WTB / Wanted: 3.8 Boxster

[longhood]

WTB / Wanted: 3.8 Boxster - why? .. because I have completely lost my mind I guess
.
But I really do and I am ready to buy :-)

thank you very much in advance.

[chris97boxster]

A fellow porsche owner up in my neck of the woods
took a brand new cayman S
had the dealership drop the 3.4 out of it
it had 10 km on it...yes 6 miles
put in a factory crate 3.8 in it
I didn't ask how much
cause I've learnt that's not polite
I've seen the car once...its black
That all I can tell u. ..@ the moment
If I find out more...will post
Chris

[longhood]

Funny story - thanks for sharing .. could have been a smart move (for those who can afford to buy out of a showroom) - Seems like they purposely keep the performance of the Cayman down not to degrades the 911's value. Sounds to me like a mid-engined Cayman with a performance 3.8 should have more value than the 911, but the 911 is priced much higher due in part to the "status" of the 911 / "boxter is a chick car" , etc. So even though he made an outrageous financial decision, it may have been a very wise "showroom" decision. Perhaps he spent $14K for the crate motor, $4K install for a 911s killer. I am guessing he wanted a lease for tax purposes and swapping it at 6 miles was the only way to get a qualifying car?

[Paul]

No warranty on a crate motor unless it is installed by a Porsche dealer in a car in which the factory used a similar motor.

[The Radium King]

must be a lot of $ in alberta - a guy in calgary did the same thing to a silver cayman. there was a story on it in some online euro tuner mag. they put his 3.8 x51 cayman up against a stock 997 S and it still got beat. last i saw the car was for sale at kulu motors in calgary for $65k Cdn (that's like $70k US these days ...).

[BudmanV24]

Its been my dream to build an X-51 powered cayman. It actually wouldn't be that expensive. If you decide to build a 3.8L boxster instead of buy one outright pm me.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

must be a lot of $ in alberta - a guy in calgary did the same thing to a silver cayman. there was a story on it in some online euro tuner mag. they put his 3.8 x51 cayman up against a stock 997 S and it still got beat. last i saw the car was for sale at kulu motors in calgary for $65k Cdn (that's like $70k US these days ...).

I remember seeing a magazine comparison between a Cayman and Carrera with about the same power. I can't remember which one. The Carrera was still preferred and faster around their track loop. The rear wishbone suspension of the Carrera is better behaved than the Cayman's strut rear end.

[smcgeary]

The comparison of the Cay S vs. Carrera S that I have read really missed one major point. The Cay s was left with the stock open diff, while the Carreras had LSD. Open diffs on the street are fine but in a track they are a huge handicap. I would like to see this comparo with both vehicles on similar differentials.

[landrovered]

Originally Posted by longhood

WTB / Wanted: 3.8 Boxster - why? .. because I have completely lost my mind I guess
.
But I really do and I am ready to buy :-)

thank you very much in advance.

I have a 3.6 Boxster that I might consider selling for the right price. IM me if you are interested.

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by longhood

Perhaps he spent $14K for the crate motor, $4K install for a 911s killer.

Your numbers are way off. Double the price for the motor. Triple the price for the install, especially if both were brand new.

[landrovered]

Randall is right, the 3.6 transplant in my car (performed by the previous owner) was $21K and that was a used motor but it was a professional race shop.

[smshirk]

I have a Jake Raby 3.6 motor, built up from my 3.2. All L&N internals. Not cheap by any means and it may not have quite as much grunt as a new x51 3.8, but it is near the limits of the brakes and 10 year old chassis and well worth the money. However you get where you want to go, do it!

[Pat]

FWIW a friend of mine is selling his 3.8L Boxster for $18K or maybe a bit more.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by smshirk

I have a Jake Raby 3.6 motor, built up from my 3.2. All L&N internals. Not cheap by any means and it may not have quite as much grunt as a new x51 3.8, but it is near the limits of the brakes and 10 year old chassis and well worth the money. However you get where you want to go, do it!

My 98 has a 2005 997 motor, goes way too fast.

[RandallNeighbour]

Paul, will you divulge what that 3.6 conversion cost you?

[smshirk]

Originally Posted by Pat

FWIW a friend of mine is selling his 3.8L Boxster for $18K or maybe a bit more.

That sounds like a steal! I have 18k in my motor alone to get 300 to the wheels and paid close to 20 for the 01 986S three years ago, before the bottom fell slap out on M96 cars. I did sell MY97 with >100k miles for 14 though, so the depreciation was really a wash for me. I'LL never get anything close to that out of it now, but then you can't expect to recover the costs on a vehicle, even a Porsche. I don't believe I'll ever sell it anyway. I still have less in it than if I had bought a CPO, and I have 911 HP, more torque, and a pretty much bullet proof motor.

I believe Jake has figured out the M96 just like he did the Type IVs, and so does he I think. I opted for the high torque build and it feels like a car with way more power than any NA Porsche I've ever driven. The only comparison I have is to the 350HP supercharged 911 I had back in the 90s. That car was louder and more in your face, but I feel confident the Boxster would outrun it in anything other than a drag race, and if I didn't have the lightweight flywheel it might win that too. Torque is what matters in a street car. You just can't go fast enough, for long enough on the street for the high HP at the upper limits to make that much difference.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Paul, will you divulge what that 3.6 conversion cost you?

Sure $23K including a 98 Boxster.

[The Radium King]

any idea how tough it was to put the 7.8 dme in your car? i'm thinking the same - there are 3.8L Carrera S engines on ebay for under $10k, but i would have to convert from 7.2 to 7.8. the cayman exhaust sounds like a great solution to. ps, don't forget to add wider wheels to the overall cost ...

[Paul]

From:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/11-ENGINE-911_Engine_Swap/11-ENGINE-911_Engine_Swap.htm

The Boxster 2001 cars are by far the most flexible in which engine you can install in them. The 2001 cars still have the 7.2 DME installed, but most of the other systems of the car were upgraded in anticipation of moving towards the 2002 CAN bus system that integrates various electronic systems on the car. With the exception of the anti-lock braking system, the proper CAN bus systems are integrated into the 2001 chassis and allow the easy installation of the later 7.8 DME. As a result, you can install any 1997-08 Boxster or 996 Carrera motor into these cars without too much difficulty. You can swap in any replacement engine of the same displacement from 2000-02 without having to remap the DME. (for example, a 2001 3.2L Boxster with a blown motor can accept a 2002 3.2L engine with no remapping needed).

To install a Carrera 996/997 3.6/3.8 engine or a 2003-08 Boxster/Cayman engine into one of these cars, you need to purchase a new 7.8 DME and then slightly modify the pinouts on the DME connector. In addition, you need to modify the Boxster engine wire harness, as the camshaft position sensors are located on the opposite ends of the engine than on the 5-chain early motors. All of the systems on the car should work normally with one exception: the cruise control will not work properly with the later 7.8 DME unless you upgrade your ABS system as well (swap out the ABS controller and connector).

[smshirk]

There is a freshly rebuilt GT3 motor ECU and harness on Rennlist today for 22k. That would make for one mean Boxster!