Caught the power bug .. pretty bad

[nefarious986]

Yesterday while driving, I was challenged by an STI and I took that challenge. He beat me easily from the launch. From a roll I had a better race, but he still walked. During our 2nd run an RS4 joined in and smoked us both. LOLs.

Now I am stuck in a pretty bad place with few options ( budget ~ 45k ):

1. Sell the Boxster and get a replacement either Viper or Carrera

1a. Carrera S:

I love the way I can throw the Boxster around, and with two seats, to me, its a true sport car. The Carrera has 4 seats, no side vent, and is a rear engine setup which to me is inferior to our mid engine setup ( correct me if I am wrong please ) !

Price for a Carrera ~$30k + $10k for super charger kit would give me a 434 crank hp and 370 ish to the wheel. That's all I would ever really need for a street car.

So this option, +2 for power, -1 for looks, -1 for sportiness, -1 for handling vs a Boxster.

1b. Viper (SRT10):

Definitely this car is hot, its like a go cart and looks the part. Problem is spending $45k for a Dodge.

This option I would give +2 for power, +1 for looks, +0 for sportiness, -2 for handling vs a Boxster.

1c. Get a 06 987 S

I can get this car CPO for $41k right now. It makes 280hp stock, and can be swapped with the 3.8L 997 engine or supercharged later on for hopefully $10-$15k which would put it over budget, so for now, we'll only consider the 280hp. The 280hp should satisfy my craving for HP for a bit but not too long. Still wont hold off those v4 turbo cars.

So this option gets +1 for power, -1 for looks (because I do like the 986 look better), +0 for sportiness, and +1 for handling vs a 986 and +1 for warranty.

2. Swap a 3.4L into the Boxster.

Cheapest and most direct route the HP I think but most shops do not want to perform this swap. I don't know why. I talked to two local Porsche shop and both almost immediately quoted reliability issues and warned against swapping to 3.4L motors.

Also, spending 50% of the KBB of a car to swap in a used motor when nothing is wrong (mechanically ) with original motor makes no sense.

So this option gets +1 for power, -2 for bad financial planning.

Although going this route, I might have enough maybe a year down the line to get the 3.4L supercharged also, that would get me the HP I want but push real close to the 45k limit that if anything went wrong reliability wise, I'll be modding my bicycle.

I do realize that there's space limitation for the engine, but if I supercharge the 3.4L, I would want lose the rear trunk for extra space + maybe air / water cooling. I m sure someone can build this setup custom.

So this option gets a +2 for power, -3 for stupid financial planning. LOLs.

When I add up the #, the best thing to do seem to be the 987 option. Yes, it would be the smartest thing to do financially since I can make more back selling an 06 987 than I could selling a modded 986. BUT somehow my heart isn't really into it. Spending another 20g for a newer car that I don't like as much look wise because it has 35 more hp and a longer warranty doesn't make too much sense either. Especially since my car is still covered somewhat as a Porsche CPO car.

*sigh* .. I've been up all night and all I can come up with is I need more $$. LOL.

[nefarious986]

Is any of my + - numbers wrong? What do you guys think ? Would appreciate opinions / feed back.

I have a friend in the auto industry, he has driven the Viper and I recommend you do the same before you buy one. It's fast, but he said it's a vibrating, unrefined enginemobile, you might not like it, then again you might love it. Why is the Cayman S off your radar? You said you like the mid engine feel of the boxster and want a fster whip, I'll bet you can steal one of those in the current economy as opposed to better years.

[rick3000]

If you do a lot of straight line racing, you bought the wrong car. The Boxster was not made to go fast in a straight line, but it can outrun most cars on anything twisty. Unless you do a $10k 3.4 swap the Boxster will not make you competitive with the cars you mention in a straight line. But if you love your current Boxster this is the way to go, and the way I would do it.

A 987 may not get you the HP your after, but would give the same/better handling as your 986. I think my first choice in your situation would be a 996/997, there fast and will handle similarly to the Boxster.
Then the Viper. I would have a problem spending $45k on a Dodge too. But I will admit, I have always liked the way the Viper looked. Plus, you rarely see them anymore which in my opinion makes one 10x better than a vette.

[9eighty6]

I would have to agree with Rick and the others ... Stick with a Porsche for the refined reide quality and handling. These cars just won't win on the drag strip BUT take them onto a tight, twisty road and you will certainly have an advantage.

As far as the upgrades go: I would move into a 997, 996, or Cayman S (probably in that order). With the 911 the handling is different but you might have the increased HP you are looking for. The Cayman might be a good middle road with the upgraded power while still retaining the mid-engine layout we enjoy so much right now.

Best of luck with your decision!

[MikenOH]

If it's the stop light grand prix you're looking at, consider the 2002-2004 Z06 Vette. Not especially pretty--neither is an STI--but it deliverers the goods--0-60 in 4.5 seconds, 1/4 mile in 12.0 and they handle very well.

Price range is in the $22-30K range for a decent car, you may be able to get one with a warranty.

If I was looking for a car to do strictly DE's and an occasional auto-x; this would be the car I'd be looking at: Capable, reasonably reliable, relatively inexpensive spare parts, lots of places to get work done and big on the fun side. If you need more HP there are plenty of aftermarket accessories to get it close to 500

[Dr. Kill]

-1 on the Viper. I got some seat time in one a few years back, and while it is was a monster to drive down the autobahn, I think it would make an atrocious DD. It is very loud and the ride is very harsh. After about an hour of driving it, I was quite fatigued. My boss’ C6 Z51 feels like a Lincoln by comparison.

[ekam]

I wouldn't bother racing anyone off the line... what you were describing reminds me of that scene with Vin Diesel & Paul Walker in their Supra racing the Ferrari from that movie called... oh ... Fast & Furious???

If you're into doing that type of stuff why don't you buy an Evo or STI? They make 400hp+ easy on some simple bolt-ons.

Don't be that guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKOjCIy6F4c

[MikeM]

I've had lots of friends over the years that have had Chevy and Dodge muscle cars and even they admit that "God help you if you ever have to stop or turn".

IMO..unrefined and under engineered, when compared to anything European.

One friend with a Corvette told me that although he loved the car,"it road like a buckboard and shook itself apart".

Like they say....no substitute.

Cheers

[NickCats]

You may want to reconsider the Viper. I went for a cruise with a buddy of mine last Sunday. We spent the day cruising around in the country, and while the Viper is extremely fast and very sharp looking, he was pretty miserable since the engine generates SO much heat that he was frying in the cockpit. He had the AC on full blast the whole time ( it was about 80 degrees out ) and was covered in sweat every time we stopped.

Give RUF a call :

http://www.rufautocentre.com/

Nick

[secreTTasianman]

'06 Z06 and stomp all. You'll have 440whp out of the box. btw, they're ~50k now.