2006 Ruf Boxster 3.8S X51 Conversion

[djomlas]

i say if the stock performance is not enough, 40 large can get u a lot more than what they offer, thats for sure

[webster132]

Originally Posted by djomlas

i say if the stock performance is not enough, 40 large can get u a lot more than what they offer, thats for sure

I'm all ears. As long as the suggestion is not to sell the Boxster and buy a Corvette

[Perfectlap]

and on looks I'm not entirely sold on the $100K Boxster version vs. A 997 Cab

997 C4S Cab





RUF 987




p.s.
yes I do consider any six figure car that gets spanked by SEVERAL seconds at Laguna by a Corvette to be a robbery. Too heavy and not enough power for those Ferrari like prices.

[djomlas]

did anyone notice this similarity.

one of the most ugliest corvette wheels look very similar to the porsche wheels above, well the unpainted version that is
http://www.wallpaper.net.au/wallpaper/automotive/Chev%20Corvette%20C5%20-%201024x768.jpg

[z12358]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

and on looks I'm not entirely sold on the $100K Boxster version vs. A 997 Cab
p.s.
yes I do consider any six figure car that gets spanked by SEVERAL seconds at Laguna by a Corvette to be a robbery. Too heavy and not enough power for those Ferrari like prices.

IMHO, the Boxster looks MUCH better than the 997 Cab, and the Ruf Box is a much better value than the C2S Cab, again IMHO.

Name a convertible sports car (need not be just Porsche) that better combines everyday drivebility (two trunks!) with exotic car (mid-engine) performance, and good looks and price it against the $95k Ruf Box.

All arguments against $100k Boxster are based on the "drawing looks" and image argument. Personally I don't give a rat's a** about drawing looks and image.

And I do believe that a well maintained Ruf Box will be much more valuable then a C2S convertible 10-20yrs down the road. In general, I believe that the Boxster will become a classic, as the design has timeless elements to it, so the sooner they stop mass producing it, the better.

I agree that the stock 987S has plenty of power but more power is always better.

Z.

[Perfectlap]

sorry my main gripe against a $100K RUF Boxster is how paltry the performance increase relative to the money layed out above what you already payed to get into the Boxster to begin with. If Porsche said we offer Caymans and Boxster with GT3 and TT power for $100K I would't complain one bit. But that kind of dough for a RUF Boxster shouldn't just mean "sleeper" it should mean a whole other level of performance. 100 HP doens't buy you that (less than 100 if you opt for 3.4!) $40K should give you the privilge of having a Boxster that can take on all comers in the $100K landscape. Good luck with that 100 HP.

Its the same reason I didn't get on the wait list for the $50K Lotus Elise to have privilige of driving a Toyota MR2 engine.

For FORTY THOUSAND dollars extra you better do the following:

Put well north of 450 HP/torque, full coilover suspension, the lightest wheels that can be fathomed with the biggest brakes you can get mated with the equivalent HP demmands, custom sways, some carbon fiber parts on both the interior and exterior to reduce weight, enhanced cooling, the works and a built-in top notch lazer/radar detector

and make some serious styling enhancements, not just a trunk badge and big wheels. Personally, I don't care what the next guy thinks I like car design and if I'm paying you nearly two for one, you better give me some nice fixed racing seats, a nice alcantara or a one of kind steering wheel, some interior materials that are unique only to the RUF cars, an enhanced cluster, design magazine worth door pulls, shifter, e-brake, some tasteful but dramatically different exterior enhancements the kind that set a GT3 RS apart from a 911.
What would RUF charge for all that? the price of an ENZO? LOL

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

Doing a RUF Conversion simply isn't for mere Mortals like us. It definitely belongs in the category of: "If you have to ask...".

And, if you are one of those lucky few who inhabit the Socio-Economic Stratosphere, you're not concerned with Value, Resale or any such mundane things. All you know is that you have a want which needs to be satisfied and you satisfy it, period. That's RUF's true customer, who they market to.

Oh, to be one of the Few, rather than one of the Great Unwashed...

But, all is not lost. There are a few ways to get around it. Such as going this route: http://www.autofarm.co.uk/new.php3/silsleevebig.html Again, not cheap, but less than RUF charges...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[webster132]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi, And, if you are one of those lucky few who inhabit the Socio-Economic Stratosphere, you're not concerned with Value, Resale or any such mundane things. All you know is that you have a want which needs to be satisfied and you satisfy it, period. That's RUF's true customer, who they market to.

I'm sorry to burst any bubbles, but that's simply not the case. At least not for me. And not for any of my high-end buying car friends either. Value is a huge part my car buying process. Whether I'm buying a Boxster or a Lamborghini.

You just compare it to other options in the same league or segment. So no, I didn't consider a Miata when buying the Boxster, but I did consider an SLK. And I didn't consider a Corvette when getting the Lambo, but I did consider the Ferrari.

So if you, like me, like Porsches and like convertibles, but you want more performance than a stock S, you compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab and try to assign value to either option. What I'm sensing from the crowd here is that paying ~$100k for a convertible Porsche is a bad deal for them. I have absolutely no problem with that judgement, but it didn't feel all that relevant for this discussion.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by webster132

I'm sorry to burst any bubbles, but that's simply not the case. At least not for me. And not for any of my high-end buying car friends either. Value is a huge part my car buying process. Whether I'm buying a Boxster or a Lamborghini.

You just compare it to other options in the same league or segment. So no, I didn't consider a Miata when buying the Boxster, but I did consider an SLK. And I didn't consider a Corvette when getting the Lambo, but I did consider the Ferrari.

So if you, like me, like Porsches and like convertibles, but you want more performance than a stock S, you compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab and try to assign value to either option. What I'm sensing from the crowd here is that paying ~$100k for a convertible Porsche is a bad deal for them. I have absolutely no problem with that judgement, but it didn't feel all that relevant for this discussion.

Hi,

I'm not saying your wrong, but clearly my experience has been much different.

I know several extremely wealthy people. Not just well-to-do Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen, and such (though I know several of them too), but people with generational wealth. Such as the Grandson of the founder of one of the leading pharmaceutical cos. (in your area actually). This guy only gets the interest on the interest of his Trust and that amounts to $33M/yr. He owns 18 classic Porsches, not just a 550 Spyder, but the 550 Spyder driven by Hermann in the '54 Mille Miglia and such. His thing isn't so much classic Porsches as much as it is significant classic Porsches - even more rare. He thinks nothing of paying more than he should for such cars.

Another friend and former business associate is a member of the Pritzker family, again from your neck of the woods. He owns $4.3B worth of the Pritzker wealth (Hyatt Hotels, TicketMaster, Royal Carribean Cruise Lines, the Marmon Group (8% of all Rail cars in the US) and more). Again, if something tickles his fancy, he just gets it, often paying more just because he has to have it. In several of his acquisitions, I fronted for him just to keep the price from skyrocketing because the seller would know a Pritzker was involved.

I would like to think that were I in their positions, I would be a little more value conscious, and I do know several others who are, such as my buddy who just bought a Ford GT. But, you never know...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[webster132]

I would like to think that were I in their positions, I would be a little more value conscious, and I do know several others who are, such as my buddy who just bought a Ford GT. But, you never know...

There's a pretty sizable audience of people who could spend $100k on a Porsche convertible, but who don't get $30M+/year doing nothing. I belong to the former, certainly not the latter.

In any case, I'm just speaking for me and my immediate circle of friends. And for me, it makes sense to compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab. And I'm still interested in any analysis on that split from someone who are not offended about the notion of a $100k Porsche convertible .

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by webster132

There's a pretty sizable audience of people who could spend $100k on a Porsche convertible, but who don't get $30M+/year doing nothing. I belong to the former, certainly not the latter.

In any case, I'm just speaking for me and my immediate circle of friends. And for me, it makes sense to compare a Ruf Boxster to a C2S Cab. And I'm still interested in any analysis on that split from someone who are not offended about the notion of a $100k Porsche convertible .

Hi,

Yes, I agree there's a broader market for $100k Porsches too. So far as this comparison, I think it depends on where you're coming from, what your expectations are.

The Ruf Boxster is invariably the better of the two cars. Better Base Chassis, Layout, Weight Distribution, Lighter. And it's motor will be Balanced and Blueprinted, something the C2S Cab will not. You would likely have to do some suspension work though if you wanted to extract all it had to give, but out of the Box I think it'd smartly outperform the C2S.

I don't think you'd have any more reliability issues with the RUF over the C2S, assuming they were both similarly driven and maintained. In fact, because the conversion gets so much individual attention from RUF, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually more reliable over the long run than the C2S.

As for the aesthetic factor, again I think the RUF Boxster wins, but that's personal taste. The 911 Cabs have always appeared mutated to me. Not surprising since it's an adapted, and not a dedicated, design. All the styling cues come from the Coupe and some may not translate well. But, many, many others love it's looks which is why it sells so well.

The C2S will have the greater Peacock Effect of the two among the masses. More people will erroneously recognize it as something more expensive and such than a Boxster is. Of course, those knowledgeable about RUF would know the difference and see it the other way around, but that's the minority.

On resale, I suspect the relative rarity of the RUF will weigh in it's favor, but to a much smaller market. The C2S would probably be easier to sell at it's BlueBook value just because it will have a broader audience. If you can wait for the Buyer, the RUF will hold it's value, but if you have to dump it in a hurry, you may have to discount below it's true worth.

Of course, these impressions are not very scientific, but I believe the reasoning is sound. Not an easy issue to decide...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Adam]

Nice pics Perfect. The 911 cab looks good with the top up, but it looks like a butt heavy bathtub with the top down.

[Bavarian Motorist]

0-60 is a consumer statistic that means little to nothing.



Hopefully I can do this in near future if my business starts rolling better.


40 grand is a bargain for what you are getting.


This is an NA engine, right? Better be.

[EPIQTodd]

There has got to be other shops doing the 3.8l conversion - that price seems really steep. It would be really cool to have a 987S with a 3.8l engine in there...plus you could sell the 3.2l for something, at least...

Originally Posted by EPIQTodd

There has got to be other shops doing the 3.8l conversion - that price seems really steep. It would be really cool to have a 987S with a 3.8l engine in there...plus you could sell the 3.2l for something, at least...

Todd, FYI, RUF's pricing assumes a core exchange on the engine. In other words, their pricing includes them keeping your old engine.

[Bavarian Motorist]

Originally Posted by EPIQTodd

There has got to be other shops doing the 3.8l conversion - that price seems really steep. It would be really cool to have a 987S with a 3.8l engine in there...plus you could sell the 3.2l for something, at least...

http://www.roockusa.com/products/boxster.htm

[EPIQTodd]

Originally Posted by Bavarian Motorist

http://www.roockusa.com/products/boxster.htm

I discovered Orton and FVD are doing it also.

[ehD]

i wonder what aftermarket sound system came with this...