Cheap HP?

[Fletcher]

Cheap and h.p. don't play well together in Boxsterland. The mods I have planned for my 04 2.7 to give me about 25h.p. are going to cost about 4-5k...These cars are not cheap to hop up. But with intake, exhaust, headers, cats and ecu you can get real power gains and a much lighter wallet.

[donv]

WoB, hope this will be taken in the spirit it is intended. In your lucky position and at your age I would recommend that instead of putting the $2K into parts to make your car faster, you spend it on educating you to drive even better. There are several performance driving schools as well as local Porsche Chapters' Driver's Ed/Autocross events that would fit well within your budget and produce a better outcome than bolting on various bits of plastic and metal, etc. The stock Boxster has more performance than most people's skill can ever use. It has been estimated that most people don't drive these cars to more than 60% of their potential performance. So one way of thinking about it is you could get a ~35% performance gain (40% would be going to the edge a bit) by improving the driver's skills to utilize the full performance of the car vs. changing the car itself in some way.

Also, this is an investment that you get to take with you when you change cars later and doesn't depreciate like the car and accessories will.

I've done the local autocross "school" and a driver's ed event and it made me a faster, safer driver (and I'd had a few years more of practice up to that point than you ). You'll learn to carry more speed through corners and how to stop better, etc.

BTW, if you need new tires, that $2K could already have found a new home...

[IceBox]

Unfortunatley, the Boxster just isn't set up for 'tuning' in the way Hondas and their ilk are. There are cheap and not-so-cheap ways of differentiating you Box from others i.e., changing the rear spoiler, new rims, etc., but exhaust seem to start @ $700 or more, intakes at $400, and in the end they really don't add much in the way of hp. Which isn't to say you shouldn't do it, just be prepared to part with cash. BTW, congrats on scoring a great ride at 16. The advice about going to a performance driving school is very good. I just attended the Bridgestone F2000 school at Mosport and I'm 38. I wish I'd done it sooner.

[Brucelee]

The driving school idea is top rate. Thanks for that!

[RandallNeighbour]

Dang! I had to wait until I was 42 to get my dream car. You're either a far better saver that I ever was with a good paying job after school or you have a parent who likes to give you very nice cars to drive and is willing to pay what must be outrageous insurance, huh?

What on earth will you have to look forward to in your 40's if you're driving a Porsche now?

Do the driving school thing as suggested and save the rest though. I've looked into more HP and it's stinking expensive and makes the car somewhat to very unreliable. Maintenance isn't cheap on our cars either, and yours will be far more than most, I'm afraid. Why?

I say this from personal experience as a complete driving fanatic my whole life and the ability to recall how I drove my cars when I was 16.

At 16, a person has a far greater sense of invincibility, and less fear of loss. So, one usually drives faster, is then required to jam on the brakes more, and must prove to all one's friends that Porsches, even non-S models are far faster than the rice burners with coffee cans for tailpipes his buddies are driving. Believe it or not, driving school will show you how to beat every one of your buddies in a race... and they can even be driving corvettes and you'll win!

For the most part, a young, highly spirited driver without driving school = lots of tires, brakes, shocks, clutches, etc.

You may be one of those conservative 16 year old men who drives conservatively, but I must admit if I were you and at your age, I would not be driving cautiously and slowly in a boxster!!!

Oh yeah, don't forget about speeding tickets. If I were you I'd be saving up to pay those and the additional insurance premiums that go with them... no radar detector works well enough to keep a 16 year old out of fine-paying EVERY time.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

Dang! I had to wait until I was 42 to get my dream car. You're either a far better saver that I ever was with a good paying job after school or you have a parent who likes to give you very nice cars to drive and is willing to pay what must be outrageous insurance, huh?

What on earth will you have to look forward to in your 40's if you're driving a Porsche now?

Carrera GT?

[YellowJacket]

Yup -- spend that $2k on cheap tires and driving school.

Normally I'm a huge advocate of good tires (S02's, Pilot Sports, etc.), but given your age, I say you get a set of Kumhos, because you're going to wear them out so fast doing stupid stuff. I know I did when I was 16!!! Haha, what am I talking about -- I'm 22, and I STILL do!