My first Boxster!
 

Hi all,
long time lurker, first time poster from Oslo Norway :)

Sold my 2004 BMW 1-Series + a 1975 VW Jeans and bought this 2000 Boxster last thursday, after researching how to by and what to look for -guides on these forums.
So, thanks all !!

It has 157.000 kilometres on the clock, has a complete service history and a full ppt.
Seems in great condition! Seller also showed me receipts for around $24500 for the last 7 years, so many wear-parts have been replaced.

Has a hard top + winter tires.

Wheel and tire spec:

Summer:
Rear, 18" Cup 3 Turbo, 18 X 10,5 rim, 265/35 Goodyear Eagle F1
Front 18" Cup 3 Turbo, 18 X 8 rim, 225/40 Goodyear Eagle F1

Winter:
Rear, 17" Cup 3 Turbo, 17 X 8 rim, 225/45 Michelin X-ice
Front, 17" Cup 3 Turbo, 17 X 7,5 rim, 225/45 Michelin X-ice)

Some questions:

What is the Boxster like to live with at winter time? We get a lot of snow in Norway, as you can imagine.. Any of you drive it during a snowy winter?

Any "must do" upgrades I should consider?

Any "must check" for on the car? Here I am thinking about problems areas such as RWM, IMS etc.

The car shakes/rattles above 120 km/h. What can this be caused by? Wheel alignement? A wheel that needs to be balanced? A drive shaft that is dying?

The AC is not working. Is refilling expensive? A DIY job?

It has an aftermarkt exhaust. How can I find out what type it is? Supposed to give another 10 brake hp, but I havent seen any documentation.

Some pictures from the ad:
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1305/5iek.jpg

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5391/5a3z.jpg

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/8486/g94i.jpg

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/6219/rja2.jpg

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/9600/9duq.jpg

Congrats on very nice clean Box.I would start reading this forum for mechanical needs info on the IMS/RMS etc.My Box is same year and approx mileage and I did the IMS/RMS just for peace of mind.
Fantastic that you have the receipts.You may want to use a good leather conditioner on your seats to protect them.Hard to tell about your exhaust brand.Sometimes the manufacturer claims to offer more HP with the exhaust but it may be hard to confirm.

If the sound is cool,then enjoy it!

Your hard top is good looking and unusual.I personally would be reluctant to drive it in the snow due to risk of corrosion from road salts if this is used in your country and of course,accidents.What brand hard top is it? Is it fiberglass or metal?

Congrats on the new Boxster. I just bought a Boxster a few weeks ago. Your Boxster looks like it has aftermarket LED tail lights.

I think refilling the AC system is an easy DIY. There's a writeup on pelicanparts.com. Hopefully that is the only cause of your AC not working.

Welcome to the forum! Hope the first Boxster isn't your last. I have no experience with winter driving a Boxster, but others have posted no problems with winter tires unless you're driving through cover of 7 cm or more. Any depth greater, and you aren't driving; you're plowing.

Search the forum for DIY Do It Yourself on air filter, MAF and AOS for standard repairs.

And I have to comment that that is one sweeta$$ hardtop. Definitely not stock.

DBear

Congrats on the new Boxster I just purchased my first last month. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine so far and I love the hardtop!

Welcome to the forums :)

That's a unique looking hardtop...I'd like to see more pictures of it.
Your vibration could be caused by any number of things, but a good place to start would be the wheels. Inspect tires and replace any that need replaced, then have the wheels balanced.
I'm not sure what an AC refill would cost in your area, but you should have the entire system inspected while you're at it.
FYI: It's not uncommon to have a leak(s) at the condenser coil or plumbing under the front bumper from curb scrapes.

Thanks for alle replies. I have a feeling I will be spending some quality time hanging around here :)

I have had many German cars and mostly VW (old bugs but also newer ones) and BMW, and I always find my self a great forum to both contribute and for research :)

In regards to the hard top, I am quite sure this is the producer Porsche Boxster Hardtop : Porsche 986 - Prosche 987
The guy I bought the car from told me he ordered it and drove over to UK to collect and fit it to the car. It is supposed to have a Cayman look to it. I dont know if I prefer this to the standard hard top but.. Its a taste thing I guess.

I appreciate your input. I think starting with the wheels and balacing sounds smart.
The previous owner had a sharp angle from the front of his garage coming up to the garagedoor going over to the garage floor, so I know for sure it has plastic cover scrapes underneith. So I think you have a good point there! (The AC was refilled last summer so it must have some sort of a leak somewhere..)

Hey, thanks!! Much obliged.

Thanks, feels good to be welcomed :)

We DO get at least 7cms snow, and more. But we will see.. I live downtown Oslo and I walk to work, and dont really neeed a car. This is purely out of interest that I prefer special cars.

Good input on the DIYs, I always appreciate people making them.

And I didnt expect such interest in my hardtop he he.. :)

Great! Congrats yourself :)

The previous owner bought the lights from Design911UK:
Light Upgrade Kit II. Porsche Boxster 986 *LHD Cars - LIGHTKIT17 | Design 911

Thanks! I did a lot of research before I ended up with this one. Thats one of the reasons I got a 2,7 and not a 2,5 and also it had a recent PPT and full service documentation.

Can I ask: how much did you have to spend on a IMS replacement / kit upgrade or whatever its called?

He did do a full leather treatment last sumer. So I will do one later also.

Check the link above for more specs on it. It is made out of fibreglass. It cost the previous owner 1200 UK pounds which equals around $1800

Also, is installing a IMS Guardian something that is recommended and how common is it that owners do this? Are there other options? Im just wondering how easy it will be for me to order one and have my Porsche mechanic install it..
IMS Guardian

Hi, congrat with Boxster, i'm from Oslo too, maybe we could have a meetup one day, that would be cool, sharing some tips and experience.
Theres no problem with winter driving as long you have antispinn or PSM on your vehicle, but i would og for 16" wheels for winter driving, more comfy.

Thanks! Yes, that would be helpful :)

It came with 17 inch winterwheels, hopefully they work.

Which model is your Boxster? I clicked through some facebook pics from your profile, it seems we have some mutual friends.

By the way, I posted an answer to all replies below earlier today. When posting, a message appeared saying the post would not appear before a moderator had approved the post. But replying to the last post a couple of moments ago, my post appeared right away. Weird..?

Anyone have an idea on why the mods havent approved my post yet? It was a long one.. :(

Ill try and make a brief summary on my post.

I just wanted to thank eveyone for a great response :)

The hardtop was custom orderer by the previous owner and picked up by him in UK http://www.boxster-hardtop.co.uk/

The lights are from 911 Design and are these http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/prod6315/Light-Upgrade-Kit-Porsche-Boxster-986--RHD-Cars_2_2/

its 97 mod.
did a DIY soft top install with great result....:)

Wow.. you basically saved NOK 11000 which is what Hurtigruta Carglass charged the previous owner for innstalling his new cab top last year..

Tonight :cool:

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/9002/1mr4.jpg

Looks like you already are enjoying it Nice Photo

I have a 2001 Boxster and have had the IMS Guardian installed. I also drive it in winter and bought second hand rims and snow tires -16 inch. I have no PSM so I take it easier in winter. I have driven it for two winters and never get stuck in snow.
3 inches deep is the max I drive it in. Winters are definitely hard on it. Rock chips and more rattles now. Still only 68k kms on it but still loving it!

Thanks jsceash :)

How much did an IMS Guardian cost to install? I dont have an PSM either, so after first snowfall I will be sure to drive carefully to get to know how it behaves on snow. We get a lot of snow and I have 12 yrs of experience driving on snow so it should be fine.

I guess 7,6 cm of snow (3 inches) is a lot to handle for a normal car eiterways, and since I dont rely on driving to work or anything, I will just take the bus before they plow the snow after a hard snowfall :)

The Ims Guardian to buy was around $400 and installation was about $600 so all up it was $1000 for more peace of mind. If you were handy you could do it for less. If you are going to get snow tires I think that 17 inch rims and snow tires(definitely not all season) are better suited. I bought 16 inch rims secondhand( tel. dial rims!) and snow tires and find them a bit small.

I don't know if I will keep my 2001 Boxster long enough to have a new clutch/ims replacement done. Everything is working fine at 68k kms. It gets pretty tail happy in winter on slick roads so with no psm I take it easy. Have fun. And yes it starts no problem -30C(-20F) but would not recommend driving it at extreme cold temps.....

A female in a Box, what more can one really ask for

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6929/6cd6.jpg

These are my wintetirespecs, hope they work :)

Rear, 17" Cup 3 Turbo, 17 X 8 rim, 225/45 Michelin X-ice
Front, 17" Cup 3 Turbo, 17 X 7,5 rim, 225/45 Michelin X-ice)