Buying a Boxster need advice
 

Hi There,
My wife and I are heading to San Diego this coming week-end to find and purchase a used Boxster for her in the $20,000 range that will be imported to Canada.
I've read some of the advise threads and I have some questions.
The cars I am looking at have around 50,000 miles, manual transmisions...because your dealers do work on these cars at much lower prices than here in Canada what preventitive maintenance would you have done even though the car checks out OK no oil leaks etc. on a PPI.???? Cheers and thanks for any advice, Robert

jeez, all the way to SD? I would have sold you my 02 S for way less than that and its in Seattle!

if you are spending that much it better have the upgraded IMS done!

You might consider the IMS guardian installed down there. I have had it installed instead of a new IMS. This gives impending warning of an IMS failure.
Perhaps a Boxster u are looking at may already have
a new IMS installed or get it installed down there.I bought my 2001 Box base with less than 40k miles. $20k should buy a really nice one. Check the CV joints for condition/oil leaks . I had mine done last year. Likely more$ in Canada. Oh yes check the clutch and if it lacks can be done while u have the new ims done. That's just a couple of suggestions. There will likely be others on this thread shortly. I envy u that drive back up the coast to Vancouver:)

Fivepoint nine Its a two for one sale in San Diego, visit some old friends and buy a car. My friends tell me there are lots to choose from in SD plus with the desert climate we should find one without any rust or so goes the theory.

+1 on this advice. Mr. Danger always delivers.

I've been looking at private sales only...is that a mistake?

Well, I've told more than one person that my next Porsche will be purchase from an individual who loved their Porsche enough to maintain it AND drive it to its limits to make sure the motor is fully lubricated when it's fired up.

Never buy a car out of an auction unless you purchase the insurance that states that if you find more than a couple of hundred bucks worth of repairs, you can return the car inside 7 days and get your money back.

I'd also avoid a dealer if you can. You'll always pay as much for the same model year and mileage car, but the quality may be way off compared to purchasing from a caring individual.

Oddly enough, I think the best place to find a well-maintained Porsche is from the classifieds of the PCA magazine... which are not easily accessed by someone who does not already own a Porsche and is a member of the PCA.

In my search for our second Boxster we looked at many in CA. Found out if buy from a dealer you pay CA. sales tax even when taking it out of state to register. If you buy from a private party, no tax. I found one dealer who was willing to drive the car to Reno to do the deal so he could legally sell it without collecting the tax. Follow the advice. By from an enthusiast private with records. And definitely get a stick. My wife drives our S as her daily driver and she loves the stick.

I don't think you should exclude the dealer visits, however don't expect the cars to be anymore well sorted than a private individual. My dealer has a sweet RS60 which is insanely overpriced. I'm sitting in it one day and see a huge hood chip, they have a body shop likely idle all winter but fix the chip? Nope not unless the buyer complains about it, unreal compared to the ethics my family had in the same situations. These older cars are not going to be offered with a warranty you can pack up and take home so there isn't much value to be had at the dealer unless they are hungry.

Imho
 

Private sale will usually get you a better price. I'd only buy from someone with a complete history, including receipts. Of course, a PPI is essential.

Just bought one myself last weekend and spent two hours PPI it myself, including going over all the old records from my private seller.

If there are NO oil leaks or oil residue on the underside and the the oil dipstick, in the front trunk, looks good and clean, and the motor purrs and operates smoothly chances are good you will have a car with few engine problems in the immediate future.

The dealer cars were more with uncertain or NO history because when they change hands between dealers and dealer auctions they simply discard all the old records.

Without maintenance history its really a crap shoot.

I recommend private sellers with history as they can also make the bill of sale less that what you paid so that when you cross the border you can minimize the Tax pain.

Cheers, from a fellow Canadian. (Toronto)

PS: Perhaps cancel the return flight and enjoy a nice drive back home in your new Porsche. A trip on hwy 101 & 1 up the west coast from SD in your Porsche will make it the most spectacularly scenic vacation you ever had.

PPS: About the cars in SD with "BC" license plates, they are not from "BC" Canada, but rather "Baja California, Mexico" I first thought there were a huge number of Canadians down here, in fact there are but not the folks with BC plates.