10x04 - Porsche Boxster

[bunniefuu]

This time, we're looking
for something really

special. A Pucka Porsche.
At a bargain basement price.

I don't want to be too hard on
you, but this is such a huge gamble.

Buying a premium car for
peanuts can be a dangerous game.

This car has sat stationary for four years.
That's not good for a sports car.

Major repairs could
cost us a small fortune.

Before I can even get to
these things, I'm going to need

to remove all of this aluminium
structure underneath again.

I get to buy the motors
and Ed fixes them up so

we can sell them on and
hopefully make a profit.

Launched in 1996, the Boxster
helped a Porsche from bankruptcy.

In 1999, the Boxster S was
launched. With 250bhp, the S could

hit 0-60mph in under 6 seconds
and top out at over 160mph.

Suddenly, the Boxster was
snapping at the heels of the iconic 911.

Purists may complain it's
a poor man's Porsche, but

the Boxster S is 90% of
a 911 for 60% of the price.

And with its mid-engine
layout, it's actually

a sweeter handling car
than its famous brother.

I'm on a mission to find an unloved
one that I can pick up for a song.

Now the Porsche
Boxster was a massive hit

for Porsche and they
sold it in big numbers.

You can find them out there between
£5,000 and £6,000, but you know me?

I'm a Wheeler dealer, so I'm on
the hunt for something a bit cheaper.

I could drop my sights a
little and settle for a standard

Boxster, but the early cars
were a little underpowered.

The S version is much more
exciting with an extra 50bhp.

That's what I want, but
at a price I can afford,

which might require
a bit of lateral thinking.

There is something really
interesting. Whilst searching

for this Porsche Boxster,
I've stumbled upon a forum.

And there's one guy on here who's got a
2000 Porsche Boxster S Tiptronic automatic.

And he's looking to just get
rid of the car, because he says

it's got a serious mechanical
issue and it slips in gear.

But that could be something
quite simple. I think this could be a

good car to go and see, so I'm
definitely going to give him a call.

Stealing the deal is about
exploring every possibility.

Sometimes searching the
small ads just isn't enough.

Well, I'm ringing about your car.
I've stumbled upon it on a forum.

So you say it's got a few
issues, so it's just been

laid up for a couple of
years. Nobody's run it.

If somebody like me was to put in a
hard offer, what might it need to be?

1500 quid. Seriously?
Thanks, Drew. Yeah, I'm on my way.

I'm in shock. A Porsche Boxster S for
1500 quid. Start the car. I'm on my way.

Now it's not every day you get
to go and see a Porsche Boxster

S for 1500 pounds, so this
car is definitely worth a look.

But there are a couple of things
that have got me jittery about it.

The first of which being that it's
not been driven for a couple of years.

Also, the car wasn't
advertised in the normal

places that you'd
expect to find a car.

It was actually out there on a forum, and
the guy wanted to break it down for parts.

But the biggest worry is the
fact that it's got a serious problem,

and I know the word problem
usually means cash with Porsche.

And I know that the
older these cars get, the

cheaper they get, but the
parts are mega expensive.

Well, that looks like the car to me.
A nice little Porsche Boxster. Very good.

Hello there. Hello, mate. Hi, Mike.
Yes, that's right. Hi, it's Drew.

Drew, lovely to meet you. You've
seen the nice almost new Boxster here?

Yeah. Looks like it's been
sat here for a while, doesn't it?

Yeah, it has been sat here for
a while. Four years with a little

two-year interlude for, you
know, like just a quick start-up.

Well, the roof looks
alright. There's no rips

or tears in it. Let's
have a look inside.

It's a bit threadbare, isn't it?
The old seat. Yeah, it's been well used.

Instantly though, the moment you
get in one of these, you can feel that.

It's nice, isn't it? Yeah. That Germanic
quality. Does the electrics work?

Yeah, yeah. Go for it if
you want to, you know, try

windows, roof, whatever.
Yeah, that should be fine.

Press that button. Look
at that. There you go. And

that's the important
part of this car, isn't it?

Yep. Very nice. So what is the big
problem then, Drew, with this car?

Gearbox was the main problem.
So Tiptronic works fine, but automatic

between neutral first, second,
something's wrong there, basically.

Okay. So you're pretty confident
it's going to fire up? Absolutely.

There you go, you see. German engineers
just said, you know, it's pretty good.

A little rattle coming from
the back. Yeah, that was the

other issue I had, which
was the catalytic converter.

I think there was a
problem at one stage, yeah.

Sounds like a catalytic converter
just right then at the back.

I suppose all I need to do is to
just see how bad this gearbox is.

Yep. So if it's okay
with you, I'm just going

to take it for a quick
spin round the block.

Go for it, yep. Cheers.

Oh, yeah. Listen for that.

Whoa!

Right now it's time to change
some stereotypes because a lot of

people out there think that this
Boxster is a poor man Porsche 911.

I've got one thing to say to you people. Go
and drive one. They are absolutely wicked.

Boxster S version, that means
it packs 250 brake horsepower.

And do you know
what? It's still got it in the

engine department.
Look. Wow. It's all there.

Now 0-60 in this car won't come up
in around six seconds, but the truth

is I can't put my foot down because
the brakes are absolutely rubbish.

So I'm just going to
drive it quite gingerly

and see what the problem
is with this gearbox.

Because at the moment
I've got it in tiptronic

mode on the steering
wheel and it's fine.

But let's put it in drive.
Come to a stop. Pull away again.

There you go. Look
at that. It's slipping and

then it comes again. So
it's slipping in the gear.

Oh, dear.

So the thing is, do I
want this car? Yes, I

definitely want it. What?
£1500 for a Porsche Boxster.

You'd have to be nuts not to want this car.
But this car is also a massive gamble.

The job on this is removing the engine,
dropping the gearbox. It's going to be huge.

But you never know. It could be something
simple. And if I can get it just that

little bit cheaper, I'll be leaving Drew's
house with the biggest smile on my face.

I've ever had, because this
will be the bargain of the century.

Oh, yeah. The fun's over.
Time to do a deal.

Yeah, you're right about that gearbox.
Yeah, yeah. Good apart from that.

It is pretty strong apart from that.
And I don't want to be too hard on you.

But this car is such a
massive gamble. But

fortunately, you've got
standing in front of you.

A man who is willing to
make that gamble. You

want it for £1500, I
think it's worth a grand.

I was looking for £1250
to round that figure. No.

I think it's so much of a
gamble. I'm here. I've got the

money. I'll give you a grand
for it and I'll take it away.

Yeah, OK. I'm jealous. OK. Just bought
myself a Porsche Boxster S. Wicked.

Landing a genuine Porsche for just a grand
might be one of the best deals of my life.

But if that Boxster
gearbox is seriously busted,

it could turn out to
be a knockout punch.

Only time and Ed will tell.

It may be seen by some as
some half-pint Porsche, but

aficionados know that the
Boxster S is a genuine sports car.

And I've managed to land a real bargain.

You want it for £1500, I
think it's worth a grand.

But have I made a massive
mistake with that gearbox?

It's slipping and then it comes again.

It's a dangerous gamble.
Until Ed gets his hands on the

car, I've got no idea which
way the cards are going to fall.

Can you believe it? I've just bought
a Porsche Boxster S for £1000.

I can't believe it. This car is proper.
It's none of that cheap old Porsche 924.

This is a high-performance sports car.
Wicked.

It's all right, this moto.
The suspension's

nice, the steering's
good, it sits comfortably.

And you've got to remember, it's sat around
doing nothing for the past four years.

So that's a real testament
to German engineering.

Now the brakes on this
car are almost as bad as the

gearbox and I'm nursing
it back to the workshop,

because the last thing I
want is to return it back to the

garage and put more faults
on it than when I bought it.

Sometimes I cruise back to
the workshop, it's giving me

time to think about what
to do to our little Boxster.

The best thing really is to just really
clean this car up, get it working properly,

but it's not that hard to just
give them a little bit of a facelift.

That way you can turn
this little car into a premium

motor that nudge it towards
a five grand sale price.

Let's just hope Ed is all smiles when
he claps eyes on our new little toy.

Hey, that's looking a bit posh, isn't it?

What do you think of that?

That's a fantastic little
Porsche. I like that water-cooled

flat-six, but it's a
wonderful, wonderful thing.

And this is more than a wonderful thing.
It's got that all-important S on the boot.

Very important, that is.

And I bet you're thinking,
well, that car, it probably

cost thousands of pounds,
Mike's gone and blown the budget.

Have a guess how much it was.

Five grand?

Suck in, sunshine.
A thousand pounds. A grand.

That is an impressively low
price, but it can only mean that

this has clearly got something
very, very wrong with it.

Why has there always got to
be something wrong with it?

Why can't you just say
you bought a cheap car?

No, because there's always
something wrong with your cars.

Look at it. Look what you get.

Lovely mouldy roof.

Don't worry about the mouldy roof.
That'll clean up.

Come and slip inside. Look at that.

What, the broken seat?

Don't worry about the broken seat. Get in.

I'll tell you what to do. Push the
button to operate the roof. Get that back.

There you go. Look, that's
the point of a little Porsche

Boxster, to get that wind
in the hair experience.

And it's brilliant, isn't it?

The c*ck is now flooded with light.
You can see what you've got around you.

And the kind of strange, musty smell.
Quite a bit of mould and loads of cobwebs.

Believe it or not, Ed, this car
has sat stationary for four years.

That's not good for a sports car. It's
obviously been left standing for a reason.

The problem with this car, and I
might just back away as I say it to you,

that Tiptronic gearbox,
it slips a little bit.

But that's not possible.
These things never go wrong.

And if they were to go
wrong, to get a replacement,

you're talking thousands
and thousands of pounds.

Ed, the car was a thousand pounds.
It was a gamble. It was a punt.

And it was a gamble that I had to take.

Okay.

And that's not all. Jump outside.

Now, the point of a Porsche, Ed, is
that they should start, stop and go.

This one starts, it sort of goes, but it
doesn't stop very well. Look at them.

It's hardly surprising if it's
been standing for that long.

Yeah. And the only other thing I can think
of is this car is a really classic shape.

And it's really easy to dress them up
and to make them look a little bit younger.

So maybe we give the
car a little bit of a facelift.

I can't wait to get started.

You mean you can't
wait for me to get started?

That's exactly what I meant.
I can't wait for you to get started.

Let's get it in the workshop.

Mike found us this Porsche
Boxster S for a thousand pounds.

So I've got to work out whether
this car truly is the bargain

that Mike and I are desperately
hoping that it might be.

After all, it's got a
defective automatic gearbox.

And a replacement will
cost us five thousand pounds.

And that was enough for the previous owner
to just practically give the car away.

Now, if we're really lucky,
changing the gearbox oil

and filter might do the
trick, but it is a long shot.

Now, changing the oil and
the filter is clearly a fraction of

the cost and effort of actually
changing the entire gearbox.

So obviously, that's the
first thing I need to look at.

To get to the gearbox drain plug, I
need to remove some structural bracing,

the sump guard, and move
the anti-roll bar out of the way,

which I tie up with some
handy bungee cords.

I've got something to catch the oil, so all
I have to do now is undo the sump plug.

And then drain away the oil.

It goes without
saying, but I will anyway

always dispose of the
spent oil responsibly.

Now all I need to do is undo
the bolts around the sump,

give it a bit of a tap,

and the whole thing comes off.

A clever thing that most manufacturers
now do is put magnets in the sump.

And the idea is that any
kind of loose bits of metal

that maybe have come
from a problem in the

gearbox will end up
being attracted to them.

And if this magnet was all furry, then of
course we'd have a really serious problem.

But actually, that's looking pretty clean,

which means that probably a
gearbox itself might be okay.

It could just be the
fact that the gearbox

oil is just past it and
needs to be refreshed.

With the sump removed, the
yellow refill tower is clearly visible.

Now this is going to be important later,

but for now, I drain out the dregs of the
old oil and pressure wash the sump clean.

Fitting a new filter is just a
question of undoing a few screws,

taking out the old unit and
replacing it with a new one.

This is our new transmission oil filter.

It only costs £25 from a local
poor-stealer if everything is alright.

So now, a nice little top tip.

We've got this rubber seal here to stop any
chafing as it goes back into the gearbox.

Just give it a nice little coating of oil.

The filter pushes into place and
is retained with a couple of screws.

Now it's best practice
to replace the gasket too.

It's only £15 and it
will prevent any leaks.

Putting the sump back on, you
really should use a torque wrench

to make sure that the bolts are
tightened to the factory setting of 11Nm,

which means the seal will be tight
but the gasket won't be crushed.

In more conventional automatic gearboxes,

you can actually check the level of the
fluid in your gearbox by using a dipstick.

Now because of the
unique design of the

Porsche, there isn't
actually any room for that,

so the Porsche will come up with a
better solution or another way of doing it,

which is rather similar
to the overflow on a sink.

Refilling the transmission oil to the
right level is a three-stage process,

beginning with filling the gearbox when
it's cold using a hand-operated pump.

Inside the sump is that yellow
filling tower that we saw earlier.

Through it, I pump the
oil and the sump fills up.

Once the oil reaches the top of
the tower, it's at the correct level.

It then spills over and drips out.

So now, the sump is full.

Firing up, the engine circulates
the oil around the gearbox.

Well, I've had the
Porsche running for a while.

I want the gearbox to be
actually about 80 to 100 degrees.

And I've got this little infrared
temperature measurer here.

There we go. In fact, 99.

So bang on. And the thing is that the
fluid is going to expand as it gets hotter.

So I want to make sure
that I've got the right

temperature so when
I out-top it up again,

it's going to get the right level.

So off comes the sump plug
and in goes another slug of oil.

Well, there we go. So now,
because the fluid's come

out again, I know that
we're back at the right level.

So now we just have one more stage to go.

Fire up the car again,
run through the gears,

getting the oil into all of
the nooks and crannies.

In total, the gearbox needs four
litres of Porsche's own special oil.

So we now know that all the
fluid has got around all of the gears.

I just want to check
the level one more time.

So with the gearbox oil
now up to the right level,

there's just one more thing for me to do.

I need to drive the car. It's time
to see if our gamble has paid off,

or whether we've still got a big
expensive problem on our hands.

Well, it would seem that our
cheap fix has actually done the trick.

We now have a non-slipping
Tiptronic gearbox.

Mike's going to be happy, I'm happy,
and things are looking up for our Boxster.

Ed's stripped out the
tired old Boxster seats

and I've come to Birmingham
to accompany that might

be able to breathe a
bit of life back into them.

Without blowing the budget,
I'm hoping that these guys

will be able to add some
value to our unloved Boxster.

So which one of you is Dave?

That's me.

Dave, how are you doing? I'm Mike.

Pleased to meet you, Mike.

What do you think of them?

Very well worn. It needs some TLC, I think.

They've had a hard life, haven't they?

A very hard life.

What else can I do with these
seats to add value to them?

Being that it's a Porsche, you've
got to go for Alcantara centres.

It's up to date. It's sporty.

It adds a lot more
money to a Porsche sport.

Alcantara is a fakes way that Porsche
traditionally fit to their sportier models.

Right, what's the first job?

Right, first of all, we've
got to take the seat off.

Go on then. Well, that was easy.

There we go.

Blimey. It worked hard at all.

What's next?

Stupid.

The lever needs to be
removed from the seat cushion so

we can use it as a template
for the replacement material.

Oh, you've got to be strong, haven't you?

It's a fiddly operation, but Dave
knows exactly what he's doing.

I only hope you remember
how it all goes back together.

Well, I've got you to help me.

After a fair bit of effort, the
lever panels are all dismantled.

So what's next?

Steaming.

Steaming.

So the idea of this is to
get this really flat, is it?

Yeah, back to its original shape.

There we go.

Right.

Okay, so that's lovely and straight now.

So what are you going to do?

Basically, it's ready to
make a cardboard pattern.

But before I do that, I need to get
this seat sprayed so it's got time to dry.

Oh, I see.

Give that time to dry while
we cut the other bits out.

Okay, so we just get rid of this.

Worn leather can really
bring down the value of a car,

but this special paint
will restore the leather,

making the seats look as good as new.

Oh, look at that.

While the main part of the seat dries,

we draw up a template using the lever insert
that came from the centre of the seat.

It's just a question of marking it up,
including the seams, and then cutting it out.

Sounds easy enough.

We better decide what kind of
material we're going to put in there.

I mean, you said Alcantara.

Well, you've got the faux
stuff, which is... Fake, basically.

It's fake Alcantara.

Cheap and nasty.

I can see what you mean.

You know, it's grey, it's got that suede
effect to it, but it's not very nice, is it?

No.

Is it cheap, this stuff?

It is cheap.

That's cheap.

This is the stuff that you want.

Now that is very nice, isn't it?

Look at the difference between
the fake stuff and the real stuff.

It looks amazing.

Is this expensive?

Very.

£85 a metre.

Yeah, let's go for that stuff.

OK, then.

What's next?

Making the pattern cut out.

Let's have a look at that material, then.

Oh, that does look good, doesn't it?

That's one piece.

That looks fantastic.

OK, what can I do?

Right, well, what you could
do, which involves boiling fluids,

an infusion of certain things,

and the right man for the job.

Yeah, I'm the right man
for the job, what is it?

Can you make me a cup of tea, please?

Very good.

Where did you get
all... It's in there.

Lovely.

Still could be worse, because
now Dave's doing some sewing.

He has to sew cushioned
panels into the back of our inserts.

There you go, nice cup of Rosie Lee.

There you go, one seat cover.

Wow, that looks fantastic, doesn't it?

What are you saying?

Better think it's safe for the tea.

Cheeky sausage.

Right, OK.

So is this all going to go back together?

It does, yeah.

Right, good.

Here in Birmingham, they may not
build as many cars as they used to,

but there are still plenty
of craftsmen around

who know exactly what they're
doing when it comes to restoration.

That looks fantastic.

Now, that's what I'm talking about.

A very simple modification to a
seat gives it that sporty appearance.

How much does that cost?

£300.

For the pair of seats?

For the pair of seats.

Absolute bargain.

Thank you.

So with me doing the best
to bring the Boxster's interior

up to scratch and Ed working
hard to get it to go right,

there's a chance our
£1,000 Boxster might just

turn out to be the
bargain I was hoping for.

I landed our Boxer S for just a grand.

A crazy price for a genuine Porsche.

But there's a reason for that low price.

The car hadn't moved for four
years and the gearbox didn't work.

That Tiptronic gearbox,
it slips a little bit.

That's not possible.

These things never go wrong
and if you have to replace them,

it's thousands and
thousands of pounds, mate.

Ed sorted the gearbox but
that wasn't the only issue.

I can't put my foot down because
the brakes are absolutely rubbish.

If we want to make a decent
profit, there's still a long way to go.

Mike said that the brakes don't
feel so good on our Boxster S

and that just won't do
because on a sporty car

like this that handles
well and now goes well,

you need it to stop well.

So my next job is to whip off the
wheels, have a good route around

and see if I can get to
the bottom of the problem.

High performance brakes
are effective because

they can absorb a
huge amount of energy.

But even so, Porsches
are often driven rather

hard and so issues with
braking can be common.

Well considering this car has
been standing for about four years,

the brakes are actually in better
condition than they might have been.

The calipers are all looking pretty good.

You've got the brake lines and
brake pipes are all fine as well.

I mean, the pads they definitely
could do with being replaced.

But the discs
themselves on the front, I

mean they are rusty
and a bit of a lip there,

but I think they could
be kind of salvageable.

When I have a close look at this rear
disc, it is in actually quite a bad state.

It's really rusty for a start.

There's this kind of quite severe lip
on the inside and outer edges there

where the pad has
been cutting into the steel.

But also you can kind of feel this ribbed
effect where that wear has been uneven.

On a car with perhaps cheaper parts,
you just swap this for a brand new one.

But in this case, there
may be another option.

A new set of Porsche discs
would be £600, a major cost.

And in our case, more
than half the price of the car.

But there is another way
of dealing with our problem.

Now an alternative to actually just
replacing this disc with a brand new one

is to cut or redress the surface
of the disc so it's as good as new.

Now I can do that with this
rather clever machine, which is

effectively a lathe that I
can actually attach to the car.

If you look here, you've got these two
cutting tips made out of tungsten carbide.

On the back, you've got the control
box where you kind of dial everything in.

And then on the front here, you've actually
got the drive to drive the wheel around.

And that's the cleverest thing about this.

All the machining happens on the
car, so we haven't got to remove the disc.

What I do have to do
first though is just take

off the caliper and
stick on a special hub.

Porsches are not cheap cars to run and so
it makes sense to save money where you can.

By using this machine,
I can extend the life of

our existing discs and
save hundreds of pounds.

So I've now wound the cutter
to about 10mm off the rim.

I can now just start to wind that
cutter actually to touch the surface.

On with the goggles.

Initially, the lip on the
edge of the disc is removed.

And then the first pass is a
coarse cut that removes the

glazing and any corrosion
that's built up over many years.

For this pass, I'm winding the
cutting tool across the disc manually.

Unfortunately, you
can't hire this kit yourself.

And they cost about £5,000 to buy.

But a garage will only charge a couple
of hours' labour to skim all four discs.

That's about £160, the price
of just one new Porsche disc.

These special shoes
help remove any vibration

or harmonics during the
metal machining process.

The second and final pass is
a fine cut for which the machine

uses its automatic feed
function for a really smooth finish.

Look at that.

It looks as if it's just come out
of the factory. It looks fantastic.

That's a lovely job.

All I have to do now to finish this corner
is put in some new pads into the caliper.

I'm going to use some high
performance aftermarket

pads that cost us
£130 for a set of four.

That's over three times
what you'd expect to

spend on a set of pads
for a family hatchback.

As usual, I remove the
pins and the old pads.

Clean up the calipers.

Drop in the new pads.

Reconnect the wear sensors.

And with that, one down
and three corners to go.

Having sorted out our brakes with that
fantastic bit of technology, we now have

a Porsche that stops the way it should
and we've saved a whole heap of money.

So thankfully, our box is still a bargain.

Ed.

Alright, sir.

How are you doing?

Usually at this moment, I'll be honest
with you, I'm really excited about seeing

you and the work you've done on the
car so far, but I've had sleepless nights.

I feel sick inside.

I'm so nervous about
the work that I've probably

given us with this Porsche
and its duff gearbox.

Please put me out of my misery.

You are right to be
concerned, because a

replacement gearbox on
one of these is about £5,000.

But luckily, you managed
to sort the problem just by

changing the oil and the
filter, and it cost us £200.

You're kidding. Seriously?
What, you've done it for £200?

Yeah.

Really? Oh, mate. Oh,
that's music to my ears. I could

sleep at night. So now we've
got a car that goes properly.

And stops properly. Remember
you said about those brakes being a

problem? Well, they were a bit of
an issue. Got them all sorted as well.

Brilliant.

Well, I've been looking at ways
we can add value to this car, too.

The seats that we have removed,
I've got them with a trimmer. I've

chosen a style that I think you'll
be pleasantly surprised with.

They're on their way back to you.

It does sound interesting, but I do
get very nervous about your surprises.

Oh, don't get nervous, Ed. Think
about it. We bought a Porsche Boxster

for just £1,000, and we've only
spent a few hundred quid so far.

This motor is definitely
going to return a healthy profit.

I hope so.

Next on my list of things to
attend to is something you

don't really want to hear on
a car, particularly a Porsche.

That is an annoying
rattle. I need to have a

good route around to
find out what it might be.

Apparently the seller told
Mike he thought the rattle was

coming from the catalytic
converters, but I need to be sure.

I have my rattle checker. I'm
just going to bang various parts

of the engine to try and find
where the noise is coming from.

Well, it's not the suspension
or any of these panels

we've already had off,
so let's try the exhaust.

Straight away, as I suspected, there's
quite a few noises coming out of this.

The loudest is coming from this side.

OK, so straight away,
the first problem is there's

a heat shield on top of
the catalytic converter.

It obviously protects the
car from all that heat, and

that's actually kind of corroded
away, and it's very rattly.

The heat shield is welded
onto the cat. The only way to fix

this rattle is to replace the
entire unit on both sides.

So we're going to change the cats, but
this back box has seen better days as well.

I mean, it's not that bad,
but you can see there's a

bit of corrosion here that's
only going to get worse.

And this is an upmarket
car, it's a sports car,

so perhaps to help it
stand out from the crowd,

if we were to replace
this with a stainless

steel sports system,
then it'd be easier to sell.

The trouble is, to change that, we
do have to take off the rear bumper.

The screws that hold
the top of the bumper in

place are actually
hidden in the rear spoiler.

To release them, I need to raise it up.
Luckily, there is a switch to do that.

And then I can remove the top lip.

So having undone the screws
that hold the top of the bumper on,

and I've got two more
here on either side of

the bumper, a couple
inside the wheel Archer,

then the whole thing
is going to come off.

But it is quite large and unmanageable,
so we'll get Paul to give us a hand.

The final screws are removed
and the bumper lifts away.

Next, the heat deflectors are taken off,
and then the rear aluminium safety brace.

Finally, it's a case of loosening
the pipe work to release the rear box.

I can now get to the cat.
They're only held on with three bolts,

but I do have to disconnect
the lambda sensor first,

and of course, before I
can even get to these things,

I'm going to need to remove all of this
aluminium structure underneath again.

Some people have accused the
boxer of being the poor man's Porsche,

but when you take it
apart, you can see that this

is a well-engineered
car using quality parts.

So out come the old cat.

Porsche charge mega
money for their sports exhaust,

but I found an aftermarket rear box
kit that includes new cats for just £600.

Being mid-engine, the pipe
work is actually quite short,

so although a bit fiddly, everything
is a manageable one-man job.

But I must confess, having a
car lift makes all the difference.

The old lambda probes screw
neatly into the new system.

It's essential these are
reconnected because

they feed data back to
the engine's brain or ECU,

helping the engine burn
fuel as cleanly as possible.

The new cats then bolt straight
back onto the exhaust system.

But don't tighten the bolts fully just yet.

So with the cats loosely
in position, we can now fit

our lovely brand new
stainless steel sports muffler.

Now the idea is, classic top tip in fact,

basically assemble
the exhaust nice and

loosely to make sure
everything fits together

and once you're totally happy,
you can then tighten everything up.

The sil*ncer is attached
directly to the rear

brace with a couple
of bolts either side.

I position the new clamps
that came with the kit

and then apply exhaust
sealant to the ends of the tubing.

Once this stuff gets hot, it'll
go off and then form the perfect

seal in the pipe work between
the rear box and our new cats.

All I need to do now is reassemble the
back of the car with some help from Paul.

Putting a sports box on a car
can really change its character,

but do be careful what you choose.

A really loud exhaust
might be fun at first,

but could drive you
mad on a long journey.

The question is, have we
got it right with this one?

Well that sounds
fantastic, much more rorty

than before and no sign
of any annoying rattles.

And if the new buyer
cares to look under the

car, let's see if we've
smarted it up too.

So now mechanically, we're all sorted.

So with that gearbox worry
sorted, the brakes working properly,

and a new sports exhaust
with cats, our £1000 Boxster,

is looking as though
it might just be a car.

Oh yeah!

All we need to do now is to
really make it look the part,

and if we're lucky, we might be
looking at a profit in the thousands.

Getting a Porsche Boxster S
for a grand was daylight robbery.

I've just bought the Porsche
Boxster S for £1000! I can't believe it!

But nobody lets a car like this go for
peanuts unless it's got serious problems.

Now the brakes on this
car are almost as bad as the

gearbox, and I'm nursing
it back to the workshop.

But Ed has managed to rescue the
situation with hard work and expert nouse.

It would seem that our cheap
fix has actually done the trick.

We now have a non-slipping
Tiptronic gearbox.

And while I've fixed the seats, Ed's
fixed the brakes, cats and exhaust,

all without breaking the bank.

Well that sounds fantastic,
much more rorty than before.

Now we just need some finishing
touches to maximise our selling potential.

A Porsche isn't just
about driving performance.

They also have an air of
luxury and style about them.

So having sorted out our
Boxster's mechanical wrinkles,

it's about time for some
light cosmetic surgery.

Porsche goes in for subtle facelifts,

which means it's easy for us
to take a few years off our car

by switching to the
later Clear Lens lights.

Changing all of the lights on this
car is certainly not a cheap option.

To replace the lights with Clear
Lenses, it's going to cost over £1000.

Now Mike is convinced
that's going to make the car

much easier to sell and
make it much more desirable.

The Boxster headlights are
surprisingly easy to remove.

After pulling back the
carpet, I undo a special locking

cam with a socket and
the headlights are released.

Disconnect the power supply
and the whole unit lifts out.

The facelift kit includes Clear
Lenses for the indicator repeaters,

so I pop them off too.

This is one of our smart new light units.

The essential difference
is the fact that this bit that

used to be orange is now a
much smarter smoked glass.

It's going to make the
car look a lot better.

Now on the back you can
see there's this kind of slot here.

This is a very clever
little bit of mechanism

going on here because
it locates on this bar here

and if I then turn that socket you
can see that the bar kind of spins round

and draws the light and
then locks it in position.

Very smart.

The new units are slotted into the wings

and then locked into place with
that clever but simple mechanism.

And then in go the
new clear side repeaters.

At the back the story is much the same

and I don't even need to
put in a new Amber light bulb.

A vast improvement but we're not done yet.

Well here are the seats
that Mike took to the

trimmers and they
have done a fantastic job.

There's no sign of any repairs

and they look even better than you
with these lovely Alcantara inserts.

These seats are going to give the interior
of our Boxster S a real premium feel.

The seats in the convertible are such
an important part of the car's appeal.

I think it was definitely worth the effort
and expense to get ours refurbished.

Our £1,000 Boxster is beginning
to look like a ludicrous bargain

but it does lack one significant element.

Our wheels have been refurbished
and they do look absolutely mint.

Now the interesting thing is, back
in 2000 when this Porsche was new

you couldn't actually buy
black wheels from the factory

but now you can, they seem a fitting
addition to our facelifted Porsche.

A set of factory Boxster S
wheels would cost £2,500 new

but we've had ours refurbished
and painted for just £300.

Any performance car, especially
one that goes as well as this,

needs to look the part

and these final details give our
Porsche new purpose and take years off.

Buying a Boxster S
for just £1,000 is always

going to be either a stroke of genius
for a Mike or a hopeless disaster.

Now we've managed to give our Porsche a
new lease of life without breaking the bank

and I'm confident
we're going to be able to

sell it for far more
than we've spent on it.

So it would seem that
Mike's gamble has paid off

and hopefully any minute now we
may well be counting our winnings.

All the effort in the
workshop has paid off.

With the mould removed,
the cobweb's blown away

and suddenly our £1,000 Boxster
S is looking like a million dollars.

The Boxster is a modern classic.

It was highly acclaimed when it was launched
as one of the best handling cars around

but at £1,000, ours was all but
written off by its previous owner.

And with a faulty tiptronic gearbox,
it was a huge gamble taking it on.

Oh dear.

Ed worked miracles again.

He bought our Porsche back from the brink,

fixing the gearbox with a
simple oil and filter change.

Taylor went off to get the seats
re-drimmed with sporty new suede inserts.

Ed cleverly refurbished the brakes
without having to replace the discs

and fitted a new sports exhaust, getting
rid of our rattling cats into the bargain.

Now with clear lenses
and shining black wheels,

our Boxster has come a long way from the
sad and unloved car that we started with.

We paid just a grand for the car

and got away without having to splash out
thousands on a new gearbox or the brakes.

So we felt we could blow some
cash on some tasty upgrades.

Our total spend comes to £3,540.

That's still a bargain for a Boxster S.

Ed, wow!

Look at the Boxster.

Oh, it looks brilliant.

Smart interior, lovely wheels, new lights.

You've done brilliant again.

Well, thank you, sir.

And the best bit is you can now actually
drive it as well, which is quite important.

Very important.

Yeah, and I think you deserve
a big reward for all your efforts.

So what's a me, you and
your hair go out for a drive?

Let me guess, it's going to
be cold, it's going to be wet

and you're going to want
a roof down, aren't you?

Well, it'd be rude not to.

Plus, it's the only way you'll fit in it.

North Wales, land of
thunderous skies, epic landscapes,

brooding mountains and
absolutely stonking roads.

And here we are in one of the world's
best high-performance roadsters,

a Porsche Boxster S.

It's a perfect combination.

It's so good, I'm beginning to worry.

Something's just bugging me.

It's going round and round in my head.

I can't get rid of it.

It's affected my mojo.

Can I share it with you?

Of course you can.

We're in, mate.

You can unburden yourself.

What's the problem?

Right, here we are.

We're driving around
in a Porsche Boxster S.

We've got a 3.2 flat-six engine behind us.

250 brake horsepower.

And this car looks every inch like
it's worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Yeah.

Yet, we only give a grand for it.

Did that really happen?

That did really happen.

And in fact, it could
have been a total disaster,

but actually, we got away with it.

We certainly did.

And it's all coming back to me now.

Do you know what?

I thought it was too good to be true.

But it is true.

We've done something really good.

These roads are absolutely
fantastic for our Porsche.

This is a wonderful place.

It's nice to get out of the
countryside, and this is Snowdonia.

And if you're a driver or you've got a
pure driver's car like this little Boxster,

you've got to come and do
this at least once in your life.

And this car was built for these roads.

It feels absolutely wicked.

Everything works.

Including the gearbox.

Including this gearbox, that Tiptronic S.

Admittedly, it's not the best gearbox to
go hammering it around a racing circuit,

but on a cruise like this
out in the countryside,

you couldn't ask
for anything better.

And it's nice because you
can let the gearbox take

the strain and do all
the work in automatic

mode or slide it across
to put it into manual,

and I could have a go on the
buttons myself on the steering wheel.

Good, isn't it?

That is very, very cool.

But that guy let this car
go so cheap because he

thought it was a major
problem with the gearbox.

And it's only due to your lucky fix,
Ed, we've really done it with this car.

And now we've got a car
that starts, stops and goes.

And thanks to those modifications
you've done, it looks the part, too.

I think all we have to do now is turn all
of that goodness into some kind of profit.

So what are we going
to go for with this car?

Well, you know what, Ed?

Good ones are these cars.

They go for over five grand.

But I reckon this is better, Ed.

This is such a cracking motor.

So I reckon we could push it, maybe
push it up to six and a half grand.

But if I'm feeling generous,
I'll chip it back to six grand.

Well, this is a lot of car for the money.

Agreed.

Now, I know that you can
find Porsche boxes out there

between five and five and
a half thousand pounds,

but they don't look
anything as good as that.

So I'm asking six and a
half thousand pounds for it.

I think it's worth every penny.

This guy behind me, Alan,
who's been out for a test drive.

And it's wonderful.

So let's see if we can put a deal together.

All right then, Alan.

You like the way the car drives.

Clearly, you like the way it looks.

But what do you really think of it?

I think it's terrific.

I think the car looks fantastic.

It's in great condition.

I'm glad you said all that, because the
amount of effort that's gone into this car,

I suppose, for you, is just
going to come down to the price.

I think it's worth every
penny of what I'm

asking, and that's six and
a half thousand pounds.

It's a good price.

I was thinking about six thousand, really.

If you want it, what I will do is,
because it's running really low on fuel,

I'll give you a hundred
pound back so you can

fill it up and really
enjoy the drive home,

and you can have it for six four.

What do you say?

Me too.

Yeah?

It's a good car.

Top work.

You just bought yourself a
cracking Porsche Boxster.

Thank you.

The Boxster S is a brilliant car.

And now that it's been around
for 13 years, it's a brilliant buy too.

Especially if it needs a bit of TLC.

And you know what you're
doing with a spanner, like Ed.

Our car made us nearly a three gram profit.

At a thousand pounds,
I must have bought the

cheapest Porsche Boxster S in the
country, but this car came with a gamble.

But thanks to my gamble
and Ed's hard work,

it's paid off and returned
us a healthy profit.

If you want to see more motoring
greats being turned around,

then join me and Ed
soon on Wheel of Dealers.

Tallah!