Purchasing a 986 long distance?

[ilmonster]

I am looking to possibly get a Boxster, probably a 2003. I have seen a few in other states than my own, but am wondering how others have gone about purchasing a 986 in another state. More specifically, how/where did you get your pre-purchase inspection done? I wouldn't want to buy without one. Did you then fly out there to look in person? Did you drive it or have it shipped home? Thanks!

[RandallNeighbour]

I bought mine out of state and flew out there, inspected it myself and drove it home. I should have driven it to a local Pcar dealership for a PPI before buying it. It was a mess of a car that has taken 3 years to get sorted out.

My Boxster buyer's faq's should help you, but others can probably chime in on how to find a PPI for a car long distance.

Shipping a car costs between $800 - $1200 with a good carrier if it's across the country... not a bad deal if you don't like long drives or don't want to put 1500 miles on your boxster.

2003 is a good year. Glass window and updated interior bits. Do buy an S though... that extra power is definitely felt and you will probably wish you had bought an S if you buy a non-S and see an S on the road.

[Perfectlap]

Definitely a worthwhile trip. Look into the state's policy on lemon laws and such. Here in NJ used cars sold from dealers have a state mandated 6 month drive train warranty. Well worth the sales tax in my opinion.
I think if you want the best deal possible, its smart to look outside of your state as well as looking within.
Check Ebay, the Porsche Club of America classifieds, auto trader etc.
There are services that will inspect the car for you and even ship the car to you.
But definitely get a PPI from a local Porsche dealer and do not buy without going there in person to look at your big investment.

p.s.
I think personally I'm inclined to go with a Certified Pre Owned (CPO) BoxsterS,
if you're not going that route I like the 2002S. You can upgrade to a glass rear window aftermarket for $1000 or so. The Consumer Reports tracking by model year that I saw indicated that 2000-2002 Boxsters have reported the fewest problems. The intermediate drive shaft redesign in the 2003 and 2004 Boxsters have reported some problems, not an issue I have looked closely but having that problem rear its head out of warranty could be a disaster. A REnnlister in the 996 forum just reported his IDS went on his 2004 911 and the warranty covered the cost of a new engine and labor $20K. In other words consider an extended warranty (warranty direct, etc.) if you don't go CPO

[racer_d]

You might ask people on this board, or others like PP, Rennlist, PPBB etc. Boxster owners are everywhere. They may even know the car you are interested in. Then, if a local "check-out" pans out, you might pursue a purchase. You can also use these forums to ask for good "local shops" in the area where your "car search" takes you.

[wetstuff]

How far from Wisconsin? Mine was about 6hrs North in CT ..but because it had a few months factory warranty and came directly from Porsche Leasing, I didn't have the inspection done 'till after I took it to my P-dealer for the first time.

The CPO inspection was about $100...good paper even tho' it did not come with the factory extended warranty. Got that elsewhere. I'd be leary of as-is/where-is long distance. Good luck.

j i m

ex-Madison & Door County (miss the civility)

[husker boxster]

+1 on buying a Porsche Certified Pre Owned vehicle.

I bought mine from a Porsche dealership in Dallas and never had second thoughts about buying it because it was Certified. To be Certified, the dealership has to inspect it, it has to be mechanically sound and hasn't been in an accident. Not every Porsche is Certified. And since it is above average, Porsche adds 2 yrs or up to 100K mi to the warranty. If you purchase a 2003, the factory warranty will be expiring soon, if it hasn't already. A Certified vehicle gives you 2 more yrs. I have had a few issues with mine but they have all been covered by the bumper to bumper warranty. You will pay a little more for a Certified, but the extra cost also includes peace of mind when you are traveling a great distance to buy a car. I've heard lots of stories over the phone about how great a car is, only to find a piece of junk when I look at it in person. That's not the case with a Certified vehicle. It will be in the proper condition.

The dealer I purchase from was Boardwalk in Plano, Tx and I highly recommend them. They made the whole experience enjoyable. They don't waste your time. I had a conditional deal made with them within 3 phone calls (including my trade-in), they didn't endlessly dicker for a few extra bucks, and I was in and out of the dealership in under an hour.

Good luck with your purchase, you will smile every time you drive.

[vouvoune]

bought mine in ATL (I am in St.Louis), took a plane down there (using site59.com hotel + flight was cheaper than getting a RT flight alone let alone a OW, they have GREAT last minute weekend deals...For ex, just booked a trip to DALLAS this WE, 2 airfares, taxes and stay in a Wynhdam 2 nights for $275 total, last time I stayed at the Hyatt Regency there for $400 everything included).
I drove the car home for 9 hours. It actually was a nice way to get used to the car. I took it to a a close by garage for a basic inspection + emission (the closest dealer was one hour away and was $500 so I passed!).
I bought it from a private party (first owner) and got a good feel from him so I wasn't really worried as he had been unnecessarly honest all along...But trusting your gut feeling doesn't always go well

[boxster3678]

Hey my friend I do alot of the out of state car pickups and heres why. A: gives me an excuse to see another part of the country no matter if I have been there or not. Most of the places I have gone for cars was the first time but that was not a deciding factor. B: gives me a story to put with the car. Lets face it a big part of owning a vehicle is the story that come along with it. Every vehicle I have ever bought other than normal every day transportation cars, I have some funny stories to go along with picking it up. And i will tell you what I would not change the way I do it ever. Here is what I do after I determine what I am looking for I lay out the guide lines, whether it be color, miles, options, year...etc. Once I find what I am looking for I negotiate terms with the seller and as part of my terms is a small say $500 deposit, I then go in person to check out the vehicle now I pride myself at being pretty mechanically inclined so I usually do my own inspection but I take the car to a tire shop and ask them to check the shocks and under body of the car areas you cannot see when the car is on the ground. Before making the trip I make arangments with the local uhaul to have a car tow (one where the car is off the ground) put on the back of my Truck. If the car is as expected I pay the balance and tow my new project home. The nice part about this is that you can go down a day early get a hotel room bring a date or a friend with you and turn a trip into it. It really is a nice way to do it and see the country. Sorry for the long reply. Good luck and if you need any help pm me. Frank

[demonz]

This is my story (long), of how I bought my Box less than 2 weeks ago!

I just scored my first P car 3/2/07!! Pics will follow when it stops raining .


I live in WA, and scored my perfect car in FL. I shopped for 3-4 months on ebay, and craigslist before I found the perfect car. During that time 2 or 3 got away from me, however it all helped me zero in on exactly what I wanted. 2002 S Silver/black PSM ~35k miles, preferably a non lease car, original owner. I got exactly that. The BIG pluses were hardtop and Xenon lights! He was the private original owner, reciepts for the 30k miles service, along with $3k for wheel bearings, and tires. He ran into financial troubles, and needed to sell. No accidents. Oh almost forgot 3m invisible bra too!! Car was prestine with 3 small scratches in the bra. No dings. I paid less than wholesale, WITHOUT all the pluses!! The seller was a really stand up guy, picked me up from the airport and flew me out there and back to see the car to for free since he had so many frequent flyer miles.


I originally planned to drive it back on the mother of all road trips (3,400 miles, if I didn't get lost, or make unecessary stops), but GF couldn't make the drive.) The weather worried me also as I didn't want to get stranded in snow in an area I didn't know. So, I ended up shipping it for $1,190. My shipper took 5 days, instead of the normal 20day from places like DAS. It would have been murder to try and drive that distance in 7 days.


Since it wasn't from a dealer, and my deal was outside ebay. I had no recourse, and I did at times wonder if I was going to wake up without a kidney That is until I met him, and talked with him. Even then, I kept getting the eeire feeling that everything was going "too good". My imagination was doing a number on me at times of "worst case scenario" I kept reminding myself that I didn't have to do anything if I didn't want to; and there was a big paper trail.


Of course everything turned out GREAT, or I wouldn't be writing this. Round trip WA to FL, 2 transfers, and back in less than 24hrs! Woo Hoo!!


The deal would have put my mind at ease if I went through a dealer, espically one of those Houston dealers with thousands of feedback on Ebay, put I wouldn't have gotten the deal I did, or the history. That was actually a deal I lost out on, and paid a guy online 150 bucks to inspect it for me, but that's a different story.


Just have your wits about you, and you should be ok. It worked very well for me! Er... um I just got lucky..

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

The dealer I purchase from was Boardwalk in Plano, Tx and I highly recommend them. They made the whole experience enjoyable. They don't waste your time. I had a conditional deal made with them within 3 phone calls (including my trade-in), they didn't endlessly dicker for a few extra bucks, and I was in and out of the dealership in under an hour.

Good luck with your purchase, you will smile every time you drive.

I'll second that recommendation for Boardwalk in Plano, TX. First class place with first class people. The guys who run RUF Autocentre here in Dallas all came from there, as well as most all of the Techs.

[ilmonster]

Wetstuff, you asked how far. I live in Wisconsin and I saw one online in Virginia that looked interesting for instance. I'd have no problem just driving to see if it was in an adjoining state (Ill, MN, IN, etc.) a few hours away, but I was wondering if the car in ques. is many states away. Thanks for all your responses!

[Perfectlap]

speaking of Plano, TX...saw this tasty 911 TT for under $60K..too bad its a tip.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-PORSCHE-TWIN-TURBO-36K-ONE-OWNER-MINT_W0QQitemZ270096174028QQcategoryZ10156QQrdZ1QQ cmdZViewItem