So I pulled the plug...
 

Today I finally got what I think is a nice 2001 Boxster S. As the car is in California, I will be flying there next week and spend the long easter weekend driving it ALL the way back to Canada, east coast. :D
2,800 miles!
I hope I have no freaking mechanical issues on my way back! This whole RMS/IMS thing still scares the **************** out of me and as a previous Porsche owner I know these cars (Porsche in general) can be very annoying with their design flaws. :eek:
Got rid of a 2006 Cayenne I got brand new. It was a great car in many ways but as I already got another daily beater, the Boxster will be a nice complement for my spring/summer/fall driving!
Guys, wish me luck! This will be a hell of a drive, passing through Las Vegas, Denver, Omaha, Chicago and finally Canada.
I will post pictures and will probably create a daily blog of the trip.
If anyone wants to meet along the way, just give me a shout!

Cheers.

CR

Wow that will be one heck of a drive. Where in Ca?

Hey Im from ottawa aswell. I bought my escalade from texas and spent 800 on shipping. I would seriously consider that. You will get tons of rock chips and your ass will ache......


goodluck though, see you around the city

Does the end of the trip include a stretch of 81N to the A bay bridge? Or are you going Detroit Windsor and over like I did in the Ann Arbor days.

You will enjoy your car, although you'll find out it's not the most comfortable vehicle on super long trips, of which I have taken many in my boxster. I've driven from FL to TX, TX to CA to NV and back to TX, and TX to NC and back. And then to my chiropractor FOR my back.

Frequent stretching at rest stops is highly suggested, once an hour or so.

Also, you may want to buy a quart of whatever brand and weight of oil that was last used in the car just in case it drops a little during that long trip. 0W50 Mobil 1 oil is very hard to find in the middle of Nebraska or Iowa.

BTW, it takes at least 30 minutes after you shut off a hot boxster motor to read the digital oil gauge with any accuracy. I recommend checking your oil after lunch every day when you come back to your car after your meal. One bar on the gauge represents about a cup of oil. Do not overfill!

PS - Didn't you mean pull the "trigger" instead of plug? ;)

I bought my '02 Box in Dallas; after checking contained shipping costs, decided to drive back to northern Illinois. Shipping quote was around $2,000; open trailer would be less, but read the fine print...they are not held responsible for ANY damage.

In any case, the 1100 mile drive back was very pleasant and I found the seats to be comfortable and supportive. Driving through northern Texas and Oklahoma was quite an adventure, since I had jacked-up pickup trucks all over my a$$ at 90 MPH.

I'd definitely do it again.

he's from canada eh. maybe they pull the plug eh, instead of the trigger eh, since they don't like guns.


eh.

When do you think you will be passing through the Denver area?

I have a couple of really good friends who live just outside of Kingston, ON, and lots of family that lives in Hamilton. Always good to meet new Canucks.

BC.

The only one that can answer this question is the car. :D My plan is to start going back on Friday so I should be in the Denver area sometime on Saturday afternoon/evening. Thing is I have no clue about the roads going from Pacific Palisades to Denver (or from Denver to Omaha/Chicago for that matter).
If I can get whatever paperwork is required done by Wednesday afternoon then I may start heading back on Thursday and in that case I guess I would get to Denver on Friday afternoon/evening.
Would be pretty cool to meet some Boxster owners along the way!

CR

That is it. Up here we pull the plug, not the trigger. :D

CR

In a way money was not the deciding factor for me. To get the deal done through a third party it would cost me money. Adding shipping to that I would be in the $2,000 range too. So I thought to myself, why not fly there ($200) and drive the Boxster back? It must be a hell of a drive and honestly a trip that I have no idea if I will ever be able to do again. So I decided to drive it. And what better way to get used to the car? :D
I am sure there will be no one on my ass during the trip considering the under the bumper flame throwers I got installed. That should do it. :cheers:

CR

I was thinking about crossing the border in Sarnia. Any reason not to do there?

CR

Good advice! Appreciated. The oil was changed 700 miles ago, Mobil 1. I will get the exact same one they used and bring with me and will definitely keep an eye on it during the trip. Gee, my Cayenne had 45,000 miles on it and mechanically I had never had an issue (had tons of electrical ones though). So hopefully this Boxster will be at least as reliable as the Cayenne!
And as mentioned before, in Canada we pull the plug. No triggers here. :D

CR

Well I thought about shipping it but it is such a great chance, great trip that I simply can't say no to that. I may get some chips probably but nothing I cannot fix one day if it really bothers me that much.
So how was it to go across the border with an US car? Too much hassle? I am reading the RIV.CA website and seems pretty straight forward but I would love to hear from someone that actually did it to confirm my thoughts on the subject!

CR

Wow, $800! That's a good deal. I thought it got pretty pricey once you start crossing the border. What shipping company did you use?
It's always funny to here people like tonycarreon to think all Canadians are spitting images of 'Bob and Doug' Mckenzie. :cheers:

FYI, nebraska sucks.

end of story. :matchup:

being from texas i'm constantly told "wow, you don't sound like you're from texas." i suppose it's because i've never said "ya'll." :)

Sarnia is definately the place to cross; much more fun to go over the Blue Water Bridge and through some stinkin' tunnel!!

Enjoy

[QUOTE=tonycarreon]he's from canada eh. maybe they pull the plug eh, instead of the trigger eh, since they don't like guns.


Very typical. CROD I guess you didn't realize hes stereotyping canadians. Eh Tony wanna go grab our skates n sticks n play a lil ice hockey and drink a couple of Wobblies ehh. Eh Tony I love guns, I have 3.

P.s Tony do you like pasta?

as long as you have the correct paper work you should be fine. Remember the border wants to hold your title for 3 days or you can not cross the border with the car.I got the dealer to fedex it before the escalade crossed. Try and get a temporary tag in the u.s this will allow you to do the etest, saftey and then take it to Canadian tire for the stamp after they see you have day time running lights then register it. There's nothing else that needs to be changed. The gauge can be switched to kms. I've done this procedure about 5 different times. Any questions I'll be glad to help, eh.

I'll dig up my papers today to find the shipping company which I used.

There Is No Place Like Nebraska..
 

All these shots at Nebraska.

I saw 0W50 Mobil 1 at O'Reilly's on Thu but bought 5W40 Syntec instead.

Since TC didn't give any reason, I can only assume he made his stmt because of our continuously lovely scenery. But how is it any worse / monotinous than west Texas? Anyway, if you want something to occupy you while you drive through our fine state, count the # of times you cross the Platte River.

But Crod, be careful when driving on I-80. It is a major drug trail and the State Patrol watch for out of state speeders. If you cruise along 7mph over the limit, they won't even look at you. And our speed limit is 75, so you should be able to move right along. Just a reminder, the speedometer on your Box is 3mph higher than you're actually travelling, so add 10mph to the speed limit to get your actual 7mph cushion.

Our snow is all gone but beware of any storms that hit along your route. Park it when you run into snow. It's not your Cayenne.

And finally, the Box is made for long distance trips. 4 yrs ago and I drove my 01S out to North Carolina. On the way back I left Knoxville, TN in the morning and drove all the way back to Omaha (1200 mi) in one day.

If you want to stop for a nice steak dinner in Omaha, let me know and I'll hook you up.

I will take up on your steak offer! I should be hitting Omaha sometime on Sunday hopefully (may be Saturday, who knows!) and will let you know accordingly. I will PM you my mobile number so you can text me (and for me to get yours).

Cheers!

CR

you will burn on average 3/4 qt of oil for every 1000 miles of driving.

hah! it's no worse. in fact i'd probably rather go through nebraska than w. texas. :D

good job on the 5w40 syntec.

i guess i need to update my stereotypes - i have no idea what a wobblie is. and yes i love pasta, especially lasagna ( my favorite food ever ).

i'll be driving to TX sunday & monday, driving back to MD thursday, friday and saturday. have fun on your drive!

Good luck. Buying a used car is one thing, but a Boxster sight unseen, well, I hope you have AAA for insurance. Here's to Big Adventure. :cheers:

Well, if you are coming through the Denver area next Saturday, send me a pm, and I will give you my contact info. I'll show you some great roads that you can hit up on your drive while here, that you won't get a second chance at for a while.

Right now, the extended forecast is looking to be mid 50's and sunny, with this week coming being in the 70's, which should mean that some of the nicer roads should be clear enough for exploring.

If the other Denverites that are on here are interested, we could make it a fun get together.

BC.

Oh no I did not buy it unseen. The car went through a very detailed inspection and I got a full report on it. So I know well what I am buying.
And to be honest, I do agree if you inspect yourself, and know what to look for, you may have better luck but keep in mind, an used car out of warranty, no matter how good you are with cars and inspect them, unless you take the engine apart and start looking for cracks under a microscope, it will always be a matter of luck.
I have seen many people that bought cars inspected by dealers and by their own trusted mechanic and 500 miles later the engine blew. And also saw people that bought cars on impulse without even a PPI and that ran for another 20 years without a single issue.
Used cars out of warranty are simply like lottery. You will never know for sure what to expect. :D

So let's all pray for me. :cheers:

CR

Enjoy the trip, don't worry about the oil, but do check it each morning. I have done the trip, not quite the one you are doing but similar.

I bought an old Ferrari a number of years back and drove it from Ft Lauderdale back to Ottawa, then I moved it to Texas (relocating)....and then a little later I moved the Ferrari and my new boxster S to the DC area (another relocation). During that last move with the Ferrari I ran into a 4 hour snowstorm in the blue ridge mountains while going up I81...lots of fun. Take your time and enjoy it.

I'll assume you have it all worked up at the border to get the car across.

Regards,
JP

From one canuck to the next do exactly this

1) Call us customs and ask "when exporting a car to canada which fax number should I fax the title to?" Here's the listing of michigan ports, you'll be crossing in port huron, http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/ports/mi/

2) Call the dealership you bought the car from tomorrow and have them fax the title front and back to the border crossing here

If you fail to follow these two important steps you and your car will be trapped in the USA. Secondly make sure its not like fort erie in NY where you can only import between the hours of 9am - 5pm m-f. I use Detroit personally because they are forever open! 24/7-365.

The rest is a cake walk. Enjoy the drive.

In 2005 I had my car shipped from Martinez,CA to Windsor, ON with an open trailer. It was $1700, + brokerage fees, plus GST etc etc.

The drive..
 

I bought my Boxster out of LA a few years back. I flew down and picked it up then drove back to Couer d' Alene, Idaho. I am 6'01" and 220lbs. I have all kinds of back problems and the Boxster was actually not bad... I have a stupid Subaru Impreza for my company car and have to drive big miles in that many times. It KILLS me.. The Boxster actually has more leg room and is much more comfy in comparison. I don't regret doing the drive back.. You will get to see awesome country and meet great people as they stop and ask you about your car... Enjoy!!

Drive safe..

That's a relief to hear that the Boxster seats aren't back breakers. I have to make a bit of a trek from Missouri to Alberta at the end of April and I am the same height at 6'1 but a little lighter at 195lbs. However, I am making the trip with my brother who is 6'2 and about 215lbs. I just hope we aren't so close in the car that we're touching :matchup: . That would make for an annoying 30 hr drive.

Well after almost three days here I am sitting in a hotel in Des Moines! Left Santa Monica on Thursday and stopped for the day in Vegas. Left Vegas on Friday morning, arriving in Denver Friday night. Today drove from Denver to Des Moines.
So far, so good.
Actually one little issue. :D
Before leaving Santa Monica I did get the car checked and replaced the MAF (close to 40,000 miles and I knew it had some 1128/1130 codes). After that the codes were cleared and no more CEL. All great.
So now that I am in Des Moines, I got the damn light AGAIN! :matchup:
I am sure it is not the MAF as it just got a BRAND NEW one.
If any fellow member is in Des Moines that has the tools and knowledge to clean it AGAIN, I would appreciate the help! Just PM me.
Plan is to drive tomorrow from Des Moines to Port Huron and do the border crossing first thing Monday morning.

Cheers!

CR

Sounds like a good trip! I did the Vegas - Denver thing yesterday (in the Subaru), and had some pretty decent snow up around Vail Pass. Did you hit any of that on your way though?

One night in Vegas is definitely preferable to my three. Never doing that again... now I need to go take a week-long shower to get all of the stink off of me.