I've got an S that has been great but since its now 8 years old its getting a bit, well, old. Instead of dropping a bunch of money on a new one I'm curious to hear of good bang for the buck upgrades to the car. I'd like to get recommendations from those who have done the upgrades too so I can hear how it worked out for them.

 

You can always do the Turbowerx twin turbo upgrade!

http://www.turbowerx.com/Products/Bo...r_S_Turbo.html

I did this upgrade on my 2.5 its worth every penny of it.
The kit is well built, and designed, plus comes complete. Some guys have gotten other companies kits and the did not come with everything needed so the kit needed fab work or long delays.
The customer support is very good with Turbowerx.

If you want more power forced induction may be the only way to see a large improvement and in my opinion this is the best company to go with.

 

Get a full body kit, best bang for the buck is visual, then the box will look more up to date, then do what Gary in BR said.

 

I just intalled a Fabspeed Exhaust and it seems like I have a whole different car now.

I'm planning on adding a Fabspeed or EVO cold air intake and top it off with a remap of the ECU-advanced timing from REVO.

When that will be done I'm getting the B&M short shifter.

When my shocks-springs get too old I'm going to go with OEM sports suspension.

Etc...

You can do all these little mods one step at a time and it's really fun because you get to appreciate each mod and look forward to the next.

 

It depends on what you want.

Power = headers are the best bang for the buck
Handling = suspension... ROW M030, springs/shocks, coilovers from mild to wild all depending on how far you want to go
Style = I like the Aerokit mk II, but it's pretty pricey
Sound = Any number of exhausts, although it seems Fabspeed is the way to go if you have the $$$

 

I'm pretty happy with suspension on it, i already got the 030 when I ordered it. I've also got 18s already and installed the short shift kit as soon as I found one. The only thing that I'd really like to do is give the car some more power. I have a Gallardo getting here in a couple days and don't want the Boxster to feel totally gutless. Unfortunately $8k for the turbo is a bit much since the car is probably only worth about $20k at this point (70k miles but otherwise in great condition). I was looking for more suggestions in the <$3k range if possible.

 

bang and buck only go together with the porsche flat-6 in one way... bang goes your engine............ you get where the bucks go....

all jokes aside... search the archive... this has been asked and answered a ton of times... Be ready to spend over $150 per REAL horsepower on any non-swap or FI related modifications...

Best real Bang for your buck is suspension work and tires... on tight roads/ tracks it will make put you and your Boxster S into a realm of handling and braking many cars don't see... and when I say suspension work I don't mean a M030 kit or sport springs... I mean coilovers, sways, alignment, and etc

 

For $3k, you could do exhaust (headers -> muffler), ECU and cold air intake. Probably gets you around 20-30 hp...not even close to making up for the gap w/ a Gallardo.

 

Get Fabspeed Headers and exhaust as well as a chip to re-tune your ECU with advanced timing and more aggressive profile.

You will gain about 25HP to the crank and your HP will go from 252 to 275HP. You won't really be pushed in your seat more, but the car will be more responsive and have better power across the RPM range.

 

For the amount you want to spend I'd probably would also go with exhaust and headers.

 

You are a long way from Gallardo. As easyC indicates, plan on $100+ per REAL HP. This is very different than manufacturer "advertised" HP and not cumulative. 20 to 30 HP is doable, but $3K is pushing it. Another track to take is removing weight: wheels, seats, spare, battery, misc. unnecessary stuff. It all adds up and can get quite expensive. 030 IMHO is quite mild, but if you're happy with it, don't mess with it.

 

Has anyone tried to tune with water injection yet?

 

Yup, I realize its not going to be close to the Gallardo. With all the advice on here though I think I'm going to just leave the Boxster stock for engine and all. I'll go with the lightweight approach for where I can. I thought about it more and realize the boxster just isn't a gallardo. totally diff cars and there is a reason that I kept it instead of trading in on the gallardo. I like the lightness of it and it being a convertible.

If things change I'll consider selling it but for now it serves its purpose and is a great car, especially for being 8 years old with 70k miles and still on the orig clutch.

 

just get her detailed and keep it classic.

 

How boring is that!!!