Resurrecting a wrecked 2002 Boxster S
 

Ive had a 1997 base model for a few years. Knock on wood, 33K never been in the shop other than regular preventative maintenance. Here is the current one:

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Ive been reading a lot on the forum but haven’t really posted. I thought Id share a project I think is going to be interesting.

This summer a local Craigslist add caught my eye. A kid had purchased a wrecked 02 S at auction with the intention of fixing it up himself however apparently ran out of money. On a whim I met with him and checked it out. It was in pretty rough shape cosmetically but drove fantastic. I was really surprised at the difference in power from my base which is an automatic. Initially I was only mildly interested as he wanted 7K for the car which still needed a lot of work. It does not have a salvage title but per the carfax was declared a total loss. I did a little research online and found the original auction with photos (prior to him starting his repairs).

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good luck :)
what it needs ?

One of the bigger problems I had with the vehicle was the seats. Apparently the vehicle was shipped from Arkansas to Colorado with the windows cracked. When rain got inside the seats were completely destroyed.

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The other thing I didn't like was the guy I bought it from replaced the upgraded headlights with standard ones to save some cash.

All that being said I waited the seller out for a couple months and paid significantly less than his original price.

I bough it like this:

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He replaced the fender, headlights, a radiator, and bought a 911 bumper cover.

The bumper cover is a perfect color match but the body shop is convinced it's not factory paint so I'm going to have it striped and repainted. I'm taking off the right fender anyways to have it repainted as well.

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I debated about buying used seats or having the foam and leather replaced on the current ones. I just couldn't find a good deal on used in decent shape so I decided to take it to a local upholstery shop and have them redone. Once they pulled the seats the carpet looked grungy so the carpet is getting replaced too. Things are looking rough now but hoping for good things to come...

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Since you are going to the expense of having a shop redo the seats, have them do something really unique, that would be my suggestion. I would probably do the door panels as well. You could really make that box look cool. Good luck. If it were mine, I'd lose the fixed rear spoiler.

I was thinking the same thing. You might as well cover the console lid in matching leather and then of course color match the middle console. :D

The lid is being done for sure in matching leather. What do you mean by the center console? Paint blue or wrap in leather?

Id love to hear any other ideas or examples for customization! I doubt it would add too much to my overall cost.

Either painted or leather. I would like to do one or the other with mine, I can't stand how easily it scratches.

http://986forum.com/forums/414641-post4.html

That blue console looks great!

Im undecided on the spoiler. If I take it off id have to have the holes filled and the rear trunk repainted. It looks ok unless the automatic one is up..

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The automatic spoiler can be disabled at a dealer. I kind of like the trunk mounted unit you have there. I'd leave it.
That's an interesting looking Ranchero in the garage, or is it a Falcon? That would be a heap of fun with a healthy 351 under the hood. :D

Im not that cool. That photo was taken at the house of the previous owner. Kid in his late teens had all kinds of toys and projects.

Figured I would post an update on this project. Ended up taking a long time but it is finally done.

The carpet and seats came out pretty good. Here are some photos of the car in various stages. I ended up tearing out and replacing all of the carpet as well as the foam underneath the carpet. The leather and foam on both seats was also replaced. The carpet is a shade darker than stock but once all of it was torn out and the seats got re-installed you would never know its not stock.

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Since everything was torn apart I put in aftermarket heaters in the seats and wrapped the console lid in matching leather. The only thing I wish I would have done to the interior would have been to paint the console to match the exterior of the car. This 13 year old car actually has that new car smell!


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Here are a couple photos of the exterior. The 911 bumper cover went right on and gives it a slightly different look. There was a cut out in the middle of the bumper to accommodate the third radiator that the S has. I had the stock spoiler disabled because it looks goofy with both.



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Nice! You got there in the end eh?

I'm confused with the picture of the black seat - is that from your '97?

The finished product looks grea, nicely done! Do you still have your 1997 base?

To my wife's dismay Im planning to keep both Boxsters. The base has such low mileage and has been so reliable Id have a hard time letting it go.

I think the black seat your referring to is just a bad cell phone picture taken in low light perhaps.