Spec 986 Boxster

Thinking of buying one and spec'ing it for track purposes.

I went to the track with my DD and realized the hard way why its not a good idea.

Looking for a designated track rat that can also serve for some summer top down fun.

The 986 seems to have a good point of entry which is good because my income is high but my bank account will be low b/c just bought a house.

I drove a spec'd e30 M3 and thought it was pretty sweet and wouldn't mind doing something similiar.

What will I need? How much will it cost? What comfort features can I leave in for driving around in summer.

bump

so many better cars to get than some faggot porsche convertible made for boomers to feel rich in.

List some examples that have an active spec series based around them.

tick tock user

Also, where do I go to get stuff gutted and installed? I dont have time to do all that type of stuff.

C5 Corvette is faster, better looking, more reliable, better sounding and cheaper go run

>cheapest entry Porsche
>literally 5-10 grand right now
How angry and poor are you?

nothing is more expensive than a cheap euro sports car

A total spec racer conversion costs like $30k, but that's for a full blown race car
Pretty sure you can do a decent chuck of that and a Carrera engine swap for like $20k if you're not racing in those series

Go read up on spec Boxsters and all the parts people use to build them, there's not much aftermarket outside of that
Nice thing is the Carrera engine is just a larger displacement Boxster engine so the same reliability mods can be used

Only if you're poor

Only if you are a dumb ass who can't do his own electrical and mechanical work.

Which is one of the reasons these end up so cheap. Just like the 2000+ 911 Carreras, buy one for 10 grand because it has a bad drive bearing, spend 1k for one that lubes itself and then you can run the car into the ground.

The people who bought these cars new don't know how to do repairs and only look at the dealer cost to keep them.

>Implying Veeky Forums isn't made up of benchracing neets

I'm a poorfag myself, only make 30-45k a year pending on job sites. But I do not consider a car as high as 30k to even be expensive.

I wouldn't go for a 986 as a track car.

while it is a very good car, there are various other cars that would have way more modification possibilities and way less problems, save the porsche for a weekend drive only.

look for e36/e46 coupes or similar, there isn't a big margin for modifying a 1st gen boxer between the "i can use it on a holiday trip" and "i'll track it for 4 hours"

It's still like the 3rd cheapest spec racing series

miata and burgerstang being 1st and 2nd cheapest?

>Carrera swap
>Bilstein PSS9 coilovers
There, you have an extremely track capable car that you can daily drive for under $20k

Miata in second place and spec Micra in first place

Krafty Kanucks

Hey, let's not forget Spec 944...that's a pretty budget friendly racing series.

Until the car breaks, which it will.

Cool, it also can't run at any series, completely defeating the purpose of a race car.

Miata is the only good spec car that's actually cheap and the series runs enough that you can do 3-4 races a year without multiday drives. There's no escaping it. Outside of that I would do vintage or an open wheel class before looking at other Spec series.

Oh and others won't? Anything can go wrong on a car no matter the age...

The problem is that parts are get tincture harder and harder to find for 944s. At least with Boxsters parts that'll work with 986s were mostly the same all the way until the 2008 model years

OP said he wants a track rat

Are you really so dumb that you think someone interested in spec racing is going to be asking for advice on Veeky Forums instead of PCA?

Wtf is a "track rat" supposed to be, a car that sucks on the street yet can't race in any racing series? Sounds like a great setup.

I don't think OP will ever do anything, but if you are going to LARP as someone that wants a race car you might as well pretend to entertain realistic options.

I don't know if you're pulling that out of your ass but finding parts for 924 platform cars is not difficult at all considering there's a large aftermarket for them, plus there are plenty of companies out there making new parts...especially for the 944.

You really are the single worst poster on this board, aren't you?

Go get your license before talking about things you don't know anything about

Iunno, that's what a 944 Turbo owner told me a few years ago
I've also seen people struggling to get parts for their 4AGE meme engines at prices that weren't extortion so I figured it was an older car problem

Well I can see parts for the 951/952 cars being hard to come by since there are slight differences between NA 944's and turbo'd ones, plus that only around 25K turbos were made compared to the 110K NA 944's. I don't own a 944 myself so take whatever you want with a grain of salt.

My recommendation is to forget about the Boxster, they just aren't great as track cars (In terms of upkeep costs and ability for the car to grow with you. Ignore people telling you one or another car is faster around a track, dialing in the setup is so much more important than the car you start with as a base). If you're looking for mid-engined track rats the s2000 or mr2 turbo are your best bets.

If there's no spec series for these around you, E30s and Miatas both have great spec series (I'm sure you've already thought of this though and there's some reason or another you're not interested) If you've never raced in a proper spec series before however i recommend you start with something with a lower entry cost (Civic, Suzuki Swift, Excel etc) because you'd be surprised what the ongoing costs are like after you have the vehicle itself, not to mention mastering a FWD around the track is a great step in the right direction in terms of driver education.

So could you give examples of why it's so hard to "dial in" a Boxster?

I own an e82 and before that had a Miata. That's why I ruled them out. The e30s are expensive in my area but I've driven one and it was great . The Miata I also loved but I would like to see more power if possible.

Just to clear that up: Are you looking for a car to compete in (aka spec racing) oare you even interested in the potential of it being eligible for that or do you just want to do non-competitive trackday events?

Because if the latter is true, spec racing doesn't matter to you and the only important things are:
>light weight
>decent suspension geometry
>cheap and easy to service
>more than 130 hp since you said so

I want a car that has a nice community around for when I want to do more to it but currently I want a non competitive track car that I won't feel bad beating up.

Basically a car with longevity that won't be slow and shitty at the track like a civic SI.

Miata Is Always The Answer
Is
Always
The
Answer

I like miatas but already had one and don't plan on revisiting.

Porsche probably has the best community. Join the PCA

I daily and track my MRS in the summer.
I see boxters taken to track a lot but not as dedicated track cars, those are usually bimmers/civics and such.
I advise you against getting something as nice as a boxter. You will fall for it.
You will feel bad about doing what has to be done.
Honestly, this is where the 3k civic memes are true, I've seen a emptied out, rollcaged, modded civics rek 911's and boxters.
Even e30 is a good choice because once you lighten them to bare minimum and get some suspension going they will be very quick. Also the parts are easy to come by.
If you have money to replace parts on porsche and can get a new one when (not if) you crash it, honestly do it.
If you can't do that commitment moneys wise but still want MR drophead, get a MRS or other MR2's or even miata. They have a lot of aftermarket (not MRS but more than enough to make it work).
If still too much a EG/EF or whatever hatch by civic, ford puma is great or e30/e36 (for rwd) will be great as well for working on a budget. Or subaru legacy if you want awd.
Most you want to do at first is remove all uncessesary stuff, get good rubber and wheels on, get handling right and then start working on power once you get comfortable with how the car drives.
On the track what car you drive matters the least as long as you can afford it. It's the driver that matters. And having a car you give 0 fucks about allready makes you hold back less. Not to mention real race cars are fucking cool anyway on the streets, be it a lada or a fucking aston martin.

cont...

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>What will I need? How much will it cost? What comfort features can I leave in for driving around in summer.
You'll need ANY car you think you can afford to mod and maintain and give 0 fucks about. Cost is not upfront unless your series have requirements for safety, which will be a couple of grands. You will want to focus on make sure engine is cooled and gets oil and fuel, then handling, losing weight and safety and finally if you feel confident and like you can't go any faster with current setup and want to chase down faster times then aero and engine (unless you need areo mods at first like if the track has really fast parts and you need aero to stabilize, if its a slower, tighter track you'll be fine)
You will also need some stuff like jacks, jackstands, manometers to check tyre pressures, tools to tune it, pumps to change air pressure in tyres and such.

As for comfort stuff.
In my car I have stiff pillowball coils, low ride height, rigid chassis, no aircon (in a dark colored car), no sound deadening, loud as fuck exaust and heavy clutch. All I really kept there is two speakers, two tweeters, an head unit with aux in and the air blowers and stock appearances body wise. I get far more pleasure and excitement out of dailying a sportscar than being comfy.

bottom note: don't get something you can't afford to keep modding and keeping running and something you don't mind drift stitching together.
And unless its the dragstrip, it is not the car and all in the driver. Focus on having fun, enjoying yourself, pushing to get a better time.
There is no reason to benchrace and get something with 900 horsepower quad turbo LS corvette that you brag loudly about while some old fart in a puma posts a laptime half a minute faster than you. No car will compensate a shit driver. It will only make it worse.
Stay safe and don't listen to benchracers who tell you your track car must have at least this many horses and this much money.

Don't worry, Boxsters aren't nice cars. At least they're not nice enough to feel bad about trashing them
You're right though, it's all about the drivers. I've seen guys in V6 Mustangs putting down faster lap times than boomers in 700hp Shelbys

t. Boxster owner

thank you, this is the advice i'm looking for. Still havn't ruled out the Pcar but I hearing from someone who has done it.

tell me, why does she wear the panties?

Is this the only Gemballa vehicle to not look like total shit?

Explain

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my MRS isn't nice either but I love it dearly. Well it is nice since it has all its paint and I take care of it but I hold myself back and am more scared because I don't want to trash it. I even freak out when a cat scratches it.
Which is why I'd say something cheaper is a better idea.

I think boxter is a great track car, it's cheap and there are MANY of them doing track days. My aim is to rek one of them one day with stock 1zz. Maybe next summer.
Seriously, start out with something cheap at first. You can sell it after a few races but start with a civic or something. see what it's like, get some experience, some perspective. Do some practise runs as you say. If you're as wealthy as to consider a boxter for a secondary track car in an area I presume tracks aren't as cheap as here. I think you'd find this a wise idea. Never hurts to start small, remember skill is what makes you go fast, car is just a thing you happen to be in when you do.

Oh and most importantly try and make friends and get advice from them, Veeky Forums is honestly filled with retarded retards