1999 Boxster - bought sight unseen and have some questions

[ctripp96]

First off, been lurking for the better part of 30 days and have found the site very informative, great community here!

I bought this gem on a whim and showed up to pick it up without having ever researched anything about these cars and spent a whole 10 minutes looking it over, sufficient enough time for my wife to not be able to change her mind! A P Car, of any kind, has always been a dream for me, so this is a nice place to start.

So.... that said, I know there are a few modifications/changes that have been made to the car and I'm looking for some help in identifying them. I want to be able to prepare for appropriate maintenance and also would like to explore a few different options, the wheels (which I believe are BBS Carrera III, if I've researched right) being my first change.

Questions are mainly on the wheels, brakes and suspension.

- Would someone be able to confirm my ID of the wheels?
- Are the brakes S upgrades and how to easily tell?
- Lastly, the car looks lowered. Thoughts?

Have put about 200 miles on the car, drives nice and tight and has a great sound. Would like to get some PM out of the way and looking for suggestions on where to start.

Thanks
Chris

[paulofto]

Chris, that is a fine looking car with a nice colour combination silver and red. Interior looks pristine. The wheels look like Porsche Carrera II to me, same as on my car. Why would you change them?. They are about as good looking wheels you can get. Also very easy to keep clean compared to multi-spoke wheels. Those look like S calipers but on non-drilled rotors. As far as lowered, the angles of the photos don't lend themselves well to determining that.

This may help. Here is a shot of my '03 S straight on the driver side. Mine is not lowered.

[tommy583]

Those are base brakes painted red.

[boxxster]

Great looking car. Previous owner also put facelift taillights on. I think some clear side markers would be a nice touch as well.

Also +1 for keeping the carrera wheels. I think they're one of the better looking wheels for this car period. Shine them up and enjoy!

[JayG]

Congrats and welcome

You can see what were the factory option by looking at the label on the back of the frunk lid
Those are C2 wheels and were an option. I agree, they are some of the best looking wheels and much easier to clean than most others

Was that car sold as a S or Base? As it is a 1999, it can't be a S.

It appears to have the 3rd radiator, which only comes from the factory on a S, but can be added later as well on a base. It has a 4 spoke wheel and the older shift knob where did not come on a S. It also does not have Boxster S badging on the door sills or the batwing. It also has black trim on the windshield which came on a base, a S has titanium colored trim

While the S brakes are painted red, someone could have repainted other ones red. You would have to look at the part number on the caliper to be sure

My guess is you have a base that someone did a few "upgrades" to look like an S

If you post a pic of the VIN/option label, it would give some insite to what you have

In any case, it looks like a nice car, have fun with it.

Best suggestion is to join your local PCA club and get signed up for a performance driving or car control control school. You will; be amazed at just how great these cars are

If you don't have current service records, change the oil and filter right away and do a flush and fill on the brakes.

[Smallblock454]

Hello Chris,

i would also say these are base breaks with red painted calipers. The front S brake discs in the ront are vented and have drills. Also the discs are a bit bigger (310 mm diameter). The rear brake discs on an S are also drilled and vented.

To me this looks like a base model with some S parts.

Attached picture shows S front break.



Regards, Markus

[RandallNeighbour]

My comment doesn't answer any of your questions (already answered it appears) but I would say that finding a good indy mechanic to look over the car carefully and let you know the condition of the suspension, wheel bearings, coolant overflow tank, oil filler tube, and other items that seem to be worn or cracked with age or use would be valuable information to have.

At least then you'll know what you're in for maintenance-wise in the next year or so.

[ctripp96]

Thank you all for the replies. On the wheels, I was set on something multi-spoke from BBS but do appreciate the clean look of these and the ease of keeping them clean. I'm easily swayed and probably should use the cash for more functional upgraded anyway, so thanks for that!

On the brakes, seeing as how they are more than likely the standard brakes, are owners finding a good bang for the buck in moving to a slotted rotor and more aggressive pad compound? I'll start researching but would like to firm up the braking sooner rather than later. Any input would be appreciated.

paulofto - love the tonneau cover, am thinking about that down the road as well. Thanks for the pic, I see I'm in good company!

JayG - thanks for the info on the options - I'll have to look into it and start researching the factory options.

As much as anything, I want to find an indy in the Philly area who can give the car a once over but also serve as a sanity check for future upgrades on a car with 107k.

Thanks again for all the responses and feedback.

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by ctripp96

On the brakes, seeing as how they are more than likely the standard brakes, are owners finding a good bang for the buck in moving to a slotted rotor and more aggressive pad compound? I'll start researching but would like to firm up the braking sooner rather than later. Any input would be appreciated.

Welcome!

Do you intend to track your car? If not, the std brakes are plenty fine. You probably need to flush the fluid (Porsche recommends EVERY 2 yrs) and most owners skip that process. Plus check the pad depth. Changing pads and fluid will make your brakes feel like new and give you plenty of stopping power. No need to spend your money on a 6-pot set-up if all you're doing is driving it around for the weekend.

Randall's suggestion is wise. You'll probably be dropping some coin on the things he mentioned. Those will be necessities vs blingy wheels and bigger brakes.

[Luv2Box]

The issues with swapping out the brakes to the "Big Red" brakes that came out on the "S" model can get expensive and require modification to your car you may not need, or want. I was tracking my '99 Boxster and wasn't happy with the OEM brakes and had 2001 S Big reds installed. The rear axle housings (knuckles) have to be changed to S housings so your emergency brake will hook up and work, otherwise you are without one. The S housings are larger in diameter so the ABS sensor module will not detect the rotating axle, which is smaller in diameter to an S axle. You can also change the axles out, which gets really expensive, or you can do like my mechanic did and and make an adapter that holds the sensor further down into the housing so it can see the axle rotating. Your rear wheel bearings will be larger and have a sensor built into them which translates into more $$ when they have to be changed. My entire conversion was $1,500 which was a steal at the time and the larger discs and calipers really make a difference in track use, and street as well. It is one of the best mods I've done to my '99 but you will spend a lot of money and have a car that no longer has the period correct parts as well as having to align the rear which no longer can be done by inputing the VIN into the alignment equipment and getting OEM specs. There is a lot to it and if I hadn't been tracking I would have painted the calipers red and put cross drilled slotted rotors on. Great color choice BTW and if you do decide to sell those wheels pm me, I'm interested.

[jcslocum]

Great looking car and thanks for the pics!! We like pics....

Rear tail lights have been swapped out to more modern lights.

Did you get any records with it?? You must catch up on deferred maint as this ******************** will drive you crazy.

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by jcslocum

Great looking car and thanks for the pics!! We like pics....

Yeah, a beautiful car indeed, one of my two favorite color combinations, Congratulations on your new ride!

[mikefocke]

The wheels could also be reproductions. Do they have a part number near the valve stem?

[flaps10]

I don't love silver cars but I would give a front tooth for those rims.

[mikesz]

Arctic Silver with Boxster Red interior Great Combo! Car looks terrific best of luck. My wife did the same with our "Baby".

[Mark_T]

Gorgeous car. I think I would be looking at a 3-spoke steering wheel and clear headlights as my first upgrades.