2nd engine failure 2500miles later.

[The Radium King]

well, I've driven a box with a 3.6 and a box with a 3.2 and the 3.6 does have more power but uncertain if it has $10k more power.

your car is a 2003 which means it has a Bosch 7.8 computer in it. this gives you a lot of versatility and options as per this page:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/11-ENGINE-911_Engine_Swap/11-ENGINE-911_Engine_Swap.htm

this gets you a 3.4 cayman (no sense going to anything smaller) or a 3.6/3.8 911. the cayman engine is hard to price as there are not a lot out there. a quick trip to ebay doesn't show any:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Complete-Engines-/33615/i.html?_from=R40&_vxp=mtr&_nkw=porsche+3.4

a 911 engine is anywhere from $7.5k to $15k. so, find out what the shop is asking for their motor; $5 would be a deal, $7.5k is more likely, and anything more is a rip-off. ps, prices in Canada tend to be higher as porsches cost more up here.

otherwise, a cayman engine should be relatively plug and play. I *think* the intake on the cayman sits a bit higher (the cayman has a taller engine cover) but the shop can address this with spacers and different motor mounts that lower the whole assembly. you should also install the 's' third radiator, which means a new front bumper cover and paint (or hack your existing cover). regardless, I don't think you are adding any value to the car by doing this, so think: $5k roller + $7.5k engine + $2.5k third rad + $5k install = $20k; is a 2003 base boxster hotrod worth $20k? just about in our market, but if anything costs more than what I've listed you might want to think about selling your roller and getting into a 987.

[b-raddetail]

You guys are all awesome thanks for the great advice.

dghii $5k is what I was thinking.

woodsman Thanks for the CL find, I just sent him an email to find out more, the location could not be much better as the car is in Van right now.

Don't get me dreaming about a 4.0 or the built 3.6. I now wish I did that last time around!

You are right not quite ready to let the car go but maybe... I am only 20 but have owned 8 different cars and dont usually get attached. Most cars kept 6months max with no attachment but this is my third summer with this Boxster, it keeps beating me but I keep coming back.

sgt brad Thanks for the link, that looks like a really impressive build and looks like it would haul and hold together. I think it might be a little over budget for me. I do like the idea of the test drive though.

AKnowles I am thinking of selling the shell and moving on, but a built motor would make me fall in love with the car again and want to keep it forever. I need to do some number crunching and also decide what I want.

The Radium King I have not had a chance to drive any boxster but my own but on numbers alone I agree with the 3.2,3.4 vs 3.6.

Thanks for the links, I was told that the newer management system allowed more options.

I liked the idea of the cayman engine as it is more plug and play like you say.

I talked to the mechanic today and he said $10k for the engine and that was giving me a "deal". My local mechanic was thinking $15+ so I was happyish. But I will need to see if there is some more room in there as I thought it was a little high.

Install $2200 ish

Custom tune $1200ish

Total $13k+

That was better news then I was expecting.

I agree with your numbers and calculations, install ended up being bit cheaper but engine more. I thought about the 3rd radiator but did not discuss, that would be another expense.

The mechanic is going to look into it some more, I want to make sure we don't come across any surprises or modifications needed and blow the budget or I would have just sold the roller.

I would love to have a hotrod Boxster and it would be a bit of a sleeper.

I need to hear back more from the mechanic and go from there.

I am right on the fence with this one. 3.4 Boxster or C5 Corvette, 987 is out of the budget.

Thanks for the help!

[The Radium King]

well, you are in the game at $10k for the engine. it was sitting around and it appears he has no other takers for it, so barter him down to $7.5k - he'll do it, he probably got it for a song from the original owner anyway - $10k is just his starting price. regarding the $1200 custom tune: totally not required. if he has a pst2 or a piwis he can push a standard cayman/987 tune onto the car for free and you will be fine.

[cheetah]

A few years ago I had a catastrophic engine failure on my 02 S. There might still be the thread with photos on the forum. Talking with Raby, it was determined the engine was toast (even sold him some of the spare parts).

I found an 3.4L engine from a dealer that had just been taken out of a 06 Cayman. The owner was having a 4.0L installed in that car! The engine had been looked over, ran perfectly, tested well, had the deep sump kit installed, and was mine that day for $4000 for everything minus the wiring harness (since the Cayman owner still needed it).

So there are deals to be found. I was lucky though. I completed the swap mechanically pretty easily (spacers to lower the engine because of the taller intake) and figured out the wiring with some help of a few others on this board.

The engine stock has 295hp, but has most of the available performance mods and a custom tune on it so power is higher and the car is definitively quick.

To me it was worth it. In the future, I might go another route for more power (Audi 4.2L?). Unfortunately, all choices for you now involve a lot of money.