Leave it alone!
 

Who else is kinda a purist?

Every time I want to go LED or deamber I just can't. I think they got it right for the era, style, moment and so on. Came with aluminum painted calipers but I went body color which was close.

Wish I had my 550 rims still. Someday.

Show me your baby!

http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/a...pszpwlctxp.jpg

http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/a...psegalmm4k.jpg

Nice looking car Tim

Be careful with purist talk, next thing you know you will be ragging about how the old air-cooled are the only true Porsche cars

What happened...
 

....to the OEM wheels?

Every now and then I reconnect with that car. I had a really good alignment done and as the guy drove off with it I realized holy **************** that's a sweet designed Porsche. I've never seen my car being driven by someone else before!

That's how I bought it. No records. No history. But solid. Took that risk and won the lottery. Now I know better. It had just been traded in 2 hours previous.

To each his own....
having 4 boys between 18 and 25, I've been introduced to lots of aftermarket stuff....some I like, most I dislike.
LED lighting is one I like, except I'm not a fan of the LED tail lights.

I replaced the interior, frunk and trunk lighting with LED and foud the light to be so much brighter, whiter and useable that I've done the same on all my other cars.

I replaced the fog, parking lights and side markers with LED (and deambered). The White light of the LEDs matches the litronics much better.

My car came with the red/white tail lights, so deambering the side markers eliminated the only orange on the car.

Same goes for replacing the top with one with a glass rear window. It was a no brainer as far as I'm concerned.

...or repacing the radio with a BT version....

On the other hand, my motor and exhaust remain stock...That counts, right? :)

Beautiful car, it looks brand new! I'm the same way as far as leaving certain things stock.

I believe in leaving the Boxster as period correct as possible. There are many mods that can be done that are subtle enough that they fit well. Others, not so much.

Tim, you have to find a set of the OEM SE wheels for that car!

https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/...?file=0;567873

You posted a link once even! I was deep into a job and just couldn't swing it. There's some nice Cayman S wheels FS here in town for $1k with nice tread. If 18" I'll be very tempted.

Classifieds for Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming | ksl.com

Let us know if you buy them and sell your current wheels, I might be interested ;)

Count me in too.

No de-ambering, no LEDs. (Have to admit to de-snorkling!) Even still have the bumperettes, unpainted...imagine that!
In fact, in conjunction with a recent detailing, just blackened them up a bit:

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/c...pssajg7owg.jpg

With me, admittedly, to some extent I leave things alone for lack of time (or, sometimes, energy!). But liking it in its original form
is a big part of it as well. AND...I think the color of my finish is a big part of it too: I happen to like black and orange with seal grey.

Leave it alone, or
 

Make it your own! :cool:
I prefer individuality. If you've seen one stock 986, you've seen them all. Individuality, however...

Everyone has one and they all stink :p

Looking for 18's. Those were 19's. :ah:

Maybe just eBay 18's Carrera lightweight. Have to learn what offset sizes fit and work.

Turns out my current ones are base '04 wheels. They show them in the brochure.

I'd love to find these same ones in 18.

Bummer.
I was looking for 18" as well but I stuck with 17" eventually... Love your wheels though :)

Timco; Sure if you can find them in 18". Otherwise I'm going to disagree. I think those wheels are outstanding looking on your car and are unique. I've never seen them in the wild. And this is coming from someone who has the Carrera superlights on their car.

I'm the same way. Actually I feel that way about all cars, new or classic.
At a car show I'm way more attracted to clean original totally stock cars than the crazy customs that someone spent many thousands tramping up. They were carefully designed to look the way they are and to my taste look best that way (ignoring certain missteps like the Aztek, etc).

I think if I had a 550 SE, I'd leave it alone. But, I have a base, which was made to please a wider range of people. I'm just one person, so I'm slowly tweaking it to what I would have wanted from the factory. However, I do want to do it in such a way that a non-Porsche enthusiast wouldn't quite be able to tell (for example, using a 997 shifter rather than a ssk).

Those rims are Beauty!

Nope. Every car I have ever owned I have modified both mechanically and cosmetically. Ive made it my own and I have always owned something completely unique. I do think it can be over-done but usually things like tires and rims, entertainment system and creature comforts are modifications I always make, at a minimum. In the case of my Box its been a whole laundry list of upgrades; driving a convertible with leather seats was a miserable experience and the first mod was grey sheep skin seat covers, from 17" stock painted turbo twist rims to 19" SSR rims made the car look way more aggressive, de-ambering a grey car with smoked was a no-brainer. Ive always thought the car sat a little too high for my taste and next on the list, and waiting to be installed, is an after-market sport suspension that will include lowering the car an inch. The sound is fine but Im not fond of the way the muffler looks and will likely seek something that hides under the car a little better. The black rubber bumperettes are also hideous, eventually they will be replaced with color-matched. Ill be painting my calipers eventually, still pondering the color. IMO making a car your own is half the fun of owning it.

Well, i think original 550 rims won't fit 100% when it comes to colors, because the 550 Carrera GT silver is a little bit darker and tends to get more into a grey than the artic silver your car has.

But you can go with the Carrera style 18". Maybe you can paint them with polar silver and add some black to the paint to tone down.

I have the 18" Carrera rims with the red S calipers and i still like it. Also like the Techno wheels. Don't like the Turbo 1 and 2 wheels.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1438602899.jpg

At the end of the day i everything is a matter of taste. And tatse can be very different. ;) I would only go with parts that came OEM from Porsche. So if your car would be mine i would replace the rear lights with the red and white ones my car has and also would replace the orange front side markes with clear ones.

Rims. Well i don't think the are ugly. An because they are 17" i think they offer more driving comfort - which is a good thing in my opinion. Maybe i yould paint them in dark grey, or black to get more contrast.

Regards from Germany
Markus

There's no accounting for tastes I suppose.

Sprinkling an occasional "IMO" into your post might be prudent---makes it a bit more palatable for those of us that think along different lines.. :rolleyes:

My "Stock" 04 is perfect
Ok, I did change out the fogs for LEDs as I made them into DRLs
Other thank that, no cosmetic changes in including leaving amber side markers and black bumperetts.
Personally with Arctic Silver, I prefer the look of the Black bumperetts
Why mess with perfection???

I think the assumption that it is his opinion can be made since this thread is about opinions. Don't take it so personally. ;)

Oh I really don't take much I read online too personally---but on this one I did just a pinch. I just
too often see instances where people don't really think too much about what they say before saying it.

Under the circumstances (after my recent post), my reaction to "de-ambering a grey car with smoked was a no-brainer" and "The black
rubber bumperettes are also hideous" kinda made me feel a little like I was being portrayed as a dumb guy driving a hideous car. But that's just me..

But...you are probably right on the opinions thing. I'll keep in mind your advice. :)

I can see how that would offend a bit. FWIW, I prefer black bumperettes. I love the contrast! :)
Amber headlights and side markers also look amazing on black cars, I think, but many don't seem to agree with me.

Threads like this usually don't end up well. :(

IMO is redundant and a given but I hope I got credit for using at least one. :)

Okay, you got it---Done!

This thread'll end up just fine. :)

I have a mixed opinion on this topic. I love the look of a clean original and don't fear amber. On the other hand I bought my '99 as a fully depreciated, fun driver, that needed lots of TLC to the exterior cosmetics. The expense of restoring it to original condition (professionally) would be a foolish investment. Instead, I consider it as a pallet to modify and experiment with on my whim.
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1438622280.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1438622291.jpg

If I don't like it, it's usually easy to undo or change.

Here's my Scarlett, just washed. All stock except for the de-ambered turn lights. This photo is the "before" picture on the turn lights.

Mine is a 2009 with just over 26,000 miles on it.

But after seeing your wheels, Timco, I'm thinking of switching to something newer. Didn't realize that wheels can really modernize the whole car! :cheers:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1438622166.jpg

Wheels make a huge difference. I kind of want phone dials! The latest greatest 20 inch turbo rims look outstanding!

Heck Porsche has always made some of the best wheels, Fuchs, phone dials, turbo twists, the new gt4 rims look really outstanding!

I'm going to need pix of those wheels, BgJake, since I have no idea what you're saying, lol. Maybe a new thread on wheels, so we don't thread jack Timco's thread?

Here's car wash day at our house, since Timco did ask for pictures. :p

Okay, another attempt at adding pic. http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1438623495.jpg

I figured there's enough Canadians on here to apologize for everyone who offends anyone......

There's no hyjacking here. If you modded it and like it or kept it stock, share it and post it.

Thread rules are no offended feelings about someone not liking it. They all look great but not all of us would do it to ours.

That's a sweeeeeet 987.

I have a set of aftermarket 18 inch five spoke Carrera "lights" with the correct offsets for Boxsters. Love the look. HATE THE WEIGHT. They're at least 5-8 lbs heavier than the factory rims.

Unless you're going with Porsche OEM rims, make sure you weigh your factory rims and tires and get an accurate weight on the new rims and tires you're thinking of buying... more unsprung weight at each corner of the car makes it slower off the line and it wears out the suspension parts a lot faster.

modifying cars from OEM is very much a Porsche tradition. Back dating, updating, swapping aero from to another, swapping wheels from one to another, etc., etc.

I guess the word purist can mean whatever you want it to. Everyone's interpretation of what constitutes the purest Porsche is different. Personally, I look at what the designer of the car originally intended. When it comes to the Boxster, the way it rolled off the assembly line was NOT the vision. Aero, larger wheels and a upgraded interior over stock were removed from the designer's concept to monetize these as "options" in the Tequipment catalog.

p.s.
The LED taillights are 1000% safer for night time driving than the old school Edison bulbs. Ditto for Halogen vs. Litronics on the front end.
Having been rear-ended at least twice in a roadster, I would consider LED taillights to be more of a safety improvement than cosmetic if such improvements over stock could be measured. Even during the day, LED taillights in the parking light mode alert cars that get too close to a parked car much better than the stockers.

I am an OEM purist, but I am not hellbent on staying 100% stock. For instance, I painted my bumperettes and added clear headlights and side lights like the '03-04 986, and my rims are from a 996. It's all OEM, but not necessary 'stock'. For example, I would never consider those LED depo tail lights. Every modification I have made is fully reversible back to stock, except for splicing the wires for my air horn, and a hole I punched in the firewall grommet to run some wires.

I think upgrades should make you happy, because you are the one that has to drive the car! Who cares what anyone else thinks!
And nice rims make a huge difference!

For the purists, the car as it looked when I bought it. ;)
Not bad looking, but too "older refined gentleman" for me. I was honestly accused of driving grandpa's car once. :confused:

Terrible quality photos...
http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...photos/1_1.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...s/IMAG0241.jpg


And what I've done to it below. Not many like it, but I do and that's really all I care about. ;)
Apologies to the regulars that are tired of seeing pictures of my car. :p

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...photos/068.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...photos/101.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...7C2F1B6D_1.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...77849BD485.jpg

^ Looks great particlewave. Have you ever thought about adding the green in the caliper to the interior somehow? Like some Porsche lettering on the headrests. GT3 bumper would look good with your awesome headlights since you already have 18" wheels.

Thanks PL! ;)

I used the same paint on the interiors of the headlight projectors so that when the light catches them, they have that green jewel look.
I've thought about something small and subtle on the interior, but haven't settled on anything just yet. Maybe green "Boxster" script on the center console batwing?

I'd love to do some body mods eventually, just haven't had the time or $ yet. GT3 front cover and side skirts are definitely on my wish list. :)

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...otos/005_2.jpg

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/a...os/batwing.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1438636368.jpg

Period correct and stock to the bone (minus the missing wind deflector). I have only had the car for a month but love it. Enjoy the ride!