Buying Boxster out of state. Transport or no?
 

Hi I'm in a pretty limited market in Las Vegas as far as 986 boxsters go. I'm willing to go to LA or Arizona to pick one up. I'm just worried about driving one with a single-row bearing hundreds of miles (300 or so) all the way home. Would you all personally take the risk or transport it with a shipping company/auto-transport trailer?

I've had great success shipping cars. The best experience I've had was when I used Jay at imoveauto. It's a good option.

However: being in Vegas, I'd point you at this car (not mine, but in my market)
just up the road from you in Sal Lake CIty area.

I wouldn't hesitate for a moment driving this car to Vegas. and the IMS has been done.

I drove my 2003 standard from LA to indy after driving the west coast. It has been perfect over the 10k miles that I have owned it. If you buy a car that is well maintained just drive it and enjoy.

I bought mine in Florida and drove it home to Michigan. I have driven another 10000 plus since all on the original single row ims bearing. If I ever have to replace the clutch I will think about changing out the bearing. In the meantime I will just enjoy driving this little speedster. At 8 percent failer rate this boxster is a minor risk compared to some of the other things I do on a daily basis. I'd buy it if you like it and take the long way home. If you're going to worry about some hyped up mechanical issue maybe look for a Miata or something

Its not a time bomb.

I’d either ship it or do the IMS near where you’re purchasing it. It won’t be an enjoyable drive if you’re worried about it.

Drive it home with the top down and enjoy it.

I've bought three of my Boxsters out of state. I live in SW Oklahoma. The first Boxster was in Tucson, another in Phoenix, the third in San Antonio.

Buy a one way ticket, throw together an overnight bag with a couple changes of clothes and a big stack of CD's. Get ready to have a fun road trip.

Drive home and enjoy the car. I had a good road trip with each one and the three of them have turned out to be my favorite Boxsters in my fleet.

Don't overthink things about these cars. Maintain them, drive them and enjoy them! They're not delicate little flowers.

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/54895-my-new-99-aerokit-hardtop.html

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/57911-new-boxster-day-aerokit-hardtop-more-pics.html

Going to sound mean here Sorry!
Don't buy a 986 if your that scared to drive it

This.
If you can't enjoy driving the car for 4-5 hours from LA to Vegas get a different car.

Tick ... tick.... tick..... LOL Ya gotta love it.

Drive that car home!!!!!!

Top down through Las Vegas in this season? Better bring lots of sunblock lol

I shipped mine from Southern CA to Houston with a shipping company. I would have preferred to drive it back but I didn't have the time to take off. So I shipped it. The costs was reasonable but I used an open carrier and the car got pretty dusty. They picked it up the day after I arranged for shipping and had it in my hands a few days later. Piece of cake.

And don't fear driving it. It's just a car and one that likes to be driven.

Go buy this one...

Drive. The chances of a failure in 300 miles is slim. Can me made infinitesimal with a PPI that includes and oil filter examination. Not saying don't do the IMS when you get home, just not a big risk in 300 miles.

Does it say IMS is done? Am I just missing something? 8k is not a bad deal if it has, but I’d search for one with fewer miles, personally.


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That was my thought too. Not trying to be mean either but the IMS is not the only possible failure. I drove my single row home from Atlanta to Fort Worth 5 years ago and it is still going on it’s original bearing. Buy it, drive it, enjoy it :cheers:

My new Boxster was about 100 miles away, so I rented a Uhaul car transporter, attached it to the back of my truck, drove the combo to meet the new car, did a test drive, liked what I saw, and took the Boxster home on the back of the transporter.
This was the easiest / cheapest way to get there, test it out, and get it back...

For a Boxster 300 miles away, I would do a ton of homework and then buy a one-way plane ticket and drive it home. If you are not so time sensitive you could also go the car transporter route - this just gives you more flexibility if you don't like the Boxster - you still have a way to get home if you decide you don't want it...

I also agree with the "it's not a time bomb" comment. I purchased a 2004 S w/ ~47K miles and drove it for another 1K miles before having the RMS leak fixed (dealer comp'd) and only did the IMS bearing because the engine was out on someone else's dime. The original IMSB was in perfect shape (I kept it).

Enjoy your purchase.

Go get it! I just flew to LA and drove 1900 miles back to San Antonio it was great!

Possibly unpopular opinion: I would imagine that a Boxster that has not been driven recently is at a far higher risk for immediate IMS failure than one that gets driven.

Lubrication is huge preventative measure against IMS. When a car has been a garage queen, that lubrication is going to be less effective, at least at first.

Also, the metal is going to be at a higher risk to heat damage affecting it upon expansion.

I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker, but I think it’s a reasonable concern.


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Ok a lot of people have weighed in on this subject, many different thoughts (always are when it comes to IMSB - TIME BOMB, end of the world as we know it )
'brahgold' - Are you out there. What is your thinking here?
Are we all just having a discussion with our selves?
How do you feel about oil?

I have a 2003 S that has been parked for 6 months every year and still has the original bearing so I don't think that is an issue.

What are you looking for? What is your budget? I looked at the Vegas C/L and there were some nice Boxsters available. Easier to get a PPI if you're home, too. In the "gamblers paradise" there should be some nice ones at the various used car dealerships, too.

Look, any used car is a crap shoot. Even the ones you pay "real money" for. But the 3-400 miles from Phoenix to Vegas isn't that much. If you don't trust it to get you home, you shouldn't buy it. The actual incidence of ims bearing failure is pretty low. Unless the engine s making funny noises or obviously leaking oil out the back of the engine, you will probably be okay.

If you have doubts, don't buy. If you do buy, drive it like a Camry on the way home.

And he can stay at your house while he's waiting?:troll:

Until it is.

Or just not head out until it's ready. And I think hotels are a thing.

Until it is what an issue! You must be very paranoid. When I bought that car I drove it 400 miles home and never had any history of it and it's still running strong.

So what's the point to your story? Just because yours hasn't failed doesn't mean anything to anyone else. It's not an issue until it is. That's a fact. Stating that I've made it x miles without a failure means nothing.

Thank you all for the feedback, I realized I was exaggerating the possibility of a failure. If I get one out of state, I'll probably end up driving it home. In any case, I'm planning on doing the IMS myself when I get it back.

There you go. That's how you have to look at theses or any other used car. They have their flaws and it is so easy to fall under the 'Sky is falling' spell.
I certainly can claim no immunity to it. I'll turn down my stereo while driving the hwy on and off to hear if my motor is chewing itself up - Not that there is anything I could do