Buying Advice - It was winter driven
 

I have found a nice 2012 CS with the options and mileage that I want. It is meant to be in very good shape. Price looks like it can be worked out. It is a long way from me, so before I jump on a plane and pay for a PPI...

From the Carfax, the Cayman has been driven 6,000 miles per year on a very consistent basis throughout each year. What is concerning me is that it has lived in a part of the world that has snow/ice and therefore salt and sand for 3 months a year. This means it has gone through 6 winters or roughly 18 months in salt/sand. My gut is telling me that I should keep on looking due to the potential of rust lurking under the surface and in the undercarriage. On the otherhand, with today's galvanization techniques, maybe I am being too conservative.

What would you do?

Before you commit to the PPI, can the seller get the car on a lift and take pictures of the underside and send them to you? I assume this is somewhere in Canada where the snow/salt/sand is pretty much a winter-long thing? I drive my Boxster in the winter when the roads are clear, but that happens pretty often in New Jersey. I don't have any rust issues after 15 years. But winters are more severe elsewhere.

Yes, it is in Canada, but the area is fairly dry so the amount of snow and therefore salt is not as great as other parts of Canada. Sand is a bit more of an issue, but the car has 3M plastic coat to protect it. A picture is a good idea.

Boxsters/Caymans are not famous for rust issues other than some bolts on the exhaust. Provided it has never been hit and you can get a paint thickness test to test a respray.

2012? Don't worry about it. I have a 2005 Cayenne that's been daily driven in the northeast U.S. since new. 150k, not a spec of rust.

+1 OK for 2012
I would hope the PPI would spot rust/corrosion.

There's no rust on these cars. Lookup galvanized steel and other suspension components are made of aluminum.

I bought my 2000 Boxster from a guy in Pennsylvania that daily drove it year round, and it is in good shape underneath.