Buying an Import? Should i be worried??

[Sammysmiths]

Ive spotted a local Boxster for sale which exactly meets my search criteria. However, its a Jap import. 

Its white in colour and has been CAT N in the past. (for a broken wheel?)

I'll be asking lots of questions regarding the mileage, history etc.

The car is being sold by an import dealer but it is his wife's personal car. Ive done some FB stalking covering the past 2 years.

It looks like he imported it. 

My biggest concerns are, the original import photos show it having a tan interior, but now it has blue. 

Wheels have been changed. (probably since CAT N)

Mileage 2 days ago was stated at 49k, but on the sales ad, its 53k.

The car has done the Scotland NC500 in Aug 2020.

[Takahashi]

plenty of non-imports around if you're worried about it. 

insurance may be more, is it grey, or parallel import ? 

[Sammysmiths]

I dont know the difference between parallel and grey sorry?

[bagss2]

Is it a cheap car?

 

 

Cheers, Baggers.

[Desiro]

I think the least of your worries is it's import status!

It would have to be very cheap for me to even get near it with a barge pole.

As an aside, Iv'e imported a few cars over the years (parallel) and found no difference in insurance costs or resale value.

[DaveEFI]

Given Boxsters ain't exactly rare, any car with questionable provenance would need very careful inspection and be well below the normal price. The Japanese, because of a very strict MOT, don't expect cars to have as long a life as elsewhere, so may not bother looking after them well. At one time home market cars has less rust proofing too - as they would be scrapped before rust became a problem.

[Takahashi]

Grey import - a person that has imported one or two cars

Parallel import - when a manufacturer brings cars over 'officially'

[Desiro]

7 minutes ago, Takahashi said:

Grey import - a person that has imported one or two cars

Parallel import - when a manufacturer brings cars over 'officially'

What are grey imports?

Grey imports are built in non-EU countries, meaning they don’t necessarily have to conform to European build standards and regulations. This can be appealing because it often allows given models to have higher power and performance figures. When buying a grey import, it’s advisable to use a reputable dealer who’s a member of the British Motor Trade Association. 

What are parallel imports?

Parallel imports are cars that are built and bought within the EU and brought over to the UK. This means they will conform to the same EU regulations and standards that apply to cars sold in the UK. 

It was 25 years ago for me, but I do remember the certificate of conformity was very important for uk registration.

[Sammysmiths]

Thanks all. It is cheaper than other UK models ive seen.

Price is £9,500 ish,

2.7 987 white with blue roof and interior

53k mileage

service History (maybe not Porsche specialist-ive not seen it yet) the seller owns his own performance car sales.

One key, plus 2 small keys

19" lobster claws, refurbed

New Bridgestone tyres, disks and pads.

Same owner since import 2 years ago ( i think-i'll check when i view the car later today.)

Edited May 18, 2021 by Sammysmiths

[Sammysmiths]

[mark-yorkshire]

What year is it ?

[Sammysmiths]

Sorry, its 2005, £340 tax bracket

[edc]

£9.5k for a regular 2.7 987 with a Cat status didn't seem that cheap to me. 

[iborguk]

5 minutes ago, edc said:

£9.5k for a regular 2.7 987 with a Cat status didn't seem that cheap to me. 

^This^

[Desiro]

You can check for the mileage discrepancies (If there are any) on it's MOT history when it first arrived in the UK and up to present.

Looks a nice car in the pic, but proceed with caution and it needs to be cheaper.

[Clivescoobydo]

15 minutes ago, edc said:

£9.5k for a regular 2.7 987 with a Cat status didn't seem that cheap to me. 

Perhaps the markets moved on. Personally if it is cheap when compared to the market buy on condition and service history and don’t forget you most likely not get market rate when you sell. 

[Steve Laming]

I got a Toyota Celica GT4 from japan many moons ago.

The "Service History" was in japanese !

[Ninesomething]

That's not cheap. In fact I think it's quite expensive. The only thing it has really going for it is quite low mileage. Does he have the s/hist from when it lived abroad?

That said the guy at Dove house reckoned I could get that for my car which has higher mileage but more extras but is a UK car. Obviously.

[Menoporsche]

58 minutes ago, edc said:

£9.5k for a regular 2.7 987 with a Cat status didn't seem that cheap to me. 

18 months ago it would be a rip off, these days I'm not so sure, and the OP seems to be scanning the market. 

However it's true about Cat, that should put a real dent in it.  With Cat plus Import status, this should be 25% below market value to be interesting, as that's what you can expect at resale.

[Lennym1984]

The market is a bit crazy at the moment. I think a lot of sellers are trying their luck with inflated prices. When I bought my Cayman in mid 2019, a decent sub-100k mile car with FSH could be had for under £10k (with a bit of searching around), now it would appear that sellers are asking £10k for 115k+ cars with a Cat S marker. Personally, I reckon it is a temporary blip as lockdowns have left people with a little extra disposable income. For me, I think 9.5k is massively overpriced for an imported, written off, 987 Boxster.

[Menoporsche]

56 minutes ago, Steve Laming said:

I got a Toyota Celica GT4 from japan many moons ago.

The "Service History" was in japanese !

That seems logical.

[Mattman42]

sorry OP, have to agree with the others here - far too many red flags to even consider it. There is enough choice to get one without the hassle - think how much more difficult it will be to sell on when you want to get something else?

[Steve Laming]

20 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

That seems logical.

My point is, it could have been anything. Local takeaway menu. As I can't understand Japanese, it did not give a clear indication of any services carried out or mileages to verify.

I was much younger then, and wanted a GT4. I bought it based on condition.

[Mattman42]

appreciate the mileage is higher, but a newer car with some big ticket maintenance items done and arguably the Sport Edition is more desirable for similar money

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154457063199?hash=item23f65bbf1f:g:a8YAAOSwFeJgYZjV

or this one which sounds like a dealer who knows their Porsches that comes with a full service, new MOT and air con recharge

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313501902676?hash=item48fe2b6754:g:UqEAAOSwIspggERY

There are loads out there - just depends what spec you are after and budget

 

[Paul P]

my assumption is cat n happened since import (who would know if there is such a thing in Japan or if it would travel with the car)  - so a dealer in import cars and specialist performance cars put an insurance claim through for a damaged wheel - and that was an uneconomical repair?

mileage doesn't add up

interior doesn't add up

whilst not unreasonably priced, it's also not 50 quid 

maybe I am risk averse but is it  that much cheaper than many others?, is it that much better ?, is it really that low a mileage  ( who knows where that mileage figure comes from - is that just a config to switch odometer to miles from km or is that a replacement/reengineered cluster etc.)

for me it's not only no, its f!!! no