My New Top -- '99 with Glass Window

[neilw]

No, the retrofit tops with the glass window fit the normal 97+ frame. That said, the compromise is that the window is about half the height of the plastic window (since the plastic window folds in half).

The other option is to find a frame from a newer Boxster where they were using a glass window from the factory (2003 or 4, I think). I thought about that, but that is a fairly pricy option compared to putting the top on the existing frame. At about $1200 installed for mine, that's a lot less than trying to retrofit the entire newer frame plus getting a new top itself. Having read some of the threads on those frame changes, I could see it involved labor and possibly some parts that I didn't want to do.

There is the looks issue also. The newer frames added a bow so that the top looks a little better with the glass window. If you look at the newer ones, you can see (I think) 4 bows, so the smaller glass window doesn't look so obvious. And it may also be that the glass window is slightly larger, although I don't know for sure.

For me, the bottom line is that my plastic window that had been replaced by the previous owner many years ago looked bad, was getting close to leaking and I didn't want to spend too much for a "budget" car. The new top looks very clean and new. The glass window makes it look more contemporary. And to most people who don't know Boxsters, they think the car is a lot newer than it is. Plus it won't leak now that we're getting into the rainy season here.