Personally as a third car probably not a big deal. As your daily driver in the North East where it's not 80 and sunny every day it's not practical. Particularly if you live in or spend a lot of time in an urban enviorment where you can't leave the car parked with the top down. Each time you ge back in the car you have to go through that process all over again?


There are inexpensive replica wheels, heavy though, which I assume were created from copy moulds of the OEM 19", and they fit the 986 with spacer kits.
I see the wheels listed for $600 on Ebay if you search for Porsche GT2 wheel.

I don't know about saving weight in the interior, sounds like something the guys in the Boxster racing forum would know something about. I could be wrong but I think not all are trailered to the track and some are somewhat street legal with working windows.

Well the single row bearing in the 550 is something that is worth upgrading if for nothing other than the cheap cost relative to the expense of replacing the engine. Particularly if you already have everything apart to replace the clutch. The 2006-2008 987 Boxsters, despite the factory IMS upgrade, still experience IMS failure (like the Carreras do as well) and their IMSB can't be upgraded (aftermarket) without cracking open the engine. A giant expense.
LN have posted that of the more than 10K IMS upgrades that have been retrofited since it was introduced a couple of years ago, barely a handful have failed and these were mostly down to improper installation or engines that were failing before the upgrade and were already doomed.

terbiumactivated

To each their own pefectlap, to me a top that keeps the rain off me has the utility I need from a top. As for parking, I've never, ever driven any of my Porsche cars to work so that isn't an issue for me. If I'm out for the evening, I leave it with the top down albeit usually in view. If someone damaged it I would be unhappy but that's what insurance is for, I didn't buy it to start my own Petersen museum after all. Besides, what good are any convertible tops at preventing theft or malicious damage? When I used the word whiner, I guess it was for those who think any manual work at all to put up a top is a true problem, if I had to put it up and down every day it wouldn't be a big deal, compared to doing a camper canvass for ten years on a 27' Searay it's a joke! I find the top to be no inconvenience at all, now if one wants to run a car twelve months, especially where I live, you're not going to have a swell time with either canvass bonnet but yeah the Spyder would be a #$%& in winter but who would run that beautiful machine in the Winter? I'm pissed at the amount of salt on my Ford and it's a FORD!

NoGaBiker

Detract, unquestionably. Yeah, you pay a premium for a 550 Spyder over an equivalent 2004 S, all else being equal. At least in the U.S.

Since the U.S. 550 charges you more money for what are essentially cosmetic enhancements (with exception of the short shift kit and 5mm spacers of dubious performance value), and since you desire to "detune" the comfort of the car, you would be paying more for a 550, then creating a 550 that would not appeal to the target market for 550s, namely, people who want the most gussied-up, option-laden 986 there was. That's what I bought back in 04, and I wouldn't even consider a 550 with the modifications and de-contenting you mention.

Yeah, I looked seriously at a 987 Spyder summer before last, but decided as much as I liked it it wasn't worth the 50k premium over my now-depreciated 550 Spyder, so I passed. The 987 Spyder is supposed to be a stripper and I love it for that -- but not the 550.

Of course, if you love the 550 Spyder's looks, and want to build a 986S as you say, then go for it. I certainly don't think, with 1953 of them built, you owe it to the world to keep them all stock (mine's not! ) But I do think you would be financially better off to do this project on a standard 03/04 986S, rather than a 550 Spyder.

Cheers!

ACSGP

Thanks for the viewpoint. Unfortunately, I'm a sucker for LTDs.

Still haven't got the PPI done, and it all boils down to the extremely complex car ownership process in Singapore.

mikefocke

I don't know a thing about the market where you are.

Where I am, most of the things you propose would detract from the value of the car and make it a slower sale should you ever want to.

Good luck.