I've never seen a rusty Boxster.
I've never seen a rusty Boxster.
Colin Wood said:Just hopping in here to say we have that if you go Boxster, we have lots of info on them since we have one as a project car over on Classic Motorsports.
How did I miss this???
Not sure what smog test you need to do but as a driver I would go Boxster , you will not feel beat up after an hours drive ,
but if you could find a mostly rust free 914 you can do most of the work yourself ,
Have you ever sat in a 914 seat ? not much there !
Either will be fun......
In reply to AAZCD-PorscheHoarder-Jon (Occasional Forum Supporter) :
Geez, that's cheap. Wanna find me a cheap Boxster S?
In reply to dean1484 :
I need to follow this one too!
914 vs 986, how are your welding skills?
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I've never seen a rusty Boxster.
Not sure on early Boxsters but my Cayman is galvanized steel and aluminum. Probably the same for the droptop.
preach (dudeist priest) said:Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I've never seen a rusty Boxster.
Not sure on early Boxsters but my Cayman is galvanized steel and aluminum. Probably the same for the droptop.
Porsches have all been galvanized since somewhere around the early 80s. Basically the 914 was the last model that wasn't, iirc. It's really hard (though not impossible) to get the chassis to rust. Most of the hardware is coated too, and as the cars get newer more and more of the car is aluminum, both the chassis itself and the stuff bolted to it. The exhaust though...well I guess something has to be the sacrificial anode. My 986 chassis and suspension were pretty clean, but the exhaust was trashed. One exhaust clamp was rusted off when I got it I think, another one broke during my ownership, and the last two snapped immediately when I tried to remove them to put a new muffler on it.
Boxter is a better car.
914 is a better "rough looking, low budget, entry level, enthusiast Porsche"
I think it's humorous you are comparing these two cars. Just because they both wear the name "Porsche" doesn't make them similar in the slightest.
The 914 can play with an X 1/9, or an early MR2. The Boxter is a modern vehicle suitable for posting respectable times on modern tracks and though low budget it can keep up with some of the newer Lotuses, MR2 Spider and even some of the more expensive Porsche's.
I think it comes down to how quickly you'll want to be on the road and how often while weighing it against the "coolness" factor. A 914 is definitely cooler looking, if for no other reason than they're classics and rare vs. a Boxster that are common enough to see them regularly. A Boxster, however, would probably require less up front work, less maintenance overall, much better cruising ability and more comfort. Chances are, for the price range you're thinking about, you'll have to do some (or maybe a lot) of rust repair, engine work and general refresh on a 914. Granted, a Boxster could be a money/time pit too, but I would wager less so.
For me, it'd be a 914. I'd love to find one that's less rusty with a bad motor and drop a VW Type IV in it that's been punched out to 2.8L and have fun with much more horsepower than stock, but probably not so much to overwhelm the car and still stock enough to go back to original if the prices ever shoot up more on them.
-Rob
In reply to dps214 :
1976
I haven’t owned an SVX in a really long time said:I think it's humorous you are comparing these two cars. Just because they both wear the name "Porsche" doesn't make them similar in the slightest.
they're both mid engined Porsches that can be acquired for about the lowest entry cost out there. I'm not trying to say they're similar beyond that. I don't plan to track either option or even put many street miles on them. Just pondering a cheap Porsche project and these two models intrigue me the most. The front engine models don't appeal to me as much.
Either one would probably scratch the itch and I'll just keep searching for the right candidate. In reality, I don't have any need at all for this particular project and I should probably just hold onto my money. But we'll see what comes available.
I think I might have come up with my answer. I'm gonna propose to my dad that we drag his 914 up to my house/shop and work on getting it road worthy. It's been a stalled project of his for years. It's already 5 lug with fiberglass flares. He's got some kind of Porsche 6 cylinder waiting to go in. It's got some rust here and there but nothing too terrible. Maybe it'll be the motivation he needs to get at it again and we can spend some time wrenching together. Hopefully he likes the idea :)
docwyte said:In reply to AAZCD-PorscheHoarder-Jon (Occasional Forum Supporter) :
Geez, that's cheap. Wanna find me a cheap Boxster S?
Negotiate it to $8,000 - $8,500, Fly n drive: 2000 Boxster S in SF.
In reply to Lof8 - Andy :
That sounds like a great plan for both of you!
In reply to Lof8 - Andy :
Great idea Andy!
Could be you...
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/d/rockville-1999-porsche-boxster/7418164318.html
$2995.00
But working with Dad on his car is a much better idea.
That one looked like a rerally good deal...
My dad used to daily drive a black and yellow 914 in the early 80s, he liked it but I don't think it was very reliable. I kinda wish I had gotten one back when they were cheap though, I used to see them in Pick-n-Pull occasionally even. I bought a Boxster earlier this year but now that I actually have it I don't really like it that much so I am not sure I will keep it. I much prefer working on older (20+ years old) cars, but more modern ones are far more usable so it's always a hard choice. Especially with 914s, people tend to back into them in modern cars because they are too low to see.
For the 986 crowd, for a cheap buy is it worth sticking to 1997-1999 for the dual row IMS bearing and mechanical throttle?
Toebra said:914 vs 986, how are your welding skills?
I have had to do extensive welding on a 986 after the convertible top mechanism broke (again) and mangled the heck out of the rear inner fenders.
I like to think that the Cayman was Porsche's fix for the Boxster top problems.
There is one motor that controls the whole thing, and it works through two large speedometer cable looking devices coming from each end of the motor. Elegant, simple, and flawed. WHEN one of the cables breaks, the other one now gets full torque from the electric motor, and all sorts of bad things happen to the top and the parts of the body where the top attaches.
engiekev said:For the 986 crowd, for a cheap buy is it worth sticking to 1997-1999 for the dual row IMS bearing and mechanical throttle?
Maybe. So many M96s have been replaced or worked on you may have a Porsche replacement with the large diameter single row bearing like an M97. You just can't know until you separate the engine and trans.
My suggestion if you are going to worry a lot about IMS bearings get a different car. If you plan to service it, service it. If you want to get one and send it, send it. But if you are a non-stop worrier, get something else. The stress isn't worth it.
AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:engiekev said:For the 986 crowd, for a cheap buy is it worth sticking to 1997-1999 for the dual row IMS bearing and mechanical throttle?
Maybe. So many M96s have been replaced or worked on you may have a Porsche replacement with the large diameter single row bearing like an M97. You just can't know until you separate the engine and trans.
My suggestion if you are going to worry a lot about IMS bearings get a different car. If you plan to service it, service it. If you want to get one and send it, send it. But if you are a non-stop worrier, get something else. The stress isn't worth it.
Isn't most of GRM part of the "send it" demographic? I know I am!
It seems like not a bad idea to do a clutch job anyway on a "new to you" 986 and do the IMS at the same time, and doesn't look all that intimidating (based on the Frugal Mechanics thread https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/the-frugal-mechanic-meets-a-porsche-boxster/120457/page1/ ).
I have two 914 projects and have not purchased a Boxster (yet) but have driven one. Really depends upon your motivation. If you can do the project with your Dad, I would choose that one in a heartbeat. In my opinion, Boxsters are really cool cars, great for the track or a drive anywhere, but are also older and complex vehicles that can run into all kinds of problems with the various computers, etc... that control everything. If you can find a solid 914, the rest of the car is old school Porsche/VW and as simple as can be. Personally, I am building two, a 2.0 four to drive and then resell and a second one with the full 914/6 treatment!
The other aspect that most of us ignore, is resale value. 914's are on the climb, Boxster values may also be going up but a not at the pace of the recent trend for nice 914's. So if you are going to look for one that is a reasonable project, sinking some money into it might be a safe investment. Especially if you do it the GRM way and find bargains.
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