02 Bumper Cover Question?
 

My 02 base rolled into a tree, which resulted in a cracked front bumper cover and broken driver side grill. My insurance will cover the repairs minus the deductible ($500 ouch!)

Of course my initial tought is to turn lemon into lemonade and switch to a GT3 bumper, but am not sure how much additional out of pocket that will translate into. What is the least expensive source for an OE GT3 bumper? Also, for a side by side comparison, can anyone post before and after pics of this swap? I have seen some photos, but can't see what the big deal is. Is there supposed to be a seperate lip (extra $$) to make the GT3 bumper the #1 recommended mod?

Also, in case the GT3 bumper will come at a premium that I won't be willing to pay, what about switching to the 03-04 bumper cover? That shouldn't cost any more than possibly the extra cost of the passenger side grill. But is it a good idea to only swap the front? Is the 1st gen bumper considered to be better looking than the 2nd?

BTW, my Boxster is silver/black with a 5 speed.

Sorry for any typos, but I am in hurry to get out there and carve the local canyon on my 600RR.

TIA

I bought my OE GT3 cover from a provider on ebay, it was a factory piece with factory part number on it and it fits perfect. The delta between the two covers will be small unless you decide to include the spoiler lip, which you can add later for your future scraping pleasure. If you have a good relationship with the body shop, I would not be surprised at all if they would do the GT3 cover for the same price or a very minimal difference. Since it's already getting a re-shoot, now's the time to do it if you truly wish for the change, it will never be cheaper than now.

Funny how those trees just jump out in front of you without explanation...

Agree; if you wish to upgrade, now is the time to do it.