Moving X-Country Pulling Box - Advice?

[Jump]

I will soon be moving cross country by myself, pulling the Boxster on a U-Haul auto trailer with my Jeep. Due to the length of the trip, I will be spending a couple of nights in hotels along the interstate somewhere. My concern is, how do I have peace of mind while trying to get some sleep that no one is unhooking the trailer and pulling it away with their car? I plan on locking the trailer down to the jeep with multiple chains and paddle locks but still it is a concern. A real professional would probably just break into the jeep and drive them both off.

Anyone have options for securing my toy or am I being over concerned?

Thanks.

[threpwood]

If it is an open trailer, use a car cover so people can't see that it's a box (don't use factory car cover with big Porsche logo).

Locking the trailer to the jeep with multiple chains and paddle locks should be more than sufficient to secure your baby.

And, get a wireless spy camera with lcd monitor, so you can check it once in a while (hopefully your room is within line of sight of the camera as the signal can get weaken).

If it's not sufficient, disconnet batteries of your jeep, chain the steering down, and remove one of the tire with jack on!

[denverpete]

Obviously, your chances of anything happening are pretty low. Personally I'd park it close to my room and under a light. Make sure you lock the chains and you'll be fine.

While the cover isn't a bad idea - just make sure that you don't have a cover on it while driving.

Select your hotel and overnight locations wisely. What cities do you plan on staying in? Possibly we can give you some recommendations that would be safest.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

You're being overly paranoid. I've trailered numerous cars cross country over the years and the best thing to do is stay at a name brand hotel/motel where they check their lot several times nightly and/or have a police patrol.

Don't use a cover at all. If you use one while driving, it'll burn through the paint on the car and covering the car at night will only make people curious about what's underneath.

After all, it's just a Boxster, a production car which, while not exactly a dime-a-dozen, is still common enough not to attract much interest. I trailered my Esprit out to SF one year for a West Coast meet and being 1 of 61 produced, it attracted a degree of attention, but it was not fooled with in either of the hotels I stayed at. Have a good trip...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[JackG]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,
After all, it's just a Boxster, a production car which, while not exactly a dime-a-dozen, is still common enough not to attract much interest. I trailered my Esprit out to SF one year for a West Coast meet and being 1 of 61 produced, it attracted a degree of attention, but it was not fooled with in either of the hotels I stayed at. Have a good trip...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

However, it's doubtful that more than 1/2 a dozen people that saw your car on the trailer during that trip would have a remote clue what its production numbers were. It's highly likely that the vast majority of the people that saw it thought it was a kit car.

Nearly everyone knows what a Porsche is.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by JackG

... It's highly likely that the vast majority of the people that saw it thought it was a kit car...

Hi,

You could be right, but my experience has been that James Bond did quite a lot for the Esprit in terms of popularizing it as have a number of video games.

Most people I encounter with it know exactly what it is, while many do admit it's the first time they've seen one in person.

An interesting related story. My wife and I frequent a certain restaurant and one day we drove the Esprit, parked at the curb right outside. The place was jammed, and since we were just going for some snacks, we decided to make a reservation in 30 min. and go have a coffee at a coffeeshop across the street until the crowd thinned.

We sat outside, just across the street from the Esprit. Anyway, a guy and his girl walked by and noticed it, gave it a good once over. The guy looked and within earshot of us said "It's a Ferrari..." and the girl snapped back "NO... It's a Lotus Esprit, 2.2L Turbocharged all-aluminum 4 Cyl., 5-speeds, 0-60 in 5.1 sec., top speed of 155MPH..." You just know the guy didn't get an erection that night...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[JackG]

Originally Posted by MNBoxster

Hi,
The guy looked and within earshot of us said "It's a Ferrari..." and the girl snapped back "NO... It's a Lotus Esprit, 2.2L Turbocharged all-aluminum 4 Cyl., 5-speeds, 0-60 in 5.1 sec., top speed of 155MPH..." You just know the guy didn't get an erection that night...

LOL!! And then pigs flew out of your a$$...

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by JackG

LOL!! And then pigs flew out of your a$$...

???

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99