Boxster S dead, what to do
 

Recently purchased a 2001 Boxster S with cracked heads, what should I do to repair it?

It is a great overall condition car with the right options, M030, sport seats, but does have 150K+ on chassis.

As it sits right now there seems to be four different options, which would you do.

1. Replace engine with used engine (around 4k for engine)
2. Have heads repaired (2.5k for head repair)
3. Put an Audi V8 in it (1.5k for donor car, ??? for other items)
4. Put a LS in it. (1k-8k for engine, 3k for adaptor plate, ??? for other items)

What are your thoughts?

Boxster S dead, what to do
 

I vote LS!


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Help us with answers to the following questions...

What do you want the car to do when it is finished?

Are you able to do all, none or some of the work? Have the equipment? What is your mechanical and/or electrical experience?

Where you are located, are there expert Porsche mechanics?

What is your budget?

Are you going to need more things like brakes, tires, top, suspension?

RND is blowing out engines, $8500 shipped with nickies, ims retrofit, etc, might be an option for a quick.plug and play fix?

The best math for continuing to drive a 2001 Boxster S is probably to sell the car as a roller and buy another. Sad, but that's what I've seen over and over again on the forums.
Do your own work and enjoy the process of fixing things? Repair and refresh your engine.
Like research and development? Do the Audi V8 or 2.7TT swap.
...and as Steve posted, a professionally rebuilt engine is a good quick option if you are attached to the car.

8500 shipped? Damn, might just buy one and store it! That’s a sweet deal for those motors. Almost bullet proof, and an easy (relatively) swap!

I have been reading on the LS swap kits. I think putting a non-Porsche motor in the car will take away some of the mystique of owning a Porsche.

But out of curiosity I enjoy reading about different mods and such, from most of the feedback on the LS kit doing an LS swap with the kit isn't as simple as they make it sound, plus you also loose about 2 to 3 inches of leg room I think it was. I mean HP wise would be cool, but hearing a corvette sound out of a Porsche is just strange.

Like mentioned if you plan on keeping the car at that mileage a fresh motor with IMS ect... for $8500 would be a good avenue. Let's face it maintaining a old car you will never get what you have in it back out.

To answer a few questions:

The plan is to keep the car for DE events, Autocross, and just a fun mountain toy if a swap is done. If the engine is just replaced with a like engine it will be sold. Keeping it means it needs more power.

The tools and equipment are covered, and I have rebuilt a few 996’s and done swaps before but not on a Porsche.

I know I will never get my $ back on this if labor is included, but don't want to just throw cash away. Which ways would you be able to at least recoup the $ investment in the car?

The car needs only strut mounts on the front everything else is in great shape. Though with an engine swap it would get suspension upgrades, spare set of rims and tires, and some other upgrades for sure.

For autocross you don't need so much HP.

I went to the engine builder website and their rebuilds come with a 12 month 12K mile warranty.

Since your soliciting opinions, unless you can get away with just replacing the heads any other way you go you will have too much invested to break even. With everything else in such great shape would be a shame to do a V8 conversion or sell it off for a strip down.

Tough spot, Good luck on your decision.

Sell it as a roller and start looking for something more in line with your needs like a 911 or even a Corvette.

Boxsters ain't muscle cars, and if you try, it'll become an ongoing repair project and a money pit.

Yeah, if I had the room and the cash, I'd probably buy a couple of these. Hot deal!:cheers:

Good candidates for turbochargers.

The RND engines are sold with no warranty, they are reduced by so much. And they only charge a thousand for core.

I went to there website and it says 1 year 12K mile warranty RND Engines – The Industry's Only M96/97 Engine Direct Replacement Program middle block. Maybe it does not apply to these, just repeating what is says on the home page advert advert.

It also says no core charge and free shipping for these motors also!

RND = Raby?

Boxster S dead, what to do
 

If he likes how his boxster handles/steers/communicates he is not going to like a corvette or 911.

The issue here is the 150k miles. Resale on that car is probably what 4-6k with a good engine anyhow?

I think you have reached the point where you have a good roller to work with that you know the history of.

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Click the link it goes to the home page. Says RND Engineering not if they are Raby.

Throwing this out there but don't people put 911 3.6 heads on the 3.4 for power gains? Can you do something along these lines?


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If you're thinking about the V8 Swap, you should read this thread in its entirety if you haven't already - http://986forum.com/forums/show-tell-gallery/54328-boxsterls376-introduction-ls3-conversion.html.

Personally I would source a used engine, maybe a 3.4 or 3.6, whatever 996 engine works easiest with your existing DME, wiring harness, etc.

Cunningr, Brian, hpfiend and PaulE,

Cunningr, I would go that way in a heartbeat if the engines where not just stock replacements. I really want more hp, and just to sell the car not sure it is worth dumping that much into it.

Brain, I currently own a 911 and have owned a Corvette. Hpfiend is correct in that I love the handling and feel of the Boxster. Most people once the swap is complete don’t have ongoing problems that I have found (save axle issues if transmission is moved to far back).

Hpfiend, adding a different Porsche engine is possible and probably the easiest to install but still would not give me the HP the Audi or LS would. They would also be very expensive as 911 engines start in the 8-10K range for high mileage examples. Then need the standard upgrades; spin on filter, IMS solution, AOS, RMS, and so on.

PaulE, I have read through that and many other ls swaps into Porsche’s. To me this looks like fun but I would hope to be on the budget side. Using a lesser engine from a donor car and fabricating all my own installation mounts and hardware (save the engine to transmission adaptor). With this said I think it could be done around 15k for the LS and a lot less $ but much more RND for the Audi.

That would be the 3.4.

Mike