996 GT3 bumper cost ?
 

i posted in another thread that m y car was recently hit in a parking lot.

After the hoildays are over, I will take it to the body shop and get an estimate, but my expectation is that my bumper cover will need to be replaced. I would really like to put on the 996 GT3 style bumper... like this one..

http://i11.tinypic.com/2znqy4y.jpg

My insurance will obviously pay the cost to install a new stock 986 bumper cover....I'm wondering if this style bumper would essentially cost the exact same amount, and I would end up just swapping this thing in at NO real extra cost to me, or do these cost an arm and a leg and/or are there actual mods that are needed to be made under the cover to make it fit, or is a direct bolt on?

if I can get this installed for no cost, or NOT too muchmore, I would likely be able to talk wifey into dropping the extra money. If it's going to run me $1000+++ more, then I'll just be stuck with staying stock....

if I can do this pretty cheap, I'd likely throw on the side skirts...as a package..this bumper and side skirts just make the boxster look absolutely amazing..at least to me!! this is my favorite bumper kit.. then ewer 997 style bumpers are too "out there" looking and seem out of place..this one however, looks very cool but n ot so different to look out of place..

i'm hiping I can make this happen... thanks for your ideas guys!

The 996 GT3 bumper is a direct bolt-on. It mounts on just like the stock Boxster bumper. Look on eBay, they always have a few listed, I would suggest getting an OEM as some of the knock-offs are plexiglass. I also agree that it looks fantastic on a Boxster! And you can also DIY as it is a direct swap! Good Luck

what is plexiglass? I know what fiberlass is... but never heard of plexiglas.. is that the stuff called "duraflex"...I saw one seller who has all sorts of bumper kits for porsches, but they are of a material that is "duraflex" which is some kind of fiberglass that they claim is flexible..no idea if it's any good or total crap.

as the insurance is paying for it - I don't care what it costs or where they get it..as longas I can convince them to apply the funds I am given from the OEM stock bumper to a GT3 bumper.

the fact that it is direct bolt on will make it much more doable...

i might add teh side skirrts too...looks awesome with the GT3 bumper. :)

okay....I quickly researched it and it looks like this stuff has poor fitment and poor quality.... so if I do this mod and go with a GT3 bumper it's going to be OEM parts.

from looking at Pelican Parts it appears the following are their prices:

OEM 986 "base" bumper cover : $575

996 GT3 bumper - $1215.

Wow. Twice the cost. I suspected it would cost more, but didn't think it would be that price. I assume they make the GT3 bumper in far fewer numbers, resulting in a higher per unit cost?

if it's truly $600 vs $1200...I'll have to sleep on whether it's worth $600 to ME to get this bumper. I maybe could convince myself to do it...since this is likely the only chance to do it and have it make any financial sense..since the actual cost are far higher.

the cost to remove/reinstall and all the prep/paint work is being covered by ins...whcih is likely quite a bit. Figure a $1200 bumper cover, and another $1000 in paint work - maybe it's more than that... and you have a roghly $2500 job that I would get for $600.

one thing I have considered is that if I do the GT3 bumper, I know I'll really want to do the side skirts. i saw a photo online of a boxster with just the GT3 bumper and stock skirts and it looked odd to me. the front was too heavy looking. the same guy then later put on the skirts, and those pics it looks awesome...so if I did it the way I "want" right now, i'd also want to get the skirts, ,which are $700. plus install/paint which could be at least $500. so assume $1200 for the skirts and $600 for the bumper...i'm up to $1800.

lets just call it an even $2000....not sure if I want to spend *that* much just for a cosmetic upgrade.


if I opt to skip this upgrade and just replace the parts with stock replacement parts, the car will still look much better than it does now. it will get a totally new bumper over, new paint, and since the whole cover is being done, theyw ill end up painting a good portion of the hood/fenders... resulting in the entire front end looking virtually new. all the chips/scrapes will be gone.

i can also finally fix the little air vents in my bumper ccover. they are supposed to be black but mine have all the paint worn off and they look whitish/gray. those can be fixed.

so no matter what i do, my car will look better. just have to figure out if i wan tto "pay to play" and upgrade the looks.

it's tempting as this is the time to do it. just not feeling $2000 being poured into a car that is worth maybe $10-12k max.

are my prices right? high? low? anyone care to offer an opinion?

thanks.

I just went through this when I had my front bumper replaced. Be sure you check into all that is involved with a bumper mod. There is a lot of ductwork, plastic trim pieces and such that can add significantly to the cost of the conversion. There is a lot more involved here than just swapping out bumpers, have fun,

Ed

:)

I bought one about four years ago for $900 delivered. I stuck in storage and month after month put off getting it installed. Next thing you know it was there for two years! DOH! The one drawback of having only one car...Then one day I noticed the autobody shop barely a mile down the road had some Ferraris parked outside. Enough is enough!! I pulled in and a very motivated shop co-owner came out and offered to take the GT3 bumper out of storage, paint the whole front end (hood, fenders and front bumper) and have it ready by the time a came back from a trip a week later. I think I payed $900 which in these parts is darn good. I even got a ride home. When I picked up the car the color match was flawless. The other shop owner was there and man he was not happy that I was charged "so little".

The GT3 bumper and skirting (I have the fiberglass GT3 Mk2) completely change the look of the car. Gives it a wider, lower more aggresive stance. Not cheap but well worth it if you have to change out the bumper anyway.

Definitely get pricing from Sunset on the GT3 cover. In my experience, they consistently do significantly better for OEM parts (not available as 3rd party) than Pelican - and pretty much everyone else. Sunset's prices for the AOS and new water pump I bought a few months ago were much better. A pricey bumper cover's got to be a pretty big dollar difference.

Is there an OEM GT3 bumper that will fit without replacing the headlights and fenders? I thought all the GT3's had the Turbo/03+ Carrera lights.

The original Porsche 911 GT3 in 1999 had a bumper that fits all pre-2005 Boxsters, and this is what the original poster is trying to obtain. It does not require you to change any headlights or fenders, and is a straight bolt on swap.

http://www.porsche.hot.co.za/images/gt3_1.jpg
http://www.porsche.hot.co.za/images/gt3_10.jpg

^yep 1999-01 GT3 MK 1 <----fits 986 Boxster
2002-04 GT3 MK 2
2005-09 GT3 997