Project Boxster: Maroon92's Guards Red '97

I've officially had the car for a week now, so I figured it was time to write something up about this thing.

I recently moved across the country to Reno, NV from Cleveland, OH, and I didn't want to ship my project 944 all the way out here, so I sold it to a friend. I've been Porsche-less for about 8 months, and it was driving me crazy.

SWMBO and I agreed that Boxsters were at that awesome apex of fun-to-drive and bottom-of-their-depreciation-curve that we so enjoy, and now was the time to buy.

I was passively looking for one since January or so, and the right one was there, but our cash wasn't. A guy on the local SCCA board had been trying to sell his since last August, and the price was gradually coming down.

When it got low enough for my liking, we made a deal, and now I have a Boxster.

It's a Guards Red 1997 2.5 liter base model. I've always contended that the 2.5 liter 5-speed cars have always been a bit underrated. They require a bit more "momentum" driving than the Boxster S' 3.2 liter does, and that's something I admire in a sports car. Granted, we're at 4000 feet above sea level up here, so it'd probably perform a little better down at sea level.

The good:

Recent IMS Bearing upgrade
New Flywheel
New Clutch
New water pump
New convertible top
New shift boot
Good tires
Interior is in excellent condition Recent power steering pump replacement

The not-so-good:

Loads of rock chips in the front bumper
Headlights are foggy and yellowed
The center console and my right leg want to occupy the same space at the same time (don't worry, GT3 center console delete is coming...)
The paint is ROUGH. Water stains, fading, a bunch of scratches, etc. There is a broken piece of aluminum linkage in the driver's side of the convertible top

Will update with more as things progress. I won't leave this thing well enough alone, and will do my best to keep you apprised of the situation with the car.

For now, some pictures...

Nice catch! Aside from interior noise issues and the RMS problems, I've not heard anything too terrible about those to keep me away from them. Always liked the idea of a Mid-engined Porsche over a rear-engined one.

Looking forward to this!

BTW, if you want to take it on a road-trip, the Portland Historics in mid-July (11-13) always has a PCA corral/meet-up (with a track tour/parade) and the local 924 guys camp out on the east-bank on the back side of the course and watch the races. We're also planning a "spirited" drive through the country-side Sunday morning as well. You're more than welcome to join. Might even try to get Javelin down to spectate with the fan-damily.

Sorry to hear about having to move to Cleveland. (obligatory Pittsburgher comment) LOL Great car, and you are right about the time to buy.

pinchvalve wrote: Sorry to hear about having to move to Cleveland. (obligatory Pittsburgher comment) LOL Great car, and you are right about the time to buy.

FROM Cleveland. I got the hell out, and I'm happy about it!

What plans do you have? Basic resto-stuff or is this going to end up like this (not that I'm rooting for it... but I'm totally rooting for it...) :

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: What plans do you have? Basic resto-stuff or is this going to end up like this (not that I'm rooting for it... but I'm totally rooting for it...) :

HA! I wish I could make a GT1 out of it. That would be epic.

Plans for the short term are mostly cosmetic. Spend some hours on paint correction, respray the front bumper, clean up the headlamps, get some European side markers (smoked-clear looks way better on red than Amber does.)

Throughout the next year or so, I'll be focusing on suspension and maintenance.

I probably won't go full boat built-to-a-class autocrosser with it, but I'd certainly like to shag some cones and take it around a track or two (I'm only a few hours from Laguna Seca, Thunderhill, and Infineon, while Reno-Fernley is practically next door, so I'd like to take advantage of that.)

I'm guessing I'll stop at swaybars, Konis, H&Rs, a good set of wheels, and some sticky rubber.

My goal is to prove that it is possible to have fun with a Porsche and daily drive it for about what you'd pay to drive a used Honda Accord.

Now I just need to sell my '09 Mazda3...

If, at any point, I come into a spare 10K, it'd be pretty awesome to swap in a GT3 engine, though...

Maybe some GT3 RSR riveted over-fenders, a massive GT3 R front bumper, some 13" wide rears and 11" wide fronts...

Okay, maybe I will build a GT1 replica...

For those chips on the lower part of the bumper, you can always just hit them with a quick coat of rattlecan. Rust-o-leum bright red is an amazingly close match for Guards Red, I used it on my 951 and you couldn't tell the difference.

It's a gorgeous sunny spring afternoon, so I had to get it out and pop around the neighborhood. I'm going to start daily-driving it next week.

Haven't done much in the way of projects yet, but damn I love this car.

Don't worry, I put the top down immediately after taking this picture.

Nice.

Seems like a smoking deal. Color me jealous. Looking forward to the ownership experience updates.

Matt B wrote: Seems like a smoking deal. Color me jealous. Looking forward to the ownership experience updates.

+1 Keep us in the loop :D

Very very cool. I will follow this with interest. I'm petitioning SWMBO for a used 987'S' as a DD replacement for the C30 in 2-3 years and want some real world feedback on the care and feeding of these things.

I started a couple projects last night. I'm going to finish them up tonight and post some pics. Mostly boring stuff, but what can you do?

Project #1 - Headlight de-hazing.

Used the Mothers Powerball kit picked up from Summit (just around the corner) for 21 dollars.

Project #2 - Tail light color-change.

Hobby store Testors Transparent Candy Apple (had it in the garage from when I did the same thing to my old 944), and a can of Testors Gloss Clear. $5 total, $10 if I had needed to buy the red.

Going for a drive this weekend. Looking forward to it.

Jelly. It's a beautiful car. Was on my list of miata replacements until I decided that the s2000 is what I need next.

How well and long will that head lamp cleaner last? I've done my wrx a few times but I've never had lasting results.

I've used this with good results. It includes a sealer to help it last longer. It's cheap, but you don't get much product to spare so you have to apply it carefully.

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Chemical_Guys_ACC_RES_Headlight_Restoration_p/50102.htm

It doesn't last long, so I'm going to put a layer of vinyl over the headlights to protect them.

Ive used the 3m kit with good long lasting results. The one with the pad for the drill. Afterwards I just wax them every month or three.

I try and keep wax on mine but that doesn't happen like it should.. Looks like I'm not the only one with lasting problems.

Sorry for the little thread derail back to the Porsche awesomeness

ouchx100 wrote: I try and keep wax on mine but that doesn't happen like it should.. Looks like I'm not the only one with lasting problems. Sorry for the little thread derail back to the Porsche awesomeness

Derail as much as you want. I'll always bring it back to Porsche...

Maroon92 wrote:

ouchx100 wrote: I try and keep wax on mine but that doesn't happen like it should.. Looks like I'm not the only one with lasting problems. Sorry for the little thread derail back to the Porsche awesomeness

Derail as much as you want. I'll always bring it back to Porsche...

I had always suspected guys bought Porsches to compensate for something.

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

Maroon92 wrote:

ouchx100 wrote: I try and keep wax on mine but that doesn't happen like it should.. Looks like I'm not the only one with lasting problems. Sorry for the little thread derail back to the Porsche awesomeness

Derail as much as you want. I'll always bring it back to Porsche...

I had always suspected guys bought Porsches to compensate for something.

My psychiatrist says it's because of a lack of attention from my mother as a child...

What does he know? He keeps a bunch of paintings of my parents fighting and penises in his desk. He says its by some guy named Rorschach...

Maroon92 wrote: My psychiatrist says it's because of a lack of attention from my mother as a child... What does he know? He keeps a bunch of paintings of my parents fighting and penises in his desk. He says its by some guy named Rorschach...

Best post I've read all day.

Thanks for starting the thread. I look forward to following along!