Nothing to lose
Really it was a mistake. Last February I saw the listing for a 2000 Boxster S needing some TLC. I figured worst case, I could use it as a parts car. Over the phone I immediately talked the seller down $1000. That should have been a sign.
Stop.
A Red Flag.
This car is troubled and you should run, not walk, away.
Instead, I was encouraged. I was getting a driveable 2000 S for the cost of a roller. From the description, I imagined that it just needed an AOS and water pump, both of which I had on hand. Later, I found that those were the least of its problems.
The guy I was buying it from had taken it in trade for a Chevy truck and the only thing he knew about the Boxster was that he didn't want it. It was blowing smoke out the exhaust and it would start to overheat if you ran it too long. I didn't even really do a 'self-PPI'. I just drove it around the block and gave it a quick look. Since the seller thought it was a four cylinder and didn't even know for sure where the engine was, I felt like an expert. Paid the cash and took him up on his offer to deliver it 50 miles to my home.
Back at my house over the next day, I figured out just how badly I had done.
Instead of the 3.2L engine I expected,
it had a 1997 2.5L engine.
The AOS confirmed bad.
The water pump had no impeller blades left.
There was NO thermostat.
The center radiator was installed, but not connected.
A couple coils were cracked.
Climate control did not function.
The top worked, but only one side had a functioning transmission – the other side was disconnected.
The body had a lot more repairs than I had originally noticed.
Tires mis-matched.
The steering rack was leaking.
The undercarriage was rough, missing most of the plastic panels and just about every piece of tubing was dented and poorly secured.
Much of the interior had glued-on trim pieces that were broken or peeling off.
No airbags and a poor job of covering up their absence.
On and on....
It could sort-of be driven, but really was not even of much use as a parts car.
I messed with it for a week or two, then put a cover over it and left it alone. I had plenty of other cars and projects. Occasionally I'd drive it a few miles to the store, or move it around the driveway. Eventually it became a place to throw car covers in when I took other cars out for a drive. A place for batteries to die.
Now more than six months after I got it, I'm ready to take another look and see if I can give it a purpose. Next year I intend to spend more time at the track and running autocross. I have heard it said that if you can't afford to drive a car off a cliff, don't take it to the track. I like all my other cars and would hate to have one get damaged. This one, not so much.
Meet my future track car. I have no intentions of building it into a real race car, but my local track has regular “High Speed Touring” (DE) weekends and a
racing club that I can aim for eventually if I install proper safety gear.
The 2.5 still feels as strong as my '99s, so I'm going to plan to run with that while I get the rest of the car in shape. Still dreaming of getting a 4.2L Audi V8 in there, but that's either going to take a lot of money (that I don't want to spend on this car), or skill that I have not yet developed.
For now its going to be more of a rehab project on a car with nothing to lose.
