If someone gave you £2500...

[Ol' Shatterhand]

I have done the full suspension refresh plus koni dampers and Eibach ARBs. That is probably the best upgrade you can do to the car, but budget for some high quality tires as well.

I have also retrofitted cruise control, a useful upgrade if you regularly drive through average speed camera monitored stretches of motorway, Zundsport grilles so that I never have to worry about leaves rotting the radiators, and a Continental Bluetooth/DAB single DIN radio. If your Becker head unit is still functioning normally, just connect an aux-in lead to the cd changer input port and hook that up to your phone.

If you have a plastic rear window, upgrading to a heated glass window hood is a worthwhile upgrade, but you will lose even more rear visibility.

Stainless steel manifolds and a new exhaust sound like a good upgrade, but will probably not give you any performance gains, or may give you a few extra horsepower at the top end but rob of some mid-range torque. You have to be very careful not pick an exhaust that drones in the cruising rpm range.

Do you need to upgrade your IMS bearing? If you use your car often and change the oil every year or every 10k miles, you can out it off until you need to replace a worm clutch and flywheel.

Here's an upgrade to avoid: do not install a conical air filter, you will find yourself replacing your MAF sensor regularly. If the engine ever has to come out of the car, you may use that opportunity to install a 987 paper filter. 

The 3.7l build will cost four times your budget. If I had £10k to spare, I would do it, and then go looking for Golf Rs and BMW 335is to eat for breakfast.

[Ol' Shatterhand]

8 hours ago, brillomaster said:

£500 on track tyres, £700 on exhaust, £400 on cruise control... then the rest on trackday entries please!

Wouldn't you also want to upgrade to the X51 deeper oil sump if you're doing track days? I hear a few M96 engines have perished due to oil starvation on long bends. 

[Stephen44]

24 minutes ago, Ol' Shatterhand said:

I have done the full suspension refresh plus koni dampers and Eibach ARBs. That is probably the best upgrade you can do to the car, but budget for some high quality tires as well.

I have also retrofitted cruise control, a useful upgrade if you regularly drive through average speed camera monitored stretches of motorway, Zundsport grilles so that I never have to worry about leaves rotting the radiators, and a Continental Bluetooth/DAB single DIN radio. If your Becker head unit is still functioning normally, just connect an aux-in lead to the cd changer input port and hook that up to your phone.

If you have a plastic rear window, upgrading to a heated glass window hood is a worthwhile upgrade, but you will lose even more rear visibility.

Stainless steel manifolds and a new exhaust sound like a good upgrade, but will probably not give you any performance gains, or may give you a few extra horsepower at the top end but rob of some mid-range torque. You have to be very careful not pick an exhaust that drones in the cruising rpm range.

Do you need to upgrade your IMS bearing? If you use your car often and change the oil every year or every 10k miles, you can out it off until you need to replace a worm clutch and flywheel.

Here's an upgrade to avoid: do not install a conical air filter, you will find yourself replacing your MAF sensor regularly. If the engine ever has to come out of the car, you may use that opportunity to install a 987 paper filter. 

The 3.7l build will cost four times your budget. If I had £10k to spare, I would do it, and then go looking for Golf Rs and BMW 335is to eat for breakfast.

I need to retrofit cruise control definitely...

[Terryg]

It's a sign of a really fekked up society when cruise control figures at all in how people would spend £2500 on a sports car. Most depressing thing I have heard in ages.

[Stephen44]

2 hours ago, Terryg said:

It's a sign of a really fekked up society when cruise control figures at all in how people would spend £2500 on a sports car. Most depressing thing I have heard in ages.

Bit unfair...in my case I have a physical disability hence I have a tiptronic. Cruise control allows me to go on longer trips and enjoy the car even more.

[brillomaster]

3 hours ago, Terryg said:

It's a sign of a really fekked up society when cruise control figures at all in how people would spend £2500 on a sports car. Most depressing thing I have heard in ages.

well go on then, how would you spend £2500? be forewarned - it'll likely be the most depressing thing i've heard today, so, better be good!

Edited August 14, 2023 by brillomaster

[Patt]

I'm thinking OLED TV - the car can wait....

Then I found some replacement x73 shocks, so now I'm thinking suspension and replace faulty PSE.

 

Bang there goes my tax rebate....

[Terryg]

1 hour ago, Stephen44 said:

Bit unfair...in my case I have a physical disability hence I have a tiptronic. Cruise control allows me to go on longer trips and enjoy the car even more.

That is fair enough and good luck to you.

[Terryg]

57 minutes ago, brillomaster said:

well go on then, how would you spend £2500? be forewarned - it'll likely be the most depressing thing i've heard today, so, better be good!

When I had a 986 I spent it on improving gearshift, centre console delete, tubular manifolds, 997 TB, suspension refresh, nicer wheels, sports seats and a lot more. Yawn.....................

[brillomaster]

EDIT.

 

ah forget it. you spend your money on what you want, i'll spend my money on what i want. we don't all have to like the same things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by brillomaster
removal of snide comments

[½cwt]

12 hours ago, Stephen44 said:

I need to retrofit cruise control definitely...

There is a good guide for this in the book 101 Projects for Your Boxster also on the Pelican Parts website.  Its a lot easier on the later cars, like yours, as all the work is on the steering column, in the instrument pod and a feed from the fuse box.  Earlier cars need a loom extension to the DME in the boot.

Edited August 14, 2023 by ½cwt

[½cwt]

6 hours ago, Terryg said:

It's a sign of a really fekked up society when cruise control figures at all in how people would spend £2500 on a sports car. Most depressing thing I have heard in ages.

It is a sports car that also works well as a mini GT.  500 miles on motorways in Europe with out c/c, forget it.  Besides, if you can do the work yourself the parts only cost a little over 10% of the budget above leaving £2,200 for other 'toys'.

[Stephen44]

26 minutes ago, ½cwt said:

There is a good guide for this in the book 101 Projects for Your Boxster also on the Pelican Parts website.  Its a lot easier on the later cars, like yours, as all the work is on the steering column, in the instrument pod and a feed from the fuse box.  Earlier cars need a loom extension to the DME in the boot.

Yes I'm waiting delivery of that book!

[Topbox]

I would have a sports exhaust & CRUISE CONTROL, because I go places and it's dead handy for negotiating long sections of average speed cameras. Plus its a bonus on long Autoroutes through France to dial in 130kph. Those French speed cameras are very, very hard to spot. Fines for infringements are hefty if you get nabbed by French police too, apparently. 🤣

[fizz]

Having driven from Bradford to scunny and back in a day on the Mways steady at 70/75 i did think Cruise would have been nice to have. 

Id go cruise, larger throttle body and remap, exhaust. If i was to advise anyone else who hasnt already, 9x7 shifter and suspension upgrade as they have been the best things ive done so far to date. The shifter is the best bang for buck improvement i made on the car and its easy to DIY. 

[Ol' Shatterhand]

1 hour ago, fizz said:

Having driven from Bradford to scunny and back in a day on the Mways steady at 70/75 i did think Cruise would have been nice to have. 

Id go cruise, larger throttle body and remap, exhaust. If i was to advise anyone else who hasnt already, 9x7 shifter and suspension upgrade as they have been the best things ive done so far to date. The shifter is the best bang for buck improvement i made on the car and its easy to DIY. 

The shifter upgrade is not relevant as the OP drives a tiptronic, but I have heard of people retrofitting Mercedes SLK shift paddles to tiptronic cars, which sounds more enjoyable than pushing the buttons on the steering wheel.

[iborguk]

10 minutes ago, Ol' Shatterhand said:

The shifter upgrade is not relevant as the OP drives a tiptronic, but I have heard of people retrofitting Mercedes SLK shift paddles to tiptronic cars, which sounds more enjoyable than pushing the buttons on the steering wheel.

987 but I guess the process is similiar

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-forum/898104-diy-tiptronic-paddle-shift-conversion.html

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by iborguk

[Stephen44]

27 minutes ago, Ol' Shatterhand said:

The shifter upgrade is not relevant as the OP drives a tiptronic, but I have heard of people retrofitting Mercedes SLK shift paddles to tiptronic cars, which sounds more enjoyable than pushing the buttons on the steering wheel.

I'm looking into this mod....

[Menoporsche]

Done by a few here, they liked it. Just (obviously) doesn’t make the shifting any faster!

 

EDIT - 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by Menoporsche

[bally4563]

Done it myself on a tip I owned briefly, but definitely the way forward , get the paddles be prepared to carve a little bit , from memory wiring was relatively straightforward 

[bally4563]

13 hours ago, Stephen44 said:

Bit unfair...in my case I have a physical disability hence I have a tiptronic. Cruise control allows me to go on longer trips and enjoy the car even more.

Think knowing Terry that comment was very tongue in cheek!

[Menoporsche]

12 hours ago, Terryg said:

When I had a 986 I spent it on improving gearshift, centre console delete, tubular manifolds, 997 TB, suspension refresh, nicer wheels, sports seats and a lot more. Yawn.....................

...and you could still get change from a fiver to put on t'dogs, aye...

[½cwt]

@Menoporsche for £2500, you could buy a cheap one and leave it in North Wales, just for emergencies! 

Wish I could help with that request but alas, no.  Its a good 3 hours away even if Snowdonia has some cracking Boxster roads.

[Stephen44]

On 8/13/2023 at 10:34 PM, Ol' Shatterhand said:

I have done the full suspension refresh plus koni dampers and Eibach ARBs. That is probably the best upgrade you can do to the car, but budget for some high quality tires as well.

I have also retrofitted cruise control, a useful upgrade if you regularly drive through average speed camera monitored stretches of motorway, Zundsport grilles so that I never have to worry about leaves rotting the radiators, and a Continental Bluetooth/DAB single DIN radio. If your Becker head unit is still functioning normally, just connect an aux-in lead to the cd changer input port and hook that up to your phone.

If you have a plastic rear window, upgrading to a heated glass window hood is a worthwhile upgrade, but you will lose even more rear visibility.

Stainless steel manifolds and a new exhaust sound like a good upgrade, but will probably not give you any performance gains, or may give you a few extra horsepower at the top end but rob of some mid-range torque. You have to be very careful not pick an exhaust that drones in the cruising rpm range.

Do you need to upgrade your IMS bearing? If you use your car often and change the oil every year or every 10k miles, you can out it off until you need to replace a worm clutch and flywheel.

Here's an upgrade to avoid: do not install a conical air filter, you will find yourself replacing your MAF sensor regularly. If the engine ever has to come out of the car, you may use that opportunity to install a 987 paper filter. 

The 3.7l build will cost four times your budget. If I had £10k to spare, I would do it, and then go looking for Golf Rs and BMW 335is to eat for breakfast.

Been talking to zunsport.. they actually don't do grills for my car. Facelift tiptronic & 3 Grilles with bars.

Speaking to my Indy about that.... They'll set me up in a corner of their workshop and let me install metal grills from the inside. In the UK anyone got a link to some good mesh?

I'm assuming that I can use glue sticks I hot glue to fix it in from the back anyone got any ideas or help please

 

 

[edc]

Zip ties once bumper removed.